“What time is it?” Rontu softly mumbled, barely audible as he turned over on the bunk. His head felt like it was swelling, like a water balloon constantly on the verge of bursting. He did his best to sit up, but could only manage to prop himself up on his elbow. A thick layer of sweat was basted onto his forehead, the armor surrounding him having dissolved at some point in his slumber.

Shen looked up from his seat at the specimen table, swiveling in the chair. He raised an eyebrow, taking a bucket from underneath the desk and swiftly kicking it towards the bunks. It slid right up against the metal leg of the bed, sending a small clang into the air. “You might not want to move too much,” he practically chided, like he was scolding Rontu.

Rontu squinted at him, the unfamiliar face setting him on guard for a moment. Seconds later though, he realized why the stranger had so graciously given him the bucket. He quickly snatched it up from the floor, nearly submerging his head into it as he vomited what little remained in his stomach. Dizziness came over him and after a few more gags, he lightly set the bucket down and laid flat on his back. “Shen? That you?”

Shen gave a hum of affirmation before he softly rolled the chair over to the bedside, crossing one leg over the other as he kept his distance from the puke bucket. “It will be like this for a bit longer. Your body is reacting to the changes it experienced,” he said, pulling a glass of water from a nearby shelf and offering it to Rontu, who promptly took it and slowly drank every bit of it.

The man in the bed did his best to relax, his body screaming in agony. Rontu couldn’t remember a time when he felt this bad, not even some of his worst excavations had wrecked him like this. He groaned loudly, the sound devolving into a rough cough as he ran his hand through his soaked hair. “What even happened?” he asked with a hoarse voice.

This time it was Archie who answered, the gruff man looking over his shoulder from the driver’s seat. “How do you not know? It was you who did it!” he called out in bewilderment.

Rontu looked back to Shen and furrowed his brow, which only seemed to amplify his headache and caused him to wince.

“It is not uncommon for people to have a bit of amnesia surrounding their Birth,” Shen explained, rolling back a bit with one foot before he crossed his arms. “I can still hardly recall the circumstances of my own.”

“What are you talking about? Birth?” Rontu sighed out, exasperated already. “I’m 27, man.”

Shen slowly closed his eyes, shaking his head. “No, I mean your Birth as a Shutok. That is what most call it, at least.”

“All I remember is the giant Honno in the Institute.” Rontu struggled, rubbing his temple. “I was trying...yeah! That’s it!” he said excitedly, rolling over to his side with a worried expression. “There were people there! Survivors! Did you see them when you saved me, Shen?”

Shen slowly shook his head again, his eyes locked on Rontu’s own. “Rontu...I never went there. Only you and Archie came back. You really do not remember anything that happened there? The crystals? The light?”

The driver of the vehicle wheeled around once more, eyeballing Rontu as well. “Son...you killed it. The Honno, I mean.”

Rontu shook his head in disbelief. “M-me? There’s no way. I mean I threw some rocks at it but...there’s no chance that those killed it. Besides, if I did then there would be a lot more people here! There were several inside! Where are they then?”

Archie shook his head and shrugged. “I didn’t see nobody. I got fed up with waiting and went inside, you were the only one in there I could find. Found you all armored up and passed out, so I dragged you out and threw you in a bunk. Do you realize how heavy that armor is?”

Rontu’s face twisted into a puzzled scowl, but before he could ask anything he felt Shen’s hand on his shoulder. He looked at him and his face seemed to melt into concern instead of annoyance.

“You awakened as a Shutok, Rontu. You...you killed every Honno in Lowlam, but it was too late.”

Rontu’s green eyes shimmered slightly as if he was about the burst into tears. Whether it was from the sudden news or the fact that his stomach felt like it was digesting nails, he was unsure. “So...it’s just us three, huh? I didn’t even save anybody…” he choked slightly, his head moving to cover his face in shame.

Shen looked at him, solemn understanding written on his face. “Rontu, I know it might be hard to wrestle with, but you must not blame yourself. A Birth can be...intense. The fact that you rid the world of that massive Honno should still instill some pride in you.”

Rontu’s stomach churned, a short belch quickly devolving into another fit of vomiting bile and blood. He groaned and wiped his mouth, wheezing. “Is that what you meant by my body ‘adjusting’?” he asked, holding a hand to his gut and inhaling through his teeth.

“It might last a few days, judging by the sheer power you exerted.”

“And how long has it been since we left?” Rontu asked.

“About fourteen or so hours,” Archie called out from the front.

All he could do was focus on the bunk above him, Rontu’s gaze feeling hazy. “So I destroyed the town I lived in, killed a giant Honno, and all that I managed to save was myself?”

The newcomer moved to sit in the passenger seat by Archie, leaving Rontu alone in his bunk. “I wish I could say it gets easier, friend, but I would suggest you focus on resting,” Shen spoke, glancing at Rontu from over his shoulder before turning his attention to the darkened Glassway outside. “Where are we headed, Archie?”

The older man drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, pursing his lips slightly. “Radiance?” he asked as if he wasn’t sure himself. “Big city, impenetrable. It’ll be a bit of a trip, but we can at least guarantee our safety there.”

Rontu raised an eyebrow as he heard this. “A bit of a trip? Do you realize how far Radiance is?”

The driver chuckled to himself. “I sure do. You’ve never been there, right kid?”

“No, never. Furthest that way I’ve ever been was a trip to the Marduke Caverns.”

“Trust me, it ain’t like nothing you’ve ever seen.”

Shen had been listening quietly but seemed to perk up. “I was actually traveling there myself before I stopped in Lowlam.”

“Where did you come from, by the way?” Archie asked him. “I could tell you weren’t from around here, no one walks around the Glassway in sandals and…” He reached over and felt the fabric of Shen’s half-robe with his fingers. “Whatever this is…”

Shen lightly brushed the hand away, exhaling from his nose. He seemed to think on the question for a moment as if trying to decide how much information he wanted to divulge. “I came from around the coast, I belong to a merchant family.”

Archie tilted his head, his eyes flicking back and forth in thought before he turned to look at the passenger. “Wait...if you came from the coast...you would have definitely passed by Radiance.”
Shen’s fair cheeks turned bright red, the younger man doing his best to hide his face as he continued looking outside. “I am uh...I am not good with directions.”

This prompted a burst of roaring laughter from Archie, who promptly slapped Shen on the shoulder and shook him a bit. “Well, I’ll make sure we get there then.”

While the two others were busy with their conversation, Rontu turned to face the wall of the Gemmer and suddenly winced. It wasn’t internal pain like before, but something poking him in the hip. He fished his hand underneath his body, pulling the object out from under him and examining it. It was the gray cylinder from before.

He sighed, reaching out and setting it into the cubby by his head. His mind was racing about how the day had progressed. First, he had nearly been eaten by a Honno while mining. Then he finds out Lowlam had somehow been overrun? It all felt like a terrible dream that he had yet to wake up from. Strangest of all, he had somehow taken on a vicious monster, won, and had no recollection of it.

Slowly his eyes closed, a tiny fragment of hope in his soul hoping that perhaps the largest city in the world would offer him some answers.