NOVEL NEXT Chapter 61: East
Adela frowned as her eyes lingered on Kyle. Something about him stirred a memory. When the teddy bear had revealed its aspect, it had also sensed a dark energy within him, something tainted and corrupted.
Not long after that, he had returned to life despite having been quite literally beheaded. By all reason she ought to think of him as a monster, yet to her own distaste she only smiled faintly and turned her gaze aside.
It was a strange reaction, though what she had witnessed seemed explanation enough. She felt no urge to demand his answers, and so she set the thought aside.
Lifting her eyes to the luminescent sky, she spoke softly to herself:
"Kinda reminds me of Sisyphus, the one Orion told me about. Right now, he seems to be pushing his own boulder up the hill…"
***
Not long after, the two boys slipped out of slumber at the same time, both feeling more energised. Their eyes met briefly before they glanced around, then turned back to see Adela already asleep, her head resting against a tree.
"Uhh… doesn't she look cute when she's asleep?" Orion asked with a smile, gazing at her with open fondness.
Without thinking, Kyle replied, "Yes…"
The instant he realised what he had said, he shook his head in a fluster.
"I mean, no… no, yes. You know what? Anyway, everyone looks cute when they're sleeping."
Orion's smile faltered as he slowly turned towards the young man beside him, who, with the dark circles beneath his eyes, looked more corpse than companion.
Kyle caught the glance and, noticing Orion's confusion, merely shrugged before standing up. He brushed the dirt and leaves from his hair and clothes with a sweep of his hands. Orion followed suit, and once they had rid themselves of the forest debris…
Only then did they realise that Na-Ri was nowhere to be found. Both of them were about to call her name at the same time, but the moment Kyle remembered a crucial detail of their lore, he instinctively pressed his hand over Orion's mouth.
The pretty boy was startled at first. His eyes dropped on the pale hand covering him before they lifted to meet Kyle's.
Kyle quickly withdrew his hand.
"Sorry," he said curtly, offering no explanation.
Orion seemed to understand regardless, and with a faint smile he let the matter rest. Even so, both remained curious about where Na-Ri had gone.
Their surroundings gave no sign of disturbance. Nothing suggested danger, and they themselves were unharmed. Besides, Na-Ri was easily the strongest among them, even if her Spiritual energy had waned over the past few days, leaving her somewhat drained.
More or less, she remained a capable tactical fighter, versed in multiple martial arts. Mr Vincent had clearly been a competent teacher. Kyle recalled the short time he had spent in the Settlement, and with it came the memory of that grumpy officer.
'Ugh... not him intruding on my thoughts with Name, Age, Origin, or whatever. Now he sounds like some mechanical recorder whenever I hear it again.' Kyle waved a hand idly before wandering to a tree and lowering himself against its trunk.
Orion cast him a glance, picked up one of the fallen branches, and pointed it towards him at first. Then, with a slow shift, he angled it northward and spoke in the tone of a self-proclaimed strategist:
"Hm. I think she went north to track beasts, perhaps believing they gathered in that direction. She was not entirely wrong. They roam both north and east. I do not know what lies west and south, though I would wager zealots in one direction and the river she and Adela found in the other."
'...Yes, more like your little shadow slipped you the exposition, genius... Wait a moment...'
Kyle's gaze flicked back to Orion, who tapped the branch against his shoulder while grinning at his shadow scout. The dark figure immediately turned its back on him.
"Hey, I was going to give you credit, you know? Besides... I'm your—" He cut himself off with a groan.
"Forget it, I'm sorry then."
The handsome youth apologised to his own shadow.
It was only then Kyle realised that every shadow Orion commanded seemed to possess some degree of awareness, though still bound as a thrall to its summoner. That, however, was not the problem troubling him.
What truly troubled him was how Orion could speak with such certainty that beasts occupied the eastern side as well as the north. Since they had encountered the Madorana in the north, it seemed plausible to assume that the beasts gathered there.
His scout had clearly revealed Na-Ri's path and her objective, which was no surprise; after all, no shadow ever slept, even when its master did.
The real issue was where the pretty boy had conjured such confidence in his claim. If Kyle remembered correctly, Orion had once admitted that his scout could not wander too far from him. Venturing deep into the east would have stretched that limit. Unless he had misunderstood, something did not add up.
With that thought gnawing at him, Kyle raised a brow and asked flatly:
"How can you be so sure they also occupy the eastern part of the island?"
The handsome youth halted his idle patting with the stick and glanced at his shadow scout, which now seemed to have forgiven its master.
"Scouty caught sight of one coming from that direction," Orion replied with a smirk.
"It was a Venom-type mutant, heading straight for us, but something chased it back..." He paused, studying the shadow again before continuing.
"...A red flare. It appeared in all four quarters — west, south, east, and north. But Na-Ri and Adela only noticed the one from the south, where... wait."
The handsome youth's eyes sharpened as though his mind had just caught onto something.
Little by little, they widened and he muttered:
"Have you heard of the four pillars that sank into nothingness, striking four separate points and thus birthing the universe? This almost seems tied to that..."
Kyle frowned. The mention of the four pillars, which matched the ones carved into the basement of that temple, left him with little doubt that the zealots had carried out a ritual the previous night.
Before either could pull further at the thread, the beautiful stranger stepped out from the north with a solemn expression. In her hand she carried a red cloth, dripping with a liquid that matched its colour...