Rowan scratched his head. "Sorry."

Hector's face was an inscrutable mix of ink and white cloff. Sighing, he turned to Alicia. Unlike him, she met his towering gaze with ease.

"Looks like you got your way in the end."

Alicia shrugged. "Naturally."

Hector nodded. "I'm not in disagreement, so you're free to leave. The Boss hasn't said anything yet. But if she does..."

"Yeah, we get it. Right?" Rowan turned to Alicia. But she pretended not to notice and marched away. Leaving the two of them.

It was still the waking hours of the morning. Filled with the rousing shouts of Defected. Fake blue light covered the sky. But it was ade nice. There were worse places to be.

"You confirmed the results last night, Rowan?"

Rowan nodded. He'd shared his experience of the pillar with Alicia and Hector. The time trapped in there was not as overbearing as it had once been. They'd agreed to wake him from it early, which made things easier, too.

After killing that centipede, the pillar's peak had grown a little brighter again.

"The Boss is less talkative today."

"She is?"

Hector squinted. "She's fending for herself. For now."

A gentle breeze rustled through Rowan, Hector and the flowers. But where did the wind come from? Another mysterious mimicry of this world. But nobody said anything. Nobody wondered.

It was not like he knew how wind worked on Earth either, but it was eerie all the same.

The smell, too. There hadn't been many in Civilia with how cold it was. But the flowers had a sour-sweet smell drifting around them today.

"I still have to do this." Rowan frowned. "She can manage on her own. It was nice for a couple of weeks. But it's not like there's any point holding her hand if we're all wiped out."

"Holding her hand?"

Rowan coughed. "Not what I meant." He turned on his heel. There was a group gathering at the edge of camp. All women. He got his glances in now.

"Rowan. Good luck."

Rowan looked over his shoulder. "You too, Hector."

The members turned to him before he was halfway. But he met their stares head-on. Their circle was tightly interwoven with girls of all different heights and hair.

Boyish shorts hugged their legs and thighs. Even the smallest and thinnest had licks of muscle running up their arms and legs. And everyone wielded a spear.

"I'm Rowan."

"Welcome, Rowan." The blonde towering over her spear planted in the ground. She smiled and stepped aside for Rowan. He had to tilt his head up at her as he filled the gap. However, no one else said anything.

Alicia was opposite him in the circle, glancing around.

"If any of you have concerns. Say them now."

The tall blonde at Rowan's side spoke. "Alicia thinks it's a good idea, right? Then it's perfect."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "I wasn't asking you, Ezeldra."

A short brunette stepped forward from between her taller comrades. Her hazel hair resembled Andrea from Civilia. But she had a skittish look and an angular fox-like face.

"We understand he's an amateur. But we need to see for ourselves if he can take it like you said. We've seen our fair share of sights, but none of us are looking forward to the next."

Rowan stared at Alicia. "Take what? What did you tell them?"

A pair of arms reached around his waist, grabbing his sides. Rowan looked to his right and immediately regretted it.

"Oh yes, it's true. He's quite hard."

Rowan scowled. 'Not this again.' The blonde Ezeldra leaned in, her touch soft and her hug gentle. Her golden hair was woven with flowers giving her a nector, sweet smell.

Rowan thought he noticed Alicia smirking. He grabbed the girl's arm gently and pushed it away.

"Oh? And strong, too, considering his weedy look. I think he'll do fine."

Rowan blinked. He'd witnessed what Kane could do first-hand. Wasn't she too easily impressed?

The girls nodded, reassured. But none of them intruded on him like her. They shared some greetings with him but remained standing strangely still. Even the blonde had a deep, amber look in her eyes as she smiled.

"Then it's settled. Remember, Rowan, no offence. You're still inexperienced. But you are sturdy. You'll make a perfect distraction for me." Alicia smiled.

"I will."

###############

"Aren't you going to do anything? I thought you were their leader."

"Actually, it was my idea in the first place."

The loud jeering was bad enough. But the songs pushed Rowan too far. The gaggle of the girls behind and their voices were so out of pitch and touch that it made Rowan cringe.

The forest, wrapped intricately with shimmering shadows, was at their total mercy.

"The food storages are bottomed out. We underestimated what a problem no Devoured was. After all, there have been too many for years. I haven't personally seen any since the centipede we killed two days ago.

"Right. We don't have a choice. Then... can't you at least make them sing better?"

"I'm sure the Devoured don't mind. Or were you offering to show them how it's done?"

Rowan cursed. What a pointless conversation. He glanced back at the squad. There were maybe twenty, all fluttering between different cliques and singing. He was concerned they'd end up scaring the Devoured away instead.

With a wry smile, he span the spear in his hand. It wasn't like what Alicia could do, but his handling had improved. It made for a short respite, at least.

"What did you hear about the vision today?"

Alicia peered at him. "You haven't spoken to her yourself?"

"No."

"Well, whatever. According to Boss, we won't find anything today. But I'm not going to accept that."

Rowan nodded. Alicia's hair was a knotted mess, but the vibrant vermillion was always striking. He'd needed a day to recoup since the centipede, but she must have been out in the field even then.

"Right. I won't either."

Alicia shared a coy smile and slung her spear over her shoulder. Smoke emerged around her, puffing out of her figure like a steam engine.

"I need to scout If we want any chance of finding a Devoured. I'll leave things here to you."

Before Rowan could respond, she vanished, leaving a haze of smoke. The ashy taste made him cough.

'And she's gone.' She'd left him at the front, so now he was leading the girls. But where was he supposed to go? All he could do was walk forward and remember the way back as best he could.

Sauntering between the trees and marvelling at the strange surroundings. It had been a while since he'd had such a chance. As important as everything else was, he'd missed it despite the hollering tone, tone-deaf background.

Each song and step through the forest started to feel longer. Each one dug up and trod on some old memory. But those ran out soon enough. Before leaving Civilia, it had been just like this. A whole lot of nothing. Time wasted.

Rowan sighed and pushed forward. The songs were losing their brazen touch. Less and less voices conjoined to torment him. But peace of mind was nowhere to be found.

"Where the hell is she." He'd expected Alicia to at least be responsible enough to check in every hour. But it had been more, and he'd seen not even a whisp of her.

"Lonely at the front?"

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"No. No, not lonely." Rowan sighed. Ezeldra was matching his pace with long, tall strides. She held her spear behind her back, resting it on her shoulders. A cascade of golden hair flowed over it.

"Any idea where she is?"

She smiled. "I'd have to wager she's running around looking for something to kill. What's it been two days? I'm surprised she's still in her human form."

Rowan frowned. "She should at least check in. If we don't turn around soon, it'll be dark before we're back."

"Well... that might be difficult." She scratched her cheek. "With all this noise, she'll know where we are. But good luck dragging her back, not without a Devoured for bait."

She was right. Besides, he'd already agreed to find a Devoured and contribute to the food storage.

"That expression is just like hers. If only you weren't so skinny, you'd be my perfect type."

Rowan narrowed his eyes. "Thanks? But who are you talking about?"

The blonde turned and blushed. "Ah, that look, too. I love it."

Tilting his head, he changed his direction a little. But she stuck to his side like glue. A faint pinkness surfaced on her cheeks.

Her Defect looked like someone had tried scratching off a lottery ticket. Bits of silver lined her clavicle and likely led to her chest and ribs.

"If you had bright red eyes. It would be the perfect look."

'Yeah, I wonder who she could possibly mean.' Rowan ignored her beady amber eyes and sighed. "If you know her so well, are you sure you can't figure out a way to bring her back? Clearly, this strategy isn't working."

"If I could get Alicia to do whatever I wanted, I wouldn't be in this mess." The blonde clicked her tongue. "But you're right. Wandering around won't work."

Rowan observed her serious expression, surprised. Only then did he realize the songs had dwindled. He stopped and turned back to the squad, shuffling quietly behind.

Noticing him pause, they also came to a halt. Eventually, they were all still and quiet. Watching him.

"We're taking a break."

The girls looked between themselves, refusing to sit. 'Are they not used to breaks? What kind of leader is Alicia?'

Ezeldra dropped to the floor first and leaned back against a tree, feet dangling in the air. The others shrugged and followed suit, all lazily slipping to the ground. Some conversations sparked again as the forest regained its liveliness.

Rowan didn't, though. He stood standing as his eyes scanned the forest around them.

Ezeldra asked. "So what's the plan?"

"Alicia will show up to yell at me. Because we stopped."

"Oh, clever idea."

Seeing nothing in the vicinity. Rowan rested his eyes.

"In the meantime. There was something. Something I wanted to ask you."

"Oh dear. I thought I had already made my feelings clear. But alas-"

"Ezeldra. Do you smell anything?"

Ezeldra's mouth gaped. She raised her arm and sniffed. "No. No, I don't think so. You must be imagining it."

"I'm talking about the flowers. You decorated your hair with them because they smell nice, right?"

She tilted her head. "Of course."

Ezeldra ran her hands through the flowers around the tree and plucked a large fistful. She brought them to her nose and inhaled.

"Ahh. I love that smell. I was telling Alicia earlier. I'm so glad it came back. It's the same smell as when we all first arrived here. I wonder if Alicia would let me braid her hair with some."

Rowan nodded. He'd heard overhead some Defected say something similar. But others seemed to be nose-blinded to it. He couldn't say for sure what it meant.

But the Devoured were gone. That was what mattered. If there really wasn't anything left to eat. They had to consider options.

As many as they could.

###

Rowan was examining a flower when a fume of smoke burst before him. Daring red pupils seared through the veil and spoke.

"You stopped. Why?"

"I don't think this is working. We need to talk things through."

Alicia escaped her smoky embrace and folded her arms.

"You don't decide what's working and what isn't."

Rowan sighed. "I know. But we should at least think. I mean, it's been hours."

"Go on then."

Rowan smiled wryly. While waiting, he'd noticed a familiar opening in the trees. The boundary was near, and the blue daylight was fading. That awful orange sky wasn't far off.

"When we fought the Vile. You remember where it was, don't you? Before we fought it."

Rowan looked around. Most of the Defected had climbed to their feet since Alicia had arrived. Standing around and feigning disinterest in the conversation.

The only two elites participating in the boundary battle had perished, so nobody knew where they'd arrived or how far from camp they were.

"I remember. So, spit it out. What are you getting at?"

"Well, don't you think that might be important? A Devoured left its habitat. Of its own accord, didn't it? And now we can't find any-"

Alicia's lip curled. "Yes. It did leave it briefly. But it was chasing Nero, after all."

"But it left the zone on purpose. Didn't it? You don't deny that?"

Alicia scoffed and turned to her squad. "It's not even evening, and you already need to head home, do you? There's going to be a lot of hungry mouths at camp soon. This is our job. Our only job. But you want us to leave empty-handed?"

Rowan stared at the flower in his hands. "Not empty-handed."

Alicia cursed and turned away. "Ezeldra. You're in charge now. No more stopping until we find one."

Ezeldra was the only one still seated but jumped to her feet after being called. However, Alicia had vanished into fumes before she could even say anything.

She turned to Rowan with a hint of worry in her amber eyes.

He sighed. "Well. I guess. I guess that's that, then."

#########################

Rowan trudged behind, but not even a note of a song was uttered. That rusty, sunless sunset sat over them. Drawing and dragging the day to a close without even a glimpse of a Devoured.

Of course, Rowan still thought stumbling upon a Devoured was unlikely. But that wouldn't halt him from marching, careful not to slow the others. Alone in the back, he couldn't help but ponder. 'Was Nero right?'

Wherever he was. He was certain the freeloader was having more fun than he was. Maybe dealing with Alicia was what drove him away in the first place."

Rowan smirked. A tall shadow fell on him as if to prove Nero's astute advice. She tapped his shoulder slowly.

"Ah, it's such a shame you got demoted, Rodan. Please accept my condolences. I'll take over your position and make great use of it. I promise."

Ezeldra was beside him again with a bright smile. Rowan almost laughed.

"Shouldn't you be leading the way?"

"I was. But what's the point? I got lost ages ago. Alicia will know the way back anyway."

"Yeah. Assuming she ever lets us."

Rowan expected a clever retort but was disappointed to hear only silence. He looked away from the quiet beauty and saw the short brunette had taken charge up ahead. From the look of things, it was for the greater good.

The girls weren't singing but clustered together; their conversations were still plenty loud and gossipy. They must have worked harder, longer nights than this.

"Have you figured out why Alicia treats the two of us differently?"

Rowan met her amber eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Hmm, that little performance made it obvious, no? She's hard on her squad, but not like that. It was brutal. I'm almost jealous."

Rowan ignored that. "What about you? Didn't you get promoted just now? That's a good thing."

Ezeldra chuckled into her hand. "That wasn't a reward. It was more like a threat. You see? I hate hard work. You and Alicia are like aliens to me. Enticing little aliens."

Rowan shook his head. What a miserable, long adventure this had been. He thought he'd be fighting with his life on the line already. But here he was. Rustling leaves, sweet florescent flowers and squabbling with some girl he didn't even know.

Those amber eyes watching him. They were exceptionally striking, though. And he couldn't say he disliked the sight of braided flowers and golden hair.

"It's because we're strong. That's why she treats us differently."

Rowan's lips drooped. "Strong? What are you talking about?"

Ezeldra watched him splutter. And frowned. "You really don't get it? Think about it? Why are we out here so late being yelled at and pushed around?

"Because it's Alicia. That's what she does."

Ezeldra pursed her lips. "She has a charming, gentler side. I thought you'd have noticed."

Rowan laughed. If that was true, then she had done a really good job hiding it. Besides, strong couldn't possibly be used to describe him. Wasn't she the one calling him weedy earlier?

His lips curled up, but then he remembered. There was that time in the tavern. Leaning on Nero.

"Did you think of something?"

Rowan shrugged. "She was drunk. That hardly counts."

"Well, she does like to do that." Ezeldra smiled. But then she looked troubled again. "It's a shame, though. Am I the only one that appreciates that side of her?"

Alicia was far from popular. But she did seem beloved by Marie and Ezeldra in particular. For whatever reason.

She was usually cold, harsh and often cruel. Every conversation with Hector was like a battlefield Rowan was inevitably dragged into. She was curt with him and the Boss, too. And that was without even mentioning... Kane.

That did stump him. It had always bordered on obsessive how mean she was with him. Even after he'd died protecting her, she'd hardly said a word. Thanks? Sorry? Being saved can't have been something Alicia had gotten used to.

"But that's why I know Rowan. The forest really is empty, it's obvious. So we won't be getting back anytime soon. You were right."

Rowan snorted. 'So she does know my name.' At least this alone, they could agree on. He turned to the squad ahead, stretching and bickering amongst themselves. Did she think they were strong, too? Is that how Alicia saw them?

The orange sky was a deeper shade now, threatening to turn dark.

"We won't get to go back, but so what? I've been yelled at enough today, and it's not like we can reason with her."

"She yells because she trusts us. But. That does give me an idea. Do you think you could take us back... by accident, of course. "

"Accident?"

He couldn't fight. He hadn't even been given the chance to practice today. But navigation?

"I guess I could. What did you have in mind?"

###################

Their arrival was anticlimactic. Honestly, he'd expected anything but smooth sailing. Maybe Ezeldra was smarter than she let on.

"So. Do you think she's sulking?"

Ezeldra smirked. "Our heads are still attached. So maybe?"

The squad seemed surprised to find the bustle of camp. Some shot off, avoiding any further responsibility. Others lingered, shuffling nervously at the fringes of camp.

Rowan had been concerned they might simply march right back into the forest. But Ezeldra had been put in charge, and they'd all heard it.

Besides, it was dangerous to linger in the forest any longer without the ensuing day's vision. 'It's for the best.'

Rowan strolled alongside Ezeldra but paused as he gazed up at the sky. It had turned black a while back, and the Noct had already left to hunt in their place.

"She'll be back by at least tomorrow. Won't she?"

Ezeldra frowned. "Hard to say. Remember what I said earlier?"

Rowan blinked. "What?"

"Nobody's stronger than Alicia. Not here at camp."

Rowan bit his lip. "I should go back."

"What you told Alicia earlier sounded important. You wanted to report that, didn't you?"

Rowan smiled faintly. Leaving Alicia to rampage through the forest alone did leave a bitter taste in his mouth.

But Ezeldra was right. He had something more urgent to deal with. The fact he didn't want to do it was almost reassuring.

Rowan was already walking away. Catching himself, he stopped and turned back. "Ezeldra. Thanks."

The blonde smiled and made a shooing gesture with her hand. Rowan complied and began. This stretch across camp felt longer than the day's journey. His feet ebbed with pain and ache. One of his toes poked out of his worn winter shoes.

Rowan scratched his neck and took a deep breath. Articulating and planning what he intended to say had been a bad idea.

She saw him immediately, which made it all the more difficult to approach. Those wide globes of dark dread followed him from atop the wall. With every step, he saw more and more pooling fright in them. But he approached anyway.

"Garuda."

She took a deep breath and then swivelled her body around, facing Rowan and the camp. Her back was vulnerable to the deep forest behind her.

"Did you need something, Rowan?"

He winced but didn't stop. "Yes. I have a report."

"You can leave it to your leader. I don't want you to concern yourself with just me."

Rowan smiled wryly. "It's pretty urgent."

"Fine. Go on."

Rowan hesitated, then approached and scaled the wall. She watched him intently as he sat beside her. There was a brief quiet as he looked for the words.

"We didn't find any. Not a single Devoured."

"I thought so. Even with my input, the future ended up just being the same."

Rowan squeezed the rocky wall. "With Hector's group... was it the same?

Her eyes shut before she slowly nodded. Rowan cursed and turned away. Had the looming trees always been this close to the wall?

"Garuda. I know you don't want to hear this from me. Or hear it at all. But we should at least prepare to leave. If there's no resources left here, then..."

Her eyes remained sealed shut, not sparing him even a look. "You don't have the right. You don't have any authority."

Rowan shuffled. Why were the conversations on this cursed wall always so difficult.

"I know you are upset. But it's because I wanted to help you. That's why I did it."

"Is that right? You threw yourself into the woods with her to help me? You weren't just bored of me?"

"No, that's not it. It's not boredom or anything like-"

"Why are you even back here so early? If you want to help so badly, then go away. Go back out into the forest and hunt something properly."

Rowan blinked. She still wouldn't look at him even now. He hadn't expected it to be this difficult. Maybe it was better to just speak with Hector and avoid her.

"I was only doing my best. For you."

"Well, it was poor. Your best wasn't good enough. You-" Garuda clenched her fists. "You think I'm naive, don't you."

"No. I don't. I don't think that."

"You do. You do. I can see it all over your face."

Rowan paled, watching the finger aimed at him. He leaned back, but her finger followed, pushing up against his neck. Her gaze was low. Not giving him any glimpses into those dark depths.

She was shaking.

"There's nothing wrong with it. Why don't you get it?"

She grabbed onto his shirt and brought her head to it. She was out of breath. Her voice was raspy and wet. But he remained stiff as a board. There couldn't have been much comfort in his scrawny, rigid figure.

"Relying on everybody always doesn't make me weak."

He felt her warmth push into him further, but he couldn't pull away with her grip on him. Humid, warm tears stained his shirt as she leaned in.

It was hard to get his bearings on how close she was. Eventually, he came to his senses and put a single arm around her. He wasn't able to say anything. More like anything he said would only be for the worst. So he held that embrace instead.

Her words were muffled by his body. "Please say you get it."

Rowan winced. "Relying on people. It isn't weak."

She sobbed for a while. He could only be thankful her gaze was down there, leaking and drenching his shirt. And not up there.

As moving as the moment was, he couldn't rest with the forest out of his periphery. By the time he glanced back, she was done and looking up at him. She wiped her nose with him once more before pulling away.

"Sorry."

"I don't mind. Use me how you like."

Garuda smiled and twisted to face the woods. Her small, delicate hands rested beside herself on the wall, keeping her balanced.

"It's almost time. You'll wait for me. Won't you?"

"Of course." He couldn't do much earlier. That was why he had to do what little he could when he got the chance. Waiting for the vision could take some time, but he had nothing but the stuff.

"I'll wait."

Garuda closed her eyes. "Thank you." Her eyelids graudally widened, revealing the stark depth in them. It was as if they reflected the empty night sky like mirrors.

Those dilated pupils. That aloof stare. She was gone for the moment.

Rowan shuffled closer to her. It was a bit precarious for her to be sat up here like this, so he held her hand just in case. He examined the features he was too shy to look directly at. Her slender fingers, deep blue hair and large black eyes.

She was staring right at him.

"...Rowan."

The void from his dreams was right there in all its infinite emptiness.

"I didn't hear anything. A tomorrow. I don't have a tomorrow."

########################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################