The sound of Whurel donning his heavy armor echoed through the cave, rousing everyone from their slumber. Milo, the first to react, growled at the man before getting up and exiting the cave to seek solace outside. The others, groggily stirring from their primitive bedding, cast their bleary-eyed gazes upon the warrior.

„Are you going somewhere?” Yura rasped, her voice still rough from the early hour.

„We all are. It's time to leave. We've spent enough time here, and you're all well-rested. I need to contact my employer,” Whurel informed them.

„You could stay here a little longer,” Thyme suggested as he struggled to get up. On his feet, he decided to take some firewood and light it, to heat the water in the old rusty cauldron hanging about the dead bonfire.

„Why can't we stay here? You said it yourself, it's a safe place. No one can cross through the forest,” Yura pointed out, causing Whurel to pause momentarily.

Yue-liang looked at her, surprised by her boldness.

„We have to go,” the warrior responded curtly.

„Why? Why should we go with you? We don't even know who you are!” She accused.

„I saved you, you ungrateful brat,” the warrior growled at her, tightening one of the belts securing his chest plate.

„That doesn't mean you're a good person! You could be just as bad as them, pretending to be on our side to deliver us to the man who's paying you!” She snapped. „We don’t know anything about you!  All we know is that you kill people!”

„Fine. If you don't want to go, you can stay. But the kid and I are leaving,” Whurel stated calmly, still working on his armor, undeterred by her outburst. The work was almost halfway done, so his chest and legs were already covered by the red and black steel.

„No!” Yura screamed at the top of her lungs, her tear-filled eyes locking onto her friend. „We've lost everything, but we still have each other. We can't be separated. I don't want to lose you.”

She wiped the tears from her face, while the warrior continued his struggle with the arm protection, biting down on one of the belts to secure it in place, ignoring her tantrum.

„Yue-liang, please,” the girl pleaded through sobs.

The boy's expression shifted from confusion to determination. His lips tightened into a resolute line as his gaze focused on her, then shifted to the warrior. „She's right. I can't trust you, and we are safe here. Th-thank you for saving us, but we should part ways he-here,” he managed to maintain a facade of confidence, though his voice cracked under the weight of Whurel's gaze.

The man simply stared at the boy, the belt still lingering in his mouth before he spat it out and pointed an index finger at Yue-Liang.

„What about revenge? They killed your mother, and you're too much of a coward to make them pay?” He asked, but the tone of his voice made it sound more like an accusation.

The question caused the boy to clench his teeth audibly, but then his attention shifted again to Yura, who was still weeping. The anger slowly dissipated. „Revenge? Against whom? I can't bring down the entire empire... You just want me to go with you, no matter what. I'm staying,” he responded.

Whurel slammed his fist into the wall of the cave, causing both children to jump in fright. The entire thing shook, and some dust fell off the ceiling. Fear bloomed on their faces like a spring flower as they helplessly observed the warrior. „You're both stupid little kids. If you think you have any say in this, you're mistaken. I'll give you some time to reconsider. I'm leaving to deliver a message to my employer, and I will return with him,” he declared. „You better make up your minds by then.”

Silence descended upon the cave, broken only by the faint chirping of birds outside and the rustling of the old man working to start a fire. Thyme remained surprisingly calm, as if unaffected by the tension in the air. He even disregarded the outbursts of anger.

The situation took a turn when the water began to boil, and the old man used it to brew some tea from herbs. He then handed each person a small, misshapen clay bowl filled with the hot beverage. Though the bowls were poorly made, they were functional.

Although all except the warrior took the brew, no one drank their tea.

Shortly after, as he finished equipping himself, Whurel left the cave, heading toward the line of trees. Thyme decided to follow him.

„I'm surprised...” He began.

„What do you want, old man? I don't have time for your wisdom. We've already wasted enough time here... Just do me a favor and make sure those brats don't have any foolish ideas about leaving this place without me,” the warrior retorted without even glancing at the old man.

„I didn't come after you to share my wisdom, because I'm afraid there's nothing left to share. But I want to thank you. You let them stay here. Harothep, the way I remember it, doesn’t operate this way. You did it for them, and I want to thank you on their behalf. Even if they won't see it that way, I do. Thank you... And I'll keep them safe here.” Thyme assured him.

The warrior responded with a short snort, causing the old man to halt. Thyme watched as Whurel departed, and then Millo approached him, sitting on the grass and observing alongside the druid.

 

---

 

Shinrou Rokuro strode amidst the scattered troops on a flat piece of land, situated somewhere on the Gu-shan mountain. The jutting, dark grey stones, resembling the earth's teeth, obstructed his view beyond the immediate vicinity. However, the clamor of shouts and the crackling roar of fire assured him that everything was under control.

One of his soldiers approached, panting heavily. Blood from a cut on his forehead marred his face, but he valiantly ignored it, even as it mixed with his sweat and trickled into his eyes.

"Sir, every corpse is burning, just as you ordered," the man declared as soon as he came to a stop, a mere few steps away, his body stretched like a tight string.

"We will rest here for a moment. Attend to the wounded and establish a watch. Inform the mages to keep an eye on the burning corpses and the surrounding area. We can’t allow ourselves to get ambushed... Once everyone catches their breath, we move," the captain instructed, briefly halting his stride.

With that, he resumed his purposeful walk, checking on his troops as he passed by. It soon became apparent that a dozen soldiers bore minor scratches and bruises. Two others suffered more severe burns, but they showed remarkable resilience despite their injuries and already had their comrades tending to the wounds.

He also scrutinized each corpse, ensuring the flames were sufficient to prevent those vile creatures from rising again. In total, he witnessed six instances of the monsters’ bodies resisting, and fighting with the flames. Some were still alive to that point that, their wails mingled with the sound of the wind, whistling among this relatively open space as their regenerative powers battled against the engulfing flames.

Returning from his survey, he scaled one of the rocks and peered down the slope, beginning a mere dozen steps away. Yasu and his men were gradually ascending, roughly a day's journey from their current location.

At first glance, the distance appeared relatively short, but he knew that the carts couldn’t move fast, especially on such a treacherous terrain.

‘It's a good thing I caught up with the scouts. Otherwise, they would have been decimated here...’ he pondered to himself before moving back to rejoin his soldiers.

Those skilled in medicine were already diligently attending to the injured. The mages, too, stationed themselves by the dead trolls, keeping a watchful eye to ensure their eventual demise. Those who didn’t suffer any damage began setting up bonfires and preparing a meal. Everything appeared to be on the right path, despite the encounter with the trolls, but it didn’t change the fact that it did slow them down.

‘Time is our enemy,’ Shinrou observed in the confinements of his mind as he continued to walk, all the way to the edge of the camp. ‘Who knows where the boy is by now? I can’t disappoint the Emperor. We need to move faster,’ he concluded watching the rocky terrain spreading ahead of him.

The jagged stones and green grass mixed together provided a grim picture of a hard and slow travel that awaited for them if they wished to follow the traces left by the escapees.

 

---

 

Whurel was gone. It became evident that he wouldn't return anytime soon, and no matter how much time Yue-liang spent sitting on the grass, gazing at the line of trees, his actions couldn't alter this fact.

The sun caressed his back, warming his skin, while a gentle breeze offered a refreshing coolness as it rustled the leaves, creating a melodic hum that intertwined with the songs of hidden birds in the treetops.

A tinge of regret lingered in the boy's eyes as he beheld the myriad shades of green and brown mingling in this picturesque scenery.

Thyme had vanished as well, leaving only Yura, Milo, and him. The fact that he left them with plenty of food suggested he wouldn’t return for a couple of days. The boy couldn't help but dwell on the fact that the old man had departed moments after the warrior decided to leave without them. On top of that, it was apparent that Yura desired to speak with him about what happened, but he was unsure if he was ready for that conversation, which is why he opted to venture outside. The feelings he began experiencing recently made it impossible to speak with her at the moment.

His thoughts clung to him like bothersome insects, persisting no matter how fiercely he tried to shoo them away. Then he heard it—the sound of footsteps. Each step through the grass produced a gentle rustling, and soon she plopped down beside him.

For a moment, they simply sat there in silence. He was afraid to even glance in her direction, but then he felt movement at his side. Before he could steal a glimpse, he felt something slightly damp pressing against his cheek. Yura had placed a tender kiss there.

When he turned to look at her, she had already averted her gaze. Blushing, she couldn't meet his eyes.

"I know you did it for me," she whispered, her voice mingling with the hum of the leaves. "You lost everything but chose to stay with me when that man told you to leave me here."

A surge of warmth coursed through Yue-liang's body, starting from his chest, rising up his neck, and spreading to his face. His heart raced, and his mouth unexpectedly grew dry as he attempted to respond.

"I... I couldn't leave you behind. It was because of me that you got pulled into this," he finally managed to utter.

His words brought a smile to Yura’s lips, but she bit them, concealing it, while still avoiding his gaze—too shy to make any move that might further intensify the already tense situation.

Just as the boy opened his mouth to say something more, his ears caught a noise—a series of loud thuds on the ground, signifying the swift movement of something. The grass was struck, generating an unsettling, violent hum.

Both of them turned their heads to discern the source and beheld the silver shadow of Milo sprinting across the meadow, a stick clamped tightly in his jaws. He came to an abrupt halt, skidding on his paws, tracing a semicircle before finally stopping right in front of them.

Dropping his head to hide it in the grass, his rear end remained raised, tail wagging vigorously. He growled playfully at them before leaping into the air. His head popped up, only to vanish in the grass again, leaving behind an air of excitement and mischief

"What do you want, Milo?" Yura asked.

In response, a low growl resonated before the wolf swiftly dashed off.

Yue-liang's laughter erupted, prompting him to rise from his spot and swiftly pursue the creature. The girl initially hesitated, a bit confused by the situation, but then joined in, racing after Milo with equal fervor.