Beyond The System
Chapter 142: A World Like This

“That—It doesn’t make sense,” Griffith stammered. “Isn’t the second prince under Luca?”

“He is… was,” Drake replied, a sheen of sweat forming on his brow. “If he’s turning on his own allies…”

“Turning on?” I cut in. “That guy came here to kill us.”

Elric entered, tossing me a pair of pants. “I only met Luca once, but if a previous hit failed, he’d overcompensate. That explosion? That’s more than enough evidence.”

“To kill all of us?” I asked again. The way everyone looked at me made me feel wildly out of my depth, and being naked didn’t help.

“Give,” I said, snatching the pants and struggling into them.

“Can I turn now?” Thea asked, still pointedly facing the other way.

“You’ve already—” I started.

“DON’T,” she snapped, leaving no room for argument.

Mister Ironscribe, apparently now in sync with the social cues, jumped in to help. “The explosion wasn’t for us. It was for the prince. Either the blast would’ve activated on its own, or someone else would have gotten it done.”

“Nothing lost either way,” Drake added. “If Clerain succeeded, killing us, then conveniently dies. All loose ends tied. If he fails, gets killed, then the main mission is still accomplished.”

“Must suck having a target painted on your back so often,” I said, trying to sympathize with Drake and Elric.

“Yes,” they said in tandem, then gave me matching stares that bore holes into me.

“What?! I wasn’t raised like you sociopaths. EX. PLAIN.” I lifted my arms for emphasis and immediately regretted it as pain shot through them.

“I’m sure all of us were targets to some degree,” Drake sighed. “But you were the main one. I’m near certain. Honestly, I might’ve been under surveillance long before I realized it.”

“Oh… Wait,” Thea blinked. “Lucan might know the Spiritual Reservoir Formation?!”

“It’s possible,” Drake said evenly.

“Anything else?” I asked, raising a brow.

“He might know we’re on the move. Or maybe I’m just such a non-threat, that there's no reason to take me out. Still, the fact no one’s come for you yet—”

“He knows I won't be a bother to him,” I mumbled.

At that moment, Marcus entered the carriage, leaving Trevor to steer I guess. “Or maybe he was just testing our strength,” Marcus said. “Seeing how we react, but before that, decided there was no need act before he knew more.”

He drew in a breath, then said, “We should ditch the carriage. It’ll be more dangerous on foot, but the woods are smarter. If a Starborn comes...”

“I was hoping to stop at a small settlement past the next town,” Elric murmured. “Maybe get some advice.”

“My wife’s here,” Marcus offered. “We’re no experts, but we’ll help however we can.” He patted Elric’s shoulder. “We’ll make sure no harm comes to that kid.”

Kid?

The sudden silence hit like a dropped sword.

“What?” Marcus looked around at the glares aimed his way. “What?!”

Oh. Oh! Oh…

That whole conversation. Lyra’s family, people being taken advantage of, everyone being killed, it all clicked into place.

“Uh… congrats,” I said, forcing a smirk. “You’ve been busy, huh?”

Elric arched a brow. “And you haven’t?”

“I took Miss Star’s advice,” I said, leaning back against Thea with a shrug.

“Oh… is that why? I just thought—” Thea covered her mouth, cutting herself off.

“What?” I looked up at her. “Thea, what the heck were you thinking?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? What nothing?” Then something else hit me. “Wait... were you waiting—?”

Her hand clamped over my mouth this time. “How about we just get out of here. We should leave sooner rather than later, right?” she said, all sweet and innocent.

Elric shook his head, but it didn’t seem aimed at her.

“Alright, EVERYBODY OFF!” Griffith barked. The cart halted instantly.

We disembarked, Thea helping me down. Outside, Bristle and the other dogs were waiting. And they—those jerks! They had eaten something.

Each of the dogs had their own bone, gnawing away with contented satisfaction.

I guess it was nice to have some natural-born hunters on the team. I couldn’t be mad. Though next time, hopefully they’d save some for the rest of us.

Trevor hopped down from the driver’s bench, and it felt like the first time I’d seen him in a while.

I smiled and gave a nod. “How’s the driving?”

He returned the look with a wry grin. “Not as fast as back home.”

“Yeah.” I chuckled softly. “Figures.”

The ladies began filing out of the carriage behind us. I turned toward Lyra. “Congrats.”

She smiled, her usual calm mixed with something a little brighter. “Thank you, Peter.”

“Right,” Drake said, stepping forward. “This won’t be comfortable, or safe, but we’re heading off-road. On foot. Thoughts?”

“There are still three of those bird things back where we fought,” I pointed out. “Between those and the eight pulling the carriage, we could each ride one.”

“Plus food,” Sia muttered darkly.

Blood too, Luna added.

Feeling better? I asked. You’ve been quiet.

Maybe to you, Wyrem grumbled. She hasn’t stopped asking questions.

And you can’t answer any of them! Luna shot back.

Too much knowledge is dangerous, Wyrem intoned, predictably vague.

Whatever. Sounds like you're fine now. I laughed, earning a few glances from the others. Just know, you’re not useless. We’ve got each other’s backs.

Thanks, she murmured, the flat thorns around my wrist tightening gently. Back to training. The worm won’t let me rest.

“I don’t think we should take anything from the attackers,” Griffith said with a tired sigh. “It’s probably fine, but I don’t like the risk.”

“Practice is going to be harder too,” Lyra added. “Unless someone can meditate while riding one of those things.”

“Alright then. Grab your gear, anything important,” Drake said. “We head out in five.”

I gave Bristle a scratch behind the ears as people scattered. He lifted his head and nudged a bone toward me.

When I reached for it, he pulled it back.

“Oh. You were just showing me? Cool, thanks…”

Velea bounded up beside me, kneeling to give Bristle a pat. “I’ve been getting better at the spells!”

“Yeah?” I raised an eyebrow. “Let’s see something.”

She raised her arm, aiming it at me, and a second later, a chilly breeze swirled around me.

“Nice job,” I said, offering a thumbs-up. “You ready to move out?”

She nodded quickly. “Yeah, but I wish we had more time to just sit and practice.”

“Same here,” I agreed. “Hopefully soon, we’ll find somewhere safe enough to slow down and relax.”

“What’s up?” Trevor asked, falling into step beside me.

“Velea, could I get a minute?” I asked.

She frowned. “There shouldn’t be so many secrets in a small group.”

But she still wandered off without protest, heading toward Lyra.

I turned to Trevor. “When’d you learn this technique?”

“During one of your naps,” he said with a faint grin. “It’s crazy tough.”

A stretch of quiet passed between us, only broken by the soft clatter of reins and gear behind us.

“Sorry,” Trevor muttered.

Even for a Phantom Whisper, it was quiet.

“Sorry?” I tried to laugh, but it came out awkward. “For what?”

“You… aren’t the same,” he said slowly. “Seriously, dude. You’re ripped now.”

I gave a real laugh that time. “You’re apologizing because I started working out?”

“Come on. You know what I mean.” His voice dropped a little. “It was a lot to hear. And honestly, we don’t really know what happened. But it was wrong of me to pull away. I’m sorry.”

“It’s a lot to take in.”

“I bet worse to see.” He nudged me with a small smile.

I nodded. “It was something.”

Another stretch of quiet passed.

“You’re a leader now. A teacher. A fighter. You volunteer to go looking for enemies.” He shook his head slightly. “It’s only been a few months, but you’ve changed. Grown faster than I ever could.”

“I got lucky,” I said, opening my voice. “Meeting Thea, the others... I wouldn’t have made it on my own.”

“Maybe.” He clapped my shoulder. “Thanks for listening.”

“Anytime.”

The air between us felt lighter, cleared out anyway. I guess time helped, but still, the distance… it was still there. I knew he could feel it too. I don't even think it was my confession, not entirely anyway.

It's just that he wasn’t wrong.

I’m not who I was when I got here. Not even close.

I don’t flinch anymore. At killing. At the idea of it. It just doesn’t hit like it used to. Maybe that’s messed up, but they’re not just trying to hurt me. They’d kill me. Thea. Elric. Sia. Lyra and her child.

In a world like this, there’s no room to hesitate.

“C’mon, man.” Elric’s hand landed on my shoulder. “Don’t think too hard, you’ll strain something. Leave that to the professionals.”

“The hurting or the thinking?” I asked, looking back.

“Yes.”

Walked right into that one. “So… how are you feeling about being a dad?” I asked casually as we fell in line at the back of the group.

He shrugged, avoiding the question.

Up ahead, Lyra was bickering with Vel about whether she should ride with her or walk. Vel stubbornly insisted on walking, but it was all theater. I could tell they were getting close.

“Looks like we’re on walking duty,” Elric said, jerking his chin toward the edge of the group.

I nodded, then pointed toward the massive beast Griffith was riding. “I feel bad for that poor thing.” Though, it was helping to carry the massive carriage, at a speed that was respectable. 

We both chuckled, and with that, we set off into the woods.