Two days.
Two whole days.
Tave rubbed the side of his face, still trying to process it. Maybe the longest sleep he'd ever taken in his life?
No, not really…
He chuckled dryly to himself. Back in his previous life, he had crashed for over a day before. Usually after an insane crunch period or collapsing in front of his desk post-deadline.
And come to think of it… the old Tave had also blacked out for a long time after breaking through to Gaia Apprentice. So maybe this reputation of his wasn't anything new.
Unconscious for days. Twice.
And now… the current Tave was stuck carrying the embarrassment of that track record.
"This isn't the first time you've slept for days, you know." Lily's voice piped in. "No need to look guilty like you broke something."
Tch. This sister of his… back to bullying him already, even after surviving a near-death battle?
Oriana let out a soft giggle, watching the sibling banter unfold.
They were all sitting close now, sharing a simple meal. The warmth of the fire between them brought a small semblance of peace.
Well, except for one person. Orion, bound and resting a few meters away, clearly separated from the group.
Tave glanced toward him but said nothing.
Instead, he turned suddenly, a whisper leaving his lips, "Fang?"
Oriana stood and nodded in the direction of a small pile of folded gear and travel bags. Nestled among them, curled into a large cloth wrap, was the familiar shape of the black wolf.
"There." she said gently.
They both approached.
Tave knelt beside Fang, who was fast asleep, his breathing slow but steady.
"He's okay," Oriana said, crouching beside him. "He should be. That's what everyone thinks."
She smiled, tilting her head slightly.
"He did devour an entire Monster Soul Stone, after all." She giggled quietly.
Tave didn't answer.
He just reached out and rested his hand on Fang's fur.
Yes, Fang was going to be fine.
He just needed time. Time to absorb the Monster Soul Stone. To let it settle within his core and heal the damage he'd taken. And after the kind of injuries he suffered, especially after pushing himself that far…
He'd need a few days, at least.
"Yes… he'll be okay," Tave said quietly, finally able to say it with certainty.
But even so, it meant he'd be without Fang's support, no scouting help, no frontline assistance for a while. Maybe two, three days at best.
Still, that was time he could manage.
He stood again and walked back toward the others, joining them by the fire. The scent of roasted meat greeted him as Lily handed over a portion they had set aside.
He ate in silence at first, letting the warmth of food and fire slowly settle the ache in his bones.
They had already done the hard work, clearing the area, double-checking for any remaining threats. For now, this zone was secure. No monsters had been spotted nearby, and the land was quiet.
Safe enough… for now.
Over the past two days, they'd focused solely on recovery, tending wounds, conserving energy, avoiding unnecessary conflict. No fights. No scouting missions. Just survival and regrouping.
They chatted quietly, the calm flickering of the campfire softening the edges of their exhaustion.
Well, mostly just Oriana and Lily were talking. Their voices light, subdued. The others, including Elias remained mostly silent, listening but offering little. Whether it was out of exhaustion or something unspoken, Tave couldn't quite tell.
One thing was certain. There had been tension before. Some kind of conflict, a disagreement that left a mark.
And the one person who clearly didn't handle it well?
Was currently tied up in the corner.
Orion, the infamous prodigy and walking disaster, sat with his arms and legs bound.
He had completely exhausted his core. Right now, he was no more dangerous than a regular person. His energy was depleted to the brink. Any attempt to fight or escape would only worsen the damage to his core, maybe even break it permanently.
So no, he wasn't breaking out of those restraints anytime soon.
It was almost ironic. The son of a City Lord, now barely able to sit upright, left on the sidelines while Oriana, who had nearly died too, was now mingling with the team as if nothing had happened.
What had changed?
Tave glanced over to her, noticing the bandaged sling still holding up her injured arm.
"How's your arm, Oriana?" he asked, keeping his voice even.
And only then he realized it.
Damn. He'd been calling her Oriana, no "Lady," no formal title, nothing. Just like how he'd always written her in his notes, his outlines, his drafts. As if she were a character on the page, not a noble-born, high-ranking young woman from a powerful family.
But… she hadn't complained. So maybe it was fine.
She looked over, smiling with that same calm ease she always wore.
"Not bad. It's healing fast. Should be good for full combat by tomorrow."
Then she added with a little giggle, "My core's exhausted too."
She said it like it was no big deal. As if she hadn't nearly died, freezing the battlefield in a desperate last strike.
Oriana had risked everything. And here she was, brushing it off like she had simply tripped over a rock.
"You know that could've cost you your life, right?" he said, his tone softer now.
Oriana let out a slow sigh, tilting her head ever so slightly.
"So what did you expect me to do, then?" she replied, her voice touched with that sharp, almost indignant edge. "Hold back? Sit pretty and wait while you got flattened? While that idiot Orion got himself killed too?"
She looked away, crossing her legs with a flick of her hair. "It's not like it's a big deal or anything. Stop making it sound so dramatic."
Her cheeks tinted ever so slightly pink. But it was not from the firelight!
Tave couldn't help but smile at that.
Tave continued chewing on the meat in silence, the taste bland in his mouth, more out of habit than hunger. The atmosphere around the campfire remained heavy, and awkwardly quiet. Too quiet.
The others hadn't said a word since his conversation with Oriana. No reactions, no interjections. Just quiet glances and the subtle tension that hadn't lifted since he woke up.
And as a hellishly introverted human being, Tave hated this.
Social gray zones? Emotional puzzles? Being the center of some unspoken tension?
Absolute nightmare fuel.
He kept his eyes on the fire until Elias finally broke the silence. His voice was even, measured, directed clearly at Tave.
"You still think I killed our teammate?" the blond-haired man said plainly.
Tave looked up. Met the man's gaze that was calm, cold and always unreadable. That face, like it had been carved from stone. No cracks. No tells.
Tave didn't respond right away.
Because the truth was. No, he didn't think Elias had done it.
But he also didn't know who was the real culprit.
He had chosen to believe Orion, as reckless and brutal as the man was. Because he wanted to trust him. And it seemed like Oriana had made the same call.
He turned slightly, glancing toward Oriana, hoping for something, some sign that she knew more.
Oriana just shrugged, both shoulders lifting in a gesture of calm indifference.
She didn't know either.
Tave exhaled. "I don't know what to believe," he said at last.
The fire crackled.
There was a pause.
Then Elias spoke again. "I wasn't the only one there when Orion did what he did."
"What?"
Elias shifted his gaze to one of the women seated with them.
She let out a slow breath and straightened slightly. Then, with quiet resolve, she spoke.
"I don't like talking about it. But… I'll try to explain everything from the beginning."