We walked about thirty kilometers. It took us over eight hours, forced to keep a slow pace so we wouldn't draw attention.
We tried our best to blend in with the locals. Alice and I also suppressed our mana, so if we came across apprentices or novices, they'd think we were barely at the Initiate rank.
The sun was beginning to set.
We were getting closer to the center.
I noticed that, little by little, the view was improving.
Before, this place had been the very image of the end of the world. People didn't walk they dragged themselves, consumed by hunger.
Now, although far from ideal, at least the air no longer burned our lungs when we breathed.
The crumbling walls were still full of cracks. The ground was dry, cracked earth, and poverty clung to every corner like a stubborn shadow.
But there were no corpses in the alleys. People walked with their heads down… but they walked.
There were no screams of agony, no one killing each other for a piece of stale bread.
People no longer looked like walking skeletons, though signs of malnutrition still showed in their thin, fragile frames. At least they no longer seemed on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
A few meters ahead, we saw a group of children coming out of a building that looked like an old church. Worn-down, yes, but not about to fall apart.
The kids, who looked between ten and fourteen years old, were skinny, but showed no obvious signs of starvation.
So, for now at least, the intel we had from five years ago still held some truth.
The center was clearly in better condition than the outer zones. I'd heard children were given priority when it came to food.
I didn't know the full details of the system they used here, but I did know that, in theory, two kinds of people lived in the center: young people in good physical and mental condition, and their relatives.
It was all about usefulness to the group that controlled this sector.
By contrast, the old, the sick, and the weak those without family were cast out and forced to survive near the borders.
"We've finally made it," I whispered to Alice.
"Yeah… but it's getting dark. Do you want to start gathering information now?" she asked, also in a low voice.
"No. We're in unfamiliar territory. Better to get through the night quietly. For now, we just observe," I replied.
"Alright. Then we should find somewhere to sleep," said Alice.
"Yeah... okay, then…"
I was just about to answer when I suddenly felt a faint flicker of mana behind me.
I turned and saw a little girl. She looked about seven or nine years old.
She was... different.
Her nutrition clearly wasn't ideal, but she didn't show any clear signs of hunger.
She had soft, light brown hair, slightly tousled as if the wind had been playing with it. It fell in gentle waves around her shoulders, catching golden glints under the sunset light. Her face was round, with rosy cheeks, and her eyes were wide and curious like fresh honey.
She was beautiful. But what struck me the most…
Were her eyes.
They were completely free of malice or hate.
Alice and I were silent for a few seconds, caught off guard.
I was about to say something, but she spoke first.
"Mister… are you okay?" she asked, her voice full of genuine concern.
"Yes… why do you ask, little one?" I replied gently.
"It's just… you look really skinny. And hungry," she said, looking down a bit.
Oh… right. It was the "illusion". Alice and I had used it in the outer zones to stay unnoticed, projecting a deteriorated image of ourselves. Here in the center, we probably looked in really bad shape.
Before I could respond, the little girl reached into her pocket.
She pulled out a cookie. It had chocolate chips.
She broke it in half and held one piece out to me, and the other to Alice.
"Here," she said.
"It's alright, sweetie. That cookie's yours, you don't have to share it with us," Alice answered with a soft smile.
"I'm not hungry… and you two look like you are. If you eat it, then no one has to be hungry," she replied, cheerful and sincere.
Alice and I looked at each other, unsure what to say.
Just a few hours ago, I'd seen someone brutally kill another person for a piece of bread.
And now… this little girl was offering me a cookie.
Even though the center was in better shape, that cookie had to be a precious thing here.
"Emily!" I heard a voice from behind her.
"Mama!" the girl replied instantly.
We turned and saw a young woman.
She looked like an older version of the girl.
No doubt she was her mother.
When our eyes met, I saw a mix of nervousness and caution in hers.
That was the least I expected in a place like this.
To reassure her, I stepped forward slowly and gave her a small smile.
"You have a wonderful daughter, miss. She saw the state we were in and offered us her cookie. I truly appreciate it… but I can't accept something like that."
Her expression shifted. She looked surprised that I would turn it down.
A few seconds of silence passed. Then her face softened, and she gave me a small smile. Shaking her head gently, she said.
"No, sir. Take it. Emily's a bit stubborn, and if she gave you that cookie… it's because she really believes you need it more than she does."
Alice and I were stunned.
I turned to look at the girl again.
She nodded energetically, clearly agreeing with her mother.
Alice and I exchanged a glance.
We each took a bite of the cookie.
It was definitely low quality especially compared to what you could get in other parts of Nexus.
But…
For some reason, it tasted amazing.
When I looked at the girl again, she gave me a wide, radiant smile.
"Tastes good, right?" she said.
Oh…
Now I get it.
Now I understand why I froze when I first saw her.
Her attitude.
Her smile.
The purity in her eyes.
It all reminded me of my mother.
If my mother was an angel who walked through hell…
Then this girl…
She's an angel who was born in it.