Eternal Elysium

"You have discovered the nest and the place these monsters suddenly came from?"

I asked tentatively, probing her to clarify further. As if on cue, Captain Maira took a seat on one of the many boxes placed on the ground and said with a calm voice.

"Well, it was actually on a plain site. You must have been inside your tent when the monsters arrived but at that time I was out and was the first to notice them. The one coming at the front had dry blood covering them from the top; even a mix of mud was present on them. This place is full of rocks and stoney mountains so I had assumed they all came from underground. After a little bit of searching around with members of your division, we soon found the place we had been looking for."

I didn't interrupt her and listened to her explanation patiently. The way she described the situation was anything but normal. Her words were precise and on point with cold logic.For a moment even I was left trying to uncover the pieces but Captain Maira had already reached her answers before I could.

"I see. You all seem to have worked hard even when I was asleep." I muttered softly and leaned back at one side of the tent placed not far away. The material from which the tent was made was pretty solid in a sense; maybe this was what we call 'military-grade supplies.'

They were certainly better.

Raising one hand to touch my chin, I looked at Maira, who held her gaze the same as before cold and cynical.

"So what is going on right now? Where are we anyways?" I asked, looking around with slow movements.

Except for five or so soldiers taking care of surroundings and watching out for new threats. The others? Most likely resting right now.

"Most likely rest, a lot of rest."

Maira said with a bitter smile.

"For where we are…? That's a good question but I can't give a correct answer. We had run a little toward the north, avoiding every place with even a little risk." She added.

I nodded softly and closed my eyes, feeling dizzy.

The world started to spin as if I were a feather falling from the sky but not so smoothly or gracefully as one. It was truly a strange experience. I was not one to ever get sick; even the time I spent in the village I was the healthiest, and taking some small naps always brought me back to shape.

Sigh…

I rubbed my temples with one hand and folded the other to clench my fist.

"You okay?"

Captain Maira asked, raising a brow.

"Yes." I said, swallowing hard.

"I will… just rest… a little longer, as you had said."

"I see. Will you be ready for tomorrow?"

I thought for a while and didn't answer immediately. After staying silent for a few seconds, I nodded, gathering my thoughts.

"I will be ready when the time comes."I turned around and started to walk away. Captain Maira didn't stop me. She needed time, and so did I. The time to heal from our own wounds. Losing someone was never easy, but Maira probably was aware of what she needed to do next. Everyone was allowed to be sad and weak… But our position didn't allow us to do that.

Maybe that was the reason she was so eager to destroy the nest—to prove herself that she was not weak.

However, we both were aware of what we were trying to do. I was trying to not think too hard regarding the losses, while she had simply tried to accept it by cold logic. We both had our own mechanism but the results produced by them were eerily the same. It was to destroy the enemy completely and make them pay.

Even if they were dead, we can still go to the root of the issue and find clues. Certainly clues were not the only thing we were after; it just… suddenly had turned into one of the motives we wanted to accomplish.

Yes… maybe that's it.

Dwelling on something for too long will in the end create a blockage. If I can keep going, things will surely change. It was my path after all.

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Just as my words had started to sink deep in me, I came to a standstill. Feeling a fretting presence behind.

'How weird… It's as if I am more aware of my surroundings.'

This has happened before when Sina had followed me secretly. I was keenly aware of someone's presence beside me. I couldn't see or tell how but it came as an instinct. Natural but new, albeit only available a small number of times.

"Captain Asher…?" An unsure voice soon entered my ears.

I turned around and gave the man standing behind a tired gaze.

He looked at me hesitantly, with his eyes trembling.

"Yes… What is it?"

I said, giving the man a contemplative look. I had seen him before, somewhere in the last battle. But I couldn't remember accurately on which occasion.

"Ah, sorry, Sir. Did I disturb you? I, I can come back later… if you are busy right now."

I stared at him for a second or two, still thinking about where I had seen this man.

'Wait… he was the man fighting the two newborns all alone. Wasn't he?'

"No, it's alright. I am not busy. How can I help you…?"

The man's wrinkled face instantly glowed with happiness. He smiled and said with an enthusiastic voice.

"I am Samuel Hesti… I—I just wanted to say my thanks to you."

"A noble, huh." I muttered. "I remember you. You were the one fighting two newborns at once, right?"

Samuel's face instantly froze as if embarrassed; he raised his hand, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Ahaha, you saw that? Um, if not for you, I wouldn't have survived. And no need to be polite, sir; I am a noble just in name only… I am from a branch family so there is nothing so noble about it."

I listened to his words carefully and nodded, giving a small smile in return.

"Everyone has a role to play, Samuel. Don't underestimate yourself. Your valor in the face of danger is truly commendable."

I said with a gentle nod and a pat on his shoulder. He was a brave man, that was for sure. To have faced two of those monsters alone and survived was no small feat for an awakener, especially when the ones here are so strong and deadly. But he was modest, while fighting two monsters of Kalista at the same time was dangerous. He had fought more even after that—just like everyone else here.

The camp was silent except for the crackling of firewood and the occasional whispers of soldiers. They were all trying to get some rest, preparing themselves mentally and physically for what was to come. The air was thick with tension and anticipation.

"You should rest now."

Seeing Samuel remain silent and deep in thoughts, I started to walk away with slow steps.

"Ah, okay. Have a nice day, Captain Asher." Samuel said, bowing slightly.

I nodded again and simply waved my hand without turning back.

Again silence pressed tightly in my ears. The only sound that seemed to be coming through was of the chattering inside the tents. As I passed through one of the tents near mine, I stopped hearing a familiar voice. It was of a woman filled with frustration and swearing loud enough to make my head pound in pain.

"Calm down, will you?"

Another voice followed, a little lighter and calmer than the previous one.

I sighed and started to walk toward the brownish tent.

Raising my hands a little, I pushed the curtains away. Three silhouettes appeared before me as they all fell silent, turning their gazes on me.

I smiled and walked inside.

"Oh, Captain, you are awake." Enzo said, standing up from his seat. I stopped him by signaling him with my hand and started to walk toward the empty seat.

"Yes, I am awake after some painful moments." I whispered softly and sat down. My gaze went from Enzo to Chris, who sat casually with his hands folded as he leaned back on the chair.

"We all thought you would skip the whole day with how much you had slept." Summer said, smirking a little.

I chuckled, my gaze turning sharp as I looked at her.

"I already did that, Summer; it's evening right now."

Summer snorted and turned her head away, not looking at me.

I rolled my head again and looked back at Enzo. He understood the meaning behind my gaze and raised his hand, making an onyx arm appear on the floor. It extended and glided around, catching a number of things and placing them in front of me.

I picked up a parchment, placed it steadily on the ground, and then looked back at Enzo.

"Captain, I—"

"Call me Asher, just Asher. Being called captain all the time is also not good for my mental health and I am sure you all will be more relaxed this way." I interrupted Enzo before he could speak and delivered my own words of wisdom upon them. Rather than making them relax, it was more or less me showing a little trust in them.

No, hardly speaking, trust was a superficial word right now. Until the perpetrator behind the missing soldiers is found, no one is outside suspicion right now, not even them.

"Oh, okay. I will call you Asher then." Enzo nodded, seemingly aware of my reasoning.

"Should I call you reaper then?" Summer mocked, her voice playful but a little less cold than before.

"No way. You, only you, keep calling me Captain!" I shot down her words immediately without even taking a second to think.

Summer scoffed.

"Huh, dream about it."

Crunch!

Amidst our argument a crunching sound entered my ears; for a moment I panicked, making my heart race. Was it another monster? Can I fight it right now? No, can I even kill it in my weakened state?

The thought of Enzo and the others never even entered my mind, as if I were the only one present in this world.

The others did not panic as I turned my gaze toward the crunching sound only to see Chris eating mindlessly.

He shot his brows up together sensing my gaze and asked softly.

"Um, sorry, I was hungry. Did I miss something?"

The storm building inside me calmed down as I shook my head softly and snatched the bag leaning forward a little from his hand.

"Wh—!"

"I am hungry as well." I silenced him and turned my gaze back at the parchment containing a bunch of names and small details beside them.

Enzo had worked hard. I praised him silently inside my mind. As it was his job to collect information regarding the people going on the expedition, irrespective of being dead or alive.

"It took time but I made sure to collect as much as I could." Enzo spoke with a confident smile.