Riley’s POV
Their words don’t register as I lift the cup again and gulp down the rest of the drink quickly.
The liquid is still bitter but I do not care anymore. I need strength and right now anything that helps my body recover is sothing I will take.
When the cup is empty, I lower my hand and drop it gently to the ground beside .
For a few seconds I just stand there breathing slowly.
Then sothing strange happens.
The pain that had been burning through my body earlier slowly fades away. My legs stop shaking as much and the tight ache in my chest becos lighter.
I blink in surprise.
"Okay... that worked way faster than I expected," I say quietly.
The warmth from the drink spreads through my arms and legs and I feel strength returning little by little.
I place both hands on my knees and carefully push myself upright.
This ti I stand without collapsing.
It still hurts a little but it is no longer unbearable.
I test my balance by taking a few small steps.
My legs still feel weak but they hold my weight.
"That is good," the taller Pri wolf says calmly.
I look at him.
"You must leave now." he said, his tone is serious and direct.
The other Pri wolf nods beside him.
"The longer you stay here, the more ti passes in your world."
My chest tightens again when I rember that.
Two whole weeks have already passed while I have been trapped here.
"Right," I say quietly.
I take a slow breath and glance around the strange place one more ti.
I do not want to stay here any longer than necessary.
I bend down slowly and pick up my bag from the ground where it had fallen earlier.
It is dirty but still intact.
I open it quickly and check the contents.
My strange weapon is still inside and so are the few items I carried with .
Then I reach into the bag and pull out the Lunar Fur.
The silver strands glow softly even in the dull grey light.
I carefully place it back inside my bag and close it securely.
If that thing gets lost after everything I went through to get it, I will lose my mind.
The two Pri wolves watch quietly as I finish packing.
Then the taller one gestures toward the distant stone arch again.
"You should go now."
I nod slowly."Yeah... I was planning to."
I sling the bag over my shoulder and take a step forward.
But after only a few steps sothing suddenly crosses my mind and I stop.
I turn back toward them.
"Wait."
They both look at calmly.
"What about your third brother?" I ask.
The mory of the beast that had attacked earlier flashes through my mind again and my stomach tightens slightly.
"The one who..." I hesitate for a second before finishing the sentence.
Both Pri wolves exchange a quick glance.
Then they shake their heads."You should not worry about him," the shorter one says.
I frown."Did he just disappear or sothing?"
The taller one shakes his head again.
"He is where he needs to be."
That answer does not make much sense to ."What does that even an?" I ask.
Neither of them answers the question.
Instead the shorter one crosses his arms and looks at seriously.
"You need to leave now."
His voice becos firr.
"Your world is already moving forward and there are things happening that you must not miss."
I hesitate for a mont."But what about him?" I ask again.
The taller Pri wolf sighs softly."Our brother will handle himself."
"You should focus on your own path."
I stare at them for a few seconds.
Then I slowly nod."Okay."
They clearly do not want to talk about their third brother and honestly I do not have the energy to push further.
"Thank you... for helping ," I say quietly.
The two n simply nod. Then the taller one speaks again."Be fast."
I take one last look at them.
Then I turn around and start walking toward the entrance.
The ground beneath my feet is rough but my legs feel stronger now. The drink they gave really worked because the terrible pain from earlier is almost completely gone.
I keep walking.
Step after step.
My mind keeps replaying everything the Pri wolves told .
Chaos in Obsidian Veil.
The words keep echoing in my head.
What the hell is happening back there?
Is everyone okay?
I shake my head slightly and focus on the path ahead.
I will find out soon enough.
I continue walking until I finally reach the edge of the cave entrance.
For a mont I pause at the entrance.
The air outside feels different.
Fresh.
Real.
I take another step forward and walk out of the cave.
The mont I step outside, the change hits instantly.
The sky above is bright.
Actual daylight.
My eyes widen slightly as I look around the familiar place surrounding the cave.
I made it out.
I release a small breath. But then I suddenly notice sothing that makes freeze.
Soone is standing a short distance away.
My eyes widen imdiately.
"Dahlia?"
She stands there smiling at like she has been waiting for a long ti.
My brain takes a mont to process what I am seeing.
"Oh my gosh," I say quickly.
"Don’t tell you’ve been waiting here ever since I got into that cave."
Dahlia nods imdiately.
My eyes widen even more."You’re serious?"
She smiles again."I told you I would stay."
I stare at her in disbelief and she shrugs slightly.
I shake my head slowly."You’re insane."
But before I can say anything else, Dahlia suddenly steps forward and grabs my hand.
"Co with ."
"What?" I say in surprise.
But she is already pulling along.
She moves quickly through the forest path and I struggle to keep up.
"Wait," I say quickly.
"Where are we going?"
She glances back at briefly but does not stop walking.
"There is sothing more important I need to show you."
I blink in confusion."More important?"
"Yes."
My mind imdiately rembers the words of the Pri wolves.
Return to Obsidian Veil as quickly as possible.
My stomach tightens.
"Dahlia, I actually need to get back to the pack imdiately," I say.
But she keeps moving forward."This will not take long."
I frown slightly as she continues pulling away farther from the cave.
"What exactly are you trying to show ?" I ask.
She does not answer imdiately. Instead she keeps walking until we finally reach a wide clearing.
The mont we step into the open space she finally stops.
Then she releases my hand and walks a few steps away from .
I watch her in confusion."Okay... what is this about?" I ask.
Dahlia turns around slowly and faces . Her expression is serious now.
Then she asks sothing that completely catches off guard.
"Do you not want to know the history of your roots before leaving this place Aemoria?"
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