* * *
Kaindel tapped the hilt of his sword in response to Daniel’s concern.
“Where is Mother now, Ruen?”
“She’s currently prowling around the east. It doesn’t seem like he knows where we are yet.”
“East, huh?”
Muttering the information Ruen provided, Kaindel turned to face east.
Sehir, who had followed him out of the cave, had a bow and quiver slung over his back.
Glancing at Owen, who was still busy channeling his divine power into the ground, Sehir pulled his hood lower over his face.
“While you all find the location of the nest, Kaindel and I will distract Mother.”
“I’ll help too,” Daniel offered.
“No. You need to stay here, Daniel. That way, you can keep in contact with us.”
“…Understood.”
Daniel didn’t press the issue further and stepped back, likely realizing that it was better for him to stay behind.
He then knelt, his face hidden by his robe.
When he placed his hand on the ground, as if he had sensed something, two rats appeared from somewhere, sniffing around.
Their sleek, gray fur glistened as they scurried near Daniel’s hand.
Meanwhile, I stood there, watching everyone assume their respective roles, my eyes darting around.
I was relieved that everyone accepted my suggestion that the core of Mother might be in an egg.
That’s why we were all trying to dispel the illusion and find the nest.
But what came next was unclear. I wasn’t sure what my next move should be.
I stared at Kaindel and Sehir, who were preparing to head east where Mother was.
Since they hadn’t told me to follow, I figured that meant I didn’t need to.
Then again, if I went with them, I’d probably just get in the way of their fight with Mother.
So, I guess I’ll just help find the nest with the others?
After coming to that conclusion, I walked over to Kaindel.
“I’ll…”
Just as I opened my mouth, Kaindel, who had been adjusting the position of the sheath on his belt, gave me a glance and suddenly placed his hand on my head.
He ran his fingers gently through my hair and smiled softly.
His quiet whisper fell into my ear at the same time.
“You did well.”
Ah.
I parted my lips, but a shaky breath escaped instead.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the smooth arch of his brows and his green eyes, which briefly narrowed before regaining their shape.
The heat that had been simmering in the back of my neck suddenly surged into my ears.
Every part of my body seemed to shrink and expand all at once.
The queasiness in my stomach wasn’t unpleasant.
It was like feathers were tickling my feet, a sensation that slowly built up and lingered in my lower abdomen.
I immediately knew what his praise was referring to.
When we were being chased by Mother, it was Kaindel who had told me to find a way to break the situation.
Now, he was complimenting me for finding Mother’s core, just as he had instructed.
I hadn’t expected to be praised, though.
I thought it would be enough if my efforts were acknowledged.
But now that I’d received praise I hadn’t anticipated, my shoulders sagged in relief.
If no one else had been around, I might have burst out laughing.
I barely managed to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
Since I had stopped studying literature, it had been a long time since I’d felt a touch like this, and it stirred strange impulses.
I wondered if Kaindel felt this way every time he kissed me. My fingertips twitched.
Soon, the fingers combing through my hair were withdrawn.
“I’ll be back.”
“…Okay.”
My voice trembled miserably.
I wanted to tell him not to get hurt, to take care of himself even if it meant not killing Mother, but I had no chance to say anything more.
I fiddled with my sleeve, bowing my head in the hope that my flushed ears and neck would go unnoticed.
My gaze fell on my worn shoes.
They contrasted sharply with Kaindel’s spotless footwear.
Moments later, his shoes turned and began to walk away.
Now that I think about it, what was Kaindel’s expression before I lowered my head?
I can’t remember.
It took quite some time for the illusion to be dispelled.
Owen broke through the layers of foul energy that had been tightly stacked, unraveling the illusion bit by bit.
He kept his hand on the ground for a long while, occasionally feeling his way through the air.
His hand lingered as if pressing against an invisible wall, and soon, the curtain obscuring our view lifted, and the intangible barrier vanished.
As he dispelled the illusion, the earth that had turned black where the divine light touched returned to its natural color.
When the illusion was completely lifted, more than half of the birch trees that had filled the forest vanished.
What remained were trees that, unlike before, looked withered and on the verge of collapse.
The trunks seemed twisted, as if something had drained the life out of them. Black dust, resembling ash, scattered with the wind, and the branches crumbled at the slightest touch.
As soon as the illusion lifted, a path deep within the cave appeared, which had previously seemed like a dead end.
There were two paths: one blocked by rubble, and a small opening that a single person could squeeze through.
Ruen, who had assumed the illusion was simply a remnant left behind by people who had previously stayed here, was unaware of the illusion’s presence.
Realizing the cave led somewhere, we decided to venture further in.
The narrow path led us to a dead end. We retraced our steps and cleared the rubble from the other path.
The path alternated between widening and narrowing until it finally opened into a large space.
Moonlight filtered through a hole in the ceiling, illuminating the area.
After inspecting the space by the faint light, Daniel returned.
“I think we’ve found it.”
“Do you believe the nest is here?”
“Yes, there are what appear to be bones and dried blood on the ground. I also found five black feathers, just like those from Mother’s wings.”
Daniel shared his findings, nodding as he spoke.
The presence of five feathers in such an enclosed space all but confirmed that Mother had been here for some time.
Looking at the feathers in his hand, I couldn’t help but believe Daniel’s claim that there might be a nest nearby.
“Ugh, what’s that smell?”
“It reeks of rot and something burnt.”
“You think I asked because I didn’t know?”
“I thought you might not.”
I heard Ruen and Owen bickering behind me.
Despite the thick darkness that made it hard to see anything, neither seemed particularly tense.
As my eyes gradually adjusted to the dark, something suddenly fell on my cheek.
It was a lukewarm liquid.
At first, it was just a few drops, but soon enough, it started dripping steadily, without pause.
This can’t be rain.
I looked up at the ceiling, which I couldn’t see at all.
Even if it was raining outside the cave, there was no way such a small hole could let in this much water, especially since I wasn’t even positioned directly under it.
It’s not blood either.
I wiped the liquid off my cheek with the back of my hand and sniffed it.
There was no metallic scent, meaning it wasn’t blood.
I swallowed my unease and kept staring upwards.
Then, for a moment, I saw something flash in the darkness. It looked like a faint light, or perhaps the glint of something’s eyes.
The fact that there seemed to be more than one of these glowing things started to bother me.
Watching the lights flicker here and there, I carefully touched Daniel’s arm.
“There’s something up there.”
“There’s nothing… Ah.”
Daniel, who had casually glanced up at the ceiling, let out a sigh.
It seemed he had just noticed the strange, glowing objects as well.
After a brief silence, during which he seemed to count them, Daniel called out to Owen.
“Owen, can you light a fire?”
“To light a fire, we need something to burn.”
Owen shook his head, indicating that there wasn’t anything suitable to ignite.
Daniel, unfazed, continued to stare at the ceiling.
Just then, Ruen, who had crouched down and stood back up, waved a dried branch in his hand.
“There are plenty of sticks on the ground.”
Plenty?
I tore my gaze away from the ceiling and looked down at the ground.
I had been so focused on what was above that I hadn’t paid attention to what was below.
As a result, I hadn’t even noticed the branches scattered around.
“On the ground?”
* * *
nice
Mais um flashback