Edward jolted abruptly from his unconscious state, his face twisted in horror.
"Hmm? What happened to you?" Cain asked, raising an eyebrow.
The young man stared at him for a few seconds before speaking.
"I had a horrible dream. I dreamed that pigs were devouring me."
"That… could actually happen."
"What?" The initial horror on Edward's face was nothing compared to the expression he wore upon hearing that.
"There are remnants called *Filth of the Slaughterhouse*. They originate from the desire to kill and are essentially pigs that devour you piece by piece. You could say they also represent gluttony."
"Wait, do remnants represent sins as well?"
"No, that's just the meaning I assigned to them."
"I see…"
Edward sat up and looked around.
He saw that they were inside a shattered building with no roof. It was daytime.
"What happened, and where are we?"
"You passed out from all the smoke and pollution you inhaled. I had to call in another favor from the god I know—otherwise, you'd be dead. Or, if I'd taken you to a hospital, you'd be in a coma. Though I doubt any hospitals are functional right now. Also, I came with you because I didn't want to struggle through that firestorm alone."
"After that, the storm seemed to calm down for a while, so I carried you all the way from the forest to the district. I found this building, and we settled here."
"I see. How's the district now?" Edward's face darkened with worry.
Though he hadn't spent much of his life in the district—and the time he had spent there was miserable—he'd met a few people who helped him and grown fond of them.
"It's a complete disaster. There are charred bodies all over the streets, and practically no living beings wandering around. Not to mention, the buildings are in ruins, as you can see. Though that doesn't necessarily mean everyone's dead."
"Haven't the authorities issued any statements?"
"No. We've been here for over six hours, and I haven't heard or seen anything."
"I knew it. Those damn rats never help anyone—they only care about their own safet—" Edward cut himself off, as if realizing something.
"Wait… six hours?!" The young man's expression twisted into cartoonish shock.
"Yes, six hours. Why are you so surprised? It's normal—you passed out."
"No, of course not! I expected a few hours, but never *that* long. By the way… have you not slept this whole time?"
"I don't need to. Whenever I'm about to, I read a letter I wrote a while ago, and it restores my energy. It's quite effective."
"Is that all it does?" Edward asked, standing up and brushing off his clothes.
"No, it has other effects. Where are you going?" Cain asked, suspicion creeping into his tone.
"To look for my mother. I can't delay any longer knowing the general did something to her. Besides, this firestorm happened—it might have affected her, though I don't feel like it did."
"Do you really want to go now? We can't be sure the same event won't repeat." Cain rose to his feet and snapped his fingers.
An illusory projection shimmered over his clothes, replacing them. Now, he wore a loose black shirt, black athletic pants with white stripes, and a pair of white sneakers.
"That outfit looks… very modern. Also, aren't your powers supposed to come from reading poems and stuff? How do you keep pulling things like this out of nowhere? You never explained that. And why athletic wear?" Edward eyed him skeptically.
"Edward, has anyone ever told you that you're very intense?" Cain deflected.
"Yes, my ex-girlfriend did. Don't try to dodge the question."
"Ahh… fine. I wear this because I lived a life in a modern world just like yours, and it's comfortable for lounging and running. The latter of which I suspect we'll be doing soon."
"And… I didn't want to have to explain this, but since you asked—I made a pact with a divinity to gain my powers, which I acquire through meanings, along with other extras that let me pull objects from an inventory I've stored across lifetimes. It's so I don't have to start completely from scratch when I reincarnate. Oh, and this inventory also stores abilities, so it's very useful."
"Wow, that's impressive. Though I could've guessed some of it if I'd thought harder about the divinity you mentioned. Why didn't you want to tell me?" Doubt flickered across Edward's face.
"Because of this." Cain gestured around them.
In the next instant, dozens of expressionless eyes blinked into existence, watching them.