Just as Elara's convoy gradually drove away, disappearing at the edge of the snowstorm, the small town left behind was plunged into a frenzied and bizarre atmosphere, completely different from the one inside the vehicles.
The scrawny woman stared blankly at the case of instant noodles and supplies Elara's group had left, then looked up in the direction they had departed. The blueprint of the "temporary base" that Cassian had described, like a stone thrown into stagnant water, created huge ripples in her heart.
In her eyes, the dim, ash-like despair was replaced by a new, startlingly fanatical light!
She spun around abruptly, one hand gripping the little blond boy's hand so tightly it nearly crushed his wrist, making him grimace in pain.
Her other hand she raised high, like a zealous believer, and shouted to the crowd of numb, bewildered elderly, women, and children behind her, her voice hoarse and full of incitement:
"Did you hear that! Did you all hear what they said! There's a safe place in this damn world! There's endless food! We can't just sit here and wait to die anymore!"
Her voice grew louder, more agitated!
"For Xiao Mu! For ourselves! For... a better tomorrow!"
As her final cry fell, a powerful wave of energy, filled with destruction and combustion, erupted from her as its center!
"WHOOSH—!"
A circle of blazing, crimson flames ignited around her out of thin air, illuminating her thin figure like a goddess of vengeance emerging from hell!
Her eyes, reflected in the firelight, grew brighter, terrifyingly so!
She, it turned out, was also a fire-ability user! It was just that her previous despair and numbness had made her forget the existence of this power!
And the crowd of survivors behind her, who had been treading water, not knowing where to go, upon seeing the flames ignite on her and hearing her inflammatory words, began to have the numb lifelessness fade from their eyes, replaced by a rekindled desire for life!
They, this group of people abandoned by fate in a forgotten corner, finally began to try and turn the heavy, long-rusted gears of their own destiny.
And their story, on some future day, would once again intersect and collide with Elara's path, awaiting their next encounter.
...
In the convoy.
Vespera curiously looked at the gradually clearing silhouette of the city's southeastern district up ahead. She pointed, then looked at Zephyr, who was driving, her eyes full of inquiry.
Zephyr saw Vespera's gesture in the rearview mirror, and the lines of his usually stern face seemed to soften. For once, in an almost "gentle" tone, he quietly replied, "We're very close. If the road is clear, we should be there by tomorrow."
Jorah, sitting beside him, heard Zephyr's practically "spring-breeze-like" tone and immediately felt unbalanced, starting to complain loudly, "Hey! Zephyr! How come you're so gentle with her? With me, it's all hauling and carrying!"
Before Zephyr could answer, Seraph, next to him, had already rolled her eyes and said irritably, "She's just a little girl. You're a nearly six-foot-tall man. Can you really compare yourself to her? Have some shame, will you?"
As she spoke, she affectionately ruffled Vespera's soft, curly hair. With a flick of her finger, a small flame danced and condensed in her palm, finally transforming into a lifelike, tiny, burning fire butterfly.
The fire butterfly flapped its wings and slowly flew in front of Vespera, radiating a warm but not scorching light and heat, exquisitely beautiful.
Vespera's small face, illuminated by the warm flames, glowed red. She extended her small hand, carefully letting the fire butterfly land on her fingertip, a bright and happy smile spreading across her face.
"You want that kind of gentle treatment too?" Hearing Jorah's "accusatory" tone, Elara turned her head and gave him an extremely "kind" smile. In a polite voice, she said, "It's not impossible. I remember there are still a few dresses in the trunk that Seraph and I haven't worn..."
Though she didn't finish her sentence, the meaning was crystal clear.
Jorah's hackles rose instantly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He pointed at Elara, sputtering with indignation, "You... how could you do this to me! I... I'm your landlord, for crying out loud! I'm the one who rented you your house!" He tried to use his pitiful "landlord" status to reclaim a shred of dignity.
"Ohh~" Elara deliberately drew out the sound, retorting in a light, teasing tone, "Then we should really thank our dear landlord, shouldn't we? If you hadn't so 'generously' rented the house to me, where would I have gotten the opportunity to go into that 'cocoon' in the jewelry store and rescue you?"
"You!" Jorah was rendered speechless by Elara's comeback, his face flushing red, but he couldn't find a single reason to refute it.
Zephyr, who was driving, seemed to hear the commotion in the back and glanced over via the rearview mirror.
However, before he could even say anything, Jorah, as if predicting his "bias," preemptively looked at him with an extremely wronged expression and accused, "You, you're going to take her side again, aren't you?"
Seeing Jorah's on-the-verge-of-tears, 'I've-been-wronged-by-the-world' expression, even a perennial iceberg like Zephyr was at a loss for words. His silver eyes stared impassively at Jorah for a second, and then, silently, without a word, he turned his gaze back to the road and continued to drive with focus.
"Pfft—" Seraph couldn't help but let out a smug laugh at this scene, mercilessly puncturing Zephyr's pathetic "disguise." "See? He just can't be bothered with you."
"Hmph!" Jorah, seeing this, knew he couldn't win against this "gang." He could only turn away in a huff, pick up one of the roasted wild rabbits from their previous campfire, viciously tear off a leg, and start gnawing on it as if to vent his frustration, mumbling indistinctly, "Can't win against you people..."
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you," Elara said, seeing that Jorah was genuinely starting to sulk. She sat down next to him, patted his shoulder, and said in a tone tinged with sincerity, "Seriously, though, Jorah is our great hero. If you think about it, these last few critical events were all successfully resolved because of you. Whether it was that terrifying mother tree, or... me, ahem, I mean, your ability is really important."
Hearing Elara's heartfelt "praise," Jorah's expression finally improved. His bruised little heart received some comfort. However, still not entirely appeased, he gently kicked Zephyr's shin, who was sitting opposite him, and huffed, "Did you hear that? See how well Elara speaks."
Zephyr didn't even lift an eyelid, completely ignoring his provocation.
And Cassian, who had been quietly observing this "farce" from the side, finally couldn't help but let out a low chuckle. In a teasing tone, he said softly:
"That's not necessarily true. You have to consider what the relationship between you two is now."
Cassian smiled as he glanced at Zephyr. Zephyr still didn't look up.