(This is the timeline I barely remember from the future…) Elysia thought.
Kael was standing a few steps away from her.
She forced a faint smile, hiding the conflict inside her.
"Kael," she called. "I'll take this path. You go the other way."
Kael turned toward her, blinking through the smoke.
"The other way?" He pointed.
"That leads deeper into the destroyed house. Is it safe?"
"Yes," Elysia replied smoothly.
She extended a finger toward the shadowed trail, pretending to examine the map in her hand.
"That direction is safer. Search for survivors. Some villagers might still be hiding."
"Alright," he said, nodding. "I'll check it out. Don't take risks."
"I won't," she replied.
(Forgive me… but this is the only way.)
Elysia tightened her grip on the hammer she had secretly picked up from the ground—a heavy blacksmith's tool left behind by fleeing villagers.
