Hope stirred awake.
A heavy, scorching heat pressed against his skin.
The sun was already high.
It burned—fierce and unrelenting—searing into his exposed flesh like a living thing.
His throat felt parched.
His body was aching, muscles sore from exhaustion.
Hope blinked.
Then, suddenly—
His eyes widened.
Where was the cave?
He sat up, scanning his surroundings.
The rocky walls he had taken shelter in the previous night were gone.
The ground beneath him was still cracked and lifeless, but there was no trace of the cave's entrance.
Hope clenched his jaw.
He wasn't even surprised at this point.
The Veil's world was unstable.
Shifting.
Changing.
What existed in the night could vanish by morning.
This was no ordinary land.
It had rules—but they weren't the kind he understood.
It was a twisted, unpredictable realm where nothing could be trusted.
He sighed.
"Guess I'll have to find another shelter during the night."
Standing up, he stretched his stiff limbs, rolling his shoulders.
His stomach felt empty, but he was used to hunger.
At least he'd eaten.
Even if it was raw.
It hadn't been too different from the rats he used to catch in the outskirts, which were sometimes eaten raw.
At least the taste wasn't worse.
Hope focused inward, checking his Soul Essence.
[Soul Essence: 4999/5000]
He stared at the number.
Then frowned.
"Stupid Veil."
"Why don't you just make it 5000/5000?"
Silence.
Of course, there was no reply.
Not that he expected one.
Hope sighed.
It was a useless thought.
The Veil worked in its own way.
It never answered questions.
Never explained anything.
And it sure as hell didn't care about his frustration.
His gaze fell to the wolf-like fiend's claws lying beside him.
Long.
Sharp.
Curved like hooks—designed to rip flesh apart with a single swipe.
Hope picked them up, feeling their weight in his hands.
They weren't balanced like proper weapons.
But he didn't have the luxury of choice.
"These will do."
At least until he found something better.
He adjusted his grip, testing their sharpness against a rock.
The edge bit into the stone with a dull scrape.
Not the best—
But usable.
For now.
Hope turned his gaze across the endless, cracked expanse of land before him.
No landmarks.
No signs of life.
Just a vast, desolate wasteland stretching in all directions.
He had no idea where to go.
No path.
No destination.
But standing still wasn't an option.
So—
He started walking.
His bare feet pressed against the brittle earth, each step kicking up faint clouds of dust.
The sun blazed overhead.
Sweat beaded on his skin.
His thirst grew sharper.
Hope licked his lips—
But his tongue was dry.
His throat felt scratchy, the inside of his mouth like sandpaper.
He needed water.
And soon.
But there was no sign of it.
Only the barren land
Only the Veil's cruel silence.
And so—
He kept walking.