"That was amazing!"awehunger
Elliot, still catching his breath, winced as he pressed a hand to his ribs. "Are you okay?""I thought you were at the village."
Leon smirked, dusting off his sleeve with deliberate nonchalance. "Turns out you two run really slow.""And I missed this guy."
The words were light, almost teasing—but the weight behind them lingered.
They had survived.
But only because he
Towan glanced down at the motionless figure, his face tense.
"Who were they?"
Leon’s smirk faded. His expression darkened, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes before he turned away. "We’ll talk tomorrow.""Right now, you two need rest. Follow me—we’re heading to the closest village."
Both brothers exchanged a look—silent, wary—before giving a small nod and falling in step behind him.
Leon walked ahead, his stride steady, but even then, his sharp eyes flicked over them, assessing. "You’ll need to recover. Took too much damage."
Towan clenched his fists. His knuckles were raw, his body a map of bruises and aches. "We… weren’t strong enough,"
Leon didn’t turn around. But his steps slowed—just for a second. Just enough for them to notice.
"Not yet,"
And then he kept walking.
Towan and Elliot followed, bruised and battered, but something in those words lingered.
The night stretched on, cold and silent, broken only by the rhythmic crunch
"Let’s stop here,""You’re too tired to continue."
"Tired?"
Elliot, who had been unusually quiet, simply nodded. "All right."
Leon wasted no time. He pulled a compact tent from his pack, unfolding it with practiced efficiency. It wasn’t large, but it would do.
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"Here,"
Towan, still catching his breath, frowned. "What about you?"
Leon gave a small shrug. "Don’t worry about me. I’ll keep watch."
Towan opened his mouth, about to argue—but exhaustion hit him like a collapsing wall. His body gave up before his mind could fight back, and within seconds, he was out cold beside Elliot, their breathing slow and heavy.
Leon exhaled softly, watching the two sleeping figures.
"Guess this was too much for them,"
His gaze lingered for a moment longer—something unreadable in his expression—before he turned away, blending into the shadows of the night.
Standing guard.
Waiting.
For what, they didn’t know.
But tomorrow would come soon enough.
Morning came, but by the time Towan and Elliot stirred awake, they weren’t where they had fallen asleep.
Towan blinked groggily, his senses still heavy with exhaustion. He wasn’t on the ground anymore. Instead, the rhythmic sway of movement and the soft creaking of wood filled his ears.
"" He looked around, confused. A carriage. He was inside a moving carriage. Elliot sat beside him, still waking up, while Leon sat across from them, calmly gazing out the window.
"" Leon greeted without looking away from the passing landscape.
"" The brothers responded, still trying to process their new situation.
"" Leon explained with a smirk. ""*
Elliot rubbed his eyes, his mind already shifting to what mattered. ""
"" Leon answered. ""*
Towan frowned at that. ""
Leon sighed, reaching into his pack and pulling out a worn map. He unfolded it carefully, revealing a large portion of land smeared in black ink.
""* he said, pointing to the darkened region, ""
Elliot nodded immediately. ""*
""* Leon confirmed. ""* He paused, giving them a moment to take it in. ""*
Towan narrowed his eyes. ""
Leon leaned back slightly. ""* he admitted. "" He tapped the blackened zone on the map. ""*
Elliot exhaled, already seeing the conclusion. ""*
""* Leon confirmed, his tone grim.
Silence settled in for a moment
Leon exhaled, rubbing his chin as he stared at the map. ""* His voice carried a quiet frustration, as if he was trying to piece together how things had gotten this bad.
Towan and Elliot stayed silent, letting his words sink in. Their thoughts drifted back to last night—to the chaos, the desperation, the helplessness they had felt. The cold weight of reality settled in their chests.
Leon closed the map and looked at them. ""* He had noticed the clouded expressions on their faces, but he chose not to press the topic further. Some wounds needed time before they could be spoken about.
Towan clenched his fists. The tension in his jaw, the slight tremble in his fingers—he was holding something back. Then, as if reaching a decision, he spoke: "" His voice was low, hesitant.
Leon met his gaze. ""*
Towan inhaled deeply, then lifted his head. His eyes no longer wavered. ""
Leon raised a brow slightly. He shifted his gaze toward Elliot, expecting hesitation—doubt, even. But what he found was the same fire burning in his eyes. That same hunger.
They weren’t just asking for power.
They were asking for a way to fight back.
