Glass memory

We break camp early. No one talks unless they have to.

Venu leads with heavy steps, torch in one hand, makeshift blade in the other. He always walks like he's guarding something — even when no one asks him to. Ajay drifts behind him, head low. Sira keeps pace with Maika, close but quiet.

Aerith walks alone.

I stay near the front, eyes on the tunnel map flickering across Aerith's device. It's weak, barely holding signal, but he swears we're approaching another relay station.

"This is it," he says, tapping the screen. "Next split should give us two paths. We'll need to choose."

And just like that, Venu turns around.

"We're not splitting again."

"No one said we would," I answer.

He gestures at the screen. "That path's marked high risk. I say we stick to the safer line."

Aerith looks at him. "Safer doesn't lead where we need to go."

"'Need' is a word thrown around too easily," Maika mutters.

Venu turns toward her. "You want to go the long way? Burn more supplies? For what?"

Maika folds her arms. "For caution. For logic. You want to throw everyone into a death trap because the pretty map says so?"

"It's not about the map," Venu snaps. "It's about commitment. We came this far to find something real. I'm not crawling backwards to make you feel better."

Maika steps forward. "You think charging in makes you strong? That doesn't make you a leader. That makes you reckless."

Venu's voice rises. "And what does that make you? You're not leading — you're circling Kaia like a shadow waiting to take over!"

Silence drops like stone.

My breath catches.

Maika doesn't back down. "Maybe I should. Because someone around here needs to think before they move."

Venu scoffs. "No one voted you in."

Maika: "No one voted Kaia in either."

That cuts deeper than she knows. Or maybe she does know.

Sira steps between them. "That's enough."

Maika turns, frustrated. "Don't you see it, Sira? We're chasing a ghost with no guarantee. Kaia's following someone who tells her what she wants to hear, and Venu's just begging for something to fight."

Venu growls. "You want to lead? Then lead. Let's see how far you get before the world eats you alive."

I step forward. "Stop it. Both of you."

They freeze. The others watch me.

"I'm not giving up control," I say quietly. "Not because I think I'm better — but because someone has to hold the line. And until one of you wants to carry that weight without snapping at everyone, I'll do it."

Venu doesn't answer. Just turns and starts walking.

Maika glares at me for a second longer, then looks away.

Sira follows her.

We reach the tunnel fork two hours later. One path glows faintly green. The other drips water from cracks in the ceiling, narrow and jagged.

Aerith checks the map. "Safer route loops west. Adds two days."

I look to the others. No one speaks.

"I say we take the shorter one," I announce.

"Of course you do," Maika says under her breath.

This time, I ignore her.

But something in me shifts.

They're not fighting me anymore.

They're fighting the way we're moving.

And I don't know how long I can carry that before I start turning into something I swore I'd never become.