The forest path stretched long and quiet as Kana, Lysera, and Irielle trudged toward the place where they had left the carriage behind.
The morning sun filtered through the canopy, soft rays dappling the dirt road, yet none of them carried the lightness such a scene should inspire.
When they arrived, the sight that greeted them left all three standing in silence.
The carriage they had borrowed was little more than a ruin.
The wood had splintered, the wheels were broken beyond repair, and the frame itself sagged to the side, as if even gravity pitied its collapse.
Birds nested in the cracks, and weeds had begun to creep up the wheels.
Irielle let out a sharp whistle.
"Well. It certainly looks worse than when we left it."
Kana rubbed the back of her neck, guilt pricking her conscience.
"This… this was borrowed. What are we going to tell the company when we return? They'll think we just abandoned it in the middle of nowhere."
