Chapter 34: Chapter 33: Fireflies and Farewells
The final night of the trip wrapped the forest in a silver hush. Campfires crackled low, their embers glowing like fallen stars. The students gathered around in a circle, laughing and sharing snacks, the dungeon incident already morphing into an exaggerated story passed between whispers and chuckles.
Raven stood apart.
Not far—just enough to avoid the circle's warmth.
He watched the fireflies drift lazily above the bushes, their lights blinking in rhythmic silence. There was something calming about them—free, directionless, yet perfectly in sync.
> "Brooding again?" Sol's voice cut through the quiet.
Raven didn't look. "I'm just watching the sky."
Sol walked up beside him, arms crossed. "You saved three lives last night. I figured you'd at least take some credit."
"I didn't do it for credit."
"You always say that," Sol muttered. "But every time you step in, it costs you something."
Raven didn't reply.
From the camp circle, Ava waved at them, gesturing with two cups in her hand. "Hey! I got cocoa!"
Sol nudged Raven. "Don't make her drink both."
Raven finally smirked and walked over.
They sat on a log, cocoa in hand, watching the firelight dance across the forest. Ava took a long sip, then looked up at him.
> "Promise me you won't disappear again."
He paused. "I didn't plan to reappear."
"Still."
They sat in silence. The others started singing a camp song off-key. Ms. Hanami clapped along with the beat.
Sol leaned back. "It's been a while since we had this kind of peace, huh?"
Ava nodded. "Too long."
Raven stared into the fire. "It won't last."
Ava's expression softened. "Maybe. But even if it ends, it's real right now."
Fireflies began to gather again—hundreds of them, pulsing softly, like the world itself was humming.
In that moment, time seemed to freeze. No dungeons. No corrupted systems. No fractured memories.
Just warmth, laughter, and the quiet hope of something better.
> [NIHILOS SYSTEM – SYNC STATUS: SUSPENDED] [Passive Monitoring Only]
Deep in Raven's core, a fragment of the system pulsed once—calm, undisturbed. For the first time, it did not whisper. It simply watched, silent and still.
He closed his eyes and exhaled.
> "Then we hold onto this moment," he said.
And for the rest of that night, they did.
Firelight. Cocoa. Friends.
And the stars.
Even if the storm returned—tonight belonged to peace.
"There no reason to be kind, but kindness may results in betrayal.
No one ca predict the human nature. "
"We are human, we were supposed to be the kindest and full of humanity but human greed got em, it can't be undone"
"What if memories are just edits—versions of truths someone else wanted us to believe. "