After trekking for hours through the dense forest, exhaustion clung to the group like a heavy cloak. Their legs dragged with each step, but that weariness quickly evaporated when they stumbled upon a small but wide river shimmering under the dappled sunlight.
"Water!" Edith exclaimed, her voice tinged with relief as she hurried forward.
The others followed close behind, their spirits visibly lifting at the sight of the clear water.
"Oh, thank the gods," Robin said dramatically as he dropped to his knees, cupping his hands to drink. "I thought I was about to shrivel up like a dry leaf."
"It's so clean," Karla marveled, holding the crystalline water in her palms. She tilted her head, admiring how the sunlight refracted through it.
Lucian and Liam arrived last, with Liam trailing a bit farther behind. Everyone drank deeply, washing their faces and letting the cool water refresh them.
