Ayen could not be direct yet. He still wanted to use the guiding session as the guise for his real intention. In any case, guiding them was also something he wanted.
The trip outside of the stronghold was for Devion and Khal, especially Devion, to fight some monsters. His curse had acted mostly because his mind remained idle, and also, he had not used most of his pent-up energy.
They indeed cleaned up a lot of monster nests, but after discovering the space fissure, their desire to fight was diminished.
Ayen guiding them after that fight was reasonable.
Khal and Devion looked at him intently. For some reason, Ayen could not meet those eyes at this moment. The tips of his ears heated up, and he lowered his gaze.
The two exchanged glances, then they too averted their gazes, thoughts lingering in their minds.
"Why not?" Devion voiced, pulling Ayen closer to him. "What do you think, Khal?"
Khal quickly nodded. "Let's go back."
Who cares about fighting monsters at this point?
