Distant VIII

Leriat let Aron's words go in one ear and out the other. Despite feeling grateful to him for saving his life, his view of Aron as one of his father's subordinates remained unchanged.

As Aron tightly grabbed onto Leriat and pulled him towards the riverbank, Leriat's instinctive reaction was to sink his teeth into Aron's hand, causing him to yelp in pain.

Once Aron loosened his grip, Leriat swiftly pulled away from him and dove back into the current, letting it carry him away once again.

"Gargh, you son of a—" Aron spat, his words muffled by the water as he propelled himself forward with determined strokes.

The rain showed no sign of letting up anytime soon. The murky river made it difficult to locate Leriat's whereabouts.

However, Aron knew he couldn't afford to let Leriat go. If he failed to capture him, Sir Estas would be displeased.

As the chase continued on the water for quite a while, Aron was impressed by Leriat's swimming abilities.

Taking advantage of the strong current, Leriat was able to keep up with Aron's pursuit. However, Aron was not one to be easily outdone.

Later, at a crucial moment, Aron finally caught up to Leriat, who appeared to be running out of stamina.

But as Aron dove and tried to grab him, he was taken aback when he encountered a barrier that Leriat had managed to form underwater.

The barrier encased Aron, trapping him underwater just as he needed to take a breath. He struggled against it, cursing the fact that even though he had three Aspects compared to Leriat who had one, none of them was effective enough to be used underwater.

Bubbles escaped his mouth as he desperately tried to break free, but the barrier was conjured with a high amount of Vis.

The lack of air was starting to take its toll, and he could feel his lungs burning.

Aron gasped for air as he broke through the barrier with his Visblade, narrowly avoiding drowning.

But as he looked around for Leriat, he realized that the boy was nowhere to be seen. The current had carried him far away, and Aron had lost him again.

Aron lay on the riverbank, coughing out water and cursing once more under his breath. He had never imagined being so thoroughly outmatched by someone younger than him.

"Damn it," he muttered to himself, feeling frustrated and embarrassed.

After letting the rain droplets fall on his face for a minute, Aron swiftly transformed into a cheetah Visbeast and began scouring the riverside.

The mere thought of Aron failing this mission was unimaginable, and the anger of his master put a terrifying thought in his mind. Leriat couldn't be too far away now, given the river's current speed, and chasing after him was still within reach.

Fortunately for Leriat, he was able to hide his presence from Aron under tree roots surrounded by ferns and shrubs.

He remained submerged in the water, with only his pitch-black hair that camouflaged perfectly in the night and a bit of his nose visible to allow him to breathe.

But such an act had cost him greatly. His body was now shivering uncontrollably.

Between tumbling down the hill earlier and spending time in the water, coupled with the rain that showed no sign of receding soon, Leriat's condition kept worsening.

Once Leriat was sure that Aron had lost his trail, he quickly emerged from the water, dragging his weakened and soaked body under a nearby tree.

He could barely walk and the cold was becoming unbearable.

Leriat's stamina was dangerously low, and his Vis reserve was depleted. The last barrier he created to trap Aron underwater had drained most of his energy.

Leriat had no other option but to lie down, completely drenched under the relentless night rain.

The exhaustion was beginning to take its toll on him, causing his vision to blur and his body to feel heavier with each passing moment.

'Mother, Grandma, please ... watch over me.'

As his eyes slowly closed, Leriat knew that he had little control over his fate now. He was completely unconscious, vulnerable to the whims of a distant fate.

***

The distant horizon slowly brightened as the sun rose, casting a warm and comforting light upon the outpost of Rumabel.

The patrols had been up since the crack of dawn, dutifully guarding their assigned posts.

As a caravan departed from the outpost, the gate slowly closed by the guards behind them, leaving two adventurer teenagers standing outside.

Adelle was known for being the first one to break the morning silence with a cheerful greeting, but today Ervian noticed that she was uncharacteristically quiet.

He couldn't help but comment, "you're unusually quiet today."

His words hung in the air as he waited for a response. Even the inn owner didn't have much reply from her the moment they left the inn.

Despite Ervian's attempt to seem unaware, it was clear to him that her current mood was related to his words to her the previous night at the inn.

'Well, if she can't take what I said. She can leave whenever she needs to. I'm not the one that necessarily needs her.'

Even so, Ervian decided to let her be. He didn't have the heart to press the issue, knowing that it could create unnecessary tension between them.

Adelle was lost in thought, staring off into the distance without any clear intention.

"N-nothing in particular. I'm fine."

Certainly it was Adelle that necessarily needed him, if it was not for the invisible Rune of Obedience on her neck.

"Alright then, let's head out," Ervian quickly said before walking away.

Adelle let out a sigh and glanced at the messy dark-brown-haired boy who walked in front of her. She quickened her pace to follow him closely and quietly.

Adelle couldn't help but wonder if she should ask Ervian again about his feelings about her.

She hated feeling afraid of the answer, but at the same time, she wanted to make sure that his anger the previous night was solely because of her constant mention of Lika.

As they walked in the peaceful morning, the warmth of the sun and the cozy air seemed to have a calming effect on Adelle.

Somehow, she began to feel a renewed sense of boldness and decided to break the silence between them.

"Ervian, I—" Adelle began to say, but Ervian quickly hushed her with a gesture to be quiet.