NOVEL NEXT Chapter 56: Trapped
The air was hot. Not the kind of heat that came from a gentle summer breeze or the warmth of firelight, but a suffocating kind.
Yet, despite the dry sting in the air, the two bodies that lay tied in the middle of the wide, empty expanse shivered with cold.
Sera blinked several times against the harsh sunlight. Her wrists itched where the ropes dug in, and her lips were dry from the unforgiving air.
Slowly, she shifted, letting her sharp gaze sweep the endless landscape around them. Not a tree. Not a rock. Not even the faintest movement on the horizon.
Her eyes narrowed. Strange. No spul. No footsteps. Nothing but them dumped in the middle of nowhere.
She tugged at her ropes with an annoyed grunt, half expecting them to be enchanted, reinforced, or made of some bizarre system-forged material. But when she pushed harder, flexing her arms outward, the ropes snapped apart with a sharp pop.
"Really?" she muttered under her breath, throwing the broken strands aside in disgust. "Normal ropes? Are these people idiots?"
She rubbed her wrists, shaking her head in disbelief. Kidnapping system users with plain rope was laughable. Unless...
Sera's gaze flicked to the side, her instincts spiking. About three feet away, Myia lay sprawled against the rough dirt, her breathing shallow, her expression twisted as though caught in a nightmare. Her blonde hair clung to her forehead with sweat, and faint tremors ran through her frame.
Sera frowned. Still unconscious? She turned away with an irritated click of her tongue. "Great. Just great. Now I've got dead weight to drag around."
She pushed herself to her feet, brushing sand and dust from her legs. For a brief second, she considered bolting, leaving Myia behind only for her thoughts to freeze when Myia muttered in her sleep.
"No... don't take him... give him back..."
The words were faint, desperate, and laced with fear.
Sera's jaw clenched. "Oh, for crying out loud. Shut up. We're not with your prince charming here. Wake up, because we're in a mess."
At the sharp tone, Myia's eyes flung open, wide and startled, and she sucked in a deep gasp of air. She blinked rapidly, her gaze darting across the empty plain before settling on Sera.
"What? Where are we? What happened—Arghh!" She clutched her head as a wave of pain coursed through her skull.
Sera crouched beside her, her lips curling into a sardonic smirk. "We were kidnapped, remember? Those idiots knocked us out and dumped us here. And, lucky us, they thought some flimsy ropes would keep us still." She lifted her hands mockingly, showing her wrists free of restraints.
"Kidnapped?" Myia repeated, her voice trembling as her eyes darted down to the ropes binding her body.
With a growl of annoyance, she tensed her muscles and tore through them easily. The strands fell in pieces at her side, and she stood shakily, brushing herself off.
Sera gave her a sideways glance. "See? Told you. Normal ropes. Whoever set this up is either a complete amateur or has something bigger planned."
Myia's brows furrowed as she scanned the horizon. "No. They wouldn't have used something so basic without a reason. Think about it. Everyone here has a system. They'd know ropes like these wouldn't hold us for more than a second. Which means..." She paused, her lips thinning.
"They're stalling," Sera finished for her, her voice low and sharp. "They want us to waste time struggling. By the time we figure it out, they'll strike."
For the first time, Sera's respect flickered toward Myia. It wasn't much, but the girl had thought fast. Not bad for someone who spends most of her days mooning over a man.
"Pretty good deduction," Sera said dryly. "I always figured your only value was in healing magic and batting your eyelashes at Zakar. Guess I was wrong. You've got a bit of a brain in there."
Myia shot her a look half annoyed, half amused. "Am I supposed to take that as a compliment or an insult?"
"Both," Sera smirked, folding her arms.
The two stood silently for a moment, listening to the endless hiss of the hot wind.
"This place is wrong," Sera muttered. "The air burns, but my skin feels cold. No landmarks. No shadows except our own. I don't like it."
Myia tilted her head back, staring up at the glaring sun that hung impossibly still in the sky. "We can't possibly walk across this whole wasteland, can we? I can't even see the other side. To worsen it, the sun is burning real hot."
"Oh, we'll have to." Sera's expression darkened. "That's exactly why they left us here. It's a trap. If we try to run to the horizon, we'll burn out before we reach anywhere. By then, they'll swoop in and finish the job."
"I agree," Myia said, her voice quiet but steady. "If we just wander, we'll be dead before we even understand how this place works. We need a plan."
Her eyes lit with sudden thought, and she tapped her chin. "What if... we carried each other at intervals? One of us rests while the other burns stamina, then we switch. That way, our energy drains more slowly. I will add my healing magic to keep our bodies refreshed, and we might stand a chance."
Sera eyed her in disbelief. "That's your big plan? Piggyback rides?"
"It's better than just running until we collapse!" Myia shot back.
Sera considered it, weighing the options in her mind. It was a gamble a scrappy, half-baked strategy that depended on timing and endurance. But at the moment, she had nothing better.
"Fine," she said at last, her tone sharp. "We'll do it. But don't get cocky. If we screw this up, we're dead."
Myia nodded, determination flickering in her eyes. "Agreed. At least we'll be dead trying."
"Dumb optimism," Sera muttered, though a faint grin tugged at the corner of her lips.
She stretched out a hand, dark mist swirling at her fingertips. "Or... we could try something faster."
Myia's eyes widened. "Wait what are you doing?"
"Creating a poison layer." Sera smirked. "It'll carry us across the land in seconds."
"Poison?! Are you insane? Do you want to kill me before the kidnappers do?!" Myia shrieked, her face pale.
Sera rolled her eyes. "Relax. Inside the bubble, it'll be filled with antidote. No one gets hurt."
Before Myia could argue further, a green-black haze enveloped them both, swirling until it solidified into a translucent bubble that shimmered with venomous energy. The air inside was oddly breathable, sweetened with the faint tang of Sera's antidote.
Sera smirked. "See? Perfectly safe."
Myia pressed a palm against the inside of the bubble, her eyes filled with unease. "This is... insane."
"Insane gets us moving." Sera's voice hardened. "And right now, moving is all that matters."
With a flick of her wrist, the poison bubble surged forward, shooting across the endless plain at frightening speed. The hot wind howled against its surface, but the two girls remained untouched inside.
"Yah. Its not that bad." Myia muttered lightly.