The atmosphere in Unit Four's makeshift meeting room had been heavy for three straight days. News of Xiao Yan had vanished into thin air. Even though other units were starting to repair damage and trying to contact other districts, progress was painfully slow.
Leon tapped the table lightly, getting everyone's attention from those sitting tensely around the room.
"I'm going to the other districts myself." Leon's voice was heavier than anyone expected, even surprising himself. *What am I saying... what can I even do...* The thought flashed through his mind, but he pushed it aside.
Cyrus looked at Leon in amazement. "Leon... are you crazy? You saw how dangerous that white-haired woman's group is. They nearly wiped out our entire unit."
"Master Xiao Yan ordered us to contact the other districts, didn't he?" Leon shot back, his eyes determined. "He didn't tell us to just sit around waiting. It's been three days... three days with no news at all. If something happens to Master Xiao Yan because we were hesitating, what then?" The worry in his voice was clear, mixed with growing guilt.
Everyone in the room went dead silent. Leon's words hit home.
"It's too risky, Leon," Shion spoke up, her voice strained. "We still don't know what they're planning next. They might be waiting to ambush us. And Chief Kim... she still hasn't recovered."
"If we wait until everything's ready, it might be too late!" Leon insisted. "If Master Xiao Yan, who's that strong, hasn't come back in three days, it's obvious the situation is worse than we thought! We can't let him fight alone!" He clenched his fists, responsibility and guilt crushing down on him. "I really can't stand waiting anymore."
"Then I'll go alone," Leon declared, though his heart was still afraid. The image of Xiao Yan entrusting him with this mission made it impossible to sit still any longer.
"If you want to go die, then get out!" Shion snapped, her amber eyes blazing with anger that clearly masked worry.
Leon pressed his lips together, a flash of annoyance crossing his face. He didn't argue back, just walked over to grab his katana from the corner and secured it at his waist. "If you all want to keep waiting, that's up to you." He walked out of the room decisively, heading in the direction Xiao Yan had disappeared, leaving the others to watch with mixed feelings.
Leon had barely taken a few steps from the meeting room when his determination started wavering as he faced reality. He didn't even know which direction Xiao Yan had gone, how to travel there, or what he'd encounter along the way. His hand gripping the sword hilt trembled slightly.
Suddenly! A hand grabbed his shoulder. Leon jumped and spun around.
"Hey you..." a familiar gruff voice spoke near his ear. "Do you even know which direction the other districts are?"
Leon's eyes went wide in shock when he saw it was Shion. "Shi... Shion?"
"Yeah!" Shion answered curtly, letting go of his shoulder. "So can you answer whether you know which way to go?"
"Uh... well..." Leon stammered. "I don't know..." He hung his head in shame. "If you know, Shion... could you tell me?"
"How would I know!" Shion raised her voice, then lowered it slightly, her cheeks reddening. "But... I'm coming with you."
Leon looked up in disbelief. "Huh? Coming with me?"
"Well... I can't help worrying!" Shion turned away, crossing her arms tightly. "Besides... you look like you're going to be stubborn about this. If I let you go alone, you probably won't get anywhere."
"Sorry..." Leon felt a bit guilty. "But I really can't just sit around."
"Yeah! I get it!" Shion cut him off, walking ahead quickly. "If you're going, hurry up and follow me. Don't dawdle!"
Cyrus and the remaining Unit Four members watched the backs of the two as they walked away quietly.
"Those two are really something," Cyrus muttered to himself, scratching his cheek while sighing deeply. Mina and Traffie were still laid up in the medical ward, their injuries severe. And Raven... his arms... they were beyond use now.
Damn! Cyrus clenched his fist and tapped it lightly on his lap. Feelings of helplessness and disappointment washed over him. Master Xiao Yan must be disappointed in me for letting a newcomer like Leon go out and risk everything alone like this... he thought bitterly.
The two walked side by side in silence. Shion still led slightly, acting like she wasn't paying attention to Leon, but her eyes kept glancing over periodically.
"Aren't you... scared of dying?" Shion asked casually, breaking the silence.
"Not really," Leon answered evenly, adjusting the katana at his waist. "I just... have to follow orders." He paused briefly before continuing quietly. "It's a habit, I guess... and Master Xiao Yan has been good to me too..." Though his words sounded uncertain, his eyes held something Shion had never seen before.
Shion glanced at Leon briefly before sighing. "Whatever..." she said as if resigned. "From what little I know... the district we're going to is called 'Flower,' if I remember right."
"Flower?" Leon repeated the name softly.
The two walked through the ruins of old civilization outside Crafter district. Leon noticed that some areas were in surprisingly good condition, as if they'd only recently been abandoned. Even stranger, some places still showed signs of habitation!
"These towns... still have people living in them," Leon said in surprise.
"Mm... probably," Shion answered absently. She didn't know much about the outside world beyond Crafter, having been born and raised there without traveling far.
Before long, they reached what looked like a small marketplace that was abandoned but still had some shops open. What caught Leon's attention most was... grilled rat! The appetizing smell of roasted meat wafted to his nose. Back in River Bend, he'd never thought to buy something like this, but now... somehow he felt like trying it.
Leon decided to buy a stick of grilled rat and took a big bite.
"Ugh... weird taste..." He coughed slightly, making a face. It wasn't as good as he'd thought. Shion, who was watching, made a disgusted expression and didn't dare try it.
Suddenly! A voice drifted into Leon's hearing... clear as if someone was whispering right in his ear...
*'Mmm... delicious...'*
Leon jumped! His body went rigid, eyes wide with alarm! Whose voice was that?! Definitely not Shion's! He quickly stood up, looking around frantically, but saw no one else besides him and Shion!
Shion, seeing Leon's strange behavior, got alarmed too. "What's wrong, Leon?!" she asked loudly, looking left and right warily. "What is it!"
"Just now... did you hear anything?" Leon asked with a shaking voice, his face pale, small beads of sweat forming on his temples.
"Hear what? I didn't hear anything except you chewing that rat," Shion frowned, looking at Leon with confusion and suspicion. "Are you... really okay?"
Leon stood still, body rigid... That voice... did it come from inside his own head? The thought made him feel cold to the bone...