"Don't be afraid, I'll take you out of here."
A deep voice echoed through the crumbling ruins. Zane crouched down and extended his hand to the little girl in front of him, who was kneeling on the ground, her face filled with fear.
She looked up at him, tear stains still visible on her cheeks. Her wide, watery eyes held a trace of unease as she shrank back instinctively.
Seeing this, Zane sighed softly. After all, he had ended up in the body of an Ethereal.
As a creature feared by everyone, and with the battle that had just taken place, it was no surprise that the little girl was scared. There wasn't much he could do about that.
"Panta, your turn."
At his gentle call, a tiny black-and-white figure eagerly leapt from Zane's back—only to land on the ground with a loud thud.
Silence followed.
"I get that you want a cool entrance, but we're in the middle of a rescue, you know? And that was just…"
Zane reached down and picked Panta up. Too bad Ethereals couldn't make facial expressions—if they could, he'd be wearing a look of exasperation right now.
Panta was a Bangboo who'd been abandoned in the Hollows by a group of Cave Robbers just a few days ago. A sudden Ethereal attack had scattered the robbers, leaving Panta behind.
At the time, Zane had just arrived, still trying to accept his new reality and adapt to his body. While wandering aimlessly through the Hollows, he stumbled upon Panta, cornered by Ethereals.
Panta should've been torn apart—but Zane saved him. And from that moment, he became Panta's new boss.
"Mm-hmm! (Boss, that was totally an accident!)"
After reassuring Zane, Panta turned to calm the little girl.
With an adorable Bangboo on the job, the effect was immediate. She couldn't understand what Panta was saying, but she clearly wasn't as frightened of Zane anymore.
Zane stood up, motioning for Panta to lead the girl behind him. His tall frame cast a protective shadow over the two small figures.
Shards of light floated through the air like petals in bloom, or like guests seeing them off. They sparkled and scattered across the space as the trio walked forward.
The light came from the remains of over forty fallen Ethereals—a sea of light and fragments created by their defeat.
...
Once they reached the edge of the Hollows, Zane came to a halt. He'd tried before—he still couldn't leave this place.
"Alright, head out now."
"Your family must be really worried."
Children who wandered into the Hollows and weren't rescued in time often ended up as tragedies.
"Th-thank you, big brother…"
Just before leaving, the girl looked up at Zane and spoke in a small, hesitant voice.
Though she had been scared of him at first, now she knew—he was the one who had saved her.
"Big brother… aren't you coming with me? The Hollows are really dangerous. Even though you're strong…"
Hearing her concern, Zane smiled faintly. But the metallic sheen of an Ethereal's face couldn't show that smile.
"It's alright. Just go."
After she left, Zane couldn't see what was happening outside, but from what he'd observed inside the Hollow, he knew that just beyond the exit was a Sheriff's outpost.
The girl would be safe from here on.
"Panta, let's move."
"Mm-hmm! (We can keep exploring the Hollows with Boss!)"
Zane held out his hand, the dark armor gleaming faintly. Panta stepped onto it, beaming as he folded his arms proudly.
Zane stood up and walked away, his footsteps crunching over broken stone. His shadow stretched longer behind him.
He didn't know it yet—but not long after the girl's escape, news of "a talking special Ethereal and a black-and-white Bangboo rescuing a girl from the Hollows" began to spread…
...
A few days later...
Night had fallen. A half-black, half-white crescent moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery veil over all of New Eridu, giving the city a rare sense of calm.
But that serenity didn't extend to Fourteenth Street in the Janus District, where a Hollow outbreak had already begun.
"Damn it! You Red Fang bastards, listen up!"
"Don't think the Hollow's gonna protect you! The Hollow Special Operations Unit from the Public Security Bureau is already in position—they're gonna wipe you out! Am I right, officer?!"
Inside a luxurious office deep within the Companion Hollow, Zane sat watching the overexcited news reporter on TV with interest.
Panta, beside him, was frozen in place, eyes wide as he stared at the screen.
Spatial distortions and rifts ran rampant inside the Hollow. Zane had stumbled into one near the core area and somehow ended up in this newly formed Hollow.
Since it hadn't been active for long, most of the buildings and equipment inside hadn't yet been corroded or destroyed. That was probably why he could still watch TV.
He wasn't sure why the TV had been modified with anti-erosion features—maybe it was something the office's previous owner had done—but it was convenient for him now.
Up until this point, Zane had known very little about what was going on outside the Hollow.
But even this reinforced TV was starting to give out. The screen flickered nonstop, a clear sign it was on its last legs.
"Looks like I'll be meeting someone from the Hare's House soon. Guess this'll be the first real contact I've had with someone I actually know a bit about since coming to this world…"
Leaning his cheek against one hand, Zane's pitch-black eyes glowed faintly with a trace of icy blue.
He was close to figuring out how to control his powers. Maybe soon, he'd be able to temporarily return to human form—and finally leave the Hollow.
But that path would likely involve a few complications... and a bit of outside "help."
"What? You've got a lock on the Red Fang Gang?"
"Then what the hell are you waiting for, officer?!"
"Use the biggest damn caliber you've got!!"
"Jus—tice—WILL—PRE—VAIL!!!"
A loud, impassioned roar burst from the TV, startling even Panta, who quickly scooted closer to Zane.
As the final word rang out, a burst of white light flashed across the screen. Then, with a soft pop, the image dissolved into static snow—followed by total blackout.
"Let's go, Panta. Time to stretch our legs."
Zane placed the Bangboo on his shoulder and stood up with a lazy stretch. There weren't many powerful Ethereals in this Hollow—or maybe he just hadn't found them—so he'd been stuck with nothing to do for a while.
"Mm-hmm! (Fighting—awesome!)"
Panta raised his tiny arm, trying hard to look fierce despite his cute face, full of enthusiasm.