CHAPTER 22
---
One day had passed since they left Lumeria.
One day since Theron died.
The group moved in silence, their footsteps heavy against the dirt road. The sky was gray, the air thick with moisture that clung to their skin but never quite became rain.
Kael walked at the front, his eyes fixed on the horizon. He hadn't spoken since they left the docks. Hadn't looked at anyone. Hadn't stopped moving except when his body forced him to.
Behind him, Alkeos walked with his head down, his father's sword strapped to his back. His hands were clenched at his sides, his jaw tight. Every few minutes, he'd glance back—like he expected Theron to be there, adjusting his glasses, saying something clever.
He never was.
Liora walked beside Rynn, her eyes red and swollen. She'd stopped crying hours ago, but her face was still streaked with dried tears. She kept replaying it in her mind—Theron's voice, calm and steady, telling them to run. The way he'd smiled. The way he'd turned back.
The way Lysandra had killed him without hesitation.
Rynn was the only one who looked forward. Her expression was hard, controlled, but her hands were shaking. She kept them tucked into her pockets so no one would notice.
No one spoke.
The silence stretched on, heavy and suffocating.
---
They stopped at midday near a small stream.
Kael sat down on a rock and stared at the water. His reflection looked back at him—bruised, bloodied, hollow.
Alkeos dropped to the ground nearby, his back against a tree. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.
Liora sat beside the stream, her hands resting in the water. It was cold. She didn't care.
Rynn stood apart from them, her arms crossed, her gaze distant.
Minutes passed.
Then Alkeos spoke, his voice quiet. "We should have stayed."
Kael didn't respond.
"We should have fought harder," Alkeos continued. "We should have—"
"We would have died," Rynn said flatly.
Alkeos looked at her. "Maybe. But at least—"
"At least what?" Rynn's voice was sharp now. "At least we'd all be dead? At least Theron's sacrifice would have been for nothing?"
Alkeos flinched.
Rynn exhaled and looked away. "He stayed so we could live. Don't insult him by wishing you'd died too."
Alkeos didn't answer. He just stared at the ground.
Liora's voice was barely a whisper. "I keep thinking... if I'd been stronger. If I'd just—"
"Stop," Kael said.
Everyone looked at him.
He didn't turn around. He just kept staring at the water. "It doesn't matter what we could have done. We weren't strong enough. That's all there is to it."
His voice was cold, distant.
Liora's breath hitched. "Kael—"
"We lost because we were weak." Kael's fists clenched. "And Theron died because of it."
Silence.
Alkeos looked at him, his jaw tight. "Then what do we do?"
Kael didn't answer.
---
Rynn spoke first.
"There's a place we can go."
Everyone turned to her.
She was still standing apart from them, her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the horizon. "An island. Between Lumeria and Kazan. It's called Dream Land."
Alkeos frowned. "Dream Land?"
"It's isolated. Dangerous. Full of monsters and toxic gases from a volcano." Rynn looked at them. "But it's empty. No people. No guards. No Elite Force."
Kael finally turned. "Why would we go there?"
"Because we need time." Rynn's voice was steady. "Time to rest. Time to think. Time to figure out what the hell we're going to do next."
Liora looked down. "We can't just... hide."
"We're not hiding," Rynn said. "We're regrouping."
Alkeos shook his head. "We don't have time to regroup. The longer we wait, the more people die. The more the system spreads."
"And if we charge in now, we die." Rynn's eyes were hard. "We're not ready. You saw what Lysandra did to us. She didn't even try, and we couldn't touch her."
Kael stared at her. "So what? We just run away?"
"We prepare." Rynn stepped closer. "We get stronger. We figure out how to actually fight them instead of throwing ourselves at them like idiots."
Alkeos looked at Kael. "What do you think?"
Kael didn't answer right away. He looked at the water again, at his reflection.
*Theron's voice echoed in his mind.*
*"Someone has to. And if not me, then who?"*
Kael closed his eyes.
Then he stood. "We go to the island."
Liora looked up. "Kael—"
"We're not strong enough," Kael said quietly. "Not yet. If we keep going like this, we'll all die. And then everything Theron did... everything Father Aldric did... it'll be for nothing."
He looked at them—at Alkeos, at Liora, at Rynn. "We go to the island. We rest. We train. And then we finish this."
Alkeos stared at him for a long moment. Then he nodded. "Okay."
Liora wiped her eyes and stood. "Okay."
Rynn exhaled slowly. "Good."
---
They packed what little they had and started walking again.
The silence wasn't gone. But it was lighter now. Less suffocating.
Kael walked at the front, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
Behind him, Alkeos adjusted the strap on his sword.
Liora walked beside Rynn, her breathing steadier.
And Rynn looked ahead, her jaw set.
The road stretched on.
And somewhere in the distance, an island waited.
---
**END OF CHAPTER 22**