Kalvin, confused by Ivan's sudden declaration, turned around. His eyes widened in horror.
Jomana was standing right behind his brother, Kevin. The sharp, stone tip of her spear was pressed firmly against the side of his neck.
"So," Ivan said, his voice calm and steady. "Admit that you lost."
Kalvin gritted his teeth, his face turning red with fury. "What the fuck is that? Ivan, you said it was a duel between two future knights!"
"Yes, it was," Ivan replied coolly. "And you lost."
"Cut the crap! I didn't! I was beating his ass!"
"Yes, I saw that," Ivan said with a shrug. "So what? Stop embarrassing yourself. You're coming with me to my camp."
"I don't trust you now!" Kalvin yelled, his voice cracking with rage. "How can I trust you when you betrayed me? Me and Leo had a duel!"
"Mhm, I know," Ivan said, his expression unreadable. "You don't have to trust me. But as long as you are on my good side, I'll use my mind to help you, just as I did now with Leonardo. I don't throw my people away. I do whatever I can to help them."
Ivan then turned his attention to Jomana. Lyraena was now walking slowly out from the trees, her eyes scanning the scene as if she didn't have a care in the world.
"But how did you find us?" Leonardo asked Jomana, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip.
"Ivan told us," Jomana explained, her gaze never leaving Kevin. "Whoever came back to the camp first should go after the others if they're not back soon. He said maybe they're in trouble."
"And why didn't you tell me?" Leonardo asked Ivan, looking betrayed.
"I'm sorry," Ivan said with a playful, unapologetic smile, offering no real explanation.
He then turned to Lyraena, his entire demeanor changing. "Yo, Lyraena! I brought you a bow, because yours was broken."
He took Kevin's bow and presented it to her. This final act of disrespect made Kalvin snap.
"Hey, asshole!" he screamed. "At this point, just eliminate us!"
Ivan shook his head. "We had a deal. If we won, you're coming with us. Eliminating you was never an option."
"Fuck you!"
Ivan gave him a long, cold look, then completely dismissed him. He hopped over to Lyraena like a gentle lamb, forgetting about his injured thigh for a moment as he handed her the bow.
Lyraena took it, testing its weight. "I see you got yourself injured again," she said, her voice flat. "I'm seriously thinking about taking the twins with me and just throwing you here."
"Eeeh! You can't be serious!" Ivan whined, his confidence evaporating. "I'm injured! I can't take care of myself now. You should take care of me, not throw me away."
"Yeah, don't worry," she said, not looking at him. "I won't throw you away. You're still useful. Not sure about taking care of you, though."
"That's enough for me," Ivan said with a relieved smile.
Kevin had been completely silent under Jomana's spear. She watched him with an intense focus, and every time he even thought about moving, she would press the spear tip a little harder into his skin, a silent, sharp reminder.
"Brother," Kevin said finally, his voice calm and resigned. "Let's follow them for now. A war isn't a fair fight, and we lost this war."
Kalvin sighed, the anger draining out of him, replaced by weary defeat. He nodded at his twin's request. "This isn't the end, Prince."
Ivan stopped and looked at him for a long time, then sighed himself. "I'm not gathering people to assert my dominance," he said, his voice suddenly serious. "Me and Leo were lost and found a cave. We walked inside, and there was a huge bear beast sleeping in there. I'm gathering people to survive."
Except for Leonardo, everyone else seemed surprised. Jomana immediately looked at Leo's face for confirmation, and he gave her a slow, grim nod.
Lyraena's expression turned cold. "Why didn't you tell us earlier about that?"
"But I told you now," Ivan said, trying to sound casual. "It's okay."
"It's not okay," she shot back, her voice sharp with betrayal. "I took you in. I fed you. Yet you kept such a secret from us. This isn't a joke, Ivan. A bear beast is a real problem."
She took a step closer, her eyes narrowed. "Is that why you asked me if I could kill a grizzly bear?"
Ivan nodded, a flicker of hope in his eyes. He was hoping she had a solution.
"Then no," she said, crushing that hope instantly. "I don't think a grizzly bear has a weak point. You have to be stronger than it to kill it. Which our group clearly isn't."
Ivan remained silent. A knot formed in his chest. Lyraena was really mad at him, and he hated that feeling more than any injury.
"Jomana," Lyraena said, turning her back on him. "Let's go to the camp."
She started leading the way, not caring who was following her and who wasn't.
'Fuck that,' Ivan thought, watching her walk away. 'Now that I've gathered six people, the same as Marcus, I'm losing them again. Fuck, I hate this.'
He walked at the very back of the group, not even wanting to speak with anyone else.
When they reached their camp, they lit a fire. The twins sat on one side, sullen and separate. The mood was heavy with unspoken tension. They started grilling some of the dog beast meat that was beginning to show signs of going bad, wanting to eat it before it became completely rotten.
Leonardo threw himself down on the ground next to Ivan.
"Hey," he said quietly. "I think you should apologize to Lyraena. You can't just shut your mouth."
Ivan remained silent, just giving him a small, almost imperceptible nod.
After a few minutes of tense silence, Ivan stood up. He walked over to where Lyraena was sitting, staring into the fire.
"Hey, Lyraena," he said, his voice quiet. "Let's go find some water."
She didn't look at him. "Go with someone else."
"I have something to talk to you about."
Lyraena looked over at Jomana, who gave her a slight nod of encouragement. She stood up and started walking away from the camp, expecting him to follow, or maybe not even caring if he did.
As they moved away from the firelight, into the damp darkness, she spoke without looking back, her voice cold and distant.
"What is it about?"