A peaceful journey(8)

(Author: I'll see if I can release the next chapter tomorrow or Tuesday and it will be the last part of the journey, finally arriving at Orario.)

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The sky had quickly turned black, and while the rest of the group was preparing for the night, Zoe found herself next to Mark's tent, massaging her head with a visibly tired expression.

"It was more exhausting than I expected." - She muttered, still affected by the long discussion she had with Astrea.

The words had slipped from her mouth without thinking, forcing her to spend hours explaining and clarifying the situation. In the end, Astrea had accepted the truth, but Zoe felt the seed of doubt had not been completely uprooted.

'Not that she's entirely wrong.' - Zoe thought with a slight sigh.

Since she had grown closer to Mark, she had found herself in increasingly embarrassing and, frankly, absurd situations. It seemed that everything revolved around him, and she didn't like feeling so out of control.

'Now that I think about it… he never seems to take it too seriously.' - Zoe reflected, feeling a subtle but persistent irritation toward Mark's seemingly carefree attitude. 

Whenever a situation became tense or awkward, he managed to escape with a smile or a joke, leaving her to handle the complications and emotions.

It was as if everything slid off his back, and while she was tormented, he carried on as if nothing had happened. His demeanor irritated her, but at the same time, she envied him.

Zoe frowned, almost regretting admitting how much those small frustrations were affecting her.

"Oh, you're already here?" - Mark said, having just returned from his round of checks, his hair still tousled by the night wind.

"It's almost time, isn't it?" - Zoe said, shaking off her thoughts with a quick movement of her head.

"I guess so, but as I was saying before, you're not obligated to—"

"I want to do it." - Zoe interrupted him, with a determination that almost masked the hidden tension behind her words.

The first reason was simple: she wanted to help Mark in every way possible since they had become good friends. But the second, the one that made her uncomfortable, was her desire to test her hypothesis. She wanted to see how it would go, even though part of her felt uneasy about the thought.

'…I feel strangely guilty as if I'm using him.' - Zoe thought, feeling a bitter sense of discomfort growing inside her.

"Haaa, okay."

Mark misunderstood Zoe's expression, as his "insight" ability did not affect her. After a long sigh, he agreed to let her into the tent, though a slight concern crossed his mind.

Fortunately, the space inside was large enough for them to move without feeling cramped. Mark lay down and, as usual, prepared to put a cloth in his mouth to bite during the pain, but Zoe stopped him with a quick, firm gesture.

"Drink this first." - She said, handing him a small glass bottle.

"What is this?" - Mark asked, looking at it with curiosity and suspicion.

"Oh, right, it's a type of natural anesthetic. It should dull your senses. I'm pretty sure it will help." - Zoe said with a certain confidence, though inside, she hoped her theory was correct.

Mark looked at her, then at the bottle. After a moment's hesitation, he drank it all in one gulp. - "…It's pretty disgusting." - He said, grimacing at the bitter taste.

"They say good medicine is always bitter." - Zoe responded, chuckling under her breath, trying to lighten the mood.

Mark shook his head, giving a tired smile, then put the cloth in his mouth. Zoe gently wrapped his fingers to prevent him from hurting himself while trying to endure the pain.

As midnight struck, the first symptoms became evident. At first, small spasms rippled through Mark's body, like slight shocks that seemed harmless. But quickly, those contractions intensified, turning into violent convulsions. Mark's body stiffened, every muscle tense, while his hands involuntarily clenched against the bandages Zoe had placed on him.

Mark's muffled screams, stifled by the cloth between his teeth, filled the tent. Each sound was a blow to Zoe, who watched helplessly, her heart pounding.

'T-This doesn't make sense, that anesthetic should have completely relaxed his muscles.' - Zoe thought, shocked, as she held him down.

Even though she had witnessed this once before, Zoe was still unsure what was wrong with Mark, but one thing was certain: the pain he was experiencing was palpable, almost as if it were a wave passing through the air, and all Zoe could do was stand there, unable to do more than watch over him.

After what felt like an eternity, the convulsions began to subside. Mark's body finally relaxed, giving in to exhaustion. His breath, once ragged and broken, became more regular, a sign that the internal storm had calmed, at least for now. Exhausted, Mark passed out, his face marked by silent suffering.

Thanks to Zoe's care, he had managed to avoid seriously injuring himself. She looked at him, her breath heavy, sweat beading on her forehead.

'At least this time…' - She thought, feeling a mix of relief and frustration.

After a sigh, she gently wiped the sweat from Mark's face, careful not to disturb his rest. But now there was a problem.

'What exactly should I do?'

Her theory was that by being in contact with Mark, she would be able to dream or see his memories. Technically, she had already done so while assisting him, but was it enough? She certainly couldn't just lie down next to him—first because he was unwell, and second, it was immoral and went against her principles.

'Maybe like this…' - Slowly, she slid her hand over Mark's and intertwined her fingers with his.

Zoe had to admit she felt a strong sense of embarrassment at that moment, but feeling Mark's cold hand, the embarrassment was replaced by concern. She used her other hand to wrap around his, hoping to offer him some comfort.

Several hours passed like that, and when she saw the color return to Mark's face, she gently released his hand and left the tent, but not before taking another glance.

Once outside, she stretched her stiff body and decided to get some rest, taking advantage of the few remaining hours of darkness and seeing if her theory had proven true.

****

The next morning, Zoe suddenly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling of her tent for several minutes before she opened her mouth.

"It really worked..." - She said, still incredulous.

She sat up and thought back to what she had seen. The scenes were once again shadowed, and she could perceive much less than the other times, but she had still managed to see something.

Even though she hadn't seen much, it seemed she was in a room having what appeared to be lunch or dinner with two other figures, one male and one female. As for the rest, she couldn't hear anything, but for Zoe, it was already a big step forward.

"Mom, mom!" - Astrea, who was sleeping nearby, moved excitedly, waking her up suddenly.

"W-What?" - Astrea said, still half-asleep.

"It worked!"

"What worked?" - She asked, confused by her daughter's excitement.

"My theory! Mark is the solution!"

"...Seriously?" - Astrea seemed to wake up instantly. - "Wait, so you—"

"I just held his hand." - Seeing the strange look she was giving her, Zoe quickly suppressed the strange idea forming in Astrea's mind.

"*Cough, I suspected as much." - She said with an awkward cough. - "Still, that's good news, isn't it?"

"Don't you think it's… I don't know, strange?" - Zoe said, uncertain.

"Do you suspect him?" - Astrea asked, but Zoe quickly waved her hands. - "Not at all!"

Seeing her like that made Astrea laugh, while Zoe felt embarrassed.

"I have a good eye for judging people, and Mark has repeatedly proven himself to be cordial and serious. It wouldn't make sense for him to deceive you." - Astrea smiled at her. - "Besides, he's pretty mysterious. He was able to sense my divinity despite my disguise; it wouldn't surprise me if he had something special."

"I see." - Zoe nodded.

"What will you do now?" - Astrea asked.

"I'm not sure. Even though I now know the solution to my problem, it's not simple since prolonged physical contact is necessary." - Zoe said bitterly.

"You could simply tell him. I don't think he would refuse at that point." - Astrea suggested.

"This…" - Zoe felt conflicted about the option.

She had nothing against Mark and knew she could trust him, but it was a deeply personal matter, and opening up to others about it wasn't easy. She wasn't sure exactly what she feared, but she definitely didn't want others to look at her with pity.

"You know, dear, why all the rush?" - Astrea said, squeezing her hand. - "The journey is still long, and we're all heading to the same destination. Take things slow and decide how you want to manage your future. I'll be by your side to support you."

"Hmm, thanks." - Zoe smiled at her.

Her mother was right; getting worked up at that moment made no sense. She would see how events unfolded and only then make a decision. In the meantime, she would enjoy this journey.