Lucius muttered under his breath, "We have to go back…" His voice barely audible, the words seemed more like a desperate plea to himself.
Yu Xuan turned toward him, his brows furrowed. "What did you say?"
Lucius lifted his head, his expression strained and his voice louder now. "I said we have to go back!" The desperation in his tone filled the silence, but it only fueled Yu Xuan's growing frustration.
"Are you insane?!" Yu Xuan barked, closing the distance between them in an instant. He grabbed Lucius by the collar, his grip tight and unyielding. "Go back there and fight? After what we just went through? We all saw what happened! And who the hell is Bram anyway? If there's anything that needs explaining, it's you!" With a burst of anger, he shoved Lucius backward, causing him to stumble and hit the ground.
Lucius snarled, refusing to back down. "How should I know?! We sacrificed Elias! Orson! We don't even know where Zara is, and—" His voice faltered as he swallowed hard, his trembling hands clenched into fists. He couldn't finish the sentence. The weight of their losses pressed heavily on his chest.
Yu Xuan glared at him, his voice colder now, steady but cutting. "That's right. We're in no condition to do anything reckless. Nai's arms need treatment, Harriet is barely hanging on in her coma, and the rest of us are running on fumes. What makes you think we can just go back and fight?"
Lucius fell silent, his head bowed, as if trying to find an answer in the ground beneath him. He rubbed his temples, the pounding in his head a cruel reminder of their hopeless situation. The air between them grew thick with tension.
Nai, leaning against a nearby rock, watched the exchange with tired eyes. She shifted her gaze from Lucius to Yu Xuan and back again, her lips pursed in frustration. Despite her own injuries, she remained silent, letting the two vent their emotions for now. Their anger, their grief—it was a storm they all had to weather, even as their next steps remained uncertain.
As frustration hung thick in the air and their minds swirled with chaos, Nai, despite her injured state, slowly rose to her feet. Her movements were stiff, her body clearly protesting, yet her voice was firm. "We need to keep moving. This... whatever is happening, it's far too complicated for us to unravel right now. When night falls, more monsters will come, and we'll be in no condition to fight."
Her words cut through the tension like a blade, pulling Yu Xuan's attention. He exhaled sharply, nodding in reluctant agreement. "You're right," he said, his voice carrying a weight of exhaustion.
Lucius, though still trembling with the burden of unspoken thoughts, pushed himself upright. Without a word, he carefully hoisted Harriet onto his back, her unconscious form limp but secure in his arms. The group, though battered and worn, began to move forward, their shared silence a testament to their weariness and the gravity of their situation.
Each step was a desperate search for refuge—a cave, a shelter, anything to protect them from the relentless dangers of the night that loomed ahead.
Days blurred into nights as Lucius, Nai, and Yu Xuan pressed onward, their journey a relentless struggle for survival. They moved with a singular purpose: to find refuge before darkness claimed the land again. Fortune favored them when they stumbled upon a small cave just as twilight began to settle, offering them a fleeting sense of security.
Along their path, they encountered remnants of civilization—a few scattered supplies, enough to tend to Nai's injuries, though the healing was slow and painstaking. Further down the road, they discovered a small, weathered carriage, its purpose long abandoned. The trio exchanged glances, unspoken understanding passing between them. It was crude, but it would serve their needs. With care, they placed Harriet within its confines, her fragile state demanding rest, and resumed their march forward.
The days that followed were grueling. Yu Xuan and Lucius took turns hunting for sustenance, scouring the desolate terrain for anything remotely edible. Each meager find was a victory, keeping them moving, step by step. Nai, though weary and still nursing her wounds, remained steadfast, her resolve mirroring theirs.
After what felt like an eternity—a week of ceaseless wandering—they finally stumbled upon a passing road. The sight of it, though weathered and overgrown, was a glimmer of hope in an otherwise unyielding wilderness. It was a thread to grasp, a potential path to salvation.
"A road…" Nai's voice broke the silence, soft yet laden with cautious hope. "Does that mean there's a town nearby?"
Lucius, standing beside her, studied the worn path before them. "Perhaps," he murmured, his tone uncertain. "But we have no idea which way would lead us there."
The trio exchanged glances, the weight of indecision pressing down until Yu Xuan finally spoke, his voice steady yet tempered with pragmatism. "The right," he said, pointing down the road. "But don't get your hopes up. We don't know if the town still stands or if it's abandoned. Out here, survival is the only certainty."
Lucius and Nai exchanged a quiet nod, acknowledging the truth of Yu Xuan's words. Lucius shifted his grip on the makeshift carriage, its creaking wheels carrying Harriet's unconscious form. With a grunt of effort, he began to pull it along the path Yu Xuan had indicated.
"How are you so confident it's the right way?" Lucius asked, his voice edged with both curiosity and doubt.
Yu Xuan smirked faintly, his gaze fixed ahead. "Instinct," he replied simply.
To be continued -