CHAPTER 50: SWING

The dry leaves crunched under Eun-woo and Rhys’s footsteps. In the distance, birds could be heard among the trees. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth. Occasionally, the wind moved the high branches, causing the leaves to rustle.

High above them, Nebu floated among the tall branches, gliding lazily through the air. He had returned to his original size.

"Does it really have to fly like that?" Rhys muttered, glancing up at the sky. "It’ll give us away in less than ten minutes."

Eun-woo looked up. Nebu was spinning in the air, as if playing with the wind. He smiled.

"Nebu," he called softly.

The creature descended instantly, shrinking as it approached, until it was barely larger than a cat. It floated toward Eun-woo and snuggled into his arms, emitting a low purr that vibrated against his chest.

Rhys snorted.

"I should have kept quiet," he muttered.

Eun-woo gave a short laugh.

"Are you jealous?" he asked.

Rhys glanced at him, frowning.

"Jealous? Of what? Of that?" He pointed at Nebu with his chin. "It’s a... floating thing."

"A floating thing that follows me everywhere," Eun-woo said with innocent malice. "It sleeps on me and takes care of me. Aren’t you a little jealous?"

"Of course not," Rhys growled, quickening his pace. "Who would be jealous of a purring interdimensional globe?"

Eun-woo didn’t say anything else, just stroked Nebu’s head, who made a contented noise. He smiled to himself and walked behind Rhys as the sun filtered through the leaves.

They walked in silence for several minutes, with only the sound of their footsteps and the occasional crunch of a branch beneath their feet. Suddenly, Eun-woo stopped.

"Did you hear that?"

Rhys looked up.

A repetitive sound drifted through the trees. Eun-woo frowned and started walking in that direction, driven by curiosity. Rhys followed him wordlessly, walking beside him

They both moved forward cautiously, alert to any movement. The noise grew clearer with each step: a rhythmic creaking, like wood rubbing against something.

They walked until they came across a dirt road. At the end, there were two trees whose branches intertwined high above. From one of them hung two ropes of the same length, tied to the ends of a wooden board. On the board, a brown-haired boy was swinging. The movement produced the noise they had heard before.

The boy, noticing Eun-woo and Rhys, stopped rocking and jumped onto the dirt road.

At that very moment, Nebu shrank even further, becoming the size of a mouse, and quickly darted toward Eun-woo’s neck, hiding in his hair.

"Rhys!" he shouted with delight.

Before either of them could react, the little boy ran toward them and launched himself into the air. Rhys reacted in time, catching him with both arms, and the boy clung to his neck in a hug.

"Do you know him?" Eun-woo asked.

Rhys nodded slowly.

"Yes... But he’s very far from home."

"No," the boy interrupted, smiling brightly. "They moved the village. It’s closer to the river now."

Rhys pulled him away slightly, enough to get a good look at his face.

"Did they move the entire settlement?" he said worriedly. "Why?"

The boy shrugged.

"I don’t know. But you can ask my mom."

Then he let go of the grip and started walking along the path, encouraged.

"Come on! It’s close!"

Rhys and Eun-woo exchanged a quick glance.

"What’s wrong?" Eun-woo asked as they began to follow the boy.

Rhys lowered his voice, his tone more serious now.

"That settlement shouldn’t have been here. It was much further north. If they moved, it’s because something happened. Something serious."

The journey took no more than a few minutes. Soon, the forest began to open up, and the first buildings began to appear between the trees.

The settlement consisted of several wooden huts, some larger than others, all of simple construction. The roofs were covered with dry leaves and tarps.

In front of some huts, women and men were washing clothes in plastic buckets, hanging them on lines strung between the trees. Others were chopping firewood, repairing rusty tools, or digging soil in small makeshift gardens. A couple of other children were playing barefoot near a pile of stones.

But as soon as they saw the boy arrive accompanied by Rhys and Eun-woo, the activity stopped. Some adults stood still, watching cautiously. Others, more nervous, dropped what they were holding and ran inside their homes, closing the doors behind them.

"What’s wrong?" Eun-woo asked in a low voice.

Rhys looked around, pausing briefly.

"I don’t recognize anyone," he said, frowning. "Not a single face."

Before Eun-woo could respond, a figure appeared in front of them, striding forward with a firm stride. It was a young man, with a strong build and dark red hair.

Paying no immediate attention to the newcomers, the man crouched down in front of the boy and hugged him tightly.

"I’ve been looking for you everywhere," he said, relieved but annoyed.

"I was on the swing," the boy replied.

"We already told you you can’t play far from home," the man scolded. "Who put that swing there?"

The boy opened his mouth to reply, but then the man looked up and noticed Rhys and Eun-woo. He straightened at once, keeping one arm on the boy’s shoulder.

His gaze landed on Rhys; without looking away, he said:

"Your friends are here.’"

Eun-woo breathed a sigh of relief and gently squeezed Rhys’s hand. Rhys, however, didn’t respond to the gesture. He just frowned deeper.

"Nolan," he finally said.

Rhys was about to add something, but didn’t get the chance.

From one of the cabins, a woman hurried out. Her brown hair was braided over one shoulder, her features lined with fatigue. As soon as she saw the boy, she quickened her pace.

She dropped to her knees and swept him into a tight hug, pressing him to her chest.

"Don’t wander off again," she whispered. "Do you hear me? We can’t lose you like that."

The boy nodded, somewhat uncomfortable with the hug, but said nothing.

"Hey, Grandma," Rhys said with a mocking tone.

Eun-woo blinked in surprise and turned his head to look at him.

"Grandma...?"

The woman stopped hugging the child and slowly sat up. She looked up at Rhys with a serious expression, annoyance evident on her face.

"Are you talking to me?" the woman asked.

Rhys smirked.

"Who else would I be talking to?"

The woman snorted and softened her expression.

"You’ve got nerve," she replied, folding her arms. "You haven’t been around here in years, and when you do, you bring strangers with you." Then she smiled. "But I missed you anyway."

The woman opened her arms and it took Rhys only a second before he stepped forward and sank into her embrace.

"I missed you too," Rhys murmured, still in the woman’s arms.

The boy, who hadn’t stopped watching them, tugged at Rhys’s shirt insistently.

"And me? Did you miss me too?"

Rhys pulled away from the woman with a smile and looked at the boy with mock disdain.

"Of course," Rhys answered, crouching so they were eye‑to‑eye. "I missed you so much."

The boy smiled proudly, but immediately protested with laughter when Rhys ruffled his hair, as if he wanted to deliberately mess it up.

As the scene unfolded, Eun-woo stood silently a few feet away. Then, he felt someone staring at him. He looked up and met Nolan’s eyes.

The man didn’t look at him with malice or hostility, but there was something in his expression that made him uncomfortable.

For a moment, their gazes held. Then, something in Nolan’s expression changed. He tensed as if he’d just recognized something in Eun-woo.

Eun-woo narrowed his eyes, feeling that there was, indeed, something familiar about the man. But he didn’t know what it was.

And as if Nolan realized he’d been discovered, he immediately looked away. Without a word, he turned on his heel and walked quickly away, vanishing back into the forest.

Eun-woo followed him with his eyes, a strange feeling growing in his chest.

The door to the cabin the woman had come from opened again. Jae appeared in the doorway, his eyes wide. Caelan followed behind him.

"Eun-woo!" Jae exclaimed, and without thinking, he ran toward him.

Eun-woo barely had time to react before Jae hugged him tightly, holding on as if afraid he was going to disappear.

"I’m so glad you’re safe," he said, his voice trembling, eyes brimming with tears. "I thought you were dead..."

"I’m fine," Eun-woo whispered, hugging him back firmly. "Rhys too."

Meanwhile, Caelan approached Rhys with a tired smile. He extended his hand and they shook hands firmly, without much need for further words.

"I’m glad you could make it," Rhys said.

"And I’m glad they’re still alive," Caelan replied.

Eun-woo stepped back from Jae, looking at him intently, then looked at the others, noticing for the first time who was missing.

"And Rong Ye?" he asked.

The atmosphere changed instantly. The woman’s expression hardened, her eyes boring into Rhys’s with a mixture of surprise and disapproval.

"Lee Rong Ye?" she snapped. "He’s a damn Lee?"