Calistis remained floating in the stream for a while, eyes watching the Caterpillar's blood swirl around, mind replaying the whole ordeal.
The cold water caressed her bruises; the ethereal feeling of weightlessness calmed her mind. Making her truly realize the weight of what just occurred.
She had seen the aftermath of Talen's battles; she thought he did it easily, with no struggle. But now she realized how wrong she was.
No matter how powerful Zoners became, Chaos Monsters would always remain a lethal threat.
'That was reckless.' She thought, and at the same time, she felt a terrible tremor wash over her.
The caterpillar had fallen.
Clenching her sword, she swam to the surface.
Her white hair broke through the water's surface, followed by her chiseled face.
Droplets of water hung from her chin.
Throwing her sword out of the stream, Calistis placed her hands on the stream's edge, attempting to pull herself out. However, her body was too exhausted and bruised.
She groaned, grinding her teeth. 'Level three.' She thought, her tail wagging in the stream.
Still struggling to pull herself out, Calistis heard footsteps approaching her. 'Valen.' She thought.
Looking up, she saw his massive figure looming over her, his shadow veiling the sun, making him glow.
There was not a smile on his lips, nor a pleasant expression on his face. His eyes were missing their usual glow.
Calistis saw that; she knew it was her handiwork. Her tail slumped.
Valen knelt, grabbing both her hands, effortlessly pulling her out.
Placing Calistis down, he sighed, stepping back.
Picking up his Viking war hammer, he stood staring at her, waiting. For what, he didn't imply. Nevertheless, she knew what.
She similarly stared back, her stare carrying her internal conflict.
After all, she had asked for help from Valen.
'It was a life or death encounter. Furthermore, he is strong and skilled.' Calistis thought, her hand rubbing her arm.
'He is a barbarian, and I instructed him. That is the only reason we survived. I saved us.' Calistis contemplated, trying to salvage as much of her pride as possible.
Valen sat down, watching Calistis quietly, his war hammer by his side.
Valen had long forgiven her. However, he wanted Calistis to admit to him—and to herself, out loud—what she had admitted with her command.
Unlike Calistis, Valen was not smart in the conventional way. Rather, he was smart in his own unique way.
He had always been a natural at reading people emotionally.
And in the little time he had spent with Calistis, he knew she was hidden under an impassive shell, one well choked full of chaos, one of the most prominent being her pride.
But today, there was a crack in the mask she carried, and she was struggling, not knowing whether to seal it or to leave it be.
And that was Valen's golden opportunity.
Seizing the opportunity, he spoke. "My apology, Calistis." Valen demanded, his tone and expression feigning frustration.
Hearing his words, Calistis took her gaze off him, looking to the side. Her tail wagged slowly, as if unsure.
Looking into her eyes, Valen could see her struggling, so he pressed on.
"You paralyzed me, took off to face a Tempest, and I had to rescue you." He paused, taking a deep, shaky breath.
"Surely that deserves an apology." Valen muttered, forcing the words out through his teeth.
Calistis shifted uncomfortably at Valen's words and gaze. Her tail lay still on the ground. She thought.
'He is correct. Also, admitting one's mistakes is the right thing to do.' Even though she thought that, she still flinched as she said it.
"I'm s-sorry." Calistis stuttered, avoiding eye contact with Valen.
Hearing her apology, a warm smile appeared on Valen's face. Realizing his slip-up, he quickly wore his mask again.
'Progress.' Valen thought, clearing his throat as he waited.
Valen again waited for Calistis to admit she needed his help. However, looking into her eyes, he knew it was something he had to yank out of her.
Drawing in a deep breath, he spoke in his usual tone.
"You know, needing help is not something to be ashamed of. It is something to be proud of. It simply means you know your limit and you know of a way to surpass it." He paused.
"And I'm pretty sure even Talen had help." He added, grabbing his Viking war hammer as he stood up with a chuckle.
'I'm getting there.' He thought.
Both Valen and Calistis stayed at the stream, resting. Calistis was bruised all over, with a terrible headache. While Valen was exhausted to some extent.
After their quiet rest, they continued with their journey where they had stopped.
Far upstream, where they were heading, were Talen, Henry, and Kestis.
Kestis was laid on the ground next to the stream, still asleep. His uniform's long pants had been turned into shorts.
Fabric from the pants was wrapped around his neck to support his broken arm.
Close to the forest, Talen and Henry sat on a log. In front of them, fish on skewers roasted over a fire.
Henry sat beside Talen, hungrily waiting for his share of the fish to roast.
Both Henry and Talen sat in complete silence, ignoring the sleeping Kestis.
After all, they had treated him to the best of their abilities.
Close to the stream, the sleeping Kestis's eyes moved.
Opening his eyes, he awoke from the dead. His body felt better than it had previously.
He could now breathe easier, but it was still a struggle. 'Fools.' Kestis thought, holding in a chuckle.
To his side, he could hear the sound of water moving. Turning his head, Kestis saw the stream. 'Next, a lying truth.' He thought, a predatory smile parting his lips.
Kestis continued looking at the stream, its calm flow helping him formulate his Grand Act further.
Done scheming, Kestis began turning, smile still on his face. However, the moment he turned around, the smile froze, his heart almost leaping out from his chest.
Behind Kestis was Talen, crouched, hands on his jian.
Monitoring eyes locked onto him, tracking each of his movements.
Talen monitored every movement on Kestis's face, trying desperately to decipher him, but he could not. 'I don't like this.' He thought, standing up.
"Well, aren't you happy to be alive." Talen said, tone flat.
Kestis finally moved, his smile disappearing. 'This bastard.' He thought, grinding his teeth.
Rushing to his awoken patient, Henry asked, "Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Trying to help Kestis up.
Noticing Henry's hands about to touch him, Kestis moved. "I can stand." He sneered, disgusted by the fact that trash like Henry tried to touch him.
'I will be getting rid of you soon. Enjoy this while it lasts.' Kestis thought, standing with a groan.
Henry pulled his hands back at Kestis's request. He stood there awkwardly, watching Kestis stand.
"You hungry?" He asked, a wide smile on his face.
'I'm scared of him the most, so being nice to him is brave.' Henry thought, guiding Kestis to the log.
Arriving in front of the fire, Kestis sat down on the log next to Henry.
Henry shared his share of the fish with Kestis. Both of them began eating in silence.
As Kestis ate, he snuck glances at Talen.
To him, Henry was an open book, while Talen was a mysterious one.
From his sneak glances, Kestis noticed something. Although it looked like Talen was ignoring him, in reality, he kept his eyes on Kestis, monitoring him intently.
Noticing that brought Kestis to a crucial discovery. 'How amusing. He is cautious of me.' He thought, glancing at Talen. 'That will be useful.' He thought, holding in a chuckle and a smile.
Henry sat, visibly uncomfortable with the silence, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Glancing at both Talen and Kestis, Henry sighed. 'I can't do this anymore.' He thought, clearing his throat.
He asked nervously, "So, uh, Talen, where are we off to next?"
Talen paused, raising his head. "What happened with you?" Talen asked Kestis, ignoring Henry's question.
'Try to lie. I dare you.' He thought, his eyes observing every move on Kestis's face.
Kestis smirked at Talen's question. 'And action.' He thought.
"I was on a walk through the forest when I got ambushed by this creature. Of course, I slayed it." Kestis said, a vicious smile appearing on his face as he remembered the Cheshire Chimp.
"Before that, the vermin put me in this state." He paused, his eyes locking onto Talen's. "Then, out of pure coincidence, I stumbled upon you people here." Kestis concluded, with a grin on his face.
'How was that.' He thought.
Talen kept his eyes on Kestis as he spoke, and to his dismay, there were no signs of Kestis lying. However, that didn't mean he believed him.
Observing Talen's doubt, Kestis turned his head, smiling. 'Never stop doubting me.' He thought, mocking Talen.
Henry, noticing how Talen stared at Kestis, thought, 'You could kill him with that look.'
Clearing his throat, he asked, "Where are we heading, Talen?" Henry asked again, his tone steadier.
Hearing the question again, Kestis smirked inside. "Downstream." He replied nonchalantly.
'Your move, Talen.' Kestis thought, struggling to keep his chuckles in.
Listening to both of them, Talen thought. 'Is he trying to use reverse psychology or something?' He was confused; he did not know what game Kestis was playing.
Henry quietly watched Talen, waiting for his reply.
Sighing, Talen replied. "We're going upstream." As he spoke, he kept his eyes on Kestis, awaiting his reply.
'Right on cue.' Kestis thought.
"You fool." He rebutted, taking in a deep breath, he continued. "A powerful Chaos Monster resides there." Kestis replied, his tone growing aggressive.
However, unlike what Talen thought, Kestis hadn't lied since he met them; everything he had said was the truth.
Nevertheless, because of Talen's caution and Kestis's history of manipulation, Talen was more than reluctant to believe him.
Seeing Kestis's strong reaction, Talen smirked. 'What do you take me for, Kestis?' Talen thought, standing up, jian clenched in his fist.
He spoke, making his decision, the final decision.