LOTM: Seekers

Cassie felt the gentle rise and fall of her body, the scattered voices of Chris and Nephis drifting in and out like passing winds

At first, when there was still time before sunset, Chris had honored her request—letting her walk on her own with only a guiding hand on his shoulder. But in the end, she was being carried once more. The urgency of time and the disparity in their physical abilities left little choice.

Her prophetic powers remained uncontrollable, rendering her unable to help. All she could do was think—and at times, speak to them.

"Are you going to stay?" Cassie asked softly, her voice carrying the weight of a decision long wrestled with in silence.

Chris led the way through the unchanging landscape of Red Coral. The journey mirrored their initial departure—only this time, they had an additional companion: Nephis.

Upon meeting Nephis, Cassie became even more aware of her helplessness. She was a burden herself other than her 'Memories'.

"I'm not sure," she heard him reply. "It doesn't really matter to me whether I stay or leave, but right now..." His voice trailed off as he paused, watching something in the distance.

Cassie could clearly hear the sounds of battle—sharp impacts and guttural screeches—coming from Nephis's direction. She was handling the Carapace Scavenger alone.

"Actually," Chris continued, his voice quieter now, "I'm leaning toward following you two." Before Cassie could process his words, Nephis returned to them.

"I saw something strange," Nephis reported, pointing to a spot a few dozen meters away—not too far, but not exactly close either.

"Shadow?" I asked, trying to identify the figure waving at us from beneath the coral's shadow.

"Another Carapace Scavenger?" Cassie added.

"No, it's a human shadow," Nephis corrected her.

"..." Cassie was dumbfounded. Unlike the other, who could see the strange phenomenon, she—newly blinded—could only rely on her memories and senses. And shadows definitely didn't behave like that. "It might be a trap," Nephis said cautiously, readying her sword. In this land, there was no such thing as being too careful.

Meanwhile, Chris activated my detection ability. He sensed the person hiding behind the coral—but didn't register the shadow. No, he did notice it, but in my effort to process information as quickly as possible, he had unconsciously dismissed something as simple as a shadow—like ignoring a rock by the roadside. 

'That's dangerous. A mistake like this could be fatal in the future. I need to revise how my detection works. Thankfully, I caught it in time.' He reminded himself to take an important note. 

As Nephis and Cassie considered their next move, "I'm a human" the hidden young man cautiously stepped out, announcing his presence as human. He had black hair and eyes, with dark circles beneath them that made him look exhausted. His pale skin only added to his sickly appearance.

"If that's the case, why were you hiding like a creep?" Nephis asked coldly. Even after confirming he was human, she didn't lower her guard. The young man looked offended before replying.

"You're a Changing Star, Nephis. To be honest, I'm a little afraid," he admitted honestly.

As soon as he spoke, Cassie reacted. The fact that he knew Nephis—and that Cassie recognized him—made it undeniable: he was someone from the same Awakened Academy.

With that, their journey of three quietly became a group of four.

***

"Have a seat, don't be shy," I said as we entered my nest. It wasn't large, but it had enough space for four of us. With sunset approaching and the dark sea soon to rise, we decided to rest here. Cassie, being blind, showed no curiosity about the place, but the others were different. There was a hammock-like bed woven from threads, a simple stack of clothes serving as another bed, and threads strung all over the space. More than a human living area, it truly felt like a nest.

There was also plenty of meat I had gathered but hadn't eaten yet. Honestly, thinking about it now, the sight of that hanging meat all day was probably what made my hunger feel unbearable. It was my own fault for holding out—I should have just given in and eaten it sooner! That way, I wouldn't have suffered so much.

I sighed deeply, trying to calm myself. Still, I didn't know what the long-term effects of this meat might be.

"Nephis," I called, and she turned her head toward me. "Please be careful when using flame," I warned. "Everything here is highly flammable." She nodded in understanding.

I then lit a fire in a designated spot, safely away from my bed and the cluster of traps.

"I'll cook something—we don't have much time before sunset," I said, though it was really just roasting some shark-like meat without any seasoning.

As I roasted the meat, I said without taking my eyes off the fire to avoid any accidents, "Let's do a proper introduction. I'm Chris. It might sound strange, but I live here—at least for now. I'm sure you two are curious, but just like I told Cassie, I'm not from any human citadel you know of, and honestly, I'm not even sure where we are."

They probably wouldn't believe me, though...

"I'm Cassie."

"Neph."

"Sunless, but you can call me Sunny."

They introduced themselves one by one, but... was that all? I paused feeling stupid by overthinking about how to make my own introduction less bland. Kids these days, yare yare.

They made small talk while waiting for me to finish. Neph and Sunny helped with the cooking halfway through, and Cassie prepared drinks for all of us. Once we were done, I quickly extinguished the fire to avoid attracting unwanted creatures.

As darkness deepened, the most cheerful among the three was the one who looked the creepiest—the black-haired young man. "Since we're moving together from now on, why don't we talk about our abilities for a bit?" he suggested.

He began by describing his affinity with shadows, perfect for scouting. Despite the limited range, his scouting was clearer and more detailed than anything I could provide. In summary, I got the range but less detail, while he got detail less range. 

Next was Neph. Her affinities were light and fire, and she also seemed capable of healing—though it didn't seem like she liked that ability much.

Meanwhile, Cassie stared at Neph with a troubled expression, as if she had seen something unsettling but chose to remain silent out of respect.

"Mine isn't very useful in a fight," Cassie explained. "I have affinities for fate and revelation. Sometimes I can glimpse the future, but it's beyond my control. I can also see others' attributes, which helps me make sure no one's lying about their abilities." Her words quickly drew the attention of Neph and Sunny.

Well, having your affinities laid bare like an open book could be a little unsettling. I thought agreeing with their reaction then Cassie, unaware of their gaze due to her blindness, then turned her head toward me. "But I can't see yours, Chris."

And just like that, all eyes were on me.

Well, it was obvious why she couldn't see mine—I didn't have one to begin with. "As you can see from this nest, thread is my main affinity. Besides that, I can create fire and have heightened senses," I explained, deliberately ignoring their stares. "Well, everyone has their secrets," I added with a shrug. We needed to understand the basics of each other's abilities—but not every hidden detail.

They all had their own secrets they preferred to keep hidden, which was why no one questioned me further. "Alright then, let's move on to memories," Sunny said, once again breaking the stagnant air.

"I had a sword, armor... and a very loud bell."

With his prompt, everyone began sharing fragments of their memories—but...

??? It was even more confusing than the talk about affinities.

"I don't have one," was all I could say.