"Robin."
Robin immediately gets startled from the voice calling her, her eyes shoot wide open as she looks up, her little hands holding her teddy bear tightly.
"What's wrong, honey?" She asks back, raising an eyebrow, seemingly confused at her reaction. "You seem to be having a nightmare."
"I-I..." Robin stays silent for a moment. "It's... nothing."
"Good." Her mother says blankly. "I need you to stay in the car while I go to get the groceries, alright?" She says, her voice suddenly dripping with sweetness.
"Y-yes." Robin responds shakily, her mind still trying to process everything.
"Good, love you." And then her mother just slams the car's door shut.
Robin continues to stare at her mother's back through the car's window as she slowly disappears from her sight.
Everything feels... wrong. Too wrong.
'Maybe I should just stay here like mother asked.' She thinks to herself, but still can't help the feeling that something bad is going to happen.
10 minutes...
20 minutes...
40 minutes...
It has been... one hour, or more. She thinks she has lost the track of time long ago.
And... is it just her or the car feels hotter every second?
Her clothes have already been soaked with her sweats as she sits firmly on her seat, not daring to move evenings the heat of the car is increasing more and more.
She doesn't want to disappoint mother.
"So... hot..." She mumbles under her breath, her vision becomes blurry as she struggles to keep her mind clear, her face full of sweats.
That's when she hears it. Footsteps.
"M-mother?" She turns to the same car's door her mother has previously slammed shut, a small smile appears on her face as her mother finally comes back.
Or so she thought.
In a fraction of a second, the car's window shatters as multiple hands shoot right at her direction.
The girl didn't even have time to react before one of them grabs her arm, then more and more start grabbing at her, pulling her towards them.
"N-No...NO!" She screams in terror, tears streaming down her face as she tries to escape their grasps, but she couldn't with her strength.
Her Mother will come and save her. That's right, she would. She would save her. She's always been by her side.
She would come.
...
Right?
–––––––––––––––
Robin wakes up startled, sweats all over her face and collarbone.
It was a nightmare.
"...What?.." She breathes out heavily, still couldn't quite process what just happened.
It feels... realistic. Almost as if that wasn't quite a dream at all.
"God..." She sighs quietly, sitting up as one of her hands pulls her hair back. "That was... strange."
But it didn't take long before her attention is diverted away from the dream.
She feels... something heavy on her other arm.
"What?–" She freezes almost instantly upon seeing the cause. It was Lucius, laying right next to her, his arms wrapping around hers tightly, almost like hugging a body pillow.
His brown fur leather jacket was taken off, showing his sleeveless turtleneck beneath, hugging his physique to the point every single curve and muscle can be seen easily.
Her brain takes another long, processing moment before her cheeks become flushed. The only thing she can think is. Why the fuck is he laying on the same bed with her?
The sight isn't exactly explicit, but they could still be mistaken for lovers if anyone walks in on them like this, right now.
"What the fuck..." Robin curses under her breath, her eyes never once leaving his figure.
He looked quite peaceful like this. She thought. Unlike the tensed up boy she's first seen.
Her hand instinctively reaches out at his hair, as though she wants to try out the softness that it gives away.
"Touch me, and don't blame me once I break your fingers." She almost jumps, literally, as he parts his mouth and speaks up in a low, sleepy voice.
"I- Uh... Sorry." She immediately retreats her hand, scratching her face nervously.
Lucius just lets out a low hum before releasing her arm and sitting up, stretching himself a little. "Get ready." He says, putting on his leather jacket. "The others are waiting outside."
Just as he stands up from the bed, Robin asks nervously. "Why did you sleep on my bed, anyway?"
The guy stays silent for a moment. "You looked scared last night."
"What?" She seems surprised and confused by his answer.
"You were having a nightmare and were trembling." He elaborates. "But when I held you hand, you stopped and your breathing became steady again." He continues with a small scoff. "But I cannot stay up late all night now, can I?"
"O-oh." Something in Robin's brain finally clicks things together, a faint shade of red crawls into her face. "Thanks...?"
"Whatever." Lucius scoffs again, taking a few steps forwards to the other bad then picks up the backpack sitting on it and throws it at her, which she clumsily catches. "Get ready fast, I'll be waiting outside."
Then he walks out of the tent and vanishes.
"God. That was weird as hell." Robin mumbles under her breath, still quiet flushed after the interaction.
She lets out a loud sigh, and when she looks to her other side.
"Viktor was actually right, you guys are quite close." There Freya is, sitting on a wooden stoll right next to Robin's bed, her usual warm smile never once leaves her face as she looks at Robin.
"Ah..."
Robin's face immediately becomes bright red as she starts stuttering, trying to explain something, anything. "I-It's not what you thought it is, Miss Freya!"
"Oh it's alright, I totally understand." She chuckles lightheartedly, but the look in her eyes suggests that she knows damn well things might just be what she thinks it is.
"Oh God..." Robin puts her head in her palms, her red ears hint at her embarrassment and defeat.
Freya just lets out another warm-hearted chuckling, before handing her a brown backpack. "Anyways, here's your belongings, Viktor told me to give you it after you wake up. Like Lucius said, everyone is waiting outside."
"Ah, yes, of course." Robin immediately snaps out of her embarrassment and gets off the bed.
Freya just nods and walks outside, leaving the grill some spaces to change her clothes.
–––––––––––––––
"What do you mean this GUY is going with us?!" Keziah whines in annoyance, pointing her finger at Lucius, who looks just as annoyed at her attitude. "H-he's rude!"
"Yeah, but, he's a Tier III, he can help us on this journey, regarding the fact that most of you aren't yet Tier I." Viktor lets out a quiet sigh at Keziah's childish behavior, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"A Tier III? If I'm not wrong, that means he's level 30 or above?" Marcello raises an eyebrow as his gaze steers to Lucius.
Lucius is young. Perhaps the same age as Robin and Akira. But the fact that he's already Tier III said a lot about his talent and potential.
"Yes, you're right. To be specific, Lucius is currently level 34, which is pretty impressive for a pre-adult." Viktor quickly proves Marcello's statement true.
Just then, quick footsteps can be heard, making the group erupts into silence as they collectively turn to the direction of the sounds.
It was Robin.
"Hah... Oh God." Her chest falls and rises with uneven, ragged breath, as if she's been running all the way here.
Well, she did.
"S-sorry..." Robin takes another moment to calm down her worked up body. "Did you all wait for long?"
"Not quite." Akira responds with a deadpan face. "I'm actually surprised you wake up so early and recover so quickly, just yesterday you weren't even able to get off the bed." Akira's eyebrows furrow slightly. "And as a medical student, I must say that is quite... unnatural."
"Maybe my ability to recover is just good?" Robin tilts her head, but she flinches slightly upon seeing everyone's gazes on her. "Uh... well, yeah, it's kind of insane, I guess."
Robin then scans her eyes over the group, and quickly notices some... differences.
"Wait." She raises an eyebrow. "Where's Aysen? And who's that girl?" She gestures vaguely to the girl standing next to Keziah.
The girl is... short, probably only one or two inches taller than Keziah. Her black hair is gathered into a long, neat braid. Her dark brown eyes gleaming with joy but also a little nervousness when Robin asks about her.
She must say, that girl looks quite familiar...
"Oh, her?" Keziah's eyes light up the moment Robin mentions it. "This is Suzie! My best friend! The girl you saw waving at me yesterday."
Oh, Robin remembers now.
"Oh... But why is she here? And where is Aysen?" Robin still looks confused.
"Well, not everyone can go." Viktor says. "Some groups chose not to go, and that includes Suzie's group. In fact, she was the only one going, because none of her teammates are willing to go, and her guide is a nurse here, he can't just leave." He elaborates. "So she will go with us instead."
"Oh... That's- bad." Robin squints her eyes, mentally taking note of the may-be-a-fact that everyone is seemingly avoid talking about Aysen. "Where is Aysen?"
"That's– uh." Viktor looks physically nervous for the first time they've ever met. "Well. He already left yesterday."
Silence immediately washes over the whole group as Viktor finishes his statement.
"He..what?" Robin's expression becomes perplexed as she struggles to understand how Aysen had left while they all haven't yet set off.
"You know, his family's rich." Marcello shrugs. "His personal aeroplane has come yesterday. I presume he's already at Harvick Town."
"You can't be serious..." Realization hits Robin like a truck, her eyes narrow.
"Dead serious." Akira continues, her arms crossing over her chest.
"So you mean to tell me he left without saying a word?" Robin raises an eyebrow.
"Yes, I only knew when his personal butler called this morning." Viktor pinches the bridge of his nose as he mumbles under his breath. "What a man-child."
Robin also lets out a reluctant sigh. "So, we walk, while he has his own aeroplane. Sounds nice."
"He could've brought us there too!" Keziah stomps her foot irritatedly. "I knew that man is mean." She huffs
"Alright, stop complaining." Viktor immediately draws their attention to him. "The others are already at the edge of forest, we should go now."
Everyone exchanges glances, then nods before following behind Viktor towards the forest.
Robin feels a shiver down her spine the moment she sees the forests towering trees, remembering the experiences she's faced inside, the feeling of pain still lingers even after she recovered.
Lucius, upon noticing her distress, leans in closer and whispers. "Don't worry, you've already known the forest, and we have more people this time, it'll be fine."
Robin's shoulders visibly relax as she hears Lucius's reassurance. "Yeah, thanks." She smiles.
A small smile tugs at Lucius's lips but it vanishes as quickly as it appears as he walks faster, now strolling in front of Robin.
Robin's smile stays for a few moments before it disappears, a bad feeling rising inside her chest.
She has a feeling that this journey might not be as ordinary as it seems.
Maybe she should stop overthrowing and just focus on the task at hand, but the feeling lingers no matter how hard she tries to shake it off.
The future always holds mysteries and unexpected surprises after all.