While chaos reigned outside due to the Hollow disaster, things weren't any calmer inside the rift itself.
Zhong Yan clutched the safe tightly in one arm while holding onto Anby with the other. All around him, the once-empty street was now being overtaken by a growing network of Ether crystals—sprawling across half a block within moments.
This Companion Hollow had only recently formed. The Ether corrosion wasn't at its peak yet, but if they lingered too long, it would solidify and become far more dangerous.
Zhong Yan could've used Kamui to teleport out, but with Anby by his side, he couldn't risk revealing his abilities.
The best option now was to wait for Wise and Belle to come rescue them. As people whispered of the Legendary Proxy Phaeton, Hollows to them were like playing an exploration game on easy mode—they could traverse them with little effort.
Of course, that only applied to navigating the Hollow. Purging it entirely was another matter entirely—even Zhong Yan would need time and effort to accomplish that.
"Zhong Yan..." Anby's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to her and realized he'd been holding her hand too tightly—her palm was slick with sweat.
"Ah—sorry, I didn't mean to. Things got hectic and I must've gripped too hard," he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
Anby rubbed her hand gently with the other, feeling his lingering warmth still pressed into her skin—oddly comforting.
"It's okay. If it's you, you can hold it as long as you want," she said softly.
Normally, a girl saying that would be blushing like crazy. But Anby, while shy, showed no trace of that rosy hue most girls would.
Probably due to her lack of social norms.
After all, Anby was a self-declared movie fanatic whose library was almost entirely action films. Romantic subplots, if present, were usually overshadowed by explosions and gunfire.
It likely had something to do with her origins too—within the game, many players suspected Anby was a clone developed by the military.
Hints from the Soldier 11 promo and their in-game voice lines with her confirmed this theory.
Zhong Yan had subtly hinted at this before, but she either wasn't ready to talk about her past—or she didn't remember it at all.
Still, her differences didn't bother him in the slightest.
At least not here. He wouldn't have to sit by and watch, helpless, while someone he cared about suffered, like in the game.
Here, he had the power to change everything.
And all he wanted... was to protect those close to him.
Back in the present—seeing Zhong Yan drifting off again—Anby silently reached out and took his hand.
"Let me do it this time. I'll hold gently, it's okay."
Her movements were cautious, deliberate. Zhong Yan instinctively twitched his fingers, and Anby quickly froze, startled.
After a pause, she tried again.
This time, Zhong Yan didn't resist—in fact, he opened his fingers slightly to help her. She threaded her fingers through his, interlacing them tightly and then softening her grip just a little.
They stood like that, fingers entwined.
Anby stared at their hands as if she were confirming something. Only once they were fully linked did she breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
Then she looked up—due to their height difference, her eyes naturally met Zhong Yan's.
For a moment, they just stared at each other.
Then, tilting her head in confusion, Anby asked, "Zhong Yan, why's your face all red?"
She even reached out with her free hand to feel his forehead, noticing his temperature had risen significantly.
That was when Zhong Yan realized it—his face was hot. Probably from the sheer overwhelming joy of the moment. It hadn't hit him until now.
Holding hands with your favorite game character, the one you admired and fought alongside...If this is a dream, Zhong Yan thought, I never want to wake up.
And watching Anby, who was now seriously checking his temperature, he honestly struggled to keep his composure.
The urge to just pull her into a tight hug—to kiss her until her expression finally matched the vibrant colors of her clothes—was so strong.
A great idea... that sadly had to remain just that. An idea.
"Hmm. Aside from your skin temperature, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. Could it be your body's reacting poorly to the Hollow environment?" Anby mused, a touch of concern creeping in.
She remembered his Ether compatibility score—zero. By all logic, anyone with that score should've been corrupted into an Ethereal the moment they stepped into the Hollow.
Yet Zhong Yan was still fine.
Clearly, his body had some hidden resistance—he'd spent significant time in a Hollow before and emerged unscathed.
Still, that score remained a risk. She couldn't let her guard down.
"Uh… I've got a unique constitution," Zhong Yan explained. "My Ether resistance is way above average—I just don't know why the tests read it as zero. Maybe I'm just… special."
He didn't want her to worry. So, he gave her a vague but comforting answer.
Of course, it didn't fool Anby.
Rather than arguing, she just clutched his hand tighter.
Regardless of what he said, what mattered most was getting him out. If he got corrupted here—Anby would lose it.
"We need to go. No matter how you look at it, you can't stay in this Hollow. Proxy and the others might be looking for us, but until they find us, we need to search for an exit. We can't just wait around."
And with that, Anby began dragging Zhong Yan forward, deeper into the streets slowly crumbling under Ether corruption, in search of a way out.