The rage restrained in Brad's reddened eyes daunted me. In doubtful steps, I withdrew to my room with the plan of going back to Yura's compartment later. I took a final look at Brad whose eyes still stuck on me. Brad's change of attitude confused me. As a friendly and thoughtful man, never did he behave that way to me. Why did my coming to Yura's room bother him? Did he keep something from me? Was Yura in trouble? Walking back and forth, I attempted to get rid of all the negative thoughts about Brad and Yura. Even until the night came, the uneasy feeling still plagued me. The bell of dinner rang. Reluctantly, I forced my way to the dining room. The intelligentsia had inhabited most of the seats surrounding the grand tables when I stepped in the doorway. This large round room could accommodate hundreds of us along with the dorm employees. The lights above brightened the fair faces of the people who gathered inside the room. The delicious food distracted them and silenced the noise.
A mighty haul bounced the boy's body backward. His head plunged on the grassy floor. His scream echoed in a mercilessly powerful tug, then faded by the solitude of the desolate area. That flash occurrence vanished in a blink of an eye. When my eyes snapped open, Brad's hand stretched out to me; help came at the right time. "Mr. Thompson…" quivering remarks released out of my mouth. My disbelieving gaze didn't stir away from him until a smile garnished on his full lips. His sight switched to my tragic appearance. My hands swiftly dusted my crumpled jacket and knotted hair. "Are you hurt?" The shake of my head affirmed that nothing he should be anxious about. "Good! You are under my protection.""Wait! What?""Go back to your tent." "Mr. Thompson…." His rapid movement took his body farther and farther, finally devoured by the trees. As a guardian, it was no wonder if he protected me. It wasn't necessary to question him about his statement. His action of saving me changed percep
I cuddled my body and ducked into the small cave, trailing Rein with fidgety. Shiver of trepidation coursed through me. It might be the effect of being in the same place as Rein. Inside the den, the torch glimmered the vague light across the limited area. Its tiny size should enable us to easily search for the cue. However, the low ceiling made it difficult for us to reach inside."The clue is somewhere around the torch. Go get it!" An order in cold tensed intonation reverberated among the gust of the breeze, a commendation for me to obey. No rejection I dared to express. Defying him would only drag me to imperilment.My hands fumbled through the cave wall. They affixed nothing. No object of a clue I could uncover. The wind put out the flame; the gloom took over the inward of the cavern. The earthquake shook the cave; the stones rolled down and blocked the way out. My scream for rescue wouldn't work out. When the turmoil stopped, I glanced at no one around. Rein locked me here. It w
My grip on his wrist weakened because of his sturdy torso. I peered through my shoulder to get help, but nobody lingered. They all had abandoned us. Holding his hand tight was the only way to save him from falling. Yet, over time, his clasp on my hand loosened. "Please hold on!" The tone of my voice became husky from fatigue. His face paled in frantic. Another hand was attaining something to prop his body. "Please… don't let go of my hand." His frustrating voice faded with wind. I fastened my grasp. Now the sweat had soaked my body. I didn't want to give up yet the less energy I had only resulted in failure. In shock, Rein struggled to catch my arm. It was useless; in no time his hand dragged my fragile body with him. We both squealed, swooping into the dark deep canyon. The silence swallowed us afterward.The hot temperature heated my bare face. The light that illuminated through the foliage woke me up. My eyes flickered; I got up in startle as soon as realizing I wasn't on my bed
"I'll take you out of here." Lanzo's rash paces rode toward me and snatched my hand with his. My glance went to Rein who froze in his place."Wait! Rein is here too." Lanzo turned his back to me. "Did he do something bad to you?" He asked as soon as his face met mine. Shaking my head, I confirmed that he didn't treat me badly. "I wonder if you happen to fall down here." Rein joined us."I came to save Dylanesia." Not only did he shock me but he also let Rein's eyebrows arched in surprise. How could he learn that I was here?"How do you know that..?""Your group has come back to the tent without you." He looked at me when he said that. His serious expression just asserted his concern. "Do you have any idea how to climb out of this canyon?" Standing up just a few meters away from us, Rein doubted Lanzo's ability to rescue us. "I have fastened the rope on the big tree. We can tie our waist with this role and then climb up." His eyes were attached to mine while explaining. "I'll go
"He is the victim of a wild animal." Lanzo muttered his hypothesis. "We've got to go from here. Hurry up!"Not even a second he gave us time to breathe as if indicating the danger was hunting us down. Lion was one of them, not to mention the wolves, bears and tigers that could peel our skin with their sharp fangs anytime. The long wide dark street formed a tunnel that led us to the unknown place. It created another shiver on my nape. The giant trees shadowed our running body. The fastest way to get to the shelter was to sprint over the tricky road. That was not easy let alone fatigue had absorbed my energy. "C-can we take a rest?" My trembling words paused our paces. "No, we can't!" Jerked by Lanzo's interruption, I compelled my feet to jog under my tiresome. Amidst our run, a roar from behind shocked us in dread. I couldn't resist a desire to look back. Peering through my shoulder, a group of tigers were leaping toward us at full speed. My whole body almost diminished and deplete
"We have to go back to the academy tonight?" Brad announced as soon as our journey came to its end. The glow of the bonfire that highlighted the whole area near it including the tents verified that we had been safely back to the camp. There was no doubt in that dashing man's say. It accentuated his conviction of the threat that might prowl us. However, abandoning the other intelligentsia at risk wasn't a wise decision, either. "What about the others? I heard some intelligentsia are still missing. They might get lost." Words of revolt slipped out of my lips. "Or eaten by the beast," Rein's interruption freaked me out. "I hope none of you question my decision." Brad intruded. Silence gagged our mouth. I glanced at Lanzo hoping his initiatives of telling Brad about the crops we discovered in the forest. That boy chose to lock his mouth. That annoyed me. I decided to do it myself. However, the skepticism stopped me. Brad wouldn't believe what I said even if I told him the truth.
I wished it were a dream or a statue on the stretcher. And Yura tapped my shoulder from behind, smiling and greeting me enthusiastically. It was real; the reality petrified me. I lost the vigor inside me; my knees tumbled and crashed to the floor. It wasn't the physical pain that hurt me but my anguish that ravaged my power. My surroundings turned black.A girl's face hovered over me when I was half-conscious. Blinded by the light, my eyes flickered. Yura…. My eyes balled out. I almost jumped out of the bed to hug the girl on my bedside before I learned that it was Marin, not Yura, who wiped the tears in her cheeks."Marin… where is Yura?" I sat up on the bed. My body bent to her with my hands clutched in her shoulders, waiting for her answer. My inquiry only added more dumps into her eyes."She is gone.""No…." My palm covered my mouth, then ran down to my ribs to console my heartache. My chest overwhelmed; I couldn't breathe. "S-she c-couldn't l-leave me like this." My stuttering