Iris was still locked in her Duel with Marionox when Bob arrived.
He had reached Minawa long before she transformed into the Flare Valkyrie. From the edge of the ruins, he stood in silence, watching the battle through the shifting mist.
His massive form loomed atop a collapsed tower, Goliath eyes glowing dimly as he scanned the field.
He could have stepped in.
He wanted to.
But he understood what this fight meant.
This was Iris's moment.
So he waited.
And he stayed ready.
When the Duel ended and Marionox's charred body crumbled into ash, Bob took a slow step forward.
In the distance, the Fades, once broken puppets bound to the boss, began to twitch and wander. With their strings cut and no commander left, they moved aimlessly, unstable and frenzied.
One of them turned toward Iris.
She stood in silence, head tilted toward the sky, eyes streaming, her sword still glowing faintly with flame. She didn't move.
The doll charged.
Bob moved.
He leapt forward and summoned a mass of fog with one arm, compressing it into a massive boulder. With casual precision, he hurled it across the square.
CRASH.
The doll was crushed on impact. Splinters flew in every direction, the body reduced to pulp and shards. The other Fades staggered back, jerking and twitching, confused without purpose.
Without a leader, they didn't know who to follow or what to do.
But Bob did.
Bob walked forward through the fog. His footsteps were steady, loud, grounding. Fades around him either scurried away or froze before turning to run.
He stopped beside Iris.
For a moment, he just looked at her.
Then he let the Goliath form fade.
Normal-sized now, he reached out and gently tapped her shoulder.
Then her back.
Iris turned slightly, her tear-streaked face tilting toward him.
She stepped forward, slowly, until her forehead rested against Bob's chest.
She didn't hug him.
He didn't move.
They just stood there. Quiet. Still.
Her breathing hitched once, then broke into another sob. Then another. Her shoulders shook as she let go completely, her face buried against Bob's chest. The tears flowed freely now, not just from grief, but from release. Like a drought breaking.
Bob didn't say a word.
He didn't need to.
She cried because she could. Because beside Bob, she felt like she could.
From the side streets, Gabe and Sly emerged, tense and alert. They took one look at the scene and said nothing.
They turned and began clearing the rest of the aimless Fades.
-----
Later, when her tears had finally stopped and the fire in her chest began to settle, Iris walked back through the ruins with Bob beside her, Gabe and Sly quietly following.
She didn't speak.
They didn't ask.
She just knew it was time to face what remained of her father's memory.
Through the broken streets.
Back to what was left of her home.
The door still leaned open.
The fog had thinned, and the air felt warmer. She stepped through the hallway and into her room, her footsteps almost silent on the cracked floor.
She crouched near the desk and opened the drawer.
The voice recorder was still there.
So was the folded paper.
And the ring.
Her father's wedding ring.
He always wore it. Rain or shine. War or peace. Even when it was dangerous, he never took it off.
She picked it up gently, cradling it in her palm like something fragile.
Then she closed her fingers around it.
And this time, she didn't cry.
She just breathed. Slow, steady breaths.
-----
The walk back to Greystone was quiet.
None of them spoke.
The journey took time, but the path was familiar. Gabe led in silence, Sly trailed close behind, and Bob walked beside Iris, who carried the recorder in one hand and her father's ring in the other, her grip tight on both.
Soon they reached Greystone City. It appeared out of the mist like a memory barely held together, stable but weathered. Ancient stone walls encircled much of the perimeter, remnants of the city's old-world charm.
After everything that had happened in Minawa, the sight of Greystone was almost surreal. It stood untouched. Calm. A place that had not fallen.
Once known as a tourist spot for its preserved ruins and historical architecture, Greystone now stood as a fortress against the apocalypse. Its cobbled streets were patched with scavenged metal, and many of its stone temples and halls had been repurposed into housing.
It wasn't beautiful.
But it was standing.
The city carried the solemn pride of a place still holding its shape amid chaos. Just like them.
Waiting near the city entrance was General Vance.
He hadn't left.
After dropping Bob off earlier, he had remained with his mobile safe zone, a military jeep parked under cover, guarded by two silent soldiers.
As the group approached on foot, Vance stepped forward from the jeep. His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw Iris leading the way.
"I heard what happened," he said, voice low. "Minawa... the entire city—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
Iris didn't respond at first. She simply nodded.
Vance looked like he wanted to say more, but stopped himself.
"We always try our best," he said quietly. "But out here, sometimes it's not enough. Don't carry that weight alone."
Iris met his eyes for a moment. Her voice was calm, almost a whisper.
"I appreciate it."
As the group moved through the outskirts of Greystone, Iris turned to Sly.
"Where did you park the truck?" she asked softly.
Sly pointed toward the far side of a warehouse. "Tucked it behind that building. Still under the old canopy. Should be exactly where I left it."
He took the lead, guiding them along a narrow path until the food truck came into view. Just where he said, nestled beside the warehouse wall beneath a half-broken canopy, untouched and waiting.
Iris walked toward it with quiet purpose, the recorder still in her hand.
The others followed, but stopped at the door. None of them stepped inside. Out of respect, they lingered quietly, assuming she needed a moment alone.
But Iris paused at the door and turned to face them.
"Come in. All of you."
They looked at each other.
She lifted the voice recorder slightly, her grip steady.
"My dad left a message. I'm going to play it."
Her voice was soft, but clear.
"I want you to hear it too. You're my family now."
They said nothing.
But they followed her inside.
Inside, the food truck was quiet.
They turned on the battery-powered fluorescent light, its soft glow filling the small space. The truck remained closed from the outside. No panels flipped open, no windows drawn. This was meant to be private.
Iris sat on the small bench, placing the recorder on the counter in front of her. In her lap, she held the ring, fingers curled tightly around it.
The recorder was an older model, the kind barely used anymore. But her father had always kept it close. It wasn't just a tool to him. It was a piece of his past. Something sentimental.
He and her mother used to play old songs on it during long nights, back when they were still falling in love. They had bought it together, once, on a whim. It had lasted decades. And so he treasured it.
Iris stared at it for a moment.
Then she pressed play.
Her father's voice crackled through the speaker.
"Iris... if you're hearing this, then I didn't make it."
The crew stayed silent.
"I didn't want this to be a goodbye. But I had to record it because we were facing something worse than usual. A Fade—something we couldn't stop."
He paused.
"If I had more time, I'd explain. But this... this wasn't just a Boss Fade. We thought it was. We were wrong."
Iris swallowed.
"Your little brother... he wasn't with me. You know he had that school tour before the meteor. We never found him. But something tells me he's still out there."
"If you can, please find your brother. Make sure he is okay, safe, and protect him... because I might not be there to protect all of you."
She nodded slowly to herself, tears brimming again.
"Iris, give your mother the letter. Give her the ring. Tell her I'm sorry."
"I was supposed to follow where she was... but I don't think I'll be able to now."
His voice cracked.
"But I'll be waiting for her... On the other side."
Silence.
They all thought it had ended.
Then another voice cut in, urgent and panicked.
"Daichi! Daichi! They're here!"
Bang! Bang!
A frantic knock slammed through the recording.
"King-level Fade confirmed! Four Boss-class... all around us! We were wrong... we can't fight this, not with what we have... there's no way out!"
Static burst through the speaker.
And then the recording went dead.
-----
A few minutes later, a knock tapped gently on the food truck door.
Bob opened it.
Vance stood outside, hat in hand, a rare uncertainty in his expression. Beside him was Greystone's leader, a broad-shouldered woman named Elra, her brow tight with concern.
"Sorry to disturb you," Vance said. "But we just got word. Another safe zone was wiped out. A city near Minawa. No survivors."
Elra nodded. "It happened an hour ago. No warning. No distress call."
Vance looked past Bob into the truck. His voice lowered.
"I thought the Boss in Minawa was dealt with. Do you know what's going on?"
Elra stepped forward, arms crossed.
"Minawa, Greystone, and the city that was hit—they form a triangle. Minawa at the top."
She looked at Bob, then Iris.
"Do you think Greystone might be next? Do you know what really happened?"
Bob finally spoke, calm but serious.
"It still needs to be confirmed," he said. "But based on what we heard... it wasn't just a Boss that destroyed those safe zones."
He looked at each of them.
"It was a King. A King-level Fade."