A new beginning

Are we in a stimulation?

-Author

---

Back to the present—

Von stood up from the dinner table.Everyone looked at him with the same expression: quiet despair.

"This isn't what Ray would want us to be," Von said softly, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "You all know—we've been together for a long time."

He reached for his glass of wine, took a small sip, and set it down again.

"He saved me… from a despair I thought I'd never escape. He helped me find the right path again."

Elias lowered her head, staring into her hands as tears began to gather in her eyes. Joseph and Wendy exchanged a solemn glance. Stella quietly observed everyone, her fingers tightening around her cup.

Von continued, more firmly now,"This—this moment, this silence, this sorrow—it's not what Ray would want to see. We still have a mission. A purpose. To end this suffering."

His eyes scanned the table.

"We can grieve," he said. "But we cannot sit still."

Elias looked up, her voice trembling."You're right. I've lost the will to fight for a world that doesn't even know we exist... but Ray—he did. He fought for it anyway. That alone is enough for me. I'll fulfill that wish."

Joseph let out a quiet breath and nodded."Yeah. If I quit now, it'd feel like betraying him. He saved our lives—not once, but again and again."

Wendy gave a firm nod beside him, lips pressed tightly, eyes glistening.

Then Von turned to Stella, who had remained unusually quiet.

"What about you, Stella? Are you with us?"

"I… I didn't know Mr. Ray well," she admitted. Her eyes flicked between them all. "But I want to. I want to know the truth—about Nethoria, about the Whitening, about all of it. So yes… I'm in."

Von smiled slightly.

He raised his glass. One by one, they followed.Elias handed Stella a glass of grape juice with a small smile.

Von looked around at the team—broken, bruised, but still standing.

"For Ray," he said."For the future.""For us."

Their glasses clinked.

---

The next day, Von called everyone together for a meeting.

"The dead artifact is in Windrise," Von said calmly. "I don't have full intel—but that's what Ray told me before the incident."

Elias folded her arms. "Then we'll need to sneak into Windrise. But… do we even know where it's located?"

Joseph leaned in. "We'll need someone who knows the passages. Intel first—then action."

"We already have one," Von replied, his eyes shifting to Stella.

She blinked. "Me?"

Von gave a small nod."Alright. This is your first mission with us, Stella. You'll go with the team and gather intel—get eyes on the dead artifact's location. No fighting unless absolutely necessary."

He looked at the others."Questions?"

No one spoke. They all knew what was at stake. But Stella raised her hand hesitantly.

"Yes?" Von asked.

"Why are we after the dead artifact?" she asked, brows furrowed.

Von paused, then nodded. "Everyone else is dismissed. Stella, stay."

The team filed out without a word. Once the door closed, Von gestured to Stella.

"Come on. Let's take a walk."

---

Outside, under a grey morning sky—

"You've heard of the Whitening, right?" Von asked as they strolled quietly down the sidewalk.

Stella nodded beside him.

"Well…" Von sighed. "As soon as it started, the ancient people—those who came even before the Seven—tried to build something that could stop it."

He looked away for a moment, pain flickering across his face. "But they didn't create it. They built it—from a certain being's body."

Stella stopped in her tracks, stunned."They used someone's… body?"

Von gave a slow nod. "A certain being. They thought it would work."

A silence stretched between them.

"If it could've been stopped..." Stella murmured, voice trembling. "Then… then Mom might've been..."

Von turned to her, his expression softening."I know what you're thinking," he said gently. "But they failed. Because of someone—called The Unnamed."

The moment he said the name, Von winced.A sharp pain shot through his head, dropping him to his knees. The world around him bent and warped. Sounds fractured—piercing, chaotic—until everything fell dead silent.

Then, words floated in the air—not voices.Stella's mouth moved, but only glowing words formed:"Are you okay?""Von!"

He gasped for air, vision flickering like static—And then, everything snapped back to normal.

Stella knelt beside him, eyes wide and terrified. "Are you okay?" she asked again, her voice shaking. She looked like she was about to cry.

Von gave her a weak smile."I'm okay. Just… looks like the conversation has to wait."

He stood up, breathing heavily.

"But I hope knowing the Whitening can be stopped… gives you something to fight for."

Stella wiped her eyes and nodded.

"Come on," Von said gently. "Let's head back to the motel."