As I continued walking, I couldn't help but stare at Isabella's back intently. Something about her seemed odd. The way she walked made it seem as if she was uncomfortable in her own body, almost like she will trip on her own legs at any moment.
Still, I didn't think much about this. I assumed that it must have been because she was traumatized after the fall and even after being healed, she still "mentally" felt the injuries whenever she tried to move her body.
So, all I did was merely limp after her, with Nico beside me.
Sparing a glance towards him, i saw a suspicious and doubtful expression on his face. His eyebrows furrowed and wrinkles appearing on his forehead. He seemed to be in deep thought, definitely not trusting Isabella.
I didn't blame him. This was his first time meeting her. Even though I had told him that she was trustworthy, Nico must still be having doubts. Only when he sees that she is worth trusting will he relax a little.
The walk was fairly silent. I wanted to ask Isabella questions about what happend when she fell, how she reunited with Zeke and what her plans were going forward to finish this mission. But I kept silent. Even though we have grown a little close, I was still hesitant to call her a friend. Getting too attached to people in a battleroyale where only one will be standing victorious is inviting myself to be hurt.
We continued walking and walking, I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but after checking the timer using the Screen, I realized it's been half an hour of straight walking. If my physical attributes hasn't gone through a change recently, I wouldn't have lasted this long.
Impatient, Nico finally broke the silence.
"How much longer?"
Isabella didn't turn around and continued walking, as she responded impassively.
"We are less than five minutes away."
That made Nico audibly sigh in relief. Even my tense shoulders slumped in relief. It was getting so hard trying to walk using my broken legs, I was contemplating asking one of them to carry me or start crawling. But thankfully, Isabella saying that there is less than five minutes before we arrive, gave me some solace and motivation to continue walking.
Still, the way she spoke....it's not like the Isabella I know. What had she been through? She seems so cold and detached. It's making me worry about her mental state. I will have to ask Zeke about it once meeting up.
There was this nagging feeling in my mind telling me that something wasn't right. My intuition was screaming at me to run away. That Isabella was some sort of danger. But I swallowed them down. There is no way Isabella will put me in danger.
'I'm just being paranoid....'
I thought, trying to calm my nerves, as I continued limping just behind Isabella. Some time after the discussion, Nico had leaned towards my ear and said in a hushed voice.
"You sure we can trust her?"
I didn't hesitate to nod my head.
"She's had several chances to kill me before and each time, she didn't. She didn't abandon me, protected me and saved me. I doubt she will just randomly have a change of mind in just a few hours."
Nico didn't seem convinced and stared at me for a few moments, before shrugging.
"If you say so. Do you need any help walking?"
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his "kindess" that I didn't believe in for a second.
"No thanks."
Nico didn't say anything else and turned away, falling to a step just behind me. Just like before. I wasn't really comfortable with having my back open to him, but there wasn't much i could do about it.
True to her words, Isabella finally halted just a few minutes later. Both i and Nico as well stopped, staring at what's ahead of us, dazed.
There was a dim orange light manifested by a bonfire. Sitting by it was a man in a comedy mask, with no holes for a mouth, eyes or nose. It was split into two halves, one half seemingly laughing, the other screaming their lungs out. It was hard to miss the long black hair that almost reached his back and the beautifully pale skin.
"Zeke."
I said calmly, even though I was brimming with excitement at the thought of having my legs fixed. The man looked the same as ever. Relaxed, confident and even with the mask covering his face, I just knew he was smirking.
He studied Nico for a moment, before turning to me.
"Welcome."
Isabella also smiled, walking over and gracefully sat down by the fire. She didn't say anything though, simply regarding me with an expectant gaze.
'Ah, right. Almost forgot....'
Clearing my throat, I continued;
"This is Nico. The blond brat that fell with us. He will be useful, so let's keep him around."
Nico fumed at being called a 'brat' but wisely held his tongue, muttering a string of curses under his breath and crossing his arms.
Zeke nodded and faced Nico.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nico. This is Isabella, im Zeke and you must already know that he's Morgan. Let's work together and finish this mission."
While Nico merely nodded, I was taken aback.
'Was Zeke always this serious?'
I thought in my head. He seemed like a great leader, the way he spoke basically commanded attention and the way he behaved just made all of us present subconsciously view him as our leader, even though he hasn't really said it yet.
It was the same during the hunting trip.
Still, I didn't linger on this long as Zeke regarded my broken legs in concern.
"Alright, come here. Let me patch you up."
He beckoned me closer. I nodded and limped over, taking a seat beside him. Following his instructions, I laid down softly on the ground on my back, as Zeke was knelt beside my legs. He straightened them out, making me yelp.
"These bones are nicely aligned."
Zeke commented, as he took off the makeshift splinters covering my legs, sending another burst of pain through me. All the while Nico looked down sheepishly.
"It was me. I did that."
Zeke turned his head and gave Nico a look. His expression was a mixture of surprise and amazement.
"You're very talented, Nico."
Then, he went back to focusing on my legs.
Honestly, i was very curious to see how his healing works. I might get some insight into his Blessing abilities if I get a chance to observe him heal me. That will be very useful when we both have to fight each other in the end.
So, I was watching very intently as Zeke placed both his hands on my broken legs. I didn't see anything happen. No special light came out, nor was there a sound— atleast there was no sound until I felt my bones suddenly moving on their own.
A surprised gasp escaped my lips, as panic rose in me.
"Relax, Morgan. It's just the healing process."
Zeke stated leisurely, as he kept his palms placed on both my broken legs. I tried suppressing the subconscious desire to move away. This was such a strange phenomenon for me. I never felt such a sensation and it scared me.
Still, I trusted Zeke. So, I stayed still and gritted my teeth. Enduring the desire to just call off this healing process.
My eyes didn't tear away from the process itself, though. Despite my fear, I was intrigued by it. What exactly was happening? The bones inside my leg was just moving on their own, returning to where they were supposed to be. Where they were.
Suddenly, my eyes lit up in enlightenment.
'Time reverse?'
I was baffled. This was a strange conclusion to come to, but that was the only way I could explain what's happening to me. It wasn't traditional healing since I felt my bones simply moving on their own, fixing itself, instead of the bones forcefully being fixed by a magical healing light.
It was almost like Zeke was reversing the time of my legs, bringing it back to a state before I broke them.
'That is....'
I suddenly felt very glad to have him as an ally, not as an enemy. Here I thought my blessing was powerful, but it's nothing compared to Zeke's, if he used it correctly, he could literally be invincible.
However, I didn't jump to assumptions too quickly yet. With a blessing, comes a curse after all. If his Blessing is this powerful, it's safe to assume that his curse is just as powerful, if not more powerful. Could this be related to the mask he always wore?
As I was pondering this, Zeke suddenly released his hands from my legs. I didn't even realize I was sweating and breathing heavily, until I felt them dripping to my trousers and my chest rising with each breath, once I stood up to check the results of the healing.
"....Amazing."
I heard Nico say. I didn't turn to him, though. Instead, I looked down at my newly healed legs. There were no signs of them ever being broken. The time reversal seemed to have even dried up my pants and some of it that was torn, which was quite convenient. I moved my legs from side to side, before slowly standing up and walking around in circles.
Then, I grinned.
"It's great!"
Isabella smiled.
"You smile like a child excited for Christmas whenever you're happy."
Zeke chuckled and nodded in agreement. Nico didn't say anything, but i could tell by his expression that even he was amazed. His eyes warily glancing at the back of Zeke's head.
Isabella's comment made my cheeks flush slightly. Hopefully didn't mean to say that my smile was unsightly.....No! What am I thinking about? Who cares about apperance in this place?
After gathering my composure, I turned towards Zeke and smiled gratefully.
"Thanks. I owe you another one."
Zeke clicked his tongue and chuckled.
"Debt will be forgiven if we managed to go back to camp to check on Cassie before too long."
My face darkened. That's right. Cassie. I haven't thought about her much, but now that Zeke brought her up, I couldn't help but be worried. She didn't want to come with us to prove something and Zeke even went along with it. So, she's left all alone in camp. There is no guarantee she won't encounter a dangerous human being or creature.
"You're right, we should."
I nodded seriously, sitting down beside Isabella. I motioned Nico to take a seat as well and the blond boy gave a terse nod, before sitting down beside me.
Isabella was the one to begin.
"Does anyone here have any clues about where the Abyssal Heart could be?"
All three of us shook our heads. I took a breath and said.
"We haven't even been here long, how were we supposed to find anything out? This whole place is built like a maze. The mission was generous enough to give us alot of time, but I doubt we will find anything by simply trying our luck."
Zeke nodded in agreement, folding his arms.
"Then, what do you suggest, Morgan?"
I sighed and thought briefly, before continuing.
"I say we split up."
Everyone's eyes widened. Before they could speak up, I clarified.
"I know. Usually, in movies, splitting up is never a good thing. But do we have a choice here? It's the fastest way to explore all of these Tunnels and make progress."
They all went silent, contemplating my words. Isabella didn't seem convinced, but Zeke and Nico relented pretty easily. Eventually, Nico spoke up.
"Let's hand each other an Abyssal Fragment, so that we can monitor each other's lives."
I blinked, surprised and confused. Nico sighed and clarified.
"Abyssal Fragments disappear when the host of it dies."
I nodded as realization dawned on me. Isabella smiled.
"That's a great idea. Let's do that."
She said, as she summoned her own Abyssal Fragment. I did the same, so did Nico and Zeke. Looking around, Zeke spoke up.
"Each person will carry around one. It would be inconvenient carrying around so many of these Fragments. So....Nico will carry mine and I will carry his. While Morgan will carry Isabella's and she will carry his."
Nobody had objections. They all nodded in agreement to this arrangement and began exchanging.
After receiving Isabella's Abyssal Fragment, I observed it for a moment. Something about it felt strange. It felt real, but also felt....fake. is it different for each and every person? I didn't dwell on this and just pocketed the Fragment.
We all stood up and looked around.
"Let's return back here after three hours of exploring."
I nodded at Zeke. Then, without saying anything else, all of us bolted in different directions.