I sat in silence, Natasha on my left and Silver's uncle on my right. We had gathered in his house, but despite the company, an oppressive stillness hung over the room.
Our minds were occupied by a single problem, how to obtain Herb D.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Yet Silver never came.
A part of me had expected her to appear eventually, but as the silence stretched on, I realized she had meant every word she said.
I couldn't blame her.
Nor could I stop her.
Perhaps this was for the best.
She deserved someone far better than me.
Someone who wouldn't drag her into endless danger.
Someone whose existence wasn't followed by death and chaos.
If she stayed by my side, her life would forever be at risk.
No matter how much I wanted otherwise, the truth remained unchanged.
It was better if our paths separated here.
Besides...
I still had Violet.
The thought felt hollow the moment it crossed my mind.
Who was I trying to deceive?
I had never truly loved Violet.
Not once.
Not in the way a man was supposed to love a woman.
Years ago, she had saved me from death when I stood on the edge of oblivion.
Since then, I had carried a crushing sense of gratitude toward her. Somewhere along the way, I had mistaken that gratitude for love.
Warmth for affection.
Friendship for romance.
Debt for devotion.
But meeting Silver had forced me to confront a truth I had spent years avoiding.
Whatever existed between Violet and me was never love.
Not even close.
What I felt was indebtedness.
Nothing more.
Violet had given me a second chance at life, and I intended to repay that debt.
I would obtain the remaining two herbs.
I would save her.
Just as she had once saved me.
Only then would the scales finally balance.
Only then would I be free.
Silver was right.
I had changed.
The man who once manipulated others to achieve his goals was slowly disappearing.
For the first time in centuries, I no longer wanted to use people for my own selfish desires.
After leaving Silver, I sought out Natasha.
I told her the truth.
I told her I didn't want her to feel obligated to me.
I told her I could never return her feelings.
And I warned her that helping me wouldn't change that.
All it would do was place her in harm's way.
She listened quietly before offering me a small smile.
"I understand," she said.
Yet despite her understanding, she refused to take back her promise.
She had already chosen her path.
She would help me obtain the remaining herbs.
No matter the cost.
In the end, I stopped arguing.
She was free to make her own decisions.
Whatever happened from this point onward would be by her own choice.
And so, we gathered at Lord Lugard's house to discuss our next move.
Unaware that the path ahead was about to become far darker than any of us could imagine.
"Congratulations once again on obtaining Herb C," Lord Lugard said.
Natasha smiled proudly while I gave a small nod.
"So, how do we get Herb D?" I asked.
"We should first know what Herb D is," Natasha said.
"No need," Lord Lugard replied. "I already know where it can be found."
My attention sharpened instantly.
"Where?"
"In a remote, uncivilized region inhabited by a savage tribe. The place is ruled by an evil shaman who possesses Herb D."
"Good," I said. "Then all we need is the location."
Lord Lugard sighed.
"If only it were that simple."
Natasha folded her arms.
"When has any of our quests ever been simple?"
A faint smile appeared on Lord Lugard's face.
"This is different. These people are extremely dangerous. They don't welcome outsiders."
He paused.
"They eat them."
The room fell silent.
Natasha grimaced.
"That's disgusting."
"How did the one survivor escape?" I asked.
"He fought his way out?" Natasha guessed.
Lord Lugard shook his head.
"No. He survived because he pretended to be one of them."
Natasha brightened.
"Then that's easy. We just pretend too."
Lord Lugard burst into laughter.
"You greatly underestimate them. To pass as one of their kind, your fingernails must resemble claws. Your hair must be long, tangled, and unkempt. Your skin must be roughened by years of neglect."
Natasha's confidence faltered.
"Well... if we stopped taking care of ourselves for a year, we might almost fit in."
Even she didn't sound convinced.
"I don't have a year," I said coldly.
Violet was running out of time.
Lord Lugard leaned forward.
"And that's not even the worst part. To truly blend in, you would have to eat raw meat dripping with blood. You would have to drink blood as well. Only then would they consider you one of them."
Natasha looked ready to throw up.
Honestly, I wasn't sure I could stomach it either.
"There has to be another way," I muttered.
An idea suddenly came to me.
"What if we sneak in and steal Herb D?"
Natasha's eyes lit up immediately.
"I've never stolen anything before, but I have a feeling this would make an excellent adventure."
She grinned.
"I'm in."
Lord Lugard rubbed his forehead.
"Even if you somehow get inside unnoticed, Herb D itself is a carnivorous plant. And its location is heavily guarded."
His gaze settled on me.
"This mission will be far more dangerous than you realize."
"Violet's life depends on that herb," I said firmly.
"I'll risk everything to get it."
Lord Lugard's expression darkened.
"Including Natasha's life?"
Before I could answer, Natasha spoke.
"This is an adventure I refuse to miss. Sorry, Mister Charles."
Lord Lugard sighed in defeat.
"Very well. But I won't be joining you. At least my niece had the good sense to withdraw from this madness."
"Actually..."
A familiar voice echoed from behind us.
"I'm no longer backing out."
My heart skipped a beat.
I turned.
Silver stood in the doorway.
For a moment, I wondered if I was imagining things.
What was she doing here?
She had left.
She had chosen to walk away.
Hadn't she?
Lord Lugard chuckled.
"Looks like I spoke too soon."
Natasha smirked.
"Well, if it isn't the quitter."
Silver scoffed.
"You really thought you could complete this mission without me?"
"It's good to have you back, Silver," Natasha said with a smile. "I was starting to feel lonely being the only girl."
"You mean the only baby."
Silver laughed.
Natasha gasped dramatically.
"How dare you!"
The tension in the room instantly eased.
I studied Silver carefully.
She looked different.
Lighter.
The sadness and frustration from our last conversation had faded.
Then her gaze met mine.
"Hello, Zoah."
A smile tugged at her lips.
I found myself speechless.
"You said you were done with this mission."
"I was."
She shrugged.
"Then I had a change of heart."
"Why?" I asked.
My pulse quickened.
"You could get hurt."
Silver rolled her eyes.
"Trust me, Zoah. I'm not here because of you."
Her lips curved into a teasing smile.
"I'm here because there's something I need to find out."
Something she needed to find out?
What could that possibly mean?
Before I could ask, she looked away.
And strangely...
I didn't care.
Not in that moment.
Because despite everything that had happened between us...
Silver was back.
And for the first time that day, a genuine smile found its way onto my face.
The darkness ahead remained unchanged.
The dangers were still waiting.
But somehow...
The journey no longer felt quite so impossible.