Owen didn't know how long he'd been sitting in the sand.
Minutes. Hours. Time had lost meaning.
The notification still glowed in his vision.
[PRISONER ELIMINATED: GORVAX]
He dismissed it. It reappeared.
He dismissed it again.
His hands shook. Not from fear. From something else. Something he hadn't felt since Earth. Since the dragons were deleted.
Grief.
Gorvax had saved him. Sacrificed himself so Owen could escape. Used ancient Nullborn tradition to force a one-on-one fight.
And died for it.
'Seri will be released. She'll get medical care. She'll die peacefully.'
That was what Gorvax wanted. What he'd fought for.
But it didn't make it hurt less.
Owen's CE had recovered slightly. 2,400. Not enough. Not nearly enough.
He stood. His body ached. Broken ribs healed but still tender. Dislocated shoulder functional but weak.
He needed to move. Raxka would come looking. The hunt wasn't over.
Four days remaining.
---
Owen walked through the desert night.
