Elion lay on the rocky ground. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but the magnificent sight of the night sky made it almost bearable. The floating island had disappeared with the sun, reinforcing his idea that it might have been some sort of mirage.
Still, what had happened earlier with Eshrod and Kellta kept him awake, like a dull ache that refused to fade.
Should I have been honest? Or should I have manipulated everyone for real—created the situation I wanted and avoided this fiasco altogether?
This was bad—probably one of the worst outcomes—and there was no do-over button in life…
He took a deep breath and rolled onto his side.
At least… I hope they survive…
Elion closed his eyes, curling up near the fire to get some of the precious warmth that was so lacking this high in the mountains.
This time, he didn't dream…
Lumos, Elion, and Farha continued their climb to the top of the mountain. It was getting cold—almost unbearably so. Snow piled up to their ankles, making it hard to walk.
Kellta would have been useful right now…
The young cook shivered. The peak of the mountain was just ahead—after that, they could see what lay beyond.
But each step felt heavy. Reality once again seemed thinner, like when they first entered this place.
Farha was clutching her shoulders in an attempt to keep what little warmth she had left. Ice had formed in her black hair, and her skin looked sickly pale. Lumos, even though he was dressed lighter than them, seemed in better condition. He was First Finger, after all—his physique was enhanced. Though the cold was starting to get to him too.
Elion was in the worst shape. His fingers were starting to show signs of frostbite, and his movements were growing stiffer.
Can't… stop.
The same feeling as when we first entered here… we must be close to the exit.
He took another painful step—only to trip and fall face-first in the snow.
So… cold.
When he rose again to his knees, Farha and Lumos were gone.
Elion's heartbeat accelerated despite the biting cold.
Did they leave me behind?
He gritted his teeth, refusing to stop.
No, they must not have seen me fall.
He forced himself to run, though each step felt like wading through mud. At one point, warmth returned. It felt… peaceful. Elion turned around—just to see the meadow, much closer than it should have been.
Thinking about it, there was no more snow around.
No…
He looked back toward the mountain. It was now much further away. Farha and Lumos were there too, staring at it with deadpan expressions.
Elion fell to his knees.
"We're… trapped," he muttered.
The thinning reality wasn't an escape. Space itself curved back, returning them to the meadow.
"I've… never seen anything like that before," Lumos said. Cracks were showing in his usual reckless confidence.
The sun was shining once again in the sky, and with it came the floating island, always seemingly directly under the burning orb of light.
Not much time had passed since their teleportation, hinting that the process had been instantaneous.
"What… do we do next?" Elion asked. He sounded defeated.
"Well, our best bet would be the camp Joart and his group went to find," Lumos replied. "Though we will have to pass through the meadow…"
Elion stared at the tree line, half-expecting something to jump out at him. Nothing did.
"I guess you're right…"
They didn't have much choice anyway.
"But still… if what I saw was right, I'll die there—and probably you guys too."
Farha placed a hand on his shoulder. It was cold—her body still sapped of warmth from their journey to the mountain's summit.
She gave him a thumbs up, pointing at the sword hanging from his hip.
"I couldn't even see what killed me. We don't have any information on it…" he said.
She put on a confident face, flexing her arms as if to say:
We got this.
Elion chuckled at her ridiculous show of confidence.
"I guess if the Princess of War says we can defeat it, then we have nothing to fear."
Her expression turned serious. She shook her head slowly.
What is she trying to say?
Noticing he didn't understand, she sighed and crouched down, writing four words in the dirt:
Don't call me that.
"Why? Do you prefer the Mute Demon?"
She raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and walked away.
Lumos watched the interaction with an amused smile, though he couldn't hide his unease about what had just happened.
"All right then… I guess we try our luck with the camp…" Elion finally said.
They circled the base of the mountain to avoid staying any longer than necessary in the meadow. When they saw smoke rising through the forest, they followed the path. The smell of earth and greenery was almost overwhelming—a far cry from the humid and moist stench that most of the Depths bore.
Elion was scrutinizing every single detail of his surroundings, making sure not to miss anything. He even overused his ability, scanning around constantly to avoid being ambushed. It earned him a bad headache, but it was worth it if it could warn him of danger and buy him even one second.
The problem with what he'd seen in his dream was that it was a sneak attack. It didn't reveal anything about the strength of the attacker. For all he knew, it might be weak—but cunning.
Lumos and Farha were also on high alert. The Mute Demon had taken out her rifle, ready to fight. The sorcerer had his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
To everyone's surprise, nothing jumped at them. They were swiftly approaching the camp.
The sound of steel clashing against steel echoed between the trees, coming from where the smoke was rising. Cries of pain quickly followed.
Shit… this is bad.
Elion shot a glare at his two teammates. They nodded silently—Lumos unsheathing his sword, Farha aiming between the trees.
The young man looked around frantically, trying to determine the enemy's position.
At this point, there were too many similarities. It was safe to assume that his dream would come true… to some extent at least.
I won't go down without a fight. I can tell you that, at least.
Still, there was nothing. No chromatic threads betrayed the silhouette of the attacker. He was almost about to let his guard down when he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.
A black blade had pierced him, his blood staining the onyx surface.
Wha—how?!
Farha and Lumos had been watching his back. Why hadn't they done anything?
Pain blurred his thoughts. He tried to look behind him to catch a glimpse of the attacker—but it was gone.
Elion fell to his knees, blood filling his throat.
That's not how I die—that's not…
The pain was overwhelming. He managed to collapse backward, shooting a glare toward where his teammates were.
The sight filled his heart with terror.
Lumos's headless corpse was leaning against a tree, while Farha lay silently in the grass—blood soaking the greenery crimson where her throat had been slit.
How was it so silent?
To take out three Unlocked without even making a single sound…
But that wasn't important right now. He couldn't breathe. His vision blurred into a chaotic mess. His body was getting colder… colder than it had been at the top of the mountain.
A final gasp—trying to fill his lungs with one last breath—before everything went black.
Elion had died.