The three of them fell into an easy rhythm, their laughter and teasing filling the quiet space. For a moment, the weight of training and competition faded, replaced by the simple joy of camaraderie. And as the sun climbed higher in the sky, casting its warm light over the cafeteria, Towan couldn’t help but feel a sense of contentment. The road ahead was long, and the challenges would only grow tougher, but moments like these—shared with friends and family—made it all worthwhile.

"What do you mean, 'we ran through the forest'?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow at Towan.

"Isn’t that what we did?" Towan replied.

"Well… yeah, but I knew where we were going. Couldn’t you tell?"

"Uhh… no."

Elliot blinked at his brother, then sighed. “Seriously? You were just following me without a clue where we were going?”

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Towan shrugged. “I mean, you looked confident. Figured you knew what you were doing.”

Elliot pinched the bridge of his nose. “Unbelievable. What if I had led us in circles?”

Towan smirked. “Then we’d still be running, wouldn’t we?”

Sylra, who had been listening, shook her head with an amused grin. “You two are something else. And here I thought you had some grand strategy.”

Elliot crossed his arms. “I did have a plan. Unlike a certain someone who just went along with it.”

Towan leaned back, grinning. “Hey, we made it, didn’t we?”

Elliot sighed again, but there was no real frustration in it. “Barely.”

Sylra chuckled. “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t get eaten by something.”

Towan’s grin faltered slightly. “Wait… there were things that could’ve eaten us?”

Elliot and Sylra exchanged glances before bursting into laughter. Towan frowned. “That’s not funny.”

“It is when you realize how lucky you were,” Elliot said, shaking his head.

Towan groaned, dropping his head onto the table. “Great. Now I’m retroactively terrified.”

Sylra smirked. “Welcome to reality.”