"We… Only ran all the time from them," Lina's voice trembled when she realised what was going on. Her little sister collapsed out of exhaustion, hunger, and thirst.
The adrenaline that had kept them moving through the dense, monster-filled thickets for seven days had finally evaporated, leaving nothing behind but the cold reality of their fragile bodies.
And she also felt a strange weakness when she realised that. Now that the immediate threat of the swords and the fire slashes was gone, her own knees felt like water. Her vision swam for a moment, the green canopy of the forest blurring into a dark haze.
"Wait here," William said, his voice firm and grounded. He didn't hurry to leave before he checked the bodies of the dead kids.
Even if they were traitors, they came from one of the famous clans in the Golden Sky academy, and William knew that such young masters never travelled light. In the spirit world, the fallen were the best source of replenishment for the living.
