'How long has it been?'
The cavern stretched on like a throat swallowing them whole.
Every step sounded the same—boots sloshing in ankle-deep water, drone lights buzzing faintly overhead, droplets dripping from jagged stone.
The silence was worse than the noise, thick and heavy, pressing against Eli's ribs until each breath hurt.
It hadn't been forever. Just an hour. An hour since the gate vanished. An hour since they'd almost drowned.
An hour for Kairo and Mio.
For Eli, it felt like years.
'I feel bad.' His lips pressed into a tight line. 'Kairo's bleeding himself dry, and he hasn't slowed down once. Mio's carrying two unconscious people. And then there's me...I can't even sense danger right now. I'm just dead weight.'
Kairo didn't complain. He never did. His stride stayed steady, his shoulder hard against Eli's stomach as he carried him like he weighed nothing.
His obsidian sword hung low, always ready, the faint red glimmer of the drones flashing across its edge.
