We depart from the tower prior to sunrise. The outside air has turned colder and carries a thick aroma of moist ash along with decaying tree bark. Abdul needs assistance to walk because he feels pain with every step he takes. Zach walks ahead quietly while his eyes constantly move over the surroundings.
The days blur together.
Our path meanders through twisted ravines and burned clearings where trees move in strange ways as we pass by. At night, we take turns on watch. Our daytime navigation relies on both memory and Aetherplate echoes which are fleeting pings that disappear too quickly for us to follow.
On the third day, we find our first signs of Jennifer: Jennifer marked her path with a mirrored blade carving on a tree to signal her team to regroup.
"Still fresh," Zach mutters, touching the bark. "Less than twelve hours old."
A screamer-bloom bursts out of the earth beside our campsite that night. The plant's roots break with whip-like sound and petals produce soundwaves that can shatter stone. With one powerful overhead strike from his hammer Zach destroys the creature while I open its core after it staggers back.
We don't talk much afterward. Just patch the wounds and move again.
After another two days, we received a second signal.
[Aoki – Status: Alive]
Because Abdul lost his Aetherplate in combat, he leans in over Zach's shoulder to examine the plate. "The Aetherplate indicates she is trapped in a static area. Maybe underground?"
Zach nods, jaw tight. "Could be a shelter or a trap."
We then verify its status and discover its source inside a deteriorating temple covered by shellvine plants. Aoki sits against the wall inside the temple where broken obsidian columns stand beside decaying plants. Her skin looks pale and her leg is wrapped with a temporary splint.
The sword drawn beside Aoki emits a faint glow.
She looks up as we enter. "Finally you showed up."
"Took you long enough."
Zach doesn't smile, but his shoulders ease. "You're breathing. That's enough."
"I haven't seen Raffkare," she says, voice hoarse. "But something bigger's moving. The roots in this region have changed… they're connected to a deeper field, like something underneath is warping the terrain."
"What about Jennifer?" I ask.
"She went after it. Said she felt something pulling—like a voice in her skull. We tried to hold her back, but she bolted east. Last I saw, Kiran followed her."
Zach freezes. "Kiran went after her?"
Aoki nods. "Didn't have a choice. She wasn't herself."
Zach exhales, and the sound feels heavy. "Then we find them. We stay low. We stick close."
Abdul leans against the wall beside Aoki and lowers his weight slowly. "Do we even know what we're heading into anymore?"
Zach doesn't answer for a while. Then, with a voice sharper than before:
"I don't care what we're heading into, our teammates are in trouble, and we can't leave without them."
I genuinely respect the way Zach thinks, however I do think it's interesting how Zach is quite dominant in front of Aoki, the senior that's supposed to be leading the team, and yet, Zach is the one giving the instructions most of the time.
His words echo against the cracked stone walls. For a moment, nobody speaks.
I glance over at Aoki. She doesn't argue. Doesn't even blink. Just rests her back against the moss-covered wall, hand still pressed lightly against her ribs. Watching Zach like she's already accepted he's the one in control now.
I respect Zach, really. But I can't ignore it. The way he's calling the shots, the way even Aoki defers without hesitation. Isn't she the one who's supposed to lead?
I step up beside him as we move out into the ash-blown forest again. "You know," I say low enough that only he hears, "I've noticed something. You've been giving orders since we regrouped. Isn't Aoki your team lead?"
"She is," Zach replies calmly. "Technically."
"So why are you running the squad?"
He lets out a short breath that almost passes for a laugh. "Because she trusts me to do it. And right now, she's injured. She's smart enough to know that whatever we're walking into, it's going to take more than protocol to survive."
I let that settle. He's not wrong. But still…
He glances at me, just once. "We've known each other since we were kids. I was kind of a mess back then—Aoki was the one who kept me in check. Professor Griemore is very close friends with her father, and that's how we knew each other."
He pauses, eyes fixed ahead. His next words come out a little too casual. "She's always been protective of me. Still is, in her own way."
I glance back toward Aoki, trailing just far enough behind to give us space. The way she watches him when she thinks no one's looking. The way she hasn't once tried to pull authority since the regroup.
"Protective," I echo. "That it?"
Zach doesn't answer, but the corner of his mouth lifts, just a bit. Not a smile. Just enough to say you figured it out without actually admitting it.
Then he focuses forward again. "Let's move. Jennifer's the last one unaccounted for. And if Raffkare's anywhere near this sector, we're not getting second chances."