Adrian's boots pounded against the jagged stone floor as dust and debris settled around them, stirred by the collapse of the chamber above.
The ceiling trembled, groaned, then gave way entirely, a cascade of stone and grit that forced them into motion.
He could feel the energy of the ruins shifting beneath his feet, unstable and alive in a way that made every step uncertain.
Lilith moved ahead, graceful and unhurried, as if the stones themselves made way for her.
Adrian forced his lungs to expand, drawing air that burned his throat. His chest was heaving as he pushed himself to keep up.
They ran out of the ruins, their feet scraping over loose gravel and broken stone. Behind them, the entrance began to collapse in on itself, stone grinding against stone with a low, distant rumble, muffled by dust and the distance.
A thin column of grey motes rose toward the overcast sky, hanging suspended for a moment before dispersing into the morning air.
Adrian didn't dare look back. He only moved, his lungs burning and legs aching, until the ground beneath him felt solid and familiar again.
Then he slowed, crouching slightly to catch his breath, his chest heaving with sharp pulls of air.
Lilith had already stopped a few meters ahead. She stood with her back to him, eyes fixed south, and for a moment, Adrian almost believed she hadn't seen the collapse behind them as a threat at all, as if it was merely an inconvenience.
There was no urgency in her stance, no panic, nothing that betrayed even the smallest hint of concern.
Adrian looked away from her and straightened, his eyes scanning the horizon.
The Scar stretched out in every direction, an expanse of grey and dust, flat and unbroken under the dim light of the rising morning sun.
The broken tower still leaned to the left, skeletal and barren.
He pulled the worn papers from his coat, the ones his father had carefully annotated. He double-checked the landmarks, ensuring his bearings were true, then folded them neatly back into his coat pocket.
Four more locations were marked in his father's handwriting. Four more places to seek, four more journeys to undertake.
'Not today. They would have to wait until I get strong enough to explore them myself.'
Something stirred in the low scrub to his right.
Adrian saw it before he heard it. A Hollow, a Drakul with a single horn glinting faintly. Then almost in tandem, a second shape emerged. A Crawler, its twin horns splitting at the tips.
'Of course,' Adrian thought bitterly.
Three weeks of silence, three weeks of being ignored by the world, and now everything in the Scar seemed tuned to him.
He could feel it, a steady awareness coursing through him, something alive and alert where before there had only been exhaustion and dull emptiness. And judging by the way the creatures reacted, they could feel it too.
He drew his blade while Lilith stood to the side watching him with no intention to help.
Adrian didn't complain. If anything, it made sense. She wanted to see what he could do, to judge for herself. And he wasn't foolish enough to waste a chance like this, not when it might decide whether someone as powerful as her would ever agree to bond with him.
Moving on instinct, he fell back toward the outer ruins wall and pressed his shoulders against the carved stone. The Hollow and the Crawler were both tracking him, drawn by whatever the system had lit up in his chest, closing from different angles.
He looked between them for a moment.
Then he picked a point directly between them and ran straight at it.
He dropped at the last second, hitting the ground and rolling clear as both creatures lunged for the same target from opposite sides. The collision was loud and graceless, horn scraping against solid form, the Crawler's momentum carrying it hard into the Hollow.
They turned on each other.
He came up behind the Crawler while it was occupied, drove his blade into the base of its neck where the two horns met the skull, and put everything he had into it. The creature shuddered and dissolved.
The Hollow had turned back toward him by then but he had already stepped into its path and drove the blade through its single horn at the base.
It came apart quietly.
He straightened, breathing hard.
Two notifications flickered at the edge of his vision.
[Hollow defeated — EXP awarded.]
[Crawler defeated — EXP awarded.]
He dismissed them without reading the numbers and sheathed his blade.
Lilith's gaze hadn't moved from him the entire time. The expression on her face wasn't approval exactly, but he could tell she was pleased.
He didn't say anything but deep down, he felt a sense of accomplishment. He was slowly making progress.
They began walking north.
---
Jarvis found them twenty minutes from camp, cresting a grey rise at a pace that seemed almost impossible. His face was unreadable, yet the tension in his shoulders betrayed a flicker of something unusual.
He stopped a few meters out, studying Adrian and Lilith with an intensity that made Adrian feel momentarily exposed.
"You're alive," he said, the words simple but heavy with unspoken relief.
"I noticed," Adrian replied, dryly.
Jarvis's attention lingered on Lilith. She stood slightly to Adrian's left, her posture unchanged, calm and detached yet utterly composed.
"Who is she?" Jarvis asked.
"She was in the ruins," Adrian said immediately, the lie slipping out easily.
"Her party was attacked in the lower sections. She's the only one who made it out."
Jarvis remained silent for a short moment, his gaze fixed on her. "What kind of party?"
"Surveyors. Two days ahead of me."
Jarvis scrutinized her for a while longer, then asked "You alright?"
Lilith's head tilted slightly, meeting his eyes briefly. "Yes. Thank you." The words were flat, carrying no inflection whatsoever.
Jarvis nodded but his attention never left her, following her movements subtly as they walked back toward camp.
Halfway back, a Crawler emerged from the west. Jarvis discharged a single shot and Adrian reacted without thinking, circling to flank the creature. His movements fell into place with an ease that surprised even him.
Lilith remained utterly still, observing every detail with keen interest.
Jarvis glanced at her after they'd taken down the creature. He said nothing and walked forward.
---
By the time they got back to camp, word had already spread ahead of them. A small group of workers lingered near the main building, pretending to go about their business, though it was obvious they were waiting to see for themselves.
Somewhere along the way, Jarvis slowed his pace, then stopped altogether.
"I'll head in first," he told Adrian.
Without waiting for a response, he broke off toward the side path, leaving the two of them to approach the camp alone.
Adrian watched him go for a second, then turned his attention forward again.
He recognized a few faces in the crowd. The woman from the second patrol line who had nearly spoken to him the night he took the contract. Two men from the eastern route who had always avoided looking at him directly.
The manager stood in the office doorway, a cup in his hand and a blank expression on his face.
As Adrian and Lilith approached, the workers' attention shifted. First to Adrian, then to Lilith, and whatever quiet assumptions they had been holding onto seemed to fall apart all at once.
The whispers started before he even reached the office.
"…he actually came back…"
"…three weeks, no one else…"
"…who's that with him…"
"…she's not from any crew…"
Lilith walked through it all as if none of it existed. She didn't react nor glance at anyone. The murmurs slid off her like they had nothing to do with her.
Adrian didn't stop either. He went straight into the office.
The manager looked up as he entered.
"Deep ruin survey," Adrian said, placing the contract on the counter. "Complete."
The manager glanced down at the paper, then back at Adrian, studying him for a moment like he was trying to decide what had changed.
"The structure collapsed during the survey," Adrian continued. "Seal condition confirmed. No artifacts recovered."
The manager didn't argue. He reached under the counter, counted out the payment, triple rate, and pushed it across.
Adrian picked it up without hesitation.
The man's gaze flicked past him toward the door. "And the woman?"
"She's a survivor from the ruins," Adrian replied. "I'm taking her to Rivergate."
The manager held his gaze for a moment longer, then gave a small nod, as if deciding that was enough.
He watched Adrian leave before finally sitting down.
The boy wasn't really under his authority, not in the strict sense. Adrian had taken the contract of his own accord, and he was free to walk away whenever he chose.
Still… he was young. Too young, if the man was being honest. The youngest patrol worker they'd had in years.
The manager shook his head slightly, the reason Adrian had come here surfacing in his mind again.
He let out a quiet breath, pushed the thought aside, and turned back to the stack of papers on the counter.
---
Outside, Lilith was waiting. Most of the onlookers had drifted away, though not completely. A couple still lingered near the water trough, another by the supply cart, all pretending to be busy while stealing occasional glances.
Adrian walked over to her, stopping at her side.
"So what do you plan to do?" he asked. "I'll be leaving tomorrow."
"For Rivergate?" she said.
"For now," Adrian replied. "After that, Aurelis." He paused, choosing his words more carefully.
"The academy in the capital is my destination. My father spent years chasing something, documents, locations, answers he never fully found. Some of those answers are in Aurelis. And if I'm going there, I need to be ready."
Lilith studied him in silence, her gaze lingering just long enough to measure his intent and resolve. Then she looked away again, as if she had seen enough.
"The academy won't be easy," she said.
"I know."
They stood there for a moment without speaking, the cool morning air settling around them while the quiet sounds of the camp carried on in the background.
"Ask me again tomorrow," she said eventually. "I'll give you my answer then."
Adrian nodded. That was enough.
He turned and started toward the sleeping quarters.
"Adrian."
Jarvis's voice stopped him halfway.
He turned back. Jarvis was leaning against the wall near the office, arms crossed, his attention fixed on Lilith.
"That woman," he said slowly. "Whatever she told you in those ruins, don't take it lightly... Be careful."
Adrian followed his gaze.
Lilith stood a short distance away, still as ever, her eyes fixed on the horizon. There was something distant about her, something untouchable. In that moment, she looked less like a person and more like a statue carved with impossible precision. Beautiful, but not meant to be understood.
"I will," Adrian said, pulling his eyes away.
Jarvis gave a small nod and pushed himself off the wall, heading back inside.
Adrian remained where he was for a second longer, then exhaled, turned, and continued toward the sleeping quarters.
There was packing to do, and a journey ahead of him.