LOTM: Seekers

50. Lucky? 

"You were saved by him?" Nephis asked, her tone laced with surprise.

Cassie gave a small nod, confirming what had happened.

"Who is he?"

"That... I'm not entirely sure," Cassie admitted. She had caught a fleeting glimpse of his future, yet it revealed nothing about who he truly was.

"It seems he's been living here for some time," she added, "but he doesn't know where the gateway is."

"I see," Nephis murmured as she processed the information. After a moment of thought, she concluded, "He might be a survivor of the last Solstice."

"Actually, I was thinking the same thing," Cassie agreed with a nod. It aligned with her own suspicions as well.

Just then, the person in question—who had been silent moments earlier, clutching his head, and tapping it strongly from time to time—approached them.

"Nephis, right? I'm Chris," he said, his voice steadying. "Am I right in guessing that you're the one who lit up the night earlier?"

Nephis nodded at his question. She saw no reason to hide the truth.

"Did it come to you?" he asked calmly, but Nephis was experienced enough to sense the killing intent lurking beneath his composed tone.

She had only seen a few such creatures before—and based on Cassie's account, there was only one kind capable of making him emit this much murderous intent.

Analyzing his words carefully, she answered, "If you're talking about those flying abominations… then yes, they came."

"So they did come. Thank you—this is valuable information."

He smiled with satisfaction. Just that confirmation alone made his trip here worthwhile.

I'll have my revenge, he thought darkly.

"By the way, what are you two planning now? Still searching for the gateway?" he asked, his tone lightening.

"Yes, I am," Nephis replied with firm conviction. "Even if this is one of the unexplored regions, I won't stop."

Cassie remained silent. Of course she wanted to go too—but right now, she was just a burden, and she knew it.

"Then… do you know where it is?" he asked, a difficult question delivered with casual ease.

"...I'll find it somehow," Nephis replied after a pause.

"So, no plan then? Well, let's start by finding your companion first," he said, throwing out a suggestion that made her eyebrows arch.

"Companion?" she echoed, puzzled.

***

Thanks to my suggestion, we were now on our way to find others who had landed nearby.

Nephis was strong—not in the sense of raw, superhuman strength or blinding speed, but in the precision of her movements. There was no wasted motion.

The blade, which appeared seemingly out of thin air like one of Cassie's items, danced with elegance as it slipped effortlessly into the soft joint of the Carapace Scavenger.

She wasn't flawless—there were occasional mistakes—but to my untrained eyes, she fought like a master.

After giving in and eating those creatures, I still wasn't sure if there would be any lasting side effects. The fact that I remained stable and hadn't lost control—at least for now—was a good sign.

But that didn't guarantee anything once I reached a higher Sequence.

Let's hope the worst doesn't happen.

Otherwise, I might really need to hunt down someone on the Sun pathway to expel the characteristic.

The food problem resolved, the three basic necessities of survival—clothing, shelter, and food—were now taken care of. With around three weeks remaining before the countdown ended, there wasn't much left to do. And with Uriel by my side, I didn't have to worry about companionship either.

Honestly, I didn't have any real reason to do this—I was just going along with them because there was nothing else here. Aside from training, eating, and sleeping, there was little else to do here—this place had become something of a personal training chamber for me.

At first, I intended to simply accompany them for a while and explore the area. But now… greed has taken root.

Reaching the other's position, the companion I meant wasn't easy, but it wasn't an insurmountable challenge either. I took on the role of pathfinder, carefully avoiding the Carapace Scavengers' nests—or steering clear whenever their numbers grew too large. If there were only a few of them, it wasn't a problem at all, even while carrying Cassie on my back. After all, I handled crowd control, and Nephis took on the role of attacker.

The truth was clear: Cassie had just been lucky, while Nephis was truly an outlier. What remained of the others was all that was left after they became dinner for the Carapace Scavengers and other creatures.

This morning, when I decided to track down the source of the light—Nephis—I used my detection ability. Besides Nephis, I also picked up on two others who had appeared out of nowhere. Normally, I wouldn't be able to sense something like that, but by repeatedly scanning the same area, I learned to distinguish subtle changes, much like a radar.

I could usually tell where the nearby creatures were heading, unless they had just entered my detection range.

It's like this: on the first detection, you spot them at point A, then on the second, at point B. With those two data points, you can predict where they'll likely appear during the third detection.

Often, this prediction is stray off slightly, though not perfect—you won't suddenly find them at point Z. Sometimes, they might be flying creatures, but it's still worth trying.

The results, unfortunately, were half right and half wrong. It turned out to be another human—but sadly, I was already too late.

Nephis glanced at the results and accepted them in silence, while Cassie—though unable to see—understood just as well.

"They're the only ones whose whereabouts I know of," I said. "There's another one that seemed to be moving directly toward your original location, Nephis. I noticed because its movement was unlike the other creatures. Like the other two, I can't be 100% sure if it's your companion or just a new type of creature, but at least it's moving."

I left the choice to them—whether to pursue it or ignore it entirely.

Nephis stared at me silently, but her intent was crystal clear—no, she made sure I understood exactly what she was asking. How do you even know? her gaze seemed to challenge.

Of course, I wasn't obliged to answer. I simply ignored the question, pretending not to notice.

After a moment, she finally spoke, but her words took an unexpected turn.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked, though it wasn't quite the question I had anticipated.

"Nothing," I replied honestly. "I prefer to return to my nest before sunset."

"Nest?" she asked, curious.

"Nest, shelter, camp—call it whatever you like. It's near the Stone Knight," I explained, gesturing in its direction despite the tall, towering red coral blocking a clear view.

"You said that person was approaching us from beyond the Stone Knight?" she asked again, seeking confirmation. I nodded.

"Then, would you mind if we head to your nest for now?"

For Nephis, who had just arrived with no prior knowledge of this place, Chris was proving to be an invaluable ally—from navigating the terrain to protecting Cassie.

"I suppose we have our destination," I said, hoisting Cassie onto my back. She yelped softly at the sudden movement as I stepped forward.