For the entire following day, Hadwyn and his friends searched for Baluk in the forest. Hadwyn swore it was more disturbing than when he last trekked through.

The plan was to spit up, with the initial plan at first, being that they would split up in several directions. Peter had yet to arrive, and Martin knew he wouldn’t be able to stop them, so he watched them leave the compound sipping a caffeinated drink of sort. Hadwyn stole glances over his shoulder every now and then as they matched side by side accross the muddy, graveley, artificially flattened landscape with only the forest ahead. Hadwyn hoped Martin would follow them and maybe even help. But he skipped his drink and stood his ground.

“That asshole has done nothing. Marco seethed. This is some bullshit, he should be sending troops or… I don’t know man.”

Hadwyn sighed. “It is only in his nature.”

‘Bullshit.”

“Where do you think Baluk went?” Ruby asked Teresa. She bit her lip. “I don’t know.”

“Was he mentally Ill?” Hadwyn asked.

Teresa shook her head. “He seemed alright. The only thing that seemed off was his resentment towards Akoto.”

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Hadwyn looked over his shoulder. Akoto was trudging far behind them.

{What exactly was that about?}

Teresa immediately switched to throwing.

{I don't know, he never talks about it or anything. If he had mental problems, it wouldn't have been visible, I suppose.}

Hadwyn gritted his teeth {This is getting tiring, and Akoto is drawing near… let's change the subject for now.}

Throwing your voice was a clear way to transmit your voice. But it took intense training and concentration to use. Hadwyn had luckily spent hours upon hours honing his skills, but he could not maintain a conversation for more than a few minutes without starting to feel lightheaded. Even Teresa, who for all he knew, practiced even more than him, exhausted herself in a few sentences.

Hadwyn had never learned sign language, as he had been led to believe it was a communication solely for the hard of hearing.

Sure enough, Akoto pulled up beside them.

“By the way, I’m sorry for throwing that pile at you.” Teresa replied. “I could have killed you.”

“Marco told me about your fall.” Akoto said. “How'd you survive?”

Hadwyn stiffened. He didn't know why, but Akoto’s tone rubbed him the wrong way. Akoto’s question was under the tone of seriousness, almost like interrogation. Not that of a peer.

Akoto relaxed his voice. “You never told him. You fell from the highest of trees.” He slapped his hands together. “He showed me the tree earlier, you should have gone splat.”

Hadwyn took a deep breath, he could tell Teresa’s eyes were burning into his cheek.

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” He repeated.

Akoto shrugged. “I've seen some crazy things.”

Hadwyn sighed again. “Some sort of god… or deity… or something saved me from my fall.”

Teresa looked puzzled. “Impossible.”

Akoto smiled. “Not impossible.” He argued. “Unlikely, to say the least.”

Gods didn't help Aldarians. Hadwyn never fully understood why. Gods and humans never got along. The Halonar walked so Adonys could run.

Hadwyn couldn't imagine a celestial god being afraid of one small otherworlder. But then again, it was unclear whether Adonys's feats had been exaggerated, or if he had really achieved the impossible

And this came to the most common belief of how Adonys disappeared: The Gods killed him.

Hadwyn was no historian. So he would only leave his opinion. The gods probably did kill Adonys, but no one would ever really know if that were true or not.

Hadwyn grunted. Now that he has gotten it off his chest.