Bran moved through the bushes with a speed that would have terrified his former teammates.
There was no limp in his step. There was no hunch in his shoulders.
He jumped over a fallen log and landed softly on the other side.
He stopped by a stream to check his reflection in the water. "Too clean," he whispered to himself.
He reached down and grabbed a handful of mud. He smeared it over his face, hiding his healthy skin. He rubbed dirt into his hair until it looked messy and wild.
Then, he looked at his uniform. It was torn, but not torn enough. He grabbed a sharp rock and sliced the fabric at his shoulder, opening the wound from the Crocodilian just enough to let fresh blood come out.
"Perfect," he murmured, admiring his work.
He wasn't searching for anyone in particular. He was just hunting for a new host. He needed a shield. He needed someone strong enough to do the fighting while he hid in the back.
Ragnar was dead. Sophie was dead. He needed a replacement. He moved on as his eyes scanned the forest for any sign of a strong aspirant group he could infiltrate.
After an hour of walking, he spotted something.
Through the trees, he saw a figure crouched near a cluster of boulders.
Bran slowed down. He crept forward, hiding behind a thick tree trunk. He peeked around the side to size up his target.
The figure stood up. It was a young man with dark hair.
He was studying footprints on the ground. His hand hovered over the dirt like he was reading a map.
Bran's eyes went wide. His heart actually skipped a beat, not from fear, but from pure shock.
It was Daniel.
"How?" Bran thought, his mind racing. "He should be dead."
Daniel had left them days ago. He had a weak D-Grade talent. He was supposed to be monster food by now. A guy with a simple 'strength boost' shouldn't survive alone in the Aurora Vale for more than a few days.
But Daniel didn't look dead. He looked… different. He looked stronger. His uniform was stained with the blood of things he had killed, not his own. He wore a heavy vest that looked upgraded. He moved with a confidence that he didn't have before. He looked like a hunter.
"Well, well," Bran thought, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Fate is funny." He didn't need to find a new stranger.
He had found the perfect host. Daniel was already guilty about leaving them.
He closed his eyes for a second to get into character. He thought about the fear he had seen in the other aspirants' eyes. He let those memories fill him, not with horror, but with a script.
He opened his eyes. He forced tears to well up. He slumped, making himself look small and broken.
Then, he burst out of the bushes.
"DANIEL!" he screamed, his voice cracking with emotion. Daniel spun around instantly.
His knife was in his hand before he had even fully turned. His eyes were cold and focused.
But when he saw the crying, dirty boy running towards him, the aggression melted away.
"Bran?" Daniel sheathed his knife.
Bran didn't stop. He ran straight into Daniel, colliding with him. Daniel caught him. He wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and gave him a tight, crushing hug.
It was a hug full of relief and worry. "You're alive," Daniel breathed out, patting Bran's back. "I can't believe it."
Bran buried his face in Daniel's chest, sobbing loudly. "I found you! I thought I was going to die out here!"
Daniel pulled back slightly, gripping Bran by the shoulders. He looked at the mud on Bran's face and the blood on his shoulder.
Then, he looked past him, scanning the trees. "Bran, you're alone," Daniel said, his voice turning serious. "Where are the others? Where are Ragnar and Sophie?"
This was the moment. Bran hiccuped, wiping his nose on his dirty sleeve.
He looked up at Daniel with big, watery eyes. "They're gone, Daniel," Bran wailed. "They're all gone!"
Daniel's face went pale. He led Bran to a large rock and made him sit down. "What do you mean gone? Tell me what happened."
Bran took a shaky breath. "It was... it was a few days after you left. Sophie... she was so angry. She said we didn't need you. She said we were better off."
He saw a flicker of pain in Daniel's eyes. Good. "We kept walking," Bran continued, his voice trembling. "We found a valley full of crystals. It was beautiful. Sophie used her eyes. She said she saw a huge energy signature in a cave.
She said it was a goldmine. Herbs, ores, maybe a treasure chest."
Daniel closed his eyes. "Greed," he muttered. "Ragnar didn't want to go in," Bran continued. "He wanted to check the area first, like you used to do.
But Sophie insisted. She said we had to prove we could do it without you." Bran sniffled. "So we went in. The tunnel got smaller and smaller. And then... the lights on the walls moved."
"Moved?" Daniel asked. "They weren't crystals," Bran whispered, looking terrified.
"They were spiders. Thousands of them. Crystal-Back Arachnids. They were everywhere." Daniel cursed under his breath.
"We tried to fight," Bran sobbed. "Ragnar... he was amazing. He turned his skin to stone. He stood in the front and blocked the tunnel.
He was smashing them, Daniel! He was screaming at them to get back!" Bran grabbed Daniel's arm, digging his fingers in.
"But there were too many. They were climbing over him. They were biting him." He paused, letting the silence hang heavy between them.
"Sophie saw a hole in the ceiling," Bran whispered. "A chimney leading to the surface. She said it was the only way out. She said... she said I had to go first because I was the lightest."
"They boosted you up?" Daniel asked, his voice hollow. "Yes," Bran nodded eagerly.
"Ragnar held the spiders back while Sophie pushed me. I climbed up. I made it to the top, Daniel. I saw the sun."
Bran let fresh tears spill over.
"I reached down! I tried to help them! I shouted for Sophie to grab my hand! I had my belt ready to pull her up!" He buried his face in his hands again.
"But the spiders... a big one hit Ragnar. He fell. And then... then Sophie..." Bran's voice broke perfectly.
"She looked at me. She smiled, Daniel. She was crying, but she smiled. She yelled at me. She said, 'Run, Bran! Don't let them get you! Live!'"
"She shoved a rock," Bran lied, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "She triggered a rock slide from the inside. She sealed the hole. She trapped herself in there with them... to save me."
He looked up at Daniel, his face full of broken innocence.
"I heard them screaming, Daniel. I heard Ragnar roaring until he stopped. I heard Sophie calling my name. And then... just crunching. Just eating."
Bran collapsed into Daniel's chest again, sobbing uncontrollably.
"I should have died! I'm the weak one! Why did they save me? Why am I the one who lived?" Daniel sat there, stunned.
The image Bran painted was vivid and horrific. He could see it. He could see Ragnar fighting like a demon.
He could see Sophie, cold and logical to the end, choosing to save the only one she could.
Guilt slammed into Daniel's chest. If he hadn't left... If he had been there... He had his new sensory skills.
He would have sensed the spiders before they even entered the cave. He would have seen the trap. He was Level 2 now. He had powerful combat skills. He could have cleared that tunnel. He could have saved them.
They were the closest thing he'd had to a family since the alien invasion. It felt like losing his family all over again.
"It's my fault," Daniel whispered. The words tasted like ash. Bran stopped sobbing for a tiny second to listen, then resumed, crying harder.
"I abandoned you," Daniel said, his voice thick with emotion. "I let my pride get in the way. I was angry that they didn't trust me, so I walked away. And because I walked away... they died."
He looked down at the weeping boy. Bran looked so small. So fragile. He was the one who needed protection the most, and he was the one left alone in this hell.
Daniel felt a new determination harden in his gut. He couldn't save Ragnar. He couldn't save Sophie. But he could save Bran.
"Bran, listen to me," Daniel said firmly. He pulled the boy back and held him by the shoulders.
"Look at me." Bran raised his tear-streaked face. "I'm scared, Daniel. I don't want to be alone." "You are not alone," Daniel vowed.
"I'm here. And I am not going anywhere." He stood up and offered his hand to Bran. "Get up. We can't stay here. The smell of your blood might attract things."
Bran took his hand. His grip was weak and clammy. Daniel pulled him up effortlessly. "I'm sorry, Bran," Daniel said, his eyes serious.
"I am sincerely sorry. I made a mistake leaving the team. I failed them. But I won't fail you. I promise."
"You mean it?" Bran asked, sniffing. "You won't leave me because I'm weak?"
"Never," Daniel said. "You're my brother. We stick together. I'll get you to the extraction point. I'll get you home."
Bran wiped his face with his dirty sleeve. He managed a small, shaky smile.
"Thank you, Daniel. You're... you're a good brother."
"Come on," Daniel said. "Lean on me." Bran leaned his weight against Daniel. It was surprisingly comfortable. It felt good to have a strong animal carrying the load again.
They began to walk through the forest.
Bran just smirked at the ground, hidden by his matted hair. He had found his host. He had found his shield. And best of all, the shield thought it was his idea to protect him.
"We need to find high ground," Daniel murmured. "Somewhere safe." "Whatever you say, Daniel," Bran replied meekly. "I trust you."
Daniel held it close, thinking it was a bond of brotherhood. Bran held it close, knowing it was a dagger he would use when the time was right.