There was nothing around Ryner. After memories from his soul fragments were crammed into his head and his recurring nightmares began, everything went dark.

  Only pure blackness could be seen.

  That was why he knew what would happen next.

  “You got something pretty useful from a god.” [Alice]

  As he expected, Alice appeared behind him, floating around like smoke. In her hand was a golden globe, just like the one he received from Motyx.

  “I didn’t think you’d ever get friendly with them.” [Alice]

  After examining the globe, she lightly threw it to the side and it traced an arc through the air. The golden object flew towards Ryner and stopped in front of his chest.

  “I’m not.” [Ryner]

  The black-haired, cold-faced man grabbed the orb and it dissolved in his hand like glittering sand.

  “What did you come here for?” [Ryner]

  Cutting to the chase, he demanded for the reason why she showed up in his sleep.

  “For another game.” [Alice]

  She instantly replied in an unhappy tone while drifting around him in circles.

  “You’ve been going after the Heaven’s Blades and that map shows you where the last one is. So, it’ll be a game to retrieve it.” [Alice]

  “And the rules? Will you ask me to fight through the War Puppets I put in the fortress?” [Ryner]

  “You’ve registered yourself again as their master, so there’s no point. Instead, it’s how you’ll access the entrance. You already checked in which country the entrance is at, right?” [Alice]

  “… The elven country.” [Ryner]

  For the first time since they began speaking, Alice smiled.

  “Yes, the land of the elves. You’ll retrieve that broken Blade without fighting any elves for it. That’s the game.” [Alice]

  “That’s it?” [Ryner]

  “That’s it. If I win, let’s see, I’m still working on your War Puppet. I could use some more parts to build it. So, I’ll take an arm.” [Alice]

  “I’ll give you two arms if you win.” [Ryner]

  “Oh?” [Alice]

  Alice stopped moving in circles and stared at Ryner with an amused smirk.

  “If you’re doubling the cost of losing, then you want me to double the price for winning. What do you want?” [Alice]

  “I’m planning on making a global surveillance network, but I only have enough resources to make one mana pylon. Give me materials to make enough of them if I win.” [Ryner]

  Hearing what the expressionless man wanted for his victory, Alice’s eyes narrowed and their glow increased creepily.

  “You want me to make you the materials needed for mana pylons?” [Alice]

  “Enough to place them all over the world.” [Ryner]

  “Even though I’ll only have two arms if I win?” [Alice]

  “Two arms seeped in my life force, from a body that’s been carrying my soul. You could build a War Puppet that’ll have enough power to burn down the world. But, you’ll be using them to strengthen that War Puppet that already has my arm, leg and eyes. From our point of view, what I’m asking is a fair condition.” [Ryner]

  “But from anyone’ point of view, it’d be dumb of me to accept.” [Alice]

  “Last time, to get my limbs, you offered to not absorb life force for ten years. Ten years of life force. What’s making materials for a hundred or so mana pylons compared to that? Besides…” [Ryner]

  For the first time since they began speaking, Ryner smirked.

  “Since when did you ever care about anyone?” [Ryner]

  “… Fair enough. I’ll accept that condition and promise on it.” [Alice]

  Relenting, the ghost-like and ominous woman promised to honor the rules of their game and Ryner did the same.

  “Then, I’ll see you another time.” [Alice]

  Alice floated passed him. Their business was concluded. She shouldn’t have any reason to stay in his dream, or so Ryner thought.

  “Why don’t you hurry up and learn your lesson instead of tolerating that vampire?” [Alice]

  However, in an irritated voice, she suddenly talked about Evelyn.

  “Whenever someone is attracted to you because they believe you are ‘special’, it never lasts long. Besides, it happens when you get wrapped up in their mess and save their life. It’s just the suspension bridge effect, so don’t think so hard. Just throw that girl away for good.” [Alice]

  She was speaking nonchalantly and giving Ryner advice, but her voice held contempt.

  “That vampire’s not a bad kid. I’ve known her for five hundred years.” [Ryner]

  Ryner answered coldly without turning around to look at her.

  “A good kid? She raped you, like the fatass that raped us when we were a child. She’s no different from him, from any of the trashes we’ve met. And you’re letting her kiss you because you’re afraid she’ll break. That is not kindness, but foolishness.” [Alice]

  Alice chuckled.

  “The one who lost his mind is trying to prevent someone from losing it. It’s so sad I can’t even cry.” [Alice]

  “How I treat her is my own decision, Alice.” [Ryner]

  “It is not your own and you know it. Just who do you think you’re talking to?” [Alice]

  The black-haired, pale-skinned woman suddenly appeared in front of Ryner.

  “I know everything about you. Your respect and distrust for love. True love exists and it’s out there for everyone? Your fated one would gladly give his life for you? You don’t believe that.” [Alice]

  “I don’t, but I’ve met good people that proved that and you know it. You saw it.” [Ryner]

  “I’m not talking about other people, but you!” [Alice]

  Alice’s red eyes were glowing as she glared at him.

  Once more, they were repeating the same conversation that always came up since they existed.

  The same quarrel that never ended.

  “For years and years and years, you’ve kept her teachings somewhere in your head. You’re still following them, still believing in our big sister’s lies.” [Alice]

  “Not everything was a lie.” [Ryner]

  The force in their voice grew. The pressure they emitted intensified. The tension between them felt like it could break at any moment with the two jumping at each other’s throat.

  “Then her telling us that there’s true love for everyone is true? If you actually believed that, we wouldn’t be talking about it. If it were true, you wouldn’t have been burned, shot and blown up by your so-called true loves.” [Alice]

  “If you’re telling me to forget about our big sister, then why don’t you start by not copying her appearance?” [Ryner]

  The ephemeral woman floated away from the expressionless man and showed her back to hide her discontent expression. Her fists were tightly clenched. Her shoulders were faintly trembling.

  “I’m not the one blindly following her words.” [Alice]

  “I’m using them as guides because they’re useful.” [Ryner]

  “Everything she told us was all lies!” [Alice]

  “She took us in when we had nowhere to go!” [Ryner]

  “SHE SOLD US!!!” [Alice]

  Alice turned into smoke and formed up right in front of Ryner’s face. She yelled at him from up close. Her eyes were shining with fury.

  “I’ll never forgive her! I’m glad she died! I’m glad she was killed! But you! You DON’T hate her! You still treat her memories preciously! Still listen to her! I don’t understand this! I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS!!” [Alice]

  She screamed while shaking her head, causing her hair to flutter about.

  Faced with her outburst and killing intent, Ryner’s expression, that was distorted by fury, slowly relaxed. Anger left his eyes and he merely stared at her sadly.

  “… Then, what would we have if we hadn’t met her? As an orphan living on the streets, would we have survived? Would the both of us be here?” [Ryner]

  His soft voice caused Alice’s furious expression to freeze.

  “… Without her words, we’d… I’d, have nothing. They were the only good thing in our childhood.” [Ryner]

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  While looking like she was dumbfounded by what he said in a melancholic tone, she drifted away from him and turned around so that he wouldn’t see her face.

  She crossed her arms over her chest as her hair and the skirt of her black dress swayed like smoke.

  “… She sold us.” [Alice]

  Alice squeezed her voice out from between her clenched teeth and repeated the same thing she always said whenever they talked about their big sister.

  “Yeah… She did. I don’t hate her, but I don’t love her either.” [Ryner]

  “She deserves to be hated.” [Alice]

  The two spoke softly, almost whispering, as if they were afraid someone would hear them.

  “Yeah, but, you know she was important. We both do.” [Ryner]

  As if they were afraid something would shatter.

  “If we hadn’t met her… Would you have been born?” [Ryner]

  That was the last thing Ryner said to her small-looking back before waking up in his personal bedroom of his mansion.

  “How’s it going?” [Ryner]

  “There are no problems so far. The links with the coins are stable and information is constantly being brought in as you can see.” [Evelyn]

  After walking down the hallways, being greeted by the cheerful slaves that became servants and forced to play with the kids that used him like a tree to climb on, Ryner managed to get to the basement along with Evelyn.

  “There’s no fluctuation? No interference? Shortage of power?” [Ryner]

  “None whatsoever. It’s working flawlessly.” [Evelyn]

  While Ryner had his usual lazy countenance, Evelyn’s eyes were sharp and serious.

  “Is there a risk of it being detected?” [Ryner]

  “You’ve been in this world longer than me, Ryner, so you should have a better idea.” [Evelyn]

  “Hmmm… Then probably not.” [Ryner]

  The two of them were talking while looking at the object that they had built. On top of a sturdy, large, rectangular table was a stone slab which had intricate patterns forming a spiral as well as symbols carved all along the four sides. From the carvings, pale green particles of light was leaking out and creating different shapes.

  “As you can see, this is our current residence. The headquarters of Roseseed.” [Evelyn]

  What they were seeing was a miniature version of the mansion that they were currently at.

  “You taught me the magic in the past and I saw it work on a small scale, but this…” [Evelyn]

  With a wave of her hand, Evelyn scattered the particles of light and the next second, they reshaped themselves, creating the kitchen where servants could be seen moving about to prepare breakfast.

  “No matter how many times I see it, this is incredible.” [Evelyn]

  “Not really. I just took an existing spell and tweaked it a little.” [Ryner]

  Seeing how Ryner only shrugged his shoulders at her heartfelt admiration, Evelyn smiled wryly.

  “That spell that you ‘tweaked’ was a simple detection magic. It sets up a barrier at a fixed point using anchors and it would tell its caster when something breached it. It could only detect the location of the intrusion. Moreover, the amount of mana needed to sustain it grew exponentially with its size. This is on a whole other level. Anything that gets inside the field is perfectly recreated for us to see. Even the sounds as well.” [Evelyn]

  She stretched her hand out at the miniature version of the mansion’s kitchen and pulled it back while closing her fist. The particles of light once more scattered and changed the forms on the stone slab. She pointed at their mansion that was now on the glittering stone slab.

  “Moreover, we are using not stakes, but money. Every coin that I’ve engraved this magic on is a small barrier. When they are in proximity of other coins, they resonate with each other and amplify the size of the barrier which expands the detection field. They are acting as their own anchors as well as others’.” [Evelyn]

  While talking, the vampire waved her hands multiple times. She would move them to the sides, stretched them forward and backwards, close and open her fists as well as point and poke with her fingers.

  “We’ve effectively made small, moveable barriers which simultaneously function as anchors that create larger fields when close to other coins. Using the Roseseed Company’s activities to circulate the engraved coins in Sakael would mean that we could see everything happening in this capital city. We would have eyes and ears literally everywhere.” [Evelyn]

  Every time she did, new forms and figures would appear. Kids were running down the hallways. Servants were doing their chores. People assigned as guards were in the middle of their morning training. Everything was shown by the stone slab.

  “The leaders of every country would kill to have this sort of incredible magic. How did you come up with something like this?” [Evelyn]

  “I didn’t.” [Ryner]

  “Perhaps, did someone possibly teach it to you?” [Evelyn]

  “No, I ripped the idea off from a movie I saw that does the same thing, but with cellphones.” [Ryner]

  “Phones? Phones can do this too?” [Evelyn]

  Evelyn’s eyes widen in astonishment, fully believing what Ryner had nonchalantly told her.

  “That’s not important right now. What’s important is that this ground surveillance system is working. The spy satellites that Avalon’s factories are building will take care of the skies around the globe.” [Ryner]

  “Can these ‘satellites’ work indefinitely?” [Evelyn]

  “They run on something called solar energy. With a little maintenance and a lot of sunlight, they’ll be fine.” [Ryner]

  “I see. Though I do not quite understand, I will take your word for it. Then…” [Evelyn]

  The red-eyed vampire nodded and turned her head towards the other glowing item in the empty room besides the table.

  “What about that? The mana pylon.” [Evelyn]

  Set at a corner was a cylinder about two meters tall that a man could wrap his arms around. The top and bottom were a smooth metallic black while the rest was a rough marble that was dimly glowing red. It was made up of four smaller cylinders that were each spinning either left or right. The light they gave off would fluctuate, growing brighter and dimmer in rhythm, like a heartbeat.

  “Don’t worry about it. It’ll last for centuries and it’s been properly linked to the Table which controls all coins, meaning that it’ll supply enough mana to keep them all working inside its range, which is about the city limits.” [Ryner]

  “A magic device that takes the mana present in the air, converts it into a usable form and sends it to the Table, giving an infinite supply of mana… This would be treated as a national treasure.” [Evelyn]

  Evelyn couldn’t help but chuckle softly at how ridiculous it was. Ryner possessed all sorts of items that most would do anything to obtain, and he was literally pulling them out of nowhere in a carefree manner.

  “Exactly where did you get something like this?” [Evelyn]

  “It’s a souvenir from this world I visited. They had some great cities covered in domes… As well as giant monsters, but anyway…” [Ryner]

  The sleepy-looking man pointed at the mana pylon.

  “That’s the power supply.” [Ryner]

  He then pointed at the Table.

  “That’s how we’ll keep an eye on things.” [Ryner]

  Lastly, he pointed at the other “person” present in the room besides him and Evelyn.

  “That’s how we’ll record and search for whatever or whoever we want.” [Ryner]

  Sitting on a chair on the opposite side of the Table was a woman dressed in white. Her black hair was cut below her chin and framed her expressionless face. From the back of her head, two long black cables fell behind her shoulders. Her inorganic eyes were fixated on the green forms of light in front of her.

  It was the medical android that had looked after Lily while she was undergoing treatment to regenerate her eyes. Ryner had brought her to the basement to make use of her since she was a walking computer.

  “Can she, or it, really remember everything that it sees?” [Evelyn]

  Evelyn asked while looking at the humanoid machine inquisitively.

  “Yeah. That android’s sending the data to Avalon’s database as we speak. Don’t underestimate a flying, dreadnaught class battleship’s wireless transmission. It can reach this basement from the edge of the atmosphere. The only problem would be her power supply since she runs on electricity and that portable charger won’t last forever.” [Ryner]

  Ryner pointed his thumb at the other cylindrical object placed in another corner of the room. It was a white tube that was bigger than the mana pylon and could fit in one person inside. It was a device that allowed androids to be recharged if they operated in areas that had no facilities to maintain them, such as the forest.

  “You don’t have a charger that’ll last forever?” [Evelyn]

  The vampire gazed at him with a raised eyebrow.

  “Well sorry, but I don’t have a portable charger with infinite electricity for sophisticated androids that could serve as doctors, workers and soldiers. I’m a bad hoarder, not a miracle worker.” [Ryner]

  He said sarcastically while scratching the back of his head and yawned at the end.

  “Well, she’ll work for a couple of weeks if she stays in rest mode, doesn’t move and only records the Table. The charger will keep her going longer for a few months or so. I’ll think of something in the meantime.” [Ryner]

  He waved his hand to the side to look at his mansion from different angles. Everything around it was only a green field since the engraved coins weren’t circulating, but were still stored in the mansion.

  “If that guy that jumped in shadows… I forgot what his name was.” [Ryner]

  “That worthless insect’s name was Orga, if I remember correctly.” [Evelyn]

  Evelyn said in a cold voice as she put a hand on her left cheek. Ryner glanced at her quickly and confirmed her mental condition. At the very least, she wasn’t scratching her cheek for the moment.

  “Yeah, him, if that First Order that Orga spoke of is around, then I want to be able to find them whenever I want. They might target us and I don’t feel like waiting for them. So, we’ll spread a net and fish them out. We’ll start with the names he gave us until we find them.” [Ryner]

  While Ryner lightly said “I’d rather hunt than be hunted”, Evelyn was staring at the Table in deep thought.

  “(If we spread this all over the world, we could keep an eye on everyone and everything.)” [Evelyn]

  Her gaze darkened with obsessiveness. Although Ryner wanted to install a surveillance system to counter a possible enemy that moved in the shadows, the vampire saw its dark potential.

  “(If anyone tries to harm Ryner, I’ll know right away and could rip them apart before they even reach him. Moreover, I could find him no matter where he is… If he embraces some woman, I’ll know. I could record the scene for later, and track the enviable woman… No. I should control myself… But, it truly is…)” [Evelyn]

  “… Marvelous.” [Evelyn]

  She didn’t voice her hidden intentions and only let out a word of compliment.

  “Yeah, the satellite and coin network put together will be our surveillance system. We’ll call it the Big Brot-no, the Big System! BS for short! Because it’s full of BS!” [Ryner]

  Ryner put his hands on his hips and declared loudly in a proud voice. His attitude made the vampire break out of her dark thoughts and stare at him dubiously.

  “… Why don’t we come up with a better name?” [Evelyn]

  “Hey, I just wanted to lighten the mood a little. Setting up a way to spy on people worldwide while hiding in a basement makes me feel like I’m some evil scientist.” [Ryner]

  The evil scientist shrugged his shoulder and his proud expression became a lazy one once more.

  “Anyway, like we talked about before, I’ll be leaving to get the last Heaven’s Blade. You stay here, manage the company and spread our coins. Got it?” [Ryner]

  “Understood.” [Evelyn]

  Evelyn nodded right away.

  “… That was fast.” [Ryner]

  Even though she gave him a favorable response, he was staring at her suspiciously. After all, the last time he had spoken of his intention to go on by himself since someone needed to take care of the company, Evelyn had adamantly refused. She wanted to accompany him wherever he went, even if they could talk telepathically no matter the distance between them.

  Yet, she was now obediently agreeing to stay behind.

  “There is no need to look at me like that. I decided not to trouble you so much since the ball. Simple as that.” [Evelyn]

  The vampire said while smiling gently. Her tight and serious expression disappeared.

  “Someone once told me that my love for you was selfish.” [Evelyn]

  The face of Myra, mother of Snow, floated up in her mind.

  “After the ball, I realized that… I want it to be even more selfish. Staying by your side isn’t enough.” [Evelyn]

  Placing a hand on her chest, she faced Ryner, who was scrutinizing her, with determined eyes.

  “Hugging you, sleeping with you and kissing you aren’t enough.” [Evelyn]

  She placed her other hand on his chest and grasped his shirt.

  “… I, I want you to look at me and smile.” [Evelyn]

  She said pleadingly with moist eyes as what happened at the ball resurfaced in her mind. When she was about to kiss him, Ryner wasn’t thinking of her, but of another woman. Furthermore, whatever that memory was, it brought him sadness.

  “When I gaze into your eyes, I want you to see me and only me, not anyone else, but me.” [Evelyn]

  Kissing him made her body heat up and gave way to a wonderful feeling from deep inside her. However, when she noticed his eyes clouded by emotions from the past, her fire quickly cooled down.

  Even if he hated her and never loved her, so long as she could be by his side, she would be content. That was what she believed.

  “… I want you to be happy when you’re with me.” [Evelyn]

  That was a lie.

  She wanted him to smile in her company and she wanted to receive his honest affection as a woman.

  “… To do that, for the sake of my selfishness, I’ll be less selfish instead of courting you endlessly from now on.” [Evelyn]

  Once Evelyn conveyed her words, she turned around and showed her back.

  “I’ll take care of things here, so go retrieve that Heaven’s Blade.” [Evelyn]

  She tightened her expression and made up her mind.

  A hand stretched out towards her. It hesitated for a second before gently touching her left cheek. Feeling its touch, her body froze and her red eyes widened.

  “You sure expect a lot from me.” [Ryner]

  Ryner’s carefree voice came from her back and melted into her body that slowly relaxed.

  “… No at all. I simply want from you something that any man can give to a woman.” [Evelyn]

  The look on her face softened once more as her cheeks reddened and she smiled almost timidly.

  “People don’t normally choose someone that has mental problems, you know.” [Ryner]

  “People don’t normally care about someone that raped them either.” [Evelyn]

  She spoke in jest, but her voice was full of affection.

  “You gonna be ok while I’m not around?” [Ryner]

  “… Yes.” [Evelyn]

  Evelyn gently placed her hand on top of his and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the warmth she felt on her cheek as well as the silent, serene moment between them.

  Spoiler: Short stories

  Memory from fragment Knight:

  A man with a robust build and in the prime of his life knocked on the door of a small house. After a few seconds, a woman barely in her twenties opened it. The man that stood at the entrance greeted her politely with a friendly smile.

  These two weren’t total strangers. He had met her a few times before. The young woman wasn’t an exceedingly beautiful lady, but she wasn’t bad on the eyes either. Basically, she was the type that people wouldn’t notice in a crowd, but wouldn’t mind going out with.

  However, as far as charm went, she was poorly lacking. Ignoring her figure that was hidden by her simple beige dress, her long black hair was a mess, she always looked like she just woke up and her demeanor wasn’t feminine. Moreover, although she should have dark brown eyes, her right eye was white which creeped some people out.

  Although she would be considered a failure as a woman, someone actually married her and he was who the visitor came for.

  After exchanging a few greetings, he told her of the reason for his visit and tapped on the pentagonal badge on his chest. It was proof that he was a knight. It was something that he proudly wore for all to see.

  He had been summoned to the castle for a mission and so was his colleague which was the woman’s husband and who he came to get personally. He was a weird man that never took off his armor, so no one knew what he looked like. Seeing his young wife, the knight impolitely thought that his tastes were eccentric as well.

  The woman nodded and scratched the back of her head. She told him her husband wasn’t home, that she didn’t know where he wandered off to and that she would pass on his message.

  He thanked her, turned around and left. It was the usual exchange. Strangely, her husband was never home whenever someone came to visit him.

  After closing the door, the woman went to her bedroom and tossed her dress on her bed. Underneath it, she was wearing a shirt and pants that were easy to move in. She hated wearing dresses, but that was what everyone of her gender wore, so she had to or she would stick out like a sore thumb.

  Sticking her hand under the bed, she picked up the pentagonal badge that she had hidden there.

  She was summoned to the castle to fulfill her duties as a knight.

  Memory from fragment School:

  Inside the infirmary that rivalled any hospital with high-tech medical facilities, students were waiting for their turn in several lines. They were about thirty or so, all in their second year of high school. They talked to their friends, giggled and laughed.

  The medical checkup wasn’t anything serious. It was just to see if they were healthy, if their powers were working properly and if the crystal in their neck didn’t have any problems.

  It was a medical checkup that only humans born with supernatural powers would receive.

  The strongest sophomores simply went through the motion.

  Among them was Ryner who was sitting on a chair with his left prosthetic arm missing. It was lying on the table and plugged to a computer. The person in charge of his medical checkup was fiddling with his prosthetic arm, poking it with various tools and checking the data on the computer’s screen.

  Once the maintenance was done, Ryner got it back and raised his left stump. His flesh above his elbow had become mechanical. He hooked his arm back in place and flexed his fingers to confirm that nothing was wrong.

  The person asked him if he wanted to order the newest model of prosthetic, one that was sturdier, harder and stronger. Although the price was great enough to drop anyone’s jaw, they would readily outfit him with one for free. After all, he was a Cadet that would one day become a Knight. Weapons, gears and support would be given to him so long as he fought for humanity.

  Ryner accepted the offer and thought internally that he would have to make some modifications later on.

  After all, his current mechanical arm was his strongest weapon.

  Memory from fragment Demon:

  After ripping out a blanket of grass and sticking some leaves and branches on it, Ryner finished making a makeshift disguise. He flung it over his head and crawled on the ground. It worked as camouflaged and hid his dark figure.

  He slowly crawled towards the walled city, making sure that he wouldn’t be noticed.

  But, an arrow flew towards him and pierced one of the branches on his back. He stopped in place. No other attack came.

  After a moment, Ryner turned around and went back into the forest.

  He tried it again from a different direction, but another arrow was stuck into his disguise, which resulted in him retreating under the cover of the trees.

  He attempted a third time, but the result was the same. In fact, three arrows were shot and buried themselves in the grass blanket.

  Fed up, Ryner crawled back to the forest with his tail sloppily sticking out behind him. He didn’t bother curling it up to hide it anymore.

  Those standing up top of the wall watched the retreating mound that had a black tail following it. They wondered what sort of demon it was. In all their years of fighting off demons, this was the first time they had to deal with something like that. Normally, their attackers would charge aggressively while roaring and oozing bone-chilling bloodlust, so the weird stealth approach was rather peaceful, even refreshing and comedic.

  There was no bloodshed. No violent confrontation. The demon left after someone tried shooting him with arrows a few times.

  As the demon retreated into the forest, he left everyone with question marks over their head and a few smiling wryly.

  Memory from fragment Zombie:

  The house was empty, abandoned.

  Anything of value was already taken, either by those that had lived there before, or by those who came after to scavenge for supplies. Ryner was one of them.

  It was the middle of the day, but the interior was dim and gloomy. The place looked as if a hurricane passed by and turned everything upside down. The broken television was on the ground, drawers were pulled out, the fridge was wide open and most importantly, there was nothing useful to take.

  Ryner looked through the kitchen, but he didn’t find anything like conserved food, knives or spoons. He went to one of the bedrooms that were on the first floor. The place was cleared out as well, but a few dusty clothes for a ten year old child were discarded on the floor as well as toys that wouldn’t have been of use. He crouched down, picked up a shirt and examined it. He took off his backpack to put it inside since it might be useful later.

  Suddenly, he heard the floorboard creak.

  Slow, rhythmic footsteps were drawing closer.

  Leaving the backpack and shirt on the floor, he swiftly and silently went next to the opened door, used it as cover and glued his back to the wall.

  A man smelling of rot entered the room and stopped at where Ryner dropped his backpack. He was weakly moaning and groaning in a hoarse voice. Ryner could barely feel his presence even though he was so close.

  It was because he was already dead.

  The man was infected with the virus that created moving corpses, grotesque monstrosities and creatures of the night. But, he was a normal undead, the type that was easy to deal with when they were alone.

  Damage to the head was enough to kill them and that was what Ryner did.

  He pulled out the butterfly knife from the sheath strapped to his left forearm under his jacket’s sleeve and sneaked up behind him. Before the rotting infected could notice anything, the knife’s blade was embedded in the back of his head.

  Ryner pulled out his weapon and didn’t spare a glance at the corpse that fell down.