Ren still hadn't said a word. He simply stood there, silent like a shadow of himself, his gaze moving slowly from one person to the next, almost deliberately drawing out the moment...just so he could etch it into memory…
Or maybe those actions were just a facade, a way to delay the inevitable he already knew was coming.
Diavel had finished introducing the remaining members. Chest gave a slight nod, offered a polite smile, then fell silent again. The air grew still.
Yuna turned her head slightly, glancing at Ren, a brief look, as if just to confirm… he was still there. But then she looked down at her feet, as though unable to find a reason to say anything more.
The atmosphere began to grow awkward. And then, a voice rose, quiet, yet steady.
"…I'm Nautilus."
His voice wasn't loud, nor showy, but each word seemed carefully chosen. There was tension in it, but also enough calm to inspire trust.
"I'm not good with words… but I'll do my best not to be a burden."
Once he finished speaking, he instinctively stepped back a little, his eyes flickering silently toward Yuna, as if waiting for, or relying on, something.
Yuna hesitated. Everyone's eyes were now on her.
She wasn't the type to open up easily, especially not in front of others, and certainly not someone who expressed herself well with words.
But perhaps, in response to Diavel's earnest and trusting gaze...and, in part, Nautilus's as well, she gave a slight nod.
"I'm Yuna."
That was all. No explanations, no smiles, no hesitation, and no excuses.
"Wait… you're…" Chest suddenly spoke, his voice trailing off mid-sentence as if he couldn't believe his own eyes.
His gaze locked onto Yuna, unblinking. A look filled with surprise and the effort to confirm something deeply embedded in his memory.
"…You're Songstress Yuna, aren't you?"
The question slipped out almost by reflex. And after a short pause, Chest's face lit up, as if he'd just recognized something precious.
"It really is you." He chuckled softly a laugh full of surprise and joy, but quickly reined it in, perhaps worried he'd overstepped in such a serious atmosphere.
Chest scratched the back of his head, his voice dropping lower, gentler, sincere:
"Ah… I've heard you sing. Many times. I used to watch your performances along the streets near the plaza in the Starting Town."
He paused briefly, then continued, his gaze turning to the side as if recalling a distant memory:
"I really loved them… Those songs got me through some tough days. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have had the courage to stay… and meet these amazing teammates."
Yuna froze for a moment.
She hadn't expected someone to recognize her here. And even less… that it would come with gratitude.
"…I didn't think anyone still remembered," she murmured, her gaze drifting for a second before returning to Chest. "I used to perform in the central plaza of Medai Village… usually in the late afternoon."
Chest's eyes widened.
"Medai Village?" he blurted, then let out a soft sigh of regret. "So that's where… I've always stayed near the Starting Town. Just went into the mines, rested, never made it out there…"
A wistful smile appeared on his face. "If I'd known earlier… maybe I would've had one more reason to leave the safe zone sooner."
He finished speaking, scratched his head again as if to dispel the awkwardness, and smiled once more, this time gentler, more genuine.
"Anyway… thank you for those melodies. They stayed with me through many quiet days. And thanks to them… I started to dream of something again."
And just like that, nearly everyone had introduced themselves.
Everyone… except Ren.
The silence returned...so quiet you could hear the breath of each person. No one rushed him. No one looked at him with scrutiny.
And yet, there was something… heavy. A vague sense of waiting, as if....if he didn't speak, his existence here would fade away like smoke in the dark.
Ren knew he couldn't keep avoiding it forever.
"…Ren."
Just one word. Short, low, hoarse, almost swallowed by the stillness around him.
No surname, no title, no explanation. Just a lone name, just like the lone person who uttered it.
"Ren," Diavel repeated, his voice calm but gentle. He nodded, with no need for grand words. "Thank you for fighting."
Ren didn't respond. And no one waited for a reply.
And fortunately… no one forced him to say anything more.
Just a name. But from that moment on, it had a place within the group, however small, however faint.
Another pause followed, then Diavel clapped his hands lightly, breaking the heavy stillness.
"All right, everyone. It's probably nightfall out there. We should retreat before the monsters come again."
The group began to move, their slow footsteps echoing through the underground. The soft clinking of armor, the tired breaths, all blending into the deepening darkness.
Ren walked at the very end. No one told him to do so, he chose it himself.
He moved more slowly than the others, his eyes following their backs, watching the flickering torchlight fade as if he were being left behind by a departing train.
He was walking with them… but not truly part of them.
And that distance, that invisible gap, stretched a little farther. Not because of the path, but because of something… quietly growing inside him.
Diavel's group was truly impressive, not just for their combat strength, but for their uncanny grasp of the terrain.
They moved as if they knew every inch of this mine by heart.
They knew exactly which turns to avoid, where monsters tended to appear, and which hidden shortcuts led straight to the exit.
No unnecessary fights, no wasted time. Every step was purposeful, precise, and efficient.
Ren followed in silence, observing. He couldn't help but wonder: how many trials and errors, how many battles had it taken for them to move through this place with such confidence?
Compared to them, his own footsteps suddenly felt out of place, superfluous and misplaced.
The group moved through the dim passageways, torchlight casting long, broken shadows on the cold stone walls.
Every movement of Diavel and the others seemed like part of a carefully calculated sequence. No reminders, no need to pause.
Ren still walked behind them, his steps growing heavier, not from physical fatigue, but from an emotion he couldn't quite name.
Diavel's group, each one of them had a clear goal. They knew exactly where they were headed, and why. But Ren? He hadn't found a reason strong enough to truly belong here.
After a long while, as silence settled over the group again, Ren couldn't ignore the growing sense of separation.
Though he was technically part of the formation, he couldn't shake the feeling of being an outsider, as if he were just a faint silhouette in a large painting, where every other character had clear purpose and meaning.
When Diavel looked back, his eyes glinted in the torchlight, as if he saw something important. He paused and said:
"We're almost outside. Ready?"
Everyone nodded, but Ren said nothing. He didn't know how to respond.
What he felt wasn't fear or anxiety, but something vague and unsettling.
A part of him wanted to run, to leave this place, but another part didn't want to give up. Didn't want to quit.
Silence returned. And among the echoing footsteps in the cold air, Ren continued walking, slightly slower, as if he were deliberately widening the distance.
When Diavel's group returned to Medai Village, they brought with them a contagious, vibrant energy.
Laughter, cheerful voices, and warmth surrounded them like a cloak.
They parted ways naturally, like it was just a normal outing, a day's work, come to an end.
Diavel clapped Lind and Shivata on the shoulder, smiling with satisfaction at the team's success, while Chest occasionally recalled amusing moments from the fight, drawing bursts of laughter from the others.
They left with waves and lighthearted goodbyes.
In contrast, Ren's group stood off in a corner of the village, torchlight threading through the dim streets. No words. No waves.
No stories shared. Everything was silent, like a still painting without a single sound.
Ren stood there, unsure of what to say. Yuna and Nautilus were also silent, their eyes not speaking directly, but clearly revealing their fatigue, and the hesitation caught between unspoken emotions.
The distance between them, though not physical, felt like a widening chasm.
Ren felt himself being pushed away, even though they were all in the same place, the same group.
But nothing needed to be said, the difference between Diavel's team and theirs was too stark to ignore.
That sense of being left out, of not belonging, grew sharper with every moment.
In the end, Yuna was the one who broke the silence, but only with a short phrase, as if there was nothing more to say:
"Thank you…" She looked at Ren, then quickly turned away before he had a chance to reply.
Nautilus said nothing, just gave a small nod, his gaze still lingering on the departing silhouettes of Diavel's group.
And Ren, standing silently between them, could only hear the sound of his own footsteps. He wasn't even sure anymore what this feeling was.
He just knew that those goodbyes… did nothing to bridge the growing distance in his heart.