Valtor's gaze shifted to Zara, then Orea.
"We'll continue with this mission for now," he said.
"Till when?" Orea whispered, eyes fixed on him.
"Till we reach Zaire," he replied. "According to my dad, our path leads through the ocean—on the other side of this forest. We'll have to move out of here, and when we reach the water, we'll find a way to cross."
He paused, watching their reactions before continuing.
"So, till then, we'll keep fighting those creatures. Not for the Council"—a slight frown etched his face—"but for us. To survive until we're out."
"And Lynx?" Orea asked. "What do we do about him?"
Valtor sighed. "What do you think? I don't know if we can trust him."
"If we can't trust him," Zara cut in, glancing between them, "then let's test him."
"Test him how?" Valtor asked.
"Let's pitch a fake escape plan," she replied, a sly smile spreading across her face. "We'll leak a false route and wait for his reaction. If anything strange happens—or if he tries something—we'll know he's working with the Council. If not, then… maybe he's clean."
"That's not a bad idea," Valtor admitted, glancing at Orea, who nodded in agreement.
"Good. Then it's settled," Zara said with a grin. "We just need to come up with a fake story."
"I'll take care of it," Valtor said quickly, to the satisfaction of his friends.
---
Later that night, after their discussion ended, the three lay inside the tent.
Zara was already asleep, but Orea and Valtor remained awake—lying side by side, eyes on the vine-stitched roof above.
"You still awake?" Orea whispered.
"Yeah," he murmured, not moving.
"Having random thoughts?"
"Not really."
She turned slightly toward him. "So… how do you like being team captain?"
He met her gaze briefly. "I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I just see it as… playing my part in this war."
"Well," she smiled softly, "I think you're doing a fine job already."
"You think so?" he asked, turning to face her fully.
Orea nodded. "Yeah."
"Thanks," Valtor said, a faint smile curving his lips.
"And I know things haven't been easy since you regained your memory," she continued. "So, I'm speaking for everyone when I say—thank you. For everything."
Her words caught him off guard. His gaze lingered on hers a long moment before he finally replied, "You're welcome."
Orea smiled, eyes fluttering shut. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," he echoed softly.
His blue eyes lingered on her as she drifted off, a faint smile still on her lips. He couldn't help smiling too, before turning his gaze back to the roof—finally ready for sleep.
The following morning, the crew set out. Activating their trackers, they spotted several red dots flickering up north.
"We'll break into two teams," Valtor said as his friends circled around him. "Once we move further north, we'll camp there. Remember—watch each other's backs."
They all nodded in unison and started out, backpacks strapped tight, eyes fixed on their trackers. Soon, they spotted a cluster of aliens loitering nearby—each one different in size and shape.
They crouched behind the bushes.
"That's six of them... all at once?" Kymani muttered, disbelief written on his face.
Valtor peeked through the leaves. "A few of them are smaller. We'll take those out first, then the big ones."
Without hesitation, he leapt out and unleashed a stream of fire.
The crew followed instantly—Zara and Orea flanking Valtor, while Lynx, Rowynn, and Kymani broke off to the right.
A birdlike creature screeched as Valtor's flames engulfed it. He turned to see Orea already handling herself—lightning crackled through the air as she struck down a charging beast twice her size.
Zara, meanwhile, was struggling against a towering, dinosaur-sized monster. Her force-field blasts struck against its hide, but the creature only staggered before roaring again, unharmed.
Valtor stepped in, hurling a blazing orb that scorched its flank. The creature screamed in pain. Glancing at him, Zara caught his reassuring smile and nodded back. Together, they lifted their arms—fire and forcefield charging side by side, ready to attack one more time.
Across the chaos, Lynx's team was fighting their own battle. Lynx froze an attacker midair with a sharp burst of ice, then sprinted to help an exhausted Rowynn. Her vine strikes couldn't pin down the winged beast spitting hot lava from above.
Lynx summoned an ice shield, blocking the molten barrage, then countered with icy spikes. But behind him, the creature he'd frozen earlier broke free, lunging with its claws raised—
Orea reacted first, summoning a whirlwind that slammed it into a tree. Valtor followed up with a burst of fire, incinerating it on impact. Then Orea extended her hand again, lightning flashing down to fry Rowynn's opponent much to the younger girl's relief.
Moments later, Kymani appeared beside them, invisible shimmer fading. Having finally defeated his attacker, he collapsed next to Rowynn and Lynx, all of them panting heavily.
Valtor and Orea hurried over.
"Are you guys okay?" Orea asked, scanning them.
"Yeah." "No," Rowynn and Kymani answered at once.
Lynx said nothing—his arm draped over his head, eyes shut as he fought to catch his breath. Their teammates hovered around, waiting till they fully recovered.