(Ti-Stilled World, 6 Kiloters into the Forest of Death, Leo's Team)
The fog had finally lifted.
Gone was the choking whiteness that had wrapped around their necks like a noose, as it was now replaced now by a haunting clarity that sohow felt even worse.
The white trees lood larger without the mist to blur their forms, their trunks twisting unnaturally, as they all looked gloomy and impossible to differentiate from the other.
The silence surrounding them was deeper too, as gone were the occasional whispers and false illusions, as the forest seed to have reset to its base settings.
"We're not finding them, are we?" Patricia finally asked, her voice quiet as she lowered her goggles, revealing tired eyes.
Leo said nothing at first. He simply looked around, eyes scanning the now-visible terrain, as if expecting Raiden, Cipher, and Karl to suddenly step out from behind a tree.
But unfortunately, they didn't.
"We're too far," Bob answered instead, adjusting the massive blade in his hands.
"Even if they're alive, the forest's probably shuffled us all apart."
Patricia sighed. "Shuffled us apart? What are we, cards in a deck?"
She kicked a stone, watching it bounce down a slope before muttering, "So what now? Do we head back to base? Try to trace our steps and pray they do the sa?"
Leo finally spoke, his tone firm. "No. We keep moving forward."
Patricia's head whipped toward him. "Forward? Are you insane?"
She stepped closer, gesturing wildly as she spoke. "Karl was our ration mule, Leo. He was carrying the main storage ring for supplies. Without him, we don't have enough food to finish this expedition."
"I know," Leo replied, calm as ever. "We all have ergency packs. Enough to survive ninety days. A hundred and fifty, if we ration smart."
"That's not enough to complete the mission and make it back," she snapped. "Even if we sprinted, we'd be gambling every day after day ninety. And if we don't find Karl or the others by then?"
Leo t her gaze evenly. "Then we die."
Patricia stared at him like he'd just grown a second head. "Are you serious right now?"
Leo didn't flinch. "We didn't co here for a nature walk. You knew the risks. So did I. The mission doesn't stop just because it got hard."
Bob crossed his arms, nodding. "I'm with him."
"Of course you are," Patricia muttered bitterly. "Two idiots with a death wish."
She paced for a second, hands running through her hair, before spinning back around. "And what if we don't find food? What if we don't find the damn castle we are supposed to? What if this place just... keeps getting worse?"
Leo looked away for a mont, eyes drifting to the unnatural treetops above. "Then we improvise."
Patricia laughed— short, sharp, and bitter. "Improvise. Right."
She stared at both of them, trying to gauge if this was really happening. If they were truly choosing to march to their deaths for a mission that might already be a lost cause.
And then, reluctantly, she sighed.
"Fine. I'll co."
Bob raised a brow. "Really?"
Patricia's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. But if we don't find food in the next few weeks, I'm eating one of you."
She looked at Leo first.
Then Bob.
Then back at Leo.
"Probably you," she decided. "You look weaker than Bob, I can probably take you on"
Leo didn't even blink. "I'll shred you to 51 pieces before you even touch "
Patricia smirked. "I was hoping for 69."
And just like that, the decision was made, the trio were moving forward and relying on their ergency rations, as they hoped and prayed that they would reunite with the other team so ti soon.
—------------
(anwhile, Twin Fang Planet, Black Serpents Guild Headquarters, Administrative Wing)
[Location: Central Data Operations Hall | 18:42 Local Ti]
The room buzzed with quiet activity— dozens of analysts hunched over terminals, holo-displays flickering with mission data, planetary scans, and Guild-related assignnts.
The air slled faintly of room freshner and strong coffee, as the Black Serpents were nothing if not efficient and alert.
*Ping*
A shrill tone cut through the low hum of conversation.
"New high-clearance communication," barked one of the analysts, eyes widening as red overlays flashed across his screen.
"Universal Governnt header. Real-ti relay. Priority Alpha-Three."
That got the room's attention, as a senior operations officer, Administrator Talo Venn, strode over.
"Display it," he ordered.
The hologram expanded above the central table, as lines of encrypted code decrypted to show a formal ssage bearing the Universal Governnt seal.
>> NOTICE: CROSS-DEPARTNTAL SECURITY FLAG
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