CHAPTER 269: CHAPTER 268 - RISE AND SHINE.

The cave had gone quiet again, save for the slow, even breathing of its many occupants.

Selena was half-curled against the wall, cloak pulled over her like a blanket. Clara lay on her back near the fire, one arm draped over her eyes.

Lia had dozed off with Planty in her lap, its leaves twitching faintly whenever she exhaled.

Siris was lying on a hammock made of her ice threads. She had wanted to feel the cold tonight.

Rufus and Alex had both claimed spots on opposite sides of Nibbles, as though the squirrel were some peace treaty.

Even Graye had settled with the giant panther beside her, whose tail occasionally thumped the stone in a lazy dream.

Jessy was leaning against a rock, punching it with her eyes closed. She was probably dreaming about beating someone up.

Then there was Cluckles, and the poor chicken was waiting for a mini heart attack when it woke up, because the way it was sleeping, its head was right between the canines of the panther.

Still, for now, the chicken was sleeping peacefully, and so were others.

The only ones still awake were the two sitting at the mouth of the cave, silhouettes outlined by the pale glow of the moon: Raven and Argon.

And maybe, a shadowy member of Raven’s group, sitting above the cave, enjoying the night wind with his scythe resting on his shoulder.

The night outside was vast and quiet, while the stars remained far away and cold.

Raven was telling Argon everything that had happened in the Great Forest of Hector.

"...so after we got Myria out, the soldiers tried to thank us—at least, in between looking like they’d just seen the sun for the first time in years. But I couldn’t shake it. The whole thing was too... neat."

Argon’s eyes stayed fixed on the horizon. "You think it was staged by someone strong."

"I think it was orchestrated," Raven corrected, voice low. "And if I had to bet on who would pull something like that... I’d put everything on Zephyr."

The name hung in the air like the smoke. Neither of them liked saying it.

Raven wasn’t saying this because he felt like it, but because he knew it.

Yes, the assassins did commit suicide; even the ones they had bound were somehow dead by the time Raven returned to them.

But, there was one thing that made Raven conclude that the one behind all of this was someone from the Vaise family.

The assassin who was close to escaping the ruins—the one who was pulled back inside the metal door by some shadowy tentacles—was a Vaise.

A named one at that.

The thing was that he was supposed to be dead, so there was no way he could prove anything by taking that guy’s name.

What he was sure about, however, was that someone from the Vaise was behind this, and Raven only knew one Vaise ambitious enough to attempt it—Zephyr, his eldest brother.

Raven leaned back against the rock. "The odds of Zephyr planning Hector’s takeover are high. Velmoria’s been the only thing keeping Hector safe. Now, when Velmoria is tied up fighting demons, isn’t it a perfect window to make his move? He’s not stupid—he’d strike while everyone’s looking the other way."

Argon’s jaw flexed, teeth grinding. The sound was faint, but it was carried by the wind.

"I’ve... let him go too many times," he admitted, his voice edged. "Every time I knew what he’d done. Every time I saw the trail he left. I should’ve—"

"Stopped him?" Raven’s tone was sharper than the mountain wind. "Yeah. But you didn’t."

Argon’s gaze flicked to him, a warning there—but Raven didn’t slow.

"Also, before you start with the whole ’I thought maybe he’d change’ speech—don’t. Zephyr isn’t the redemption arc type. He’s the ’burn everything, including himself, if it gets him ahead’ type. There’s no reasoning with that."

Argon was quiet for a long moment. The wind sighed through the rocks.

"I know," he said at last. "When... the other me was in control, he saw Zephyr as useful—a tool. But when I came back—" His voice dipped, almost too low to hear. "I thought maybe... maybe I could talk to him. That if I reached him, he’d stop."

Raven’s brow arched. "Touching. Really."

"He’s my son like you are," Argon muttered.

"He’s my brother," Raven shot back. "You don’t see me getting sentimental."

Argon didn’t say anything for a while before he sighed. "I wanted to give him a chance to change..."

Argon knew that whatever his children were at this moment was all because of him.

Unlike Raven, who only knew about Zephyr from the plot he had read, Argon could remember how Zephyr was when he was a child.

He was someone who used to follow Argon nervously, waiting for an opportunity to speak, and when he did get it, he used to run away, scared off by Argon’s cold eyes.

At that time, he was but a scared child looking for his father’s love.

So, Argon, who had always been thinking about his actions, thought that there might be some redemption for Zephyr.

He turned to Raven. "He was just raised wrong by me—"

Raven cut him off with a laugh without humor. "Raised us? You mean the part where you fucked our mothers and then left us to fend for ourselves? That’s not parenting, Father. That’s... biology."

That one landed like a thrown dagger. Argon froze, actually blinking at him. "...Blunt."

Raven shrugged, the picture of casual cruelty. "You deserve at least that much."

Argon shook his head slowly, almost like he was trying to clear it. "One of these days, you’re going to say something I can’t walk off."

Raven smirked faintly. "One of these days, you’re going to deserve worse."

They sat there in silence for a while after that, the cave behind them filled with the quiet sounds of sleeping companions, the night before them vast and indifferent.

Argon’s hand drifted to the hilt of his sword, more out of habit than need. "If you’re right about Zephyr..."

"I’m right," Raven interrupted.

"...then we’ll have to move before he does."

Raven’s eyes glinted in the moonlight. "Exactly."

Things were going like he wanted them to, and although he was manipulating Argon right now and making him move like a pawn, despite knowing that Argon would never be able to defeat Zephyr, he needed to do this.

It was the best way to handle the situation because this was how it had been in the plot.

"Man, you are evil," Omni, the gold-slaying sword, echoed in Raven’s head, making him shrug inwardly.

’I prefer the term necessarily evil.’

"What about him, then?" Omni asked, mentioning Argon.

He glanced at the man, who was now staring at the moon, his expression heavy.

Then, he sighed. ’I’ll apologize to him. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if the results are good.’

"You sure about that?" Omni raised an imaginary eyebrow, making Raven squint his eyes before scratching his head.

’Probably.’

Somewhere inside the cave, Nibbles made a soft chitter in his sleep—probably dreaming about stealing everyone’s breakfast again.

It was enough to break the tension, if only a little.

Argon glanced at Raven, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "You know... if Zephyr is pulling the strings like you said, that makes him..." He paused dramatically. "...a puppet master."

Raven just stared at him. Deadpan. Silent. The kind of stare that suggested contemplating patricide.

From inside the cave, Clara groaned in her sleep. "Gods, even in my dreams I can hear bad jokes..."

Lia mumbled something unintelligible into Planty’s leaves.

Even Cluckles let out a sleepy, offended cluck.

"Worth it," Argon muttered, eyes back on the moon.

............................

Before anyone could even realize it, the sun had started to come out of the far horizon, casting its light on everyone as if it were a taxpayer doing its job.

However, one could tell that it enjoyed its job, as it would focus more on the people having good dreams, burning the light straight at their eyes, and even increasing intensity when they tried to cover their eyes.

That sunlight soon seeped through the cave mouth, prying at closed eyelids and groggy minds.

The first one up was Nibbles—because, of course, it was.

The squirrel hopped across Alex’s face like it was a stepping stone, earning a muffled curse, then stole one of Rufus’s breakfast rations without remorse.

Cluckles woke next, opening its beady eyes directly into the yawning maw of the still-sleeping panther.

There was a silent, frozen moment of "oh gods, I’m dead" before the chicken slooowly backed away... and promptly tripped over Jessy’s leg, waking her up.

Jessy blinked blearily, saw Alex, and muttered, "I dreamed I punched you," before going back to sleep mid-sentence.

Selena was the picture of grace—right up until she stood, forgot about the low ceiling, and thunked her head hard enough to make Clara snort awake. Clara, still half-dreaming, immediately declared, "No, I’m not paying rent," and rolled over.

By the time everyone was in some state of semi-consciousness, Raven was already leaning against the rock wall with his arms folded, looking far too awake for someone who’d slept maybe three hours.

"Rise and shine," he said flatly. "Or at least... rise. Shining is optional."

Lia yawned and rubbed her eyes. "What’s going on?"

"We’re moving out," Raven said, his tone carrying that dangerous blend of "this is important" and "I’m about to ruin your morning." "Our next stop is a nice little place where we’ll find the herbs to heal you."

"Oh," Lia brightened a little. "That doesn’t sound so bad."

Graye, still stretching beside her panther, rubbing her eyes with a yawn. "If you’re calling it ’nice,’ it’s probably a death trap. I’m excited already."

Raven smiled just enough to confirm her suspicions. "Well, we have to cross a swamp."

The reaction was instantaneous.

"Nope," Rufus said immediately.

"Ugh, my boots are already crying," Clara groaned.

Selena sighed like she’d just been told she had to babysit a drunk bear.

Alex muttered something about "mosquitoes being nature’s assassins."

Even Nibbles froze mid-chew, eyes wide as if he understood perfectly.

Lia blinked. "...What’s wrong with swamps?"

Jessy pointed at her. "You’ll find out when something bites you and you can’t tell if it was a bug or the ground itself."

Raven pushed off the wall. "We leave in ten. Pack up, don’t complain too loudly, and remember—" He glanced around at them all, voice perfectly calm. "...mosquitoes are more afraid of you than you are of them."

"Liar," Selena muttered.

"Completely," Raven admitted, already walking toward the cave mouth.

He didn’t tell them about the dangers of that place or the complexity of the task they were going to perform, as they were already demotivated enough.

But recalling a certain creature they would meet there, Raven wondered how they would react when they saw it.