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Escape and Resolve

Author: Jay_Chula
last update Last Updated: 2024-11-30 10:12:56

My lungs burned with every desperate breath as we stumbled through the dense underbrush. The night wrapped around us like a suffocating cloak, the silence shattered only by the distant howls of our pursuers. Rigel’s grip on my arm was firm but trembling—a sign he was far more injured than he let on.

“Faster,” he urged, his voice strained.

“I’m trying,” I snapped, my legs wobbling with exhaustion. “You’re not the one about to collapse.”

His dark eyes flicked toward me, a flash of guilt visible even in the faint light of the crescent moon. “We can’t stop. If they catch us—”

“I know,” I interrupted, swallowing the lump of fear in my throat. “I know what happens if they catch us.”

A thick root snagged my foot, sending me sprawling into the dirt. Rigel was at my side in an instant, his strong hands pulling me upright. I could see the pain etched into his face, but he didn’t complain, didn’t falter, rather he acted as though he felt no pain at all.

“We’re close to the river,” he said, his t
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    The rogue leader’s words hung in the air, a heavy silence following his declaration of war. My heart pounded, the echo of my own defiance reverberating through my mind as I stood there, caught between power and peril. He watched me with the patience of a predator, his sharp gaze dissecting every inch of my resolve.“I’ll give you one chance to reconsider, Daniel,” he said, his tone smooth but brimming with menace. “Walk away now, and the chaos I unleash will spare no one—not even those you hold closest.”I forced myself to meet his gaze, swallowing the knot in my throat. “I won’t walk away,” I said evenly, my mark burning against my skin like a second heartbeat. “But I’ll hear you out. If you want my loyalty, prove it. Tell me everything—about the weapon, the bond, all of it.”Behind me, I felt Rigel stiffen. His voice cut through the tension, sharp and cold. “Daniel, no. You can’t trust him.”I turned to face him, my own frustration bubbling to the surface. “Then what’s your plan, Ri

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