Ash didn't even try to hide it anymore. At this point, it wasn't embarrassing, it was just real. They'd been walking for hours, and even though his legs weren't exactly human-level tired anymore, his body still wanted food.
He looked ahead. Ken walking in silence like always. And Reaper... that guy was either deep in thought or just pretending everyone else didn't exist.
Then… something moved.
It had a long neck. A hump, it Kinda looked like a camel, but also kinda didn't. Its legs were too long. Its body was thinner. The skin looked smooth, almost shiny. Like a lizard-camel hybrid. A… camizard? Lamel? Whatever.
Ash blinked.
"Is that a camel?" Ash muttered to himself.
Reaper stopped walking. He sighed like he had already given up on the situation. "If you kill it with lightning, it's gonna taste like burnt trash," Reaper muttered, rubbing his face. "Same if you stab it. Burnt blood makes meat bitter. I'm not eating bitter meat."
Ash raised an eyebrow. "What? You want food or not?"
Reaper didn't even look at him.
Ash mumbled something under his breath, then looked over at Ken. Ken was already locked on the target.
Ash gave a small nod as Ken raised his hand. Then the blood slashes flew out, but the creature moved right before the blood could reach it.
The slashes just grazed its legs. One of its knees got hit, maybe. But it didn't fall.
Ash exhaled sharply and swore under his breath, then ran after it. Lightning flickered across his hands. It was back again. That weird static crawling under his skin. Finally.
His legs hit the ground like springs. Every step faster than the last.
He grabbed the creature by its leg mid-run, pulling it down with his full body weight. It screamed. A strange, deep noise.
But Ash didn't wait. He spun his body and launched the thing into the air like he was throwing out garbage.
And then…
From above, a single red crystal came down from the sky like a falling star. Ripping straight through the creature's head. Right between the eyes.
The body went limp mid-air, and then fell to the ground.
Ash dusted off his clothes, brushing off dirt and bits of dead grass. His hands still buzzed slightly from the electricity.
He looked back at Reaper.
"See? I didn't burn it."
Reaper rolled his eyes.
"Barely."
**
Two days passed just like that. They had been walking, mostly in silence. Sometimes talking. Sometimes complaining. But mostly just… walking.
The camel-thing they had killed earlier had lasted them a while. The meat wasn't the best, but when you're starving, you don't get to be picky. They cooked it, ate it cold, and even chewed on the burnt edges. And now, it was gone too. Bones and ashes.
Ash was starting to feel that hunger again. The one that made your body feel slow and your thoughts feel even slower.
The forest around them hadn't changed much. If anything, it felt… emptier.
There weren't many trees anymore.
Then something caught their eyes. Up ahead, a strange piece of land stretched across the forest. It was just… dirt. Brown, flat soil. No trees. No rocks. No grass.
Ash stopped his chest felt tight and he didn't know why, but something about that place felt wrong. His skin felt weird, like something invisible had brushed past him.
He stepped forward a little and said, almost to himself, "There was a nexus tear here. A strong one."
Reaper raised his head. Ken slowed his pace.
Ash didn't have to explain. The look on their faces said enough. Once a tear appeared in a place, the land remembered. It never fully recovered.
And then they heard it.
A soft sound, far away at first. A low rumble. Like thunder under the ground.
Ash turned toward the noise. His heart jumped a bit, not from fear, but from a different kind of hope.
"Could be people," he said quickly.
And then he ran without waiting for a reply. He didn't even turn around.
The rumble got louder. The forest around him grew thick again. Branches scraped at his arms, leaves slapped across his face, and the ground beneath his feet turned soft and muddy.
And then, he pushed past a thick line of bushes and vines. What he saw made him stop completely.
Eyes wide.
Mouth slightly open.
His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he forgot everything else- the hunger, the forest, even the sound of footsteps behind him.