Truth part 1

Despite attempting various methods to harness his newfound ability, "Ink and Pen," nothing seemed to work, leaving him unable to utilize it in the end.

Frustrated, he muttered, "Why won't you work?" while staring at the book. Regardless of what he wrote, the book remained disappointingly ordinary.

Eventually, Rune settled himself on the wooden floor, leaning against the wall. Duke, his faithful canine companion, approached him, wagging both of his tails, before settling down beside him.

"Hey, boy," Rune greeted, running his hand affectionately over the dog's fur. He let out a sigh, realizing that his eagerness to unlock the secrets of his new ability had made him impatient. With a thought, he uttered the words, "Ink and Pen," and instantly, the blank black-covered book vanished into thin air.

I guess I'll discover what it does when the time comes. I've been managing just fine without it so far, after all.

As he uttered those words, a sense of drowsiness crept over him. His eyelids grew heavy, gradually closing as he drifted off into sleep.…..

"So, what should we do? We definitely can't stay here, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

As Rune slowly opened his eyes, he could hear voices coming from somewhere nearby. When he looked towards the bed, he saw that Miko was still fast asleep, but Nate was nowhere to be seen.

Curious, Rune dragged himself towards the doorway and quietly listened to the conversation.

"Nate, have you noticed how oddly the headless colossal has been behaving lately? It's been roaming all around the city while the other monster remains stationed at the city's exit."

"Really? I hadn't noticed. When did you go to the city's exit, and why? You know it's risky to venture deep into the city."

"I went yesterday, and surprisingly, the monster wasn't there. Don't worry, though. I had Derrick with me, and you know he wouldn't let me go alone even if I wanted to."

Now that the monster has vanished, isn't that great? We can finally use this opportunity to escape from this dreadful city, right?

Well, not exactly. There seems to be an overwhelming number of monsters guarding the city's exit. But that's not even the main issue. The real problem is that the headless colossal creature seems to be searching for its missing head.

Remember the head we discovered in the church building? Yes, that very one. It has been strangely moving around, almost as if it's on a mission to find its missing head.

Yes, but we were never able to confirm if that head truly belonged to the colossal creature. Besides, what's the big deal if it finds its head? Why should that pose any problem?

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure, but I have this unsettling feeling. Considering the city's vastness, it's unlikely to locate its head anytime soon. My guess is we have a window of about 3 to 4 days before it manages to reunite with its missing part.

"So, what's the plan then? We don't have enough weapons that can really take down those monsters.

Yeah, and our supplies are running scarce. If we want more, we'll have to venture deeper into the city. But we both remember how that went last time.

Right, I understand. But why did you go towards the city's exit? You could've been in serious danger if you stumbled upon any dangerous monsters.

Well, someone had to do it, and I guess that someone turned out to be me.

After hearing that, Nate let out a sigh and asked, "So, what does Derrick think about all of this?"

He's on board with the plan if you agree.

Hmmm... alright, let's talk more about this tomorrow. But for now, let everyone know we need to conserve our supplies.

Damn, you know they won't be thrilled to hear that.

Yeah, I know.

Well, I guess we'll catch up tomorrow."

Alright, oh, and I want you to be careful, Ava.

As Rune lay there, he heard the front door of the house open and close. He listened attentively as Nate's footsteps approached the room. In an instant, he quickly returned to his sleeping position next to Duke, contemplating the conversation he had heard.

Nate walked into the room and made his way toward the bed, where he sat down. Looking at Rune, who was leaning against the wall, pretending to be asleep on the wooden floor, Nate said, "I know that you're awake."

Realizing there was no need to continue pretending, Rune slowly opened his eyes.

"I noticed that Miko sleeps a lot. I can't believe she's still sleeping. I've been awake for quite some time now."

Did you hear my conversation with Ava, by any chance?

Rune didn't say anything in response, just remained silent.

You know, I've never actually left this city before, which is why I'm so intrigued about what lies beyond that wall.

But why haven't you ventured outside the city? Can't you just stroll through the purple mist surrounding it?

Unfortunately... it's not as simple as that, I'm afraid.

What exactly do you mean by that?