Under the sullen windy night, in a dreary forest, a rustling sound could be heard from within a shrub. Two crimson beady eyes gleamed within it, surveying the surroundings twice, thrice, until it was sure it was safe. With a giant leap, it shot out of the shrub but just within mere moments of touching the ground, a sharp snap sound came out of its view.

Before it realized what was happening, the furry creature got impaled into the tree, still unaware of what ended its fate, even at its dying moments. Soon enough, two figures appeared out of nowhere from the veil of darkness.

“Nice, we got it.” A vermillion haired girl exclaimed as she dusted off the remaining leaves and twigs still sticking in her armor.

“Could’ve gone more smoothly,” replied the archer. Her quartz black hair seemed to meld into the night, as she let go of the arrow she was readying in case she missed. She picked up the carcass of the creature and they began packing their belongings to finally leave this unnerving place.

An awkward silence filled the air on their way back, as they waited for the other to say something

“I still can’t believe this is our first quest without those two…” Riam conveyed to the archer girl.

“Let’s not talk about it,” replied Ciela.

“Are you still angry at them?” asked Riam.

Ciela scowled in response. “Of course I am angry. They suddenly left without a word! Did our party really mean nothing to them? I bet those bitches already formed their own lovey-dovey party with that fucking whore Riela. Why is everyone so fucking selfish?!”

Riam was taken aback by her outburst. “Calm down Ciela, I bet they must have their circumstances to leave so suddenly. You remember how distraught both Feon and Adrian were. I am not sure what happened between them and Riela but I am sure we can at least convince them to come back.”

“When did you become so optimistic? Weren’t you always so aloof and proud?”

“I am just trying to bring this party together…”

“There’s no party remaining, Riam. It’s just the two of us. They aren’t coming back, I am sure of that. Stop daydreaming and come back to reality.”

Riam’s footsteps came to a halt.

“You’re right Ciela, let’s break up the party.”

“Wait… I didn’t mean that!” Ciela was already beginning to regret her words.

“No, you’re right. The party isn’t functional how it is. It’s not the same with Feon and Adrian. This whole party was for Adrian after all. We were just tagging along anyway, like replaceable party members. I don’t want to continue adventuring, not after the brush with death Adrian went through. I don’t think I can stand losing the ones I am close to.”

“Are you serious? You’re leaving me too?” Ciela asked grumpily.

“It’s not about you Ciela, don’t you think I am mad too? More than that… I am just tired; tired of adventuring as a whole. Sorry Ciela, I am leaving the party, and that’s final. Goodbye.”

Riam began walking away, steadily moving away from the path leading towards the guild. It was now only Ciela left stranded by herself, all alone under the dying moon light. She wanted to stop Riam, to talk some sense to her, but she didn’t have the strength to.

Tears began to pour out like a cascade. She felt powerless as the entire world left her behind. She was now the sole remaining member of the once pristine party; the hero’s party.

“Riela…” she whispered.

“Riela, I will take everything away from you, just like you did to me. It’s all your fault. We would’ve been fine if you didn’t enter our lives.” she swore with a vengeance under her suffocating breath. That night she made a promise to herself, to not stop at any lengths to ruin Riela’s life.

Steelz

Hey guys, I am back with this short chapter... after a long long while. So lots of things have happened while I was gone, and to be honest I wasn't sure whether I even wanted to continue this novel, but I went ahead and came back to it because I remembered a promise I made about finishing this novel. I was planning to continue this novel earlier also, but I was afraid to go back since I had forgotten a lot of the old details I had written before. If I do happen to forget anything, please do remind me because I myself am not so sure what all plot points I might've missed. I thought of rereading the whole novel, but I decided it was taking too long and pushed out this chapter.

Also, I need the help of the readers who're still here with me. You might have noticed that the novel overall feels a lot more different compared to how it started. The start was more comedic and silly compared to now, where the tonal shift more around the plot and darker themes. I wanted to know which one do you guys prefer. I'll be leaving a poll below for that so please be sure to vote.

Anyway, I am back for now. Glad to have you guys back.