Rion's breath hitched.

'What did she go through?' That was his first thought before despair clouded.

His thoughts spiralled into each other as a hurricane collapsing towards its own eye, and his dream of leaving the mountain had already begun to slip away from his reach.

Haria the Panther, one of the strongest group leaders, was trembling just from the memory of what she had gone through by daring to step beyond the mountains.

So, how could he escape the same red and black mountains?

What made him special? His system? He wasn't even as strong as Haria, and there were no sign-in locations left for him.

His bloodline? He didn't even know how to truly use his bloodline like others.

Yuura could speed up his mind, Dora could search for anything, Nena could perform rituals, and he believed the others could also wield the ability that lived within their blood.

He, however, had yet to unlock the full potential of his bloodline, and that was because of his immortal body.

His immortal body amplified the passive effect — enhanced adaptability — to such a degree that he felt no need to search for his true bloodline ability.

Was it arrogance? No. Ignorance? Yes. No one knew about the bloodline that he had. So there was nothing from his predecessors that he could use to unlock his bloodline.

His thoughts continued to churn; in some, he blamed himself, and in most, he had no one to blame.

Haria, who was watching him with a frown, muttered worriedly, "Calm down, Rion. Overthinking won't help you..."

His mind cleared even if slightly, and he stammered nervously, "H-How is that possible? It's my dream to see the outside world... How can I give up... so easily? Can't I just become strong enough to leave?"

Her audible sigh resounded within the camp and pulled Rion's attention.

Now that he was finally looking at her, she asked with a mentor-like glint in her eyes, "When do you think your father left the mountains?"

"In his teens..." he answered in the very next moment.

She nodded and asked, "Do you think your father was as strong or even stronger than me when he left the mountains?"

'... Is it possible?' He didn't know how strong Haden was, but he knew that everyone had helped him leave so he could become strong to defeat the dark king and to do such a thing, they must've held faith in his overwhelming talent.

"I don't know..." He mumbled.

Hearing him, a faint smile creased her lips, and she said, "But I do, he wasn't as strong as I was when I tried to leave. Yet I failed but he didn't. So, do you still think that it's all about strength?"

He tried to think of an answer, but he had none. Silence stretched from seconds to minutes, and a chuckle reached him.

She looked at him with sadness hiding behind her eyes and said, "Even I don't know what we need to leave the mountains, but it's not just strength."

"... I won't give up," he said, not in determination or defiance but in spite. He hated that he couldn't even control his own life, and yet he was searching for a way to control the lives of others.

She didn't continue further, nor did she ask anything; instead, she stood and walked over to him.

Both of them looked into each other's eyes. Failure met hopelessness, and she pulled him into his embrace. She patted the back of his head in consolation, though even she didn't know if she was consoling him or herself.

His thoughts calmed under her embrace, and he repeated, "I won't give up..."

He hugged her back, though his embrace didn't hold consolation but stubborn determination.

A few minutes passed as both of them continued to embrace each other. Haria let go of the hug and ruffled his raven hair before grinning ear to ear.

"Don't think too much of it... If you are destined to leave, then you will."

His expression didn't lift up, and he mumbled darkly, "What if... I am not?"

Her smile faltered slightly as her attempt at easing him failed.

'I shouldn't have told him...' she thought while looking at him with a sombre expression.

On the other hand, Rion, who was about to descend into further gloom, suddenly felt a small change within him; he could barely feel it at first, but it turned humongous the next moment.

He pushed towards it and felt that a bright spark had appeared within his sea of hopelessness...

'What is going on?'

His mind dived towards the spark and touched it. Before he knew it, the dark thoughts vanished from his head, and an answer came to him... it didn't appear suddenly, it was as if the answer was always there.

He placed his hands on Haria's shoulders, and she shook at his sudden action.

"What happened?" She asked worriedly.

He grinned widely and announced, "Why would I give up just because fate deems me unworthy to leave? I will try my best, and if I fail I'll try again... I'll continue to try — until it breaks, or I do."

She looked at him with a puzzled expression, and a question left her lips before she even knew it.

"How would you even continue after failing once...?"

He shook his head and answered, "Failures do not dictate us; instead, they tell us of the possibilities we can use to reach success."

She bit her lips and mumbled, "Would you be able to say the same once you taste that failure?"

Her questions no longer seemed to be directed towards him.

He stepped back and answered with a slight shrug, "I don't know but... I know one thing that my dreams matter so much to me that I won't just give up after failing. I'll try once, twice, and no matter how many times to bend what you call destiny."

He raised a hand towards her and added with a bright smile, "Because if it's our will, who dares stop us?"

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