Jack stared blankly after hearing what Lea had to say.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Jack said quietly.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"It is what it is," Lea finally replied. "And what's with all these questions all of a sudden?"
"No reason," Jack answered. "Just some thoughts roaming around my head lately."
He hesitated.
"Can I ask you one more thing, Lea?"
"What?"
Jack paused before shaking his head.
"Nah… maybe some other time."
Lea crossed her arms. "If you've got this much energy to talk, then let's go train. You should already be fit by now."
Jack groaned and glanced toward the blazing sunlight outside.
"Have you seen the sun out there? I'll die from the heat."
Lea smirked sarcastically.
"Let me remind you of something interesting, in case you forgot—you're already dead."
"Okay, okay, geez. Let's go."
Jack and Lea headed toward the training grounds.
The dry wind swept across the empty field outside Dustbridge as they began warming up. Jack stretched his arms with a tired groan while Lea stood nearby, watching him closely.
After a while, Lea stepped forward.
"Start meditating on your soul flow," she instructed. "Don't just focus on it. Understand it."
Jack sighed before sitting down on the dusty ground.
He closed his eyes.
"Go deeper," Lea said softly. "Find the point where your soul begins to flow from."
Jack obeyed, slowly sinking into his thoughts.
But instead of focusing on his soul flow, his mind drifted elsewhere.
The man in the fog…
Who was he?
And why did he warn me about Silas?
Then Sam's warning echoed inside his head.
And Elai…
That look on his face.
Fear.
Real fear.
Why did it feel like everyone here was hiding something?
Why did this place feel wrong?
A cold feeling crept beneath Jack's skin.
Something bad was happening in Dustbridge.
And deep down…
he felt like he was already too late.
His thoughts became heavier and heavier, slowly sinking into darkness.
The sound of the wind faded.
Lea's voice became distant.
Jack's breathing slowed as exhaustion pulled at his body.
Without even realizing it…
Jack fell asleep.
A sudden splash of freezing water hit his face.
"GAH—!"
Jack jolted awake, coughing as water dripped from his hair and clothes. He looked up to see Lea standing over him with an empty bucket in her hand.
"You fell asleep," she said flatly.
Jack wiped water from his eyes. "You could've just shaken me awake like a normal person."
"And miss the chance to do that?" Lea replied with a faint smirk. "Not happening."
Jack groaned as he stood up.
"Go change," Lea ordered. "Then we're starting again. And this time, try meditating instead of taking a nap."
"Yeah, yeah…"
Still half asleep, Jack walked back toward the housing area, his wet boots scraping against the dirt road.
The town felt strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
As he turned a corner between the old wooden buildings, he suddenly stopped.
Elai stood there.
Silent as always.
The boy stared at Jack nervously, his hands trembling slightly at his sides.
Jack frowned. "Hey, Elai."
Elai glanced around anxiously before stepping closer.
"Jack…" he whispered.
Jack immediately noticed something different in his voice.
Fear.
Not the usual nervousness.
This was worse.
Elai grabbed the edge of Jack's sleeve tightly.
"You… you need to stop asking questions," he whispered shakily.
Jack frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Elai glanced around nervously before stepping closer.
"There are things in Dustbridge you're not supposed to see."
Jack stayed silent.
The fear in Elai's eyes felt too real to ignore.
Elai lowered his head, his voice trembling.
"Don't dig too deep…"
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then he whispered—
"…or he'll kill you."
A cold chill ran through Jack's body.
Silence hung heavily between them before Jack finally spoke.
"Who?"
Elai slowly looked up at him, terrified.
"Chief Silas."