CHAPTER 255: CHAPTER 255 INDEPENDENT

Shura, unwilling to see her leave so quickly, let out a few pitiful whines before yielding control back to Zion. Moments later, Zion emerged in his human form, his emerald eyes lingering on Addison’s retreating figure.

He drew in a slow, shaky breath. ’Don’t rush... don’t rush. Take it slow and carefully,’ he reminded himself, wiping the sweat from his skin.

Maxwell and Levi had also shifted back into their human forms, both breathing heavily from the exertion. As they caught their breath, their eyes swept over the caravan before settling on two withered, skin-and-bone corpses lying not far from where they stood.

"What happened?" Zion asked, following their gaze to the unsettling sight.

"We were attacked by the Night Walkers," Lance explained, his tone heavy. "Those two ran outside to check the situation when we heard Addison’s voice calling for help... but they ended up like that instead. We only managed to retrieve their bodies when the Night Walkers suddenly fled." He paused, his eyes shifting to the group. "And you—where have you been?"

Elric, who had been set down in the forest by Maxwell when they first stopped running, now staggered toward them. His staff served as a crutch, each step unsteady and labored.

Only then did Lance notice him, his brow furrowing. He gave Maxwell and the others a questioning look before signaling one of the guards to step forward and help Elric sit and rest.

The other guards had already prepared a campfire, the flames crackling warmly against the night air. They set a pot of water to boil, planning to serve chamomile tea to help calm Addison’s nerves. Lance slowly made his way back toward the fire while Zion, Maxwell, and Levi changed into clean clothes.

Once they joined the circle, Lance repeated the question that had gone unanswered earlier due to Elric’s arrival. "Where have you all been?" His gaze swept over them as Zion, Maxwell, and Levi settled beside Elric and Addison around the fire.

A guard handed each of them a steaming mug of chamomile tea the moment the water finished boiling, the soothing scent mingling with the smoke of the campfire.

"Of course. We found a way to get ourselves out of this forest, but things became... complicated, and a lot happened," Zion replied vaguely.

Only then did Addison realize she was still clutching the cloth bundle containing the dark fairies. She peeked inside, checking to make sure they were still safe and hadn’t been crushed in her grip.

Elric seemed to notice as well. Without unwrapping the cloth he’d been carrying, he handed Addison the two additional dark fairies he had been safeguarding all this time. Then, without another word, he sank back down onto the log he’d been sitting on.

Lance’s eyebrows twitched at Zion’s vague reply—it didn’t truly answer his question, and he still had no idea what they had been through.

It was clear, however, that none of them was willing to elaborate on what had really happened during their absence. With no choice but to drop the matter, Lance instead turned his attention to Addison.

Dust still clung to her skin and silver-white hair, a silent proof of the ordeal they must have endured.

Addison’s gaze fell on the two corpses lying on the ground, but she said nothing. No matter what words she offered, they couldn’t bring the dead back, and dwelling on it would only weigh everyone down further.

She simply pressed her lips together. This wasn’t the outcome she had hoped for, but she knew she couldn’t always expect a favorable one.

Without lingering on the thought, she drank her chamomile tea in one long sip before speaking. "Everyone, prepare to set off. We’ll take the forest route to the other side. By tomorrow morning, we should reach the nearest pack. We’ll rest there for a few hours, restock our supplies, and then continue moving."

Her decision was firm. Now that the threat within the forest had been dealt with, a new path had been opened—one they could use from now on to shorten their journey.

She wasn’t worried about the cave’s secrets being discovered; all traces had been buried under the rubble. The enemy forces who had forced them into this route would eventually learn that their plan had failed, but Addison knew they wouldn’t stop scheming. That was fine—she intended to turn this to her advantage.

With this new shortcut, the caravan and guards would finally have what they’d been wanting: a safer, shorter route. What once took far longer could now be crossed in half a day.

"Understood. Please rest here for a bit while we make the arrangements," Lance said. He almost reached out to pat Addison’s head, but stopped when he caught Zion’s sharp glare.

Zion’s possessiveness toward her was practically radiating, and Lance knew better than to provoke it, especially when Addison already looked tired and preoccupied. The last thing she needed was more tension.

So, he quietly lowered his hand and walked off to handle the preparations, leaving the five of them gathered around the campfire.

When the others had gone, the quiet stretched between them until Elric finally broke it, his voice low.

"Princess Addison... what do you plan to do with these?" he asked, gesturing toward the dark fairies.

Addison shook her head. She didn’t know either, only that she needed to help purify the dark fairies.

Beyond that, she had no clear plan.

But now that they were in her possession, she had given those who had been targeting her yet another reason to watch her every move like a hawk. After all, she held exactly what they wanted.

Yet, handing the fairies over was out of the question; she knew they would only use them to spread chaos throughout her kingdom. At the same time, she couldn’t simply destroy them, she had no idea how the light fairy within her might react to such an act.

"I don’t know either. For now, we can only tackle each problem one at a time," she replied, her gaze dropping to the bundle in her arms as her thoughts deepened. "But I suppose, whether I have these or not, those who want me won’t stop scheming against me. At least this way, they’re in my hands, and we’ve taken one weapon away from them."

As she spoke, she realized how often she kept her thoughts to herself, letting others guess at her intentions. The people around her did the same, tiptoeing as if walking on eggshells, worried about her feelings and past trauma.

It meant they were always left to speculate until she spoke first. If she didn’t change that habit, misunderstandings and miscommunication would only grow, and that was the last thing she needed.

She had grown so used to being independent that she always kept her thoughts and decisions to herself, leaving those around her to guess at what she was thinking. Ever since her return, she had been too preoccupied and, deep down, a little hesitant to share her feelings or burdens with anyone.

But as she looked at Zion, Maxwell, and Levi, and thought about the dangers ahead, she realized they needed to know more about her.