SILENT WORLD

The remainder of the children still looked at Flint with hesitation in their eyes, but she didn't even talk to them to dispel their doubt and instead just turned to look out the window.

The air inside the compartment was stale and stung of clotted blood and sweat.

It wasn't in any way something one would like to sit in and inhale but the children had no other choice than to get used to it and suck it up.

Before long, one after the other the children stood up to locate empty chairs slowly, as some of them moaned out in pain while clutching parts of their bodies as they stood.

With just a few left on the ground, those that didn't deem it safe to sit on the chairs or those who just couldn't help themselves up due to the pain whacking through their bodies.

Back in the driver's cockpit. "Kabe, we are below fifty percent on cerulean balls."

Sage told her companion as she pressed the red button under her thumb to fire the Musket.

She had been trying to conserve the balls as much as she could by only killing the Monsters with the brightest red spot on the map. She did this so that immediately she kills a monster, the particle energy of the Monsters would be consumed by the Mussel Mobile.

"We would soon be out of the Lava Mountain," Kabe said back, as he pushed on the acceleration button that forced the Mussel to speed up a bit.

Sage stifled a yawn as she tried to focus on the map as she nudged the button on the dashboard to issue commands to the Mussel.

The Mobile covered more ground without encountering any significant threat as it moved on the Life Line.

The entire Mobile was unsounded with silence with only the occasional blast from the Musket as sound.

As the eerie blanket of the night had come upon the Lava Mountain, the occasional growls and snarls from the Lava inhabitants could be heard.

The only source of light was a blood-red moon up in the sky which did nothing in creating a source of illuminance for the Mussel.

As nightfall had arrived, Kabe had put on the Night Vision Enhancer for the Mussel Mobile.

This helped in detecting lines, contrast, and movement of the surrounding structures.

This feature also allowed for the enhancement of night vision for those who were inside the Mussel.

As Kabe activated it a blue-green light enveloped the Mussel which gave it a slight glow as it drove through the Mountain with the red hue of the mountain's inhabitants giving it an eerie atmosphere.

Back in the compartments. Snores could be heard from some of the tired and injured children as they tried to find solace from sleeping.

Sleep wasn't easy with the continuous bumps the Mussel drove over which resulted in the children jolting awake mid-sleep.

A wiser child had crawled back down to the floor and located a position that didn't have too much blood smeared on its surface and settled down there to resume sleep.

It didn't take long before the floor was crowded with only the spaces around the dead children and where blood was the most left vacant.

Ulanni was asleep with her head in Sarah's lap as she let out snoring sounds from her cutely opened mouth.

Flint turned to stare at Sarah who had her eyes partly closed shut and her lips apart as she tried to resist sleep.

Flint on the other hand did not feel the the slightest bit of the urge to sleep but felt a bit tired.

A smile tugged at Flint's lips as she saw what Sarah just did.

Sarah as thou giving up the fight to sleep and instead embraced it, stretched her arms in front of her and placed them on the handle.

She curled them up and gently laid her head on it. As she did this she effectively created a cocoon for the still-sleeping Ulanni who lay in her lap.

She watched all these happen with a small smile before she turned her attention back to the window and gazed up at the red moon in the sky.

On a night like this, with how hollow everything was, it reminded her of that time. Her last night with her father.

"Papa…" Flint whispered, which was drowned by the loud breathing of the children around

Life hadn't been a fairy tale for her. Since she could hold up a sword her father had taught her to fight. She hadn't had the luxury to play, there was not even any Gaint child her age then.

For some reason, the moon up high in the Lava Mountain released the same soothing effect as the moon back in her realm.

She closed her eyes to rid herself of that thought as she turned to look away from the moon.

She looked down to find Ulanni staring up at her. "You are supposed to be sleeping." Flint pointed out.

"I couldn't sleep anymore…" Ulanni muttered as she slowly ducked her head to rise from Sarah's lap who was still asleep.

She sat upright and faced Flint with Sarah in between. "You knew your father?" Ulanni questioned carefully.

Flint clenched her fist. This was the first time she would talk about her father after he was gone.

"He was a great man…" Flint answered as she looked down at her fingers and slowly traced the indention on her palm.

"Where is he now? Why did you leave him?" Ulanni asked curiously it seeming to notice the use of a past tense in her speech.

"He has gone to join Akilis" Flint answered as her gaze was once again drawn to the window and at the red moon.

"Why would he go to meet someone else and leave you alone?" Ulanni innocently asked.

"Haha! " Flint let out a short genuine laugh at Ulanni's question.

"I know you feel bad, you don't need to laugh to conceal it. He shouldn't have left you behind."

Ulanni said with conviction as she frowned her face as thou displeased with Flint's father who she had never met before.

"Yeah, he shouldn't have left. But he had to…it was a natural cause." Flint stumbled on her words.

Somehow she couldn't say the words. It felt hard to admit it out loud. Her heart tightened and she brought her hand to rest atop the area around her heart.

"Don't worry, he would come back am sure. He wouldn't bare to leave your cute brave self for long." Ulanni said trying to console Flint.

But the soft smile on her lips was wiped off when she saw Flint's face turning sadder.