By the time Theo arrived back at the cave, another hour had passed.
As he wandered inside, he immediately spotted the others in and around the mana lake.
Owen and Lucienne sat outside the water.
Lucienne sat completely still with her eyes closed, seemingly focused on consolidating her newly formed Gold Core.
Owen, on the other hand, looked far less productive.
He was lying back against a rock with one leg stretched out, casually throwing pieces of jerky into his mouth.
''Oh!'' Owen shouted the moment he spotted him. ''There he fucking is!''
Theo raised an eyebrow.
''Why are you shouting?'' he asked, rubbing his ears.
''Why not?'' Owen replied, tossing another piece of jerky into his mouth.
Theo shook his head and continued walking.
At the same time, Lucienne's eyes slowly opened.
She glanced towards him before a sweet smile appeared on her face.
''Where have you been?'' she asked. ''You disappeared for quite a while.''
''Scouting,'' Theo replied casually.
