Craving Scarecrow

All the girls watch the scene, covering their mouths with their hands. All the boys are in shock, but Alaric is desperate.

"Hey, don't leave me alone, Abdul!" Alaric turns around after hearing something from Nitin.

"What are you going to do? Sit by his dead body and cry? He's not coming back, and we can't carry him while climbing the mountain. That goes for you too....the game has confirmed that he's dead. We can't do anything. Let's move forward," Nitin says as he starts walking again.

"How can you be so cold-hearted? Don't you have any humanity left?" Alaric clenches his fists.

"I'm telling the truth. What can you do? Do you think we should stay here and cry? What good will crying do? Can it bring him back? No, it will only waste more of our energy. If that's what you want to do, I won't stop you. It's your life, your choice. But you will die too. We are humans; there are things we can't do. Worrying will only waste our time. It won't solve the problem.....only we can solve our problems." Nitin's voice cracks with emotion.

After hearing Nitin's speech, everyone apologizes and starts moving forward again. Alaric stays behind for a moment.

"I'm sorry, man. Even though we knew each other from the beginning, we never answered her. I guess this is goodbye." Alaric clenches his fists so hard that his nails dig into his skin, causing it to bleed.

Suddenly, the screen starts moving again, revealing a long list of names. Everyone's mouths drop open as if they're staring into a deep abyss, and they begin sweating profusely, like water from a fountain. Elena covers her eyes, her entire body shaking as she sees the names of the dead players.

"I can't...." Anya murmurs, her hand covering her mouth in shock.

Sofia's eyes don't leave Elena, watching her reaction intently.

"Turn off the death notifications if you don't want to see who's died," Tomasz advises, quickly disabling his.

One by one, everyone follows suit, switching off the notifications, shielding themselves from the harsh reality.

"Are you scared?" Eero moves closer to Elena.

"I'm not feeling well," Elena's voice cracks.

Sofia then looks up at the sky and whispers, "Good work."

"It's alright. Don't worry, I'm with you." Eero gently reassures her.

Luka and Nicola grow increasingly frustrated with how close Eero and Elena are becoming.

"Would you like some fruit?" Eero offers her some fruit he picked earlier.

"I love pomegranate." Elena covers her mouth.

Elena and Eero are at a distance from the others, Elena speaking in a low, thrilling voice that only Eero can hear.

"Pomegranate! I'm going to ask them if they have any. Don't push yourself; walk with caution, please!" Eero moves toward Nitin, Livio, and Sebastian.

Sofia then opens her bag and hands something to Freja.

While Eero is asking the rest of the group for pomegranate, we see Nicola and Luka talking with Elena.

"I think you're tired. I can give you a lift," Nicola says, pushing Luka aside.

"Don't listen to him. You'll be more comfortable with me," Luka returns.

"Ah, I'm sorry, but I prefer to be with Eero. Thanks for your offer." Elena moves on slowly.

It feels like a slap in the face, leaving them both dejected.

"I think Eero scored the jackpot before us. Sigh," Nicola takes a deep breath.

"I will never give up, not now." Luka then looks at Anya.

Freja moves closer to Elena and hands her a pomegranate.

"Oh, thanks! This is my favorite fruit." Elena smiles.

"Oh, you're welcome." Freja gives a stiff smile and then moves forward.

Livio notices their conversation.

"It seems like all the girls are getting along quite well."

Eero returns with a sad face.

"I'm sorry, I asked everyone, but nobody has any pomegranate."

"It's alright! Freja gave me one," Elena says, pointing to her.

"Let's move; we're close," Nitin says, standing ahead of the others.

They all start to breathe heavily, their legs giving out. They've reached a height where they can touch the clouds.

Some in the group look exhausted, as if they could collapse at any moment. Then everyone sees a giant shadow covering them.

"Oh no, is this a monster? What should we do?" Alaric pants and trembles.

"What is that?" Nitin looks up at the sky.

The dragon's long, scaly tail and giant, lizard-like body fly above them, its massive wings cutting through the air. The wind it creates is so strong that everyone is stunned.

"It's a red dragon, damn!" Viktor says, his face frozen in shock.

"Hey, people are riding it! Maybe we can ask them for a lift?" Tomasz shouts, making sure everyone can hear him.

"Are you crazy? They can't hear us, you idiot," Viktor replies, using his hands like a megaphone.

"What? But we should at least try!" Tomasz's face turns pale.

As the dragon flies lower, its wings create strong winds, pushing against the group. Dust and small stones swirl around them. The size of the dragon is overwhelming, casting a huge shadow over them. For a moment, the only sound that resonates in their ears is the flapping of the dragon's wings.

Alaric tries to stay calm and mutters,

"It's not just the air; it's the weight of death."

"We're almost there, just a little bit more," Nitin encourages them.

"I can't go on. I need to rest. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up later," Elena says as she sits down, completely exhausted.

"Are you okay? Do you need water? Here, drink this," Eero says, sitting beside her and gently placing her head on his lap.

Elena drinks some water, then slowly sits up from Eero's lap.

Elena looks at Eero, her eyes soft with gratitude.

"Thanks for always being there," she whispers.

Eero gently pushes away a strand of hair from her forehead, his fingers brushing against her for a moment.

"You don't need to thank me. I will protect you, anytime."

Elena's cheeks turn red. She meets his gaze a little longer than usual. In the quiet moment, it feels like the two of them are alone in the evening.

"Maybe this journey isn't so bad after all." Elena gives a small, warm smile.

Eero's heart skips a beat. For the first time, he isn't scared of anything. He's just happy because Elena is by his side.

She searches her bag and pulls out a small dagger, no bigger than a pin. It looks different from Rebecca's dagger....its colors are the opposite.

"Is this a magic item? Where did you get it? Why are you giving it to me?" Eero asks, sounding concerned.

"It's called a condition dagger. You can use it to set conditions on others. A friend gave it to me before I came here. I've been nothing but a burden to you, and you've helped me every step of the way. Please, take this as a thank you. It's all I can offer," Elena says, holding the dagger out with both hands.

"Wait, wait! Why are you giving this to me? What if I use it on you? Why do you trust me so much? I could be planning to use you later," Eero says, his voice deepening. He waves both hands, signaling her to stop.

"Because I believe in you. If you use me later, then I guess I'm just unlucky, and that's how things were meant to be," Elena says with a smile. That smile makes all of Eero's doubts fade away.

Everyone else is almost at their destination, but Eero and Elena lag behind. They still have about fifteen minutes of walking left, and the evening is already settling in.