Chapter 76
The sky began to brighten for a few brief moments before the refugees in the camp scattered in panic, grabbing whatever essentials they could and deciding to head toward Forgenate.
Meanwhile, from Forgenate located several kilometers away from the comet's impact site, they witnessed the dawn-like phenomenon for a few seconds before thick black smoke rose in the distance.
Moran was no longer safe. Realizing the situation at the refugee camp, those in the remaining functional districts in the southern part of the city immediately abandoned it.
Now, Hava and Niki were certain to be destroyed soon due to the aftermath of the comet's impact.
At the refugee camp, several guards struggled for the second time to control the panic-stricken crowd.
Belongings fell everywhere, and hysterical screams echoed from all directions. Meanwhile, the approaching smoke would soon arrive and swallow them whole.
"Stop pushing each other," said a male guard wearing a brown military cap. "Can't any of you follow basic order?" he snapped, annoyed as he was shoved around by the crowd.
The male officer beside him let out an irritated sigh upon seeing a bearded man acting aggressively.
"Hey, are you stupid? How can you treat a mother and her child like that?"
The bearded man scoffed. "That's none of your business, idiot. What matters right now is getting out of here."
Soon, more shouts made the situation near the camp's exit even more chaotic.
"Move faster..."
"Hey, don't touch me."
Even in a situation like this, no one knew what was going through the mind of the man in the hat as he groped a woman in the crowd to satisfy his lust.
"Hurry up, I can't stand being here any longer."
"My child won't be able to breathe like this..."
A mother ignored her own condition. The only thing on her mind was her child.
"You damn guards," voices shouted in unison. "Let us through and move aside."
The guard stationed on the left clenched his uniform tightly, lifting his head as his eyes searched for whoever said that, ready to teach them a lesson.
There were only two possible routes; one alongside Senggong Street and another through a small forest to the southwest of the refugee field. But only a handful dared to take the forest path, as it was dark and, according to local beliefs around Tezny, something lurked there that enjoyed disturbing those who passed through.
In situations like this, people revealed their true nature. Fear no longer existed, adrenaline had hardened their resolve to push forward.
Some helped each other, caring for those too weak to walk. Others only cared about themselves and their families. Nothing more. In the end, they all acted for a single purpose: to survive whatever threat awaited them out there.
However, when the five guards at the refugee camp finally gave up and let the people do as they pleased, they stepped back and watched as the crowd surged forward like livestock freed from their enclosure after a long time.
At the main tent, the group that had gathered earlier chose a route through the small forest to the west of the field, realizing that taking the main exit would be pointless due to the overwhelming crowd.
And as they noticed the faint glow of lanterns carried by a group that had passed earlier, cutting through the darkness they turned back and saw the mass of black smoke drawing closer.
"Where do we go next?" Evan broke the silence that had been weighing on everyone's minds.
From the far end, Aurora let out a short breath and answered flatly, "Forgenate is the right choice."
"Good call," Fererra said, stroking his chin.
"Cathal, don't overthink it. I'm sure everything will be fine."
He glanced at Cathal standing beside him—the one who had always stayed by his side ever since they worked under the Morotuane Church. He already considered Cathal more than just a friend.
"I'm not in a position to give advice," Cathal said hesitantly, "but one thing's certain I'll follow all of you."
Albert quickly spoke up, as if afraid of missing the moment. "Forgenate is a good place, and the others will definitely head there too."
'Or they might abandon this place entirely and move to another city, including Minehold,' Albert added inwardly, his thoughts tinged with intimidation.
With no other choice and time running out, they brought nothing with them except the money they had left and the clothes on their backs.
Arvrenda and Aurora immediately pressed forward, walking without hesitation into the darkness that swallowed the narrow path ahead.
The others followed soon after, relying on the faint traces of light or footprints to avoid getting lost.
...
Elsewhere, on the ruined Road No. 12 Ahiston, three people ran, one of them carrying a blond-haired man who seemed to glow faintly in the dim street.
After running for quite some time, nearly half an hour, they finally reached the border road between the city square and Forgenate, at Road No. 12 Capa.
Entering an abandoned area known for wandering, curious spirits that harassed passersby, the three of them used Aaron, whose body continued to destabilize to drive those spirits away so they wouldn't interfere.
With his body being swung around like a hand fan, his head spun relentlessly. Aaron cursed them in his mind, already planning to get back at them later.
But for now, he stayed silent. He had never imagined he would be struck by another comet. Even if it was smaller than the last, it was still enough to overwhelm his exorcism ability at its second stage, Extraction.
It wasn't enough to withstand the searing heat that scorched his skin, his eyes, and burned his organs from within. This was a fatal mistake. If he had been even a second slower, he would have been reduced to a charred corpse.
The situation had spiraled into chaos in mere seconds, completely shattering their plans. Zavi couldn't believe it and at the same time, he was in awe. It was his first time seeing a comet after living on Earth for so long, from childhood until the age of twenty-eight.
And in a world teetering on the brink of crisis, where strange things happened every second, he once again found himself witnessing something he had longed to see since elementary school.
'This… isn't as beautiful as I no, as the five of us once imagined back then.' His steps slowed as memories of those distant, peaceful days resurfaced amidst the chaos.
"Damn it… if only I could see them again. I-I'd talk… I'd just keep talking until I ran out of breath." As the thought crossed his mind, his expression darkened, unable to hold back the tears pooling beneath his eyelids.
A few minutes later, from higher ground, they witnessed a horrifying sight. Black smoke billowed and spread across Tezny, Chapena, Hava, and Niki, the very places where the comet had struck.
He hadn't expected that after the impact, tremors and earthquakes would follow twice causing even intact buildings in Forgenate to collapse from the aftershocks.
Realizing that higher ground was safer, they found themselves on Road No. 4 Locines in Forgenate, in an area surrounded by tall pine trees with a sharp, suffocating scent lingering in the air.
Perhaps because he wasn't used to it, Zavi felt a pressure tightening inside his chest. His breathing became uneven, and his face gradually turned pale.
Aaron would have been the same, had his body not been in a constant state of collapse.
"I feel sorry for you," Felina said with a faint smile. "Do you need help?" she asked.
Trying to lighten the mood, Zuhen pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Zavi, hoping to distract him from the smell.
Zavi stared at them in silence, one eyebrow raised.
'Are you trying to kill me?'
"Ueghh..."
"I think I'm gonna throw up." His cheeks puffed out.
After saying that, he quickly walked away, trying to steady his head, which had started spinning from inhaling the scent for too long.
....
Elsewhere, in the lower central area of Gours, six people gathered. One of them, dressed in a long coat reaching his calves paired with a black-and-white vest, stood on higher ground, gazing toward the north.
Six people; two women and four men, watched something they had never imagined witnessing after the horrific incident more than a month ago.
The Devil is here.
They had come to investigate a group known for erasing their tracks flawlessly. Even their crimes seemed meticulously planned, the mastermind's intelligence far beyond comprehension.
Elmer held up a small square piece of paper at eye level. "Are they really impossible to trace now?"
Karl, highly skilled in gathering information, let out a deep sigh before answering uncertainly:
"Their traces keep shifting; Niki, Hava, Gours, even the refugee camp."
'I don't even know what they're planning,' Karl muttered inwardly.
"Are they really from the 'Intersection Society' you mentioned before, Hagi?" Ren asked, staring sharply at him.
"Maybe," Hagi replied, "but Michelle is the one actually digging up information about that group."
Veranica, dressed similarly, wore a slightly loose cream shirt paired with a waist-length black coat and black trousers, making her and the other woman stand out slightly from the rest.
She spoke up, as this matter clearly wasn't within her area of expertise.
Meanwhile, Narissa Herana finally voiced the thoughts that had been circling in her mind.
"About that… I think someone may have orchestrated all of this, and their goal is just one thing, not to take over the city, but to drive its people out," she murmured hesitantly. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
The air seemed to freeze. Time itself felt as if it slowed as all eyes turned toward her.
A chilling sensation crept through her pores, seeping deep into her bones.