The climb up the mountain wasn't easy: her muscles still ached from the bunker, and every step echoed dully in her temples. But when she reached the top, she froze, stunned by the view. Right in front of her, despite the icy wind and harsh sky, stretched a lush, pale-pink forest. Thousands of petals danced in the air like a living carpet.

  "Sakura? But... it's cold here?" Eni adjusted her collar in confusion, not believing her eyes. In this dead world, the pink color seemed like a hallucination, something too pure and fragile.

  The Voice in her head responded with a deep, vibrating laugh that held a note of triumph. "Ho-ho-ho, Eni... This world... it's amazing, isn't it? It doesn't follow the laws you knew. Here, beauty and death always walk hand in hand."

  Eni moved forward, stepping onto the soft layer of pink petals. Suddenly, her gaze caught movement near the roots of a nearby tree. A small creature sat there: golden-yellow fur, tiny horns, and an incredibly long beard stretching into the ground. It looked at her with big, wise eyes, devoid of any malice.

  "Oh, how cute..." Eni whispered, stopping. For the first time in a long while, a faint smile appeared on her lips. "Looks like a little forest spirit."

  She approached the tree, her fingers touching the rough bark. The Voice immediately tensed, a cold note of suspicion in its tone: "Eni, what are you trying to do? Remember what I told you about Alvina. Every action you take in this forest..."

  But Eni wasn't listening. She leaned toward the branch and spoke in a whisper, her lips barely touching the pink buds: "Bear with me, please... I'll just take a little twig, to grow your... child? Please, bear with it and... most importantly, don't tell anyone about this."

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  With a soft crunch, she broke off a thin shoot. A sharp movement — and the seedling disappeared under her uniform, joining the invisible arsenal. The Voice was about to explode with righteous anger, its vibration turning threatening: "Eni! Alvina will feel this! You're putting us at..."

  "I told the Sakura to be quiet," Eni interrupted with unexpected firmness. "She won't tell. She'll bear it."

  A moment of silence followed. The Voice seemed to be processing this absurd, almost childish logic that somehow worked — the forest remained calm. A heavy, almost human sigh passed through her mind. "Fine, child. Plants, even if they don't have consciousness as you understand it, still feel... Be careful. Your naivety is sometimes your only armor."

  "Shhhh," Eni suddenly froze, pressing against the trunk. Ahead, beyond the thick thickets, something massive loomed. A huge nest, made of bones and charred trunks, and in it — a sleeping dragon. Its scales glinted dully, and heavy breath escaped its nostrils in puffs of steam.

  She began to quietly retreat, trying not to snap a single branch. "Wait, Eni," the Voice commanded sharply. "Look at your feet. There, by the rock — Sun Grass. Its stems glow with gold. It's priceless. With it, you can weave protection that won't let you burn in the sun or overheat in the wastelands. Take it. Now."

  Eni gritted her teeth. The risk was huge, but the will to survive outweighed fear. She quickly crouched, tearing out the grass by the roots. The earth reluctantly gave up the plant, and Eni, without looking back, rushed away from the nest before the scaly horror woke up.

  She hadn't gone ten meters when she stopped sharply. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught something white, standing out from the forest's palette. Coming closer, she felt a lump rise in her throat. Human bones. The skeleton lay in an unnatural pose: the lower half completely missing, as if bitten off in one go, and the fingers dug into the ground — the poor soul had tried to crawl away until the very last moment.

  "Did... did it get him?" Eni swallowed hard, feeling cold sweat run down her back.

  "Yes... she was unlucky," the Voice said, and something strange flickered in its tone, like a fleeting memory. "A mistake cost her everything."

  Eni silently reached under her uniform and pulled out the heavy iron sword. She knelt down and started digging. The blade scraped into the stony soil. "I can't dig you a proper grave... but I'll do at least this," she whispered.

  She dug a shallow hole, only about four inches deep. Gathering the remains, she carefully placed them in the ground and covered them. Her hands trembled, but her face remained stone. Putting the sword back into her "spatial pocket," Eni stood up. She didn't know this woman, but she knew that in this world, bones are the only thing left of hope.