The distant sounds of laughter, conversations, and the steady crackling of fire lingered behind them. Fading into soft background noise as they stood at the edge of the camp.
The warmth from the flas barely reached this far, leaving the space dim and colder, wrapped in a tension that felt separate from everything else.
Myles studied Michael in silence.
It didn’t take long. He saw the tightness in Michael’s face, the slight stiffness in his shoulders, and the way his gaze held just a bit too firm. Everything about him made it clear.
He wasn’t here for a casual talk.
"This is serious," Myles thought, his expression remaining calm.
Michael swallowed.
For a mont, he hesitated. And that alone irritated him.
He didn’t understand why.
Their height wasn’t that different. Their builds weren’t far apart either. If anything, he was slightly bigger. By all logic, there was no reason for him to feel this way.
But standing in front of Myles now...
Sothing felt off.
Not visible, or obvious.
But there was a pressure there. Subtle yet real pressure. Like sothing in the air around Myles made it harder for him to breathe properly.
Michael clenched his jaw. "Enough."
He didn’t co here to hesitate.
"I’ll get straight to it," he said, his voice firm. "What were you doing last night... with Lilian?"
Myles’ brows pulled together slightly.
"You were spying on ?" he asked, his tone calm but carrying a clear edge.
Michael didn’t look away.
"I need to make sure this camp is safe," he said. "You know what I’ve been through."
Myles sighed slowly. He understood. More than he wanted to.
Red had left a mark on him that wouldn’t disappear easily. That kind of betrayal didn’t fade. It stayed and turned into sothing else. Suspicion and paranoia.
Myles couldn’t bla him.
But that didn’t an he could answer.
"I’m sorry," Myles said. "That’s not sothing I can tell you."
"Why not?" Michael pressed, his voice rising slightly. "I need to know if you’re planning sothing."
Myles frowned deeper.
"I already told you," he said. "I’m not planning anything against you or your camp. Didn’t I promise to help you deal with Red?"
Michael didn’t back off.
"Then tell how you got this strong," he said. "Those weapons. That power. Where did you get it?"
Myles held his gaze.
"We got lucky," he said. "We found a rift outside this zone. We fought through it. That’s where we got them."
"Where?"
"Outside this zone."
Michael exhaled through his nose.
That answered nothing useful for him.
Leaving the camp for that long wasn’t an option.
"What level are you now?" he asked after a mont.
Myles didn’t hesitate.
"Around level thirty," he said. "Most of our strength cos from Ether Shards."
Michael nodded slowly. There was no way to verify that.
But he accepted it for now.
Silence settled between them again.
Then Michael spoke once more, his voice quieter this ti.
"I’ve got a bad feeling," he said. "If sothing happens... you help defend the camp. You promised."
Myles t his eyes without hesitation. "Of course."
That was enough.
Michael gave a small nod, then turned without another word.
He walked back toward the center of the camp, the firelight slowly reaching him again as he disappeared into the noise and warmth he had left behind.
The tension didn’t disappear. It just moved with him.
Myles watched Michael’s back as the man walked away, his figure slowly swallowed by the flickering firelight and the quiet movent of the camp. A sigh escaped him as he shook his head slightly.
It wasn’t a good feeling. Being questioned like that. Being watched.
But he understood. Trust didn’t co easily in this world. Not after what had happened. Not after what Michaael had been experiencing with Red.
"Can’t really bla him," Myles thought, again.
He turned and made his way back toward his group.
The sounds of the camp returned gradually as he stepped closer.
Then he saw Lilian standing where he had left her, but sothing had changed. Her expression no longer carried its usual calm indifference. Her face had turned more serious. Her gaze slightly distant as if she was focused on sothing far away.
Myles slowed.
"What’s wrong?" he asked.
Lilian’s eyes shifted toward him imdiately.
"I just received a ssage from Seraphina," she said.
Myles’ expression sharpened.
"A ssage?" he repeated.
"Suspicious movent has been detected in the north," Lilian continued.
Myles’ mind moved quickly. North. That was where Red’s camp was.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "What kind of movent?"
"A large force is gathering," Lilian said without hesitation.
Silence settled between them for a brief mont.
Then the realization ca together.
Myles exhaled slowly, his gaze turning colder.
"They’re preparing to move," he said.
There was no doubt in his mind now. Red wasn’t waiting anymore.
"So he’s making his move first," Myles thought.
That changed everything.
He needed to tell Michael. Imdiately.
But Myles’ brows pulled together slightly.
"How do I explain this?"
There was no clean answer or simple way to say that information ca from sothing Michael didn’t even fully understand or trust.
He clicked his tongue quietly under his breath.
Then he looked back at Lilian.
"Can you ask her sothing?" he said.
Lilian nodded. "What do you need to know?"
Myles’ eyes hardened slightly.
"Ask if she knows if they’re attacking tonight," he said.
Lilian didn’t respond verbally this ti.
Instead, her eyes suddenly glowed.
A faint crimson light spread across her irises, deep and unnatural. The air around her changed slightly, carrying a subtle pressure that didn’t belong to this world.
She stood still and completely silent.
Seconds passed.
Then the light faded.
Lilian blinked once before looking back at Myles.
"She heard them," Lilian said calmly. "One of them was speaking. They will attack tomorrow at midday."
Myles’ gaze darkened.
So that was the timing. Not imdiate. But close enough.
He sighed, his thoughts already moving ahead.
Tomorrow in the middle of the day. That ant they still had ti. But not much.
—
The night passed faster than it should have.
Darkness gave way to a bright blue sky, and soon after, the strange light of this world returned once again.
The camp slowly stirred awake. People moved between tents, so preparing for another hunt while others simply trying to maintain routine in a place where routine barely existed.
At the main gate, Myles and his group stood ready.
Michael stood a short distance away, already there as if he had been waiting. His eyes moved over them briefly before settling on Myles.
"We’ll head back to the sa area as yesterday," Myles said.
Michael gave a short nod. "Alright. Be careful."
No extra words or unnecessary tension this ti. Just a simple exchange.
Then they separated.
Myles and his group stepped out of the camp and began moving north once again.
The path felt familiar now. The terrain, architecture, the pressure in the air, even the faint traces of Ether lingering in the surroundings. But despite that familiarity, sothing sat quietly in the back of Myles’ mind.
Last night’s information hadn’t left him. Red would attack today. Midday.
He had already told his group everything before they rested last night. Every detail Lilian received. The timing, and the scale.
And just like he expected, none of them panicked.
They walked with their usual relaxed posture and light steps. They showed no visible fear, only focus.
They were confident. They had grown strong enough to be confident even in that situation.
"Good. At least I don’t need to worry about that too much," Myles thought.
For now, their goal was simple. Move out and make a confirmation. Then return and inform Michael.
Everything followed a clear line.
Lilian suddenly slowed. Then stopped.
Her movent alone was enough to draw everyone’s attention.
Myles turned imdiately. "What’s wrong?"
Lilian didn’t answer right away.
Her gaze lifted upward toward the sky. Her expression tightened slightly in a way that didn’t happen often.
"Sothing’s different," she said quietly.
The group stilled.
A faint unease spread between them.
Myles’ eyes narrowed. "Different how?"
Lilian didn’t look at him.
Her eyes remained fixed above, as if she was trying to read sothing invisible.
"I have a bad feeling," she said.
That was enough. The mood shifted instantly.
Sothing that could make Lilian react like this wasn’t simple.
Victor straightened slightly. Ethan’s hand moved instinctively toward his pistols.
"What do you an?" Ethan asked, his voice sharper now. "What’s wrong?"
Lilian finally spoke again, but slower this ti.
"I don’t know," she admitted. "This world... it’s too chaotic now. I can’t read it clearly anymore."
Her words didn’t ease anything. If anything, they made it worse.
Then a sudden warmth spread through the air.
Myles’ eyes widened slightly.
The others reacted instantly.
Weapons were drawn. Stances tightened.
A figure descended.
She landed beside Myles with precise control. Her presence cut through the tension and gave them shock.
It was Seraphina.
The group reacted imdiately and prepared to attack.
"Wait," Myles said quickly, raising a hand.
They stopped.
"It’s fine," he added. "She’s with us."
The tension didn’t disappear completely, but it stopped for now, though with shock.
Seraphina didn’t waste ti. Her eyes locked onto Myles.
"The leader of that group," she said. Her voice was calm, but sothing underneath it carried weight. "He has the Blood Sun Embryo."
Silence fell instantly. The words sank in.
And even without fully understanding what that ant they knew that it was bad.
—
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