Silence settled over the room after Luke finished recounting everything that had happened during the trip.
He spared them the finer details, only mentioning the initial ambush, the incident involving the Chief, and the events that unfolded in the forest the previous day.
"We would've stayed another day if everything hadn't descended into chaos," Luke admitted. "The place itself was beautiful. It's the people living there who ruined it."
Gustav was the first to find his voice.
"So much..." he murmured. "You all had to endure so much. All this time, we sat around this table talking about how much fun you must've been having after being away for so long..."
His expression tightened.
"...while the truth was that you were barely making it through each day."
Even Lex, who had grown indifferent to most things lately, was too stunned to react.
He remained standing with his arms folded, his eyes fixed on the floor.
