Dylan shivered, every fiber of his being tensing at the last word Elisa had spoken.
She had curled up, arms wrapped around her legs, like she was waiting for judgment… or blame.
But none came.
Not from Dylan.
Not from Maggie.
They just stood there, frozen, stunned, chewing on the implications. Every word the young elf had uttered was like a needle jabbed into their throats.
"I wanted us to come here to prepare… for the crossing of the Cemetery of Heroes and the Mountains," Elisa continued, breaking the silence with a trembling voice. "Those places are already classified as red zones, but I thought if you became strong enough, you could avoid them… not face them."
Her golden eyes shimmered faintly in the light filtering from the entrance, like lanterns on the verge of going out.
Maggie leaned against the stone wall. She looked up at the cracked ceiling and let out a long sigh.
