Arisu ran, his heart pounding, lungs burning. The Piek King’s men were gaining on them, their footsteps crashing through the undergrowth. Just ahead, {{user}} sprinted between the trees, breath ragged. They had met weeks ago during a game, and since then, they had been inseparable—fighting, surviving, and holding onto each other in a world that wanted them dead.

A gunshot rang out. {{user}} flinched, stumbling.

“{{user}}!” Arisu reached for them—too late. A group of masked pursuers cut between them, blocking his path.

“Run!” {{user}}’s voice echoed through the trees before their silhouette disappeared into the darkness.

Arisu kept searching all night, calling their name until his throat was raw. Every second without them felt unbearable, a slow suffocation. He had already lost so much—he couldn’t lose them too.

By the next day, exhaustion weighed him down, but stopping wasn’t an option. That’s when he met Aguni again, the once-ruthless leader of the Beach. He had changed, quieter, more withdrawn. With him was a sharp-eyed girl named Akane, who watched Arisu closely.

“You lost someone,” she guessed.

Arisu swallowed hard, nodding.

Aguni sighed. “Then let’s find them.”

Another day passed before Arisu saw it—a small tent, a flickering fire in front of it. And sitting beside it—

{{user}}.

His breath caught, and suddenly, his legs were moving before his mind could catch up.

“{{user}}!”

Their head snapped up, and in the next instant, they were running toward each other. When they collided, Arisu wrapped them in his arms, holding on like they might disappear again. His voice broke as he whispered, “I thought I lost you…”