Half Truth

Rose hesitated, her mind racing to find the right words. She knew she couldn't hide her ability any longer, but revealing everything felt too risky. Taking a deep breath, she decided on a half-truth. "Yes," she admitted, "I got it by chance, when I accidentally stumbled into a portal. It is the speed ability."

"What?" Ethan looked at her in disbelief. Due to his bad state, though he had seen Rose dash through the marshland and called out to her, he hadn't noticed anything abnormal. His incredulous expression made Rose feel even worse.

"It was while you were still traveling. I was hiking in the woods and stumbled into one," she further explained, evading his gaze. It wasn't a complete lie. In her previous life it had happened exactly that way, only this time she had stepped through on purpose.

Ethan's thoughts raced as he recalled the bloodied gauze and towel they had found at home after their return. Rose must have indeed been wounded back then! He clasped her hand, his grip tightening so much that it hurt her fingers. "Were you hurt? Where's the wound? Is it better now?" Worried about his sister, he had momentarily forgotten his own pain. Though he hadn't seen her in distress over the past few days, he couldn't help but fret.

"I am fine, it wasn't a big wound to begin with and it has already healed," she replied, wrangling her hand free and moving her body left and right to prove that she was well. "Really, I'm okay now. We have more pressing matters to worry about." She glanced around the marshy landscape, her expression growing serious. "We need to focus on getting out of here safely."

Ethan leaned back against the makeshift shield, seemingly relieved. Then he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Just minutes ago, he'd thought Rose had become more sensible. Instead, he should call her utterly reckless. She was jumping into portals left and right! He hadn't forgotten the fear and fury he'd felt when he found her stumbling out of the park's portal. Now he learned she'd already entered another one before, and here she was again! There was only the tiny consolation that she had an ability to save herself.

Andrew on the side was processing the new gained information. The speed ability… The implications of Rose having this ability were significant, potentially changing the options of their group and their approach to getting out of this realm.

"Could you take all of us along, like you did with Luke just now?" Andrew asked, his tone measured but intense. He doubted for her ability to already be so strong, if she had only acquired it about a week prior, but it was worth a shot.

Noticing that Andrew wasn't the least bit surprised about her ability, Rose checked her inner force pool to sigh in dejection. It was already drained by two-thirds, and even if it were full to the brim, the distance between here and the portal was too far for her to get everyone out with her speed. Even if she overused it, this was far beyond her capabilities.

Rose shook her head, her expression a mix of frustration and disappointment. "No, I can't," she admitted, her voice strained. "My ability isn't strong enough yet to carry all of us that far. Even if I pushed myself to the limit, it would be too risky." She glanced at her brother's injured leg, her concern evident. "We need to find another way out of here."

Andrew exhaled, still slightly disappointed. As expected…

Seeing them all turn silent, it was now Rose`s turn to question: "What happened to you? How come you are in this realm? How did you get wounded?"

Feeling put on the spot, Ethan glanced at Andrew, silently urging him to provide an explanation. After all, this had been Andrew's idea—Ethan had merely been along for the ride. It was only fair that Andrew should be the one to justify their actions.

Andrew sighed when he caught Ethan's gaze. Now it was his turn to deliver a half-truth. He wouldn't reveal his being back in time, but could recount everything as it had happened in their previous life. At least as close to it as he could.

If he knew how similar his own and Rose`s thoughts were, he would surely have chuckled at the irony. Instead, he kept his face neutral as he began to explain, carefully choosing his words.

"We came to Bren for supplies since we couldn't get everything we needed in Torrine. Bren, being the next largest town, seemed like our best option. At the trek store, we met a man who offered us a great deal on some equipment, suggesting we meet him at his warehouse. On our way there, we stumbled upon the portal."

Andrew maintained a calm tone, his explanation sounding logical and concise. If Rose were more gullible, she might have believed him without question. But given the circumstances, only one thought crossed her mind:

Bullshit...

Rose kept her expression neutral, though she desperately wanted to roll her eyes at him. His explanation was as full of holes as Swiss cheese. The timing didn't add up in the slightest. If they had truly gone to Torrine beforehand, they wouldn't have been able to reach Bren at the time they did. Also their GPS tracks didn't indicate them stopping in Torrine. Should she expose his lies now?

Looking at Ethan, who still struggled with the pain, she decided against it. For now she would take his words as they were. There would be enough time to confront him after they had safely left the realm.