Falling on her back, Savior began to pant heavily. Her clothes were covered in blood, and the bruises and cuts on her visible skin were enough to tell how badly she was beaten.
Her hands were wounded like Min-ho's, and her lips were torn.
Min-ho's body throbbed with pain, but he couldn't let himself react. What did hit him was everything he had just done, and everything he had just witnessed.
They had just gotten here, and already... already, the rules of this world had come into play.
Savior didn't rest for long. Forcing herself onto her feet, she wobbled to the edge of the slab.
"The Fog is getting closer," she said, then turned her gaze to the top.
It was close now, two meters at best, and they would be in the Safe Zone.
Snapping out of his daze, Min-ho made to climb, but just then, he could see out of the corner of his eye, Savior attacking a Z-Streamer that just made it to the slab.
Savior's dagger sliced the Z-Streamer's neck, so she fell to her death.
"What... what are you doing?" Min-ho asked, his voice low as a whisper.
Without answering him, Savior made her way to the edge of the slab. She helped a Streamer onto the slab, only to send her dagger into his neck and then pushed him off the platform.
"What are you doing?!" Min-ho yelled, making his way toward her.
Once he got close to her, she pointed her dagger at his face.
"I'm trying to survive." Savior said, her voice shaken. The look in her golden eyes seemed both deeply pained, and unhinged.
"You don't..."
She pointed toward the number above the temple with her dagger.
"There's only enough room for two," she said, "and there's still two meters separating us from the entrance."
She pointed the dagger back at Min-ho.
"They will attack us if we let them be." Savior said, then, a voice pulled both her and Min-ho's gaze.
A Z-Streamer, a young girl no older than eighteen, was covered in blood. She was missing an ear and an eye, yet she was struggling onto the slab.
"Please... please help me," the girl said, her voice weak and broken.
Savior ignored the girl's plea and made to finish her off, but Min-ho held her back with his wounded hand.
"You don't have to do this." Min-ho said.
"Then do you want to give your place up for her? Let your sister die?" Savior whispered and Min-ho's eyes widened.
His heart-rate spiked and he went cold.
"How... How did you..."
"Make a choice Min-ho." Savior said, her voice cold and flat.
Min-ho said nothing. His gaze froze on the girl crying for help. Help... he couldn't give.
Pushing away Min-ho's hand on her shoulder, Savior turned away from him, then she pulled on the girl's hair. Without so much as hesitating, she slit the girl's throat open. Blood spewed in every direction, and the girl squirmed.
Tears filled her eyes as she went still.
Savior didn't allow the girl to die in front of them before loosening her grip, letting the girl fall into the Fog below.
Min-ho stood, frozen. He couldn't speak, couldn't move. He just watched, wondering to himself if this was what he needed to be to survive here.
"Let's go,' Savior said. Her dagger vanished in a plume of smoke as she made for the wall.
Min-ho stared at the blood-soaked edge, the image burning into his mind. Though he wished he didn't have to commit such sins, he knew this was only the beginning.
Biting down on his lip, Min-ho had successfully ripped a part of his lower lip away.
Filled with anger for himself, Min-ho made a choice, he had to do whatever it took to grow stronger.
Turning his back on the edge of the slab, Min-ho followed behind Savior, and began the ascent.
Though their climb was more arduous for the few remaining meters, most especially with the Fog inches below them, they managed to make it into the Safe Zone in time.
They passed through the massive doorway that once held mighty doors to enclose this temple.
As they did so, the Fog that was rising and steadily following them, halted at the door.
A strange golden barrier appeared visible once the Fog touched the threshold of the entrance.
But once this phenomenon had occurred, the Fog immediately fell back, hovering only centimeters below the threshold.
Ignoring all of this was Min-ho and Savior, who were both sprawled onto the floor, breathing hard and trying to endure the wounds they sustained during the climb.
No more than ten seconds after they found safety, the sound of footsteps began to echo, growing in volume and drawing closer.
"What now?" Min-ho thought, gritting his teeth and forcing himself to sit upright. A ploy to see whoever was approaching.
It was a Z-Streamer. She didn't look like she wanted to harm them, yet Min-ho couldn't help but be cautious. After all, he didn't know what her intent was.
Ignoring her for a moment, Min-ho found his attention drawn by the multitude of people seated on the floor in the middle of the massive temple. They all sat, staring at particularly nothing, whilst completely ignoring Min-ho's and Savior's existence.
Returning his gaze to the approaching Z-Streamer who had now gotten too close for comfort, he attempted to speak out, but held his tongue when Savior reached out a hand for the Z-Streamer, who in turn helped her sit upright, then pulled her into an embrace.
At least he now knew she was no threat.
"You look like shit," the Z-Streamer said with a chuckle, which Savior did not reciprocate.
"Why is everyone seated there?" Savior asked, pulling away from the embrace.
"Because a Streamer known as Gun-hee told us to," Savior's friend said, causing Min-ho to tense up.
Whatever she had just said did not sit well with him, nor Savior.
Almost immediately, the Z-Streamers seated in the middle of the temple all stood simultaneously like an army.
Beyond them, at the elevated platform housing what looked to be a broken down podium, a man walked onto the scene.
"You have to get up," Savior's friend said, helping her up.
Watching them stand fully, Min-ho felt inclined to do the same, even though he was just as confused as Savior.
"I didn't think he'd have so much control already," Savior said, grimacing.
Min-ho watched as her friend led her toward the crowd, seemingly obvious to what Savior had just said.
He followed behind, while keeping his gaze intent on the man walking onto the stage.
Once they got close enough to the crowd, they paused and waited. Silence blanketed the temple, so the only sound...was the echo of his footsteps.
'What is going on here?'