Whatever this city had once been, it must have been massive… and bright, just like Elxis.
It took them about five days to finally get out of the ruins.
When they did, they were met with chaos.
A confusing network of roads stretched in every direction. Paths split left and right, while others extended beneath the very ground they were standing on.
Kelly, who was sitting next to Mike, pointed in a direction and said it would be better to go that way.
When Mike asked if there was a specific reason, she simply replied in her usual timid tone:
"There's no particular reason… I just think it's better if we go that way."
For some reason, Mike felt that Kelly had chosen the right path.
What was strange, though, was that whenever she gave her opinion or pointed out a direction, it always turned out to be the safest one.
And every time she did that, it sent a chill down Mike's spine.
Every time she did that, it reminded him of the moment she had warned him about Samantha.
In the end, they followed the path Kelly had shown them.
It led them to a long, straight road far away from the ruins, with forests covering both sides.
When the sun finally began to set, Mike stopped.
"There are no buildings here anymore… so we need to find shelter here."
He pointed toward the forest.
"Isn't it dangerous in there?"
"Yes, it probably is. But we need somewhere to stay…"
Mike took a deep breath before continuing.
"…and from there, we'll keep moving forward."
"What? There's a whole road right here that leads somewhere, and we're going in there instead?"
"Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but it's the safest option. If we follow the road, we don't know if we'll run into another abandoned area… or a place with slaves."
He paused.
"Besides… we're running out of food and water. And the only way to find more is in there."
No one argued.
They simply followed Mike.
That night, they slept in the forest, beneath the trees.
Strangely enough, it felt more comfortable than the cold floors and walls of abandoned buildings.
The only problem was that there were no walls to protect them from the cold or the rain.
The next day, they continued their journey through the forest.
It was beautiful.
Every shade of green and brown surrounded them, and the air felt clean.
Then—
A sound.
It was… a strange sound. Like something rushing forward.
When they decided to find the source of the noise, they discovered it was…
water.
A stream flowing through the forest.
Everyone rushed toward it, drinking greedily from the river.
For days, they had been rationing water and food—but here, there was plenty of water.
Now, the only thing they needed was food.
Mike knelt down and scooped up water with his hands. As he drank, he felt a cool, refreshing sensation spread through his body. For a moment, even the pain in his ribs faded.
But when he lifted his head—
something was watching him.
Across the river, almost hidden behind the trees, stood a strange creature.
It was brown, with large antlers.
It was a deer.
Of course, Mike didn't know what a deer was.
But he knew that in Elxis, animals were killed… and the rich ate their meat.
"Brother, what's wrong?"
"Liam…".
"What is it?"
"…do you want to hunt?"