CHAPTER 55: 52: SOMETHING VERY STRANGE.

"How is the food?"

Edward looked up from his bowl, only to be slightly taken aback when he saw Selene staring at him with curiosity in her eyes.

He quickly chewed on the pieces of meat and vegetables in his mouth, gulping everything down in one big batch.

Then,

[ Bond progress with Selene: 91% (4%) ]

Unfortunately, due to being startled by the sudden pop up, the food went down the wrong pipe.

He let out a surprised wheeze, coughing like a dying man as he choked. His eyes widening in surprise.

The blow to his back almost knocked him out. Fortunately, all he did was spit out the pieces of food stuck in his wind pipe, tears lining his eyes as his throat burned with pain.

"You okay?" Selene had a deeply concerned look in her eyes, her palm still laid against Edward’s back.

He took a moment appreciate to his newfound ability to breathe again, then slowly struggled the words out between heaves.

"Sorry... It was too good."

She blinked.

Then,

"Pfft!-"

All Edward could do was relish in the feeling that he had finally managed to get in a good joke.

[ Additional bond progress: +1% ]

’Go to hell you stupid thing.’

***

"Everyone ready?"

They all nodded.

"Great, we’ll start moving then."

Travelling through the thick jungle had started off really hard. It being almost impossible for all of them to properly coordinate their movement to travel smoothly, but eventually, as they spent enough time together, moving as a group started getting easier.

Rowan was the one in front, leading them through the maze of trees. Edward and the rest behind him, following as he lead the way.

It was easy enough initially, but as an hour passed, Edward was already starting to feel his legs burning.

Not to mention that his pack was a little too heavy.

He adjusted the strap on his shoulder, struggling with the weight.

Calen glanced at him.

"Is it too heavy?"

Edward paused.

"N-no?" He avoided eye contact. "Not at all... why would it be heavy? haha..."

There was no way in hell that he was going to tell Calen that he couldn’t carry a bag of clothes and food with him without getting tired.

Calen meanwhile, just let out a sigh and extended his hand.

"Give it to me."

Edward stared at him.

"No."

He said nothing, only continuing to hold his hand.

"I said its not heavy!"

Calen continued staring at him.

Edward let out a sigh.

"Fine..."

Even though he was a little reluctant to admit it, the bag, indeed had been too heavy for him.

Now that the weight was off of his shoulder—literally, he felt the fatigue creeping up on him slowing down.

No matter how hard he tried, Edward could not for his life, determine how far they had come. The maze of trees and moss all looked the same to him, and he was sure that if he didn’t have anyone else with him, it genuinely might have been game over.

Which was a terrifying though really, knowing what kind of forest this was.

[ System Notification: ]

[ Temporary enhancement in sense of direction is available. ]

Edward narrowed his eyes at the panel, careful not to trip on a root as he walked.

’you’ve been awfully talkative.’

Ding!

[ ♡ ]

All he could was let out a sigh in response.

He lamented the fact that his system had ended up being this weirdo.

It was not like regret was going to change anything at this point. He was stuck with this bizarre, overly affectionate system whether he liked it or not.

He focused on placing one foot in front of the other, careful to match the rest of the group’s pace. The air grew thicker the deeper they went—the scent of moss, damp bark, and wild mana hanging heavy with every breath. Sunlight filtered in patches through the canopy, painting Rowan’s crimson hair in flecks of gold as he pushed ahead.

"We’ll take a short break once we reach the clearing up ahead," Rowan called without looking back.

Edward could’ve cried in gratitude.

Aria turned slightly, walking sideways for a moment as she gave him a quick visual check. "How’re you holding up?"

He straightened, immediately pretending to be fine. "Perfect," he lied with a confidence even he didn’t believe.

She raised a brow. "Mhm. Sure."

Selene, who had been silently watching him from behind, stepped closer—not quite touching him, but close enough to brush his shoulder with her sleeve. "You should tell us if you’re struggling," she murmured.

"I’m not—"

Edward’s sentence was cut off when one of his feet slipped in a patch of damp mud. He lurched forward, barely catching himself on a low-hanging branch.

Rowan let out a soft snort. Aria pinched the bridge of her nose. Calen looked like a man who had aged ten years in two seconds.

Selene, however, simply stepped beside him again. "You were saying?"

Edward let out a long, suffering exhale.

"Fine. I may be slightly struggling."

Calen hummed. "Shocking."

Edward glared at him. "Shut up."

The group’s mood lightened. Even Rowan seemed less tense as they continued walking.

Then—

The system chimed again.

[ System Analysis Complete. ]

[ Host’s stamina is insufficient for current environment. ]

[ Suggestion: Lean on the nearest Nexus. :) ]

Edward froze mid-step.

Absolutely not.

No way in hell was he going to cling to someone like some helpless Victorian maiden. Before he could even mentally yell at the system—

Selene stepped closer.

"You’re wobbling again," she said quietly.

"I’m fine-"

"You’re wobbling again," she repeated.

Edward clenched his jaw.

Another notification popped up with a sparkly animation.

[ Bond Progress with Selene +2% ]

[ Reason: She is worried about you. ]

His eye twitched so violently it hurt.

Why was his life like this?

But before despair could swallow him whole, Rowan slowed down at the front and raised a hand.

"We’re here."

The group came to a stop.

The trees opened into a wide clearing, sunlight spilling onto moss like a spotlight. Strange flowers in shades of violet and white swayed despite the still air. A faint shimmer—like mana residue—drifted lazily in the space.

It looked peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Aria’s expression sharpened, her clear eyes locked in on the flowers. "This... wasn’t here yesterday."

Calen stepped forward, hand on his sword. "Be on guard."

Selene moved beside Edward instinctively.

He swallowed.

The soft glow drifting through the clearing was beautiful, ethereal even—but he had the sinking suspicion it wasn’t just pretty particles.

Something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.