The cavern was immense.
As Char followed the young Valkari girl deeper inside, he felt his breath catch at the sight unfolding before him. Warm golden light flickered across the walls, cast by lanterns hanging from jagged rock formations. The settlement itself was built into the stone, with wooden platforms and staircases winding up the cavern like a miniature city carved into the earth. Dozens of Valkari moved about the space—children darting between homes, traders selling odd-looking meats and glowing plants, and warriors sharpening their weapons.
Mira let out a low whistle beside him. "Well, this is… something."
Char remained silent. He wasn't admiring the scenery.
He was worried.
They were surrounded by armed warriors and an entire hidden community of Valkari. If these people saw them as intruders, there would be nowhere to run.
And given the history between the Valkari and Oryn-Vel, there was a high chance they weren't going to be welcomed.
Merrick, however, seemed completely at ease.
He knelt beside the little girl, speaking softly in Valkari, his tone lighter now, almost teasing. She responded shyly, glancing back at Char and Mira before nodding and taking his hand.
Merrick turned back to them. "Her name's Selka. She's taking me to meet their leader."
Mira frowned. "You're going alone?"
"It'll be easier that way," Merrick said, adjusting his cloak. "Besides, I actually speak their language, which already puts me leagues ahead of you two." He smirked before following Selka up a winding wooden staircase.
Within moments, he was gone.
Char exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. Alone in a Valkari settlement. This wasn't exactly the safest situation.
Mira stretched her arms over her head. "Well, now what?"
Char hesitated. He had no idea. But before he could figure out what to say, his thoughts drifted somewhere unexpected.
Finn.
His old friend back on Earth, who had endlessly teased him about his lack of flirting skills.
"You gotta just go for it, man! Compliments, eye contact, confidence. It's not that hard!"
Char sighed, half-exasperated with himself. Why am I thinking about this now?
But as he glanced at Mira, his heart did a weird little flip.
…Maybe it was because of the kiss.
Maybe it was because they had been in life-or-death situations so many times now that a normal moment like this—just standing side by side in a strange place—felt strangely intimate.
Or maybe he was just an idiot.
Either way, before he could overthink it, the words slipped out of his mouth.
"You know… you're really pretty."
Silence.
Mira blinked at him.
Char's brain shut down completely.
Oh, god. That was—why did he just say that? That was terrible. That was awful.
Mira's lips parted slightly, her expression unreadable.
Then, to his complete and utter horror, she laughed.
Not a mean laugh. But a soft, startled one, like she hadn't been expecting that at all.
Char wanted the earth to swallow him whole.
"That was random," she said, smiling slightly.
Char looked away, scratching his cheek. "Yeah, well. I meant it."
Mira raised an eyebrow. "Are you flirting with me?"
"…I don't know."
She tilted her head, watching him with an amused look. Then she took a step closer, hands on her hips. "Huh. I don't hate it."
Char's face felt hotter than the sun.
Finn would be laughing his ass off if he could see me right now.
It was awkward. Really awkward.
But also… weirdly wholesome.
Mira shook her head with a chuckle. "You're a dork."
Char cleared his throat, trying to desperately change the subject before he made even more of a fool of himself.
"S-So, uh, do you think Merrick's gonna be okay?"
Mira hummed, tapping her chin. "I don't know. But if he's not, I'm sure we'll hear the explosion."
Char groaned. "That's not reassuring."
Mira just smirked. "It wasn't supposed to be."
*
More than twenty minutes passed, and Char had to force himself to stay calm. Most likely—or most hopefully—all that was happening was Merrick having a discussion with the leader of the settlement. Char remembered the charismatic Rhun Wolfsbane, who he's written and who was renowned in the history of this world. That did mean Char had literally written history, which was something he still hadn't gotten over yet.
He still needed to find a way home, but step one in doing that is stopping Edmund Ardent, or at least render him as no longer a threat. And step one to do that was to crush an Ascension Stone, unlock his mana reserves, and access his first skill to be used to fight with.
All he could do in the meantime was bide his time and make no mistakes.
He had lost Benjamin, but it wasn't something he wanted to think about. He knew, especially from his initial reaction to the older man's death, that if he pondered it for too long, he'd fall into some sort of depression.
He had only known Benjamin for not even a week, but he understood how much the old man at helped him out, despite him at first being a sign to Char that Tess didn't trust him completely, then it seemed that she had. Now, with hindsight, he was glad Benjamin had met him at the southern gate of Oryn-Vel and tagged along with him.
Hell, without Benjamin, Char would've probably been frozen to death in the night by now, or even cut up and butchered by those bandits. He'd only made it this far because of the old man's help and wisdom.
Char had changed in his time with Benjamin, that much was obvious. He didn't feel totally useless now, and with his new training scheme that he planned on sticking to and his renewed mindset, he felt much more positive that he had before. He had seen horrible things done to people. Whether they had deserved it or not was irrelevant. The only way for him to move on now was for him to evolve. He would keep trainings and keeping improving, until he could stop the likes of Ardent, and prevent anyone else close to him from dying ever again.
Mira sighed, leaning back against one of the wooden posts supporting the cavern walkway. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do next."
Char looked over at her, watching as she absently traced a pattern against the damp wood. The flickering lanterns overhead cast shifting shadows across her face, making her look smaller than usual. More vulnerable. He was taken aback by the suddeness of her confession
"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.
Mira exhaled slowly, hugging herself. "Everything I've done up to this point… sneaking around, training, stealing from Flint's office—it was all because I wanted to escape Hallow's Rest. But now that I actually have…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "I have no idea what comes next."
Char frowned, processing her words.
She had spent her entire life in that town, preparing for something bigger. But now that she had finally left, the path ahead was uncertain.
He understood that feeling way too well.
"I get it," Char said softly. "It's like… you've been climbing this massive mountain for years, and now you're standing at the top and there's just—nothing."
Mira nodded, her jaw tightening. "Yeah. Exactly."
She was quiet for a moment, staring down at her hands. Then, hesitantly, she added, "I never really had a place that felt like home."
Char blinked. "...What do you mean?"
Mira glanced away. "I grew up in Hallow's Rest, but I didn't have parents. I don't even know if they died or if they just left me behind." She gave a short, dry laugh. "Flint and the others weren't cruel, but they weren't exactly a family either. The town took care of me, sure, but that's just because they had to. I never really belonged to anyone."
Char's heart twisted at her words.
She said it so casually. Like she wasn't allowed to be sad about it.
"...Mira."
She exhaled sharply and forced a smirk. "It's not a big deal."
Char hated that answer.
Because it was a big deal.
He didn't know what was worse—the fact that she had grown up without anyone truly looking out for her, or the fact that she had gotten so used to it that she could just brush it off.
"That's…" Char trailed off, trying to find the right words. But for once, nothing he could say felt enough.
Mira shook her head. "I'm just saying, now that I'm out of there… I don't know where I should be. It's not like I have some grand goal or anything. I thought I'd feel free, but now I just feel… lost."
Her voice wavered slightly.
Char saw the way her shoulders tensed. The way she held herself like she was trying to keep everything locked in,refusing to let herself break down.
He hesitated for only a second before he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.
Mira stiffened.
"...What are you doing?"
Char squeezed her tighter. "Hugging you, dumbass."
For a long moment, she didn't react. He almost thought she was going to shove him off. But then—slowly, hesitantly—she melted into the embrace, burying her face against his shoulder.
"...This is stupid," she muttered.
"Yep," Char agreed. "And we're doing it anyway."
Mira let out a breath that was almost a laugh, but when she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper. "...Thanks, Char."
His arms tightened around her.
"I got you."