Chapter 77
Hagi stared at Narissa for a moment before voicing what was on his mind.
"Can you explain what you mean?" Hagi asked, just to be sure.
Narissa frowned.
"Did you never go to school? It's such a simple statement, how can you not understand it!"
"What did you say?" Hagi's jaw instantly tightened, the veins on his face standing out as his blue eyes shot a sharp glare at her.
Meanwhile, Elmer tried to ease the tension that had suddenly flared up as the two argued, but he failed when he saw the three of them drifting away from the commotion.
'Damn it, do all of you hate people arguing that much?' Elmer thought, frowning.
He turned, looking at the two who were still going at each other.
Then he stepped closer; as the leader, he had to manage his subordinates or more precisely, make them get along. Otherwise, he was certain that the title of "leader" was nothing more than an empty label.
"That's enough," he said in a heavy tone. He tried to push Hagi back and pull Narissa away.
"Hagi, if you keep arguing with her, I'll leave you here with her. Do you want that?"
Hearing that, Hagi was slightly taken aback, and finally he moved along the sloping, moss-covered dirt path with careful, steady steps.
Elmer immediately approached Narissa with firm strides and a serious expression.
"You're going too far," he said, his voice restrained.
"I told you before, watch your behavior before I... Ah, forget it."
Elmer quickly turned away from her, walking carefully over the slick, mossy ground.
Meanwhile, Narissa stood still, her mind going blank for a moment as she saw the change in Elmer's expression at his last sentence.
'Damn you, Michelle. I don't want that either,' she thought, her heart restless. After taking a deep breath, she moved her feet and followed them so she wouldn't be left behind in this dark and unsettling forest.
...
Meanwhile, to the west of Tezny, in a small, dark forest known for the inhabitants that liked to disturb passersby, the group from the previous gathering walked over damp ground tangled with bushes and creeping vines, guided by a man in a bowler hat holding a lit match.
The man clamped a cigarette between his lips, its ember faintly glowing in the darkness, and raised the lighter as he observed their surroundings.
Half an hour had passed since they decided to pass through the forest rumored to be inhabited by restless spirits that liked to disturb people, and they had seen nothing in the darkness—only an oppressive atmosphere and the soft whisper of wind seeping into their ears.
Realizing that walking in silence through the dark was pointless, they began chatting with those nearby.
"I wonder," Arvrenda said, his face barely visible. "Is Miss Forn still not awake yet?" He glanced to the side, looking at Zeta's silhouette carrying Forn over his shoulder.
"Shut up!" Zeta snapped irritably, his body already at its limit, each step making his legs feel like they were about to detach from his body.
He wanted to ask someone else to carry his friend, but he didn't know what to say and felt awkward since she was the only one he knew among the group passing through this small, dark forest.
And there was one thing that kept circling in his head, something he hadn't found while at the refugee camp; Leo Zilvera.
'If only you were here, maybe I'd ask for your help too,' Zeta muttered inwardly.
He hadn't heard any news about Leo at all. One possibility kept creeping into his mind that Leo had died during the incident with the demonic horse's appearance and hadn't managed to escape.
Because he knew Leo was incredibly naive, always helping others without caring about his own condition. That thought gnawed at Zeta's mind as he remembered his friend's nature.
"Damn it," he muttered reflexively.
Arvrenda's eyebrow twitched upward.
"Did you just use me, Zeta?" he asked, slightly surprised.
"Don't flatter yourself," Zeta replied, the weight on his back making his chest feel tighter by the second, his vision blurring from the exhaustion taking over his mind.
As they all moved forward, Zeta slowed his pace until he reached someone at the back of the group.
A few seconds later, when he saw Albert and his two companions walking cautiously through the suffocating darkness, he tapped Albert's shoulder without warning, startling him and making his heart feel like it exploded.
Sensing something familiar about the person beside him—and noticing a woman with long hair braided and draped over her shoulder—Albert tried to figure it out in the darkness.
"Who are you?" he asked to be sure, glancing at the silhouettes of Feyne and Luke, who kept walking forward as if they hadn't noticed anything.
"Zeta is the correct answer," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
Without wasting time, Zeta immediately revealed his true purpose.
"Can you help me carry Vinora?" He hoped Albert would agree to his request.
'Vinora?'
"Looks like you've already pushed yourself to the limit." Without hesitation, Albert accepted the request, partly as repayment for the money he still owed.
Freed from the burden weighing on his shoulders, Zeta felt as if he had just woken up after a full-night massage from an expert.
He immediately bowed, even though Albert had no idea what he was doing.
"Thank you so much, thank you." After saying that, he stepped forward again, fully intending to get out of this dark, strange place as quickly as possible.
Albert stood still at the very back of the large group crossing the small forest said to be filled with disturbances from spirits and an ever-lurking darkness.
He wasn't afraid of that. But one thing was certain—he was being followed and watched by a mysterious woman not far from where he stood.
Albert didn't know whether she was human or not, but the longer he stayed still, the worse the unease in his mind became.
In the end, he decided to move forward, carefully carrying Forn over his shoulder so as not to wake her, even though he didn't know when she would actually regain consciousness.
Dozens of minutes had passed since that moment. The group that crossed the small, dark, supposedly haunted forest had finally reached their destination; east of the Forgenate Sea, on Howen Street No. 7.
As soon as they arrived, the streetlights and the presence of several people from other refugee camps brought a sense of relief to the group.
Twenty-five people were on that road, including the group from the earlier gathering, as well as two small children who had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Realizing that the situation in Forgenate was very different from before, Fererra became more convinced that something was wrong in this area, making his heart grow increasingly uneasy.
"Is something bothering you?" Cathal asked, concerned.
Without hesitation, Fererra answered, "Yes."
'What exactly are you thinking, Fererra? Maybe it's your habit of overthinking that's causing this, but I can't shake this unease when it makes your every move feel slower than usual,' Cathal thought, as if he understood that Fererra's doubts needed closer attention.
Not long after, three officers arrived at the road where they were resting after hearing information from someone who happened to pass by.
One of them, wearing a round hat with a cane tucked under his arm, spoke up with something important;
"Listen." he shouted, his voice a mix of firmness and rasp.
Those standing on the sidewalk, sitting by the roadside, leaning against building walls, and resting on the roundabout in the middle of the street turned their attention to the officer with wary expressions.
"We've received information that none of you are from this district, and as the leader of this unit, I ask one thing; please keep quiet and state your purpose for coming here."
Without the slightest hesitation, a man wearing a hat, his long hair slightly hanging down who had previously guided the group, stepped forward as a shield.
He glanced back. "Let me handle this," he said, his voice as calm as a flowing river.
He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, then continued, "A comet struck in North Moran, and I don't know the exact impact point. That's why we're all here. That's all. If you don't believe it, just look at the black clouds over there."
He immediately turned and pointed at the thick black smoke rising high, nearly replacing the clouds themselves.
The other officers exchanged glances, while the one who had questioned them earlier finally spoke in a softer tone;
"I apologize for my rudeness." The officer paused, thinking of his next words. After composing himself, he continued, "Actually, there were two earthquakes within minutes of the first one. So your statement about the comet's fall I can believe it. We hope you won't stay here. It's better to move to a safer place before anything unwanted happens."
Hearing the warning, the group gradually resumed their journey.
Meanwhile, the man in the hat with his long hair slightly hanging down stood still for a moment as his thoughts suddenly became chaotic.
'Seems like this was the right idea.' he smiled before walking to follow the others.
In the end, the group including those from the earlier gathering, followed where the officer led them, unaware that something deadly was watching them from afar...
Elsewhere, in the center of Forgenate, specifically on Syrp Street No. 2, three fugitives sat on chairs inside a bar, with shouts echoing from all directions.
Realizing that this place could calm their minds after what had happened, they couldn't help but momentarily forget that they were fugitives, unaware whether under the same roof something was ready to move, ready to capture them, or more precisely, kill them on the spot.