Chapter : 1375

Lloyd looked back at the peak of the mountain, then toward the distant city of Ramos.

"We have to," Lloyd said. "Because if we don't, there won't be anyone left to write the history books."

He clenched his fists. He needed power. He needed more power than he had ever had before. The Golem was a monster of legend. To kill it, he would have to become a monster himself.

"Let's find a place to camp," Lloyd said. "I have some shopping to do."

"Shopping?" Mina asked, confused.

"Mental shopping," Lloyd tapped his head. "I need to buy some new tricks. The old ones aren't going to cut it."

They walked into the woods as the sun began to set, casting long, blood-red shadows across the land. The countdown had begun. And Lloyd Ferrum was running out of time.

Night fell over the forest like a heavy velvet blanket. It was cold, the kind of mountain chill that seeped into your bones and made you question why humans ever decided to leave caves. Lloyd and Mina had found a small clearing off the main road, sheltered by a circle of ancient pine trees. It was hidden, it was quiet, and it was miserable.

Lloyd was currently engaged in a fierce battle with a pile of sticks.

"Light," Lloyd commanded. He struck his flint against the steel. Sparks flew, landed on the dry leaves, and immediately died of boredom. "I said, light."

Mina sat on a log nearby, hugging her knees. She was watching him with a look that was half-amusement, half-exhaustion. "Do you want me to use a spell? Or perhaps just ask the wood nicely?"

"No magic," Lloyd grunted, striking the flint again. Click. Spark. Nothing. "We are in stealth mode. Magic leaves a signature. Fire leaves smoke, but at least smoke is natural. Besides, I am a man of the wilderness. I can make fire. I have watched many survival documentaries."

"Documentaries?" Mina asked.

"Plays," Lloyd corrected quickly. "Survival plays. Very dramatic. Lots of people eating bugs."

Finally, a spark caught. A tiny flame licked at the dry moss. Lloyd gently blew on it, feeding it small twigs until it grew into a respectable, crackling campfire. He sat back, wiping soot from his nose.

"I have created fire!" Lloyd announced, raising his hands to the sky. "I am the god of warmth! Worship me!"

Mina smiled. It was a small, tired smile, but it was real. "All hail the god of warmth. Do you also have the power of dinner?"

"I have... dried beef," Lloyd said, pulling a packet from his bag. "And hard bread. And some cheese that might be adventurous."

"A feast fit for kings," Mina said, taking the bread.

They ate in silence for a while. The fire crackled and popped, sending orange sparks drifting up into the darkness. The forest was full of noises—owls hooting, branches creaking—but for the first time in days, they felt relatively safe.

Lloyd watched Mina. She was staring into the flames, her face illuminated by the warm glow. She looked younger like this, without the scholarly robes or the weight of the library. She looked like a person carrying a heavy burden.

"The story," Mina said quietly, breaking the silence. "About the half a million people. It keeps playing in my head."

Lloyd nodded. He poked the fire with a stick. "Yeah. It's a lot of ghosts."

"I love history," Mina said. She wrapped her shawl tighter around her shoulders. "I always have. The present... the present is messy. It is loud. It is confusing. People lie. Politics shift. But history? History is done. It is safe. You can study it, organize it, put it on a shelf. It cannot hurt you."

She looked up at Lloyd, her eyes shimmering. "But I was wrong. History is not safe. It is just a sleeping monster. Wilfred dug it up, and now it is going to hurt everyone."

"That's the thing about the past," Lloyd said softly. "It never really stays dead. It just waits for someone stupid enough to disturb it."

"I feel foolish," Mina admitted. "I spent my life reading about heroes and villains, thinking I understood the world. But out here... running through the woods, jumping off walls... I feel like a child. I am terrified, Lloyd."

It was a rare admission. The Siddik women were raised to be iron. To admit fear was to admit weakness.

Lloyd tossed a twig into the fire. He looked at her, dropping his sarcastic mask for a moment.

Chapter : 1376

"You're not a child, Mina," Lloyd said. "You're the only reason we got this far. You cracked the code. You found the journal. Without you, I'd just be a guy punching a wall."

"But I can't fight," she said. "I can't protect anyone."

"Fighting isn't the only way to be strong," Lloyd said. "You have a different kind of strength. You look at the truth, no matter how ugly it is. Most people would have run away when they heard about the golems. You stayed."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "And about being scared... I'm scared too. All the time."

Mina looked surprised. "You? The White Mask? The man who fought a fire demon?"

"Especially me," Lloyd said. "I'm terrified. I'm terrified of failing. I'm terrified that I'm not strong enough to stop what's coming. I'm just a guy trying to build things, Mina. I want to build a world where people don't have to be scared. Where we have soap and clean water and... safety. But to build that, I have to destroy the things that threaten it."

He looked into the fire, his expression somber. "I'm not a hero. I'm just a janitor with a sword, trying to clean up a very big mess."

Mina watched him. She saw the weariness in his shoulders, the lines of stress around his eyes. She realized that his arrogance, his jokes, his 'Major General' persona—they were all armor. Just like her books were armor.

"You are a good builder, Lloyd," she said softly.

The air between them shifted. It wasn't the awkward tension of the train. It was something warmer. Something gentler. A shared understanding between two people standing on the edge of a cliff.

Lloyd looked up and met her gaze. The firelight danced in his eyes. For a moment, the war and the golems and the wives didn't exist. There was just the fire, and the silence, and the unexpected comfort of not being alone.

"Well," Lloyd said, clearing his throat and breaking the moment before it got too heavy. "Speaking of building. I built us a house."

He gestured behind him.

"A house?" Mina asked, looking into the darkness.

"Okay, a tent," Lloyd corrected. "But it's a very nice tent. I bought it from a traveling merchant. It's supposed to be waterproof and bear-resistant. Though I think the bear part is a lie."

He had set up a small, canvas tent near the edge of the clearing. It looked cozy. It also looked very small.

Mina stood up and walked over to it. She peered inside. There were two sleeping rolls laid out. They were close. Very close.

She stepped back, her face flushing slightly. "Lloyd. There is only one tent."

"Yes," Lloyd said, still sitting by the fire. "Camping equipment is heavy. I only bought one."

"We cannot sleep in the same tent," Mina said firmly. "It is... improper. We are..."

"Related by marriage? Fugitives? Secret allies?" Lloyd offered.

"It is not right," Mina insisted. She crossed her arms. "I will sleep by the fire."

"No, you won't," Lloyd said. He stood up and stretched. "You take the tent. It's warm. It's bug-free-ish. You need sleep."

"And you?" Mina asked. "Where will you sleep?"

"I won't," Lloyd said. "I'll take the first watch. And the second watch. And the third watch. Someone has to make sure the bears don't eat our shoes."

"You cannot stay awake all night," Mina argued. "You need rest too."

"I have techniques," Lloyd lied. "I can sleep with my eyes open. It's a very advanced skill. I learned it in... monk school."

"Monk school," Mina repeated flatly.

"Yes. The Order of the Insomniac Monks. Very prestigious."

He walked over to the tent entrance and held the flap open for her. "Go on, Mina. Take the tent. I'll sit right here by the entrance. Nothing gets past me. Not a squirrel, not a goblin, not a mosquito."

Mina looked at him. She saw the determination in his eyes. He was being chivalrous. He was being protective.

"You are stubborn," she said.

"It's my best quality," Lloyd grinned. "Besides my hair."

Mina hesitated for a second longer, then ducked inside the tent. It was surprisingly spacious for one person. She sat on the sleeping roll and looked back at him.

"Goodnight, Lloyd," she said softly.

"Goodnight, Librarian," Lloyd said. "Dream of Dewey Decimals."

He let the flap fall closed.

Inside the tent, Mina lay down. She pulled the blanket up to her chin. It was warm. It was safe. But she couldn't sleep.