Immediately after Heimer's orders, Rud had rode his horse at full speed.
His body was in pain, and his arms were far from recovered, scathed by the burns of the acid.
Some time later he had gotten to the main group and updated the on the situation as Heimer had requested.
Without any wastage of time, the main group started making preparations to leave.
A girl dug a hole and buried the dead horse within it.
"Why do you bother?" Karius asked Zefroth.
Zefroth was almost done with her endeavour.
"I wouldn't say I have a definite answer.
But someone has to, It wasn't exactly appealing to the eye." Zefroth responded to him as she dusted off her armour.
"..." Karius had nothing more to say as she walked past him.
He tightened his grip.
–
They set off into the fields, a place mostly unknown to the most of them, the formation was loose, with Gustev and Rud as the leads.
Two wagons and five horses, where they could've been six.
The mostly uneven ground posed a problem to the movement of the wagons, so their pace was significantly cut.
After some time had passed they got to the place the beast was slain.
Welcomed with the smell of burnt flesh, and a pile of ash, not even the bones remained from Leo's flame.
–
Lana, Ren and Caesar immediately reunited with Heimer.
{After a bit of talking, Heimer and Gustev agreed for us to rest here for the night.
There was opposal at first but in the end it all settled down and we set camp.
Some slept in the wagons, and others slept outside.
It is actually amazing how they can even sleep in this situation, but I for one…}
"... Can't sleep…" Leo opened his eyes inside the wagon.
Paul's arm was over his neck, he tossed it aside and pushed his body closer to that of his brother.
Leo went outside, he wasn't putting on armour and only wore the black inner.
"Looks like I was wrong." Leo thought, he looked around, and ten out of thirteen people were awake.
Much like him, they weren't all wearing armour, it wasn't the most comfortable thing to put on.
Heimer and Gustev and Ren and Laura sat together, they were on watch out.
Ricia and Lana were together and were wide awake and on watch as well.
Karius and Heimlich had a conversation beside the wagon he just came out of.
"Well isn't that an odd interaction" Leo was a bit surprised at the people having a conversation;
Cera and Rud.
They were most likely the least compatible in terms of personality, yet they seemed invested in the conversation they were having.
"What did he even do to be this asleep…" Leo muttered as he looked at Caesar whom laid on the ground sleeping, Dan was right beside him.
"Even her?!" Leo thought as he looked at Zefroth who laid there.
–
The sky crackled, as quick strobes of white light briefly illuminated the dark night.
Leo parted the cloth on the wagon he came out from and sat there thinking.
"I keep thinking of that substance, so it wasn't the blood that enriched the halo; but that.
After destroying the eggs, some more flowed into us, and I'm also affected by it as well.
The bones that refused any more aether seemed to have a little more space, nothing much but every bit of possible improvement counts right now.
…
I feel like I'm already falling behind, If I would place myself anywhere it would be around four thorns.
I can't keep up like this, not in the slightest." Leo sighed.
A girl exited the other wagon right beside him, she walked forward for a bit and stretched.
Leo was zoned out from his thoughts, but still alert enough to notice.
He shifted his gaze, staring at her back.
"Hey" Leo called out with a subtle tone.
"Hmm?" Fiona turned around, there was a piece of bread in her mouth of which she chomped.
"Now that I think of it, I'm pretty hungry as well right now…" Leo thought.
She chomped the bread, gulped it down then went on to respond to him.
"Strange boy?" She asked while taking steps to his direction.
"Why do you sound surprised?" Leo asked.
Fiona raised her brow a bit.
"Did it show on my face?" Fiona asked with a palm on her face.
"Huh…
No …" Leo rolled his eyeballs to the right trying to remember, he dragged each word lightly.
"Then why did you think I was surprised…" Fiona queried.
"I don't really know how to put this.
I just kinda felt it?" Leo scratched his hair slowly as he wore an awkward look.
She squinted her eyes a bit.
"Now you're not just strange but also weird." She said bluntly.
"Yhhh…I'm definitely the only strange one here." Leo said lightly.
He noticed her eyes locking on to something behind, he turned around and it was the position of what had been.
The only proof of it ever existing is now ash, gradually blowing away by the night wind.
The sky crackled once more.
"Interested in it?" Leo asked Fiona.
She shook her head.
"I am more interested in what was in it." She replied.
"It's starting to look bleak honestly, if these things can reproduce then logically speaking it is highly unlikely that we make it.
…
Death would be an easy way out but I fear it more than the next person.
I also have a debt to repay so it's an option I would like to avoid." Leo laid bare his sentiment, his last sentence came with a change of tone.
"You speak so casually of death." Fiona said.
"..." Leo had no response for her.
After looking at the ashes for a long time, she shifted her gaze back at him now.
"That's a first…" She thought as she saw the look on his face.
A frown deep rooted in hatred and covered Leo's face.
{Over the course of months, the feeling that I had once thought would quench still remained.
How can I forget, no…how dare I try to forget, the main cause of my predicament.
The gate became unhealthy and before I knew it I was already seeking revenge.}
"The more of these situations I get into, the more I realise how fast one can cease to be.
And the more I feel like I'll regret it if I don't do something before I meet my demise.
Curth…" Leo's frown became deeper.