Zion stayed where he was, barely moving as the forest remained silent around him.

Time passed slowly, each minute feeling endless.

The Sentinel did not speak, nor did it look at him again.

Nearly half an hour passed. Zion clenched his hands, frustrated by the delay of their judgment.

'This leaves a sour taste,' he thought.

He felt the exact same sense of hopelessness he had while imprisoned by the Sovereignty. That suffocating uncertainty, where another's judgment decided whether he would live to see another day.

Finally, heavy footsteps echoed through the forest, trees shaking left and right.

Zion's head snapped up immediately, watching the other Sentinel emerge from the dense forest. Only this time, it wasn't alone.

His eyes darted past the massive figure, catching sight of another Sentinel—this one far smaller, standing at only about twice his height.

The smaller Sentinel didn't hesitate, immediately jumping past the elder and running toward Zion's ship.

'Why is there a third now?' Zion thought, narrowing his eyes slightly.

He watched the Sentinel touch his ship, dragging its mossy hands all over the outside.

The elder turned its back to it, walking toward Zion with slow strides.

"Human," the second Sentinel said, its tone warm. "We have judged you."

The first Sentinel nodded once, its eyes lingering on the smaller Sentinel.

"We will allow you to leave with all your treasure," it continued.

Zion's heart jumped, a flash of relief spreading through his body.

"On one condition."

His breath hitched, relief freezing in place.

He straightened at once, forcing himself to remain composed. "What condition?" he asked.

The warm-toned Sentinel turned its gaze back toward the ship. The smaller Sentinel had already circled it once, fingers pressed against the front window.

"You will leave this world," it said calmly. "And you will not return."

Zion nodded without hesitation. "I understand."

"That is not the condition," the other Sentinel said coldly.

The words crashed his hopes once again.

Zion's shoulders tensed, relief completely drained. He remained silent, waiting for the actual condition.

The cold Sentinel's gaze shifted to the smaller Sentinel by the ship.

"That one will go with you," it said.

Zion's eyes flickered to the ship's hull. The smaller Sentinel had jumped on top of the ship, its face pressed closely against the top window.

"What?" he could only let out, utterly confused.

"It cannot stay here," the Sentinel continued. "Not when your kind begins to arrive."

Zion remained silent, his mind racing for reasons and explanations.

Finally, he could only let out one word.

"Why?"

The warm-toned Sentinel answered calmly. "Because your kind is dangerous."

It let the words settle before continuing. "This planet will be ravaged by your kind. Conflict will follow. Our clan does not wish for the young one to suffer because of it."

A brief moment of silence fell between them.

Zion nodded slowly, processing the information.

[Their reasoning is consistent,] Uriel said quietly. [The request seems to be genuine.]

'That isn't what I'm sitting with,' he thought, questions circling his mind. 'The entire situation just seems strange.'

Finally, Zion glanced up.

"Why only the young one?" he asked, locking eyes with the Sentinel. "If you know there's a conflict coming, why wouldn't you accompany it and leave together?"

The Sentinels glanced at each other, a hint of surprise flashing across their faces for a split second.

They remained silent for a moment, then one of them lowered to Zion's level.

"It is our duty to remain here and protect," it said, voice firm.

Zion held the Sentinel's gaze for a long moment.

"I see," he finally said. "But why did you choose me?"

The cold Sentinel let out a strange noise, straightening itself. "There were no other humans to choose from."

Right after, the warm-toned Sentinel continued. "You neither lied nor ran, showing intelligence compared to humans who like to test their chances."

It paused for a moment. "Above all, you are merely a mercenary. Not an organization that would research and experiment on the young one."

Zion nodded once, letting out a quiet breath.

'Their condition sure has a lot of strings attached,' he thought, closing his eyes for a moment. 'But anything is better than death, I guess.'

After opening his eyes, he glanced up.

"When do you want me to leave?"

"Now," the colder Sentinel replied simply.

It turned its back to Zion and started walking toward his ship. The warm-toned Sentinel also nodded, gesturing with its arm toward the ship.

'That's it?' Zion thought, eyes widening slightly. 'They want me to leave just like that?'

He quickly followed after them, still astonished by their decisiveness.

"You aren't worried in the slightest that I'll hurt it after leaving the planet?" he asked.

The first Sentinel stopped in its tracks, turning around slowly. It lowered its head to Zion's level, its eyes narrowed.

"If you harm one of our kind, every Verdant Sentinel you encounter will sense it," the Sentinel said. "From that moment on, none will show you mercy."

It straightened again and continued toward Zion's ship with slow strides.

Zion swallowed hard. He'd expected a threat like this, but he hadn't known the Sentinels possessed such an ability.

'No matter what I do, I can't hurt it,' he thought, following after the Sentinel. 'I do not want to be chased by these peak B-rank freaks everywhere I go.'

The elder Sentinel reached the ship and stopped beside it, turning its head toward the smaller Sentinel.

"The human has agreed to take you with him," it said. "You will leave this world and travel beyond it."

The smaller Sentinel, still sitting on Zion's ship, froze.

Then it straightened abruptly, moss and bark falling everywhere as excitement spread across its face.

"Really?" it asked, standing up. "I get to go?"

Before anyone could respond, it leapt down in a single jump, landing right in front of Zion with surprising force.

It leaned in, eyes bright. "You're taking me with you?"

Zion met its gaze, then nodded once.

"…Yes."

The Sentinel's grin widened.

And just like that, Zion realized his way back had become a lot more complicated than before.

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