Caelan, Rong Ye, and Jae walked silently along the riverbank, their clothes soaked and exhaustion etched on their faces. They had been searching for hours without success. There were no footprints, no sign of Rhys or Eun-woo. Nothing.
"They're not here," Rong Ye said, stopping in his tracks. "They're dead."
Jae raised his head, his eyes red with frustration.
"Don't say that."
"What other explanation is there?" Rong Ye said, turning to him. "Rhys was injured, and Eun-woo… he couldn't even control his powers. If the river didn't sweep them away, something else did."
"I should have done something…" Jae replied. "I should have helped them."
Rong Ye gritted his teeth and glared at him angrily.
"And what were you going to do, Jae? If that useless Eun-woo couldn't do anything, what makes you think you could have saved anyone?"
"Don't talk about him like that!" Jae shouted, taking a step forward. "At least he tried!"
