The first day of the trip seemed calm, but it wasn't. They followed the compass north through rolling hills and scattered forests.

The land got rougher and rougher as they got farther away from civilisation. The roads went from cobblestones to packed dirt to barely maintained trails that wound through old trees.

Greg walked in front with the compass in his hand and watched as the needle pointed steadily towards their goal. Lylia and Elwen quietly discussed various topics, deliberately avoiding any mention of the impending fight behind them.

Hammy sat on Elwen's shoulder and sometimes chirped about intriguing plants or small animals. Hilda was last in line, and her pickaxe was both a weapon and a walking stick.

Elwen said, "What do we do if Veldway doesn't want to help?" while Greg checked the compass for the tenth time.

"He probably doesn't want to be involved anymore if he's been hiding for three years."

Greg said simply, "We convince him by showing him what the Calamity has done, and we need to make him see what's at stake so that he can't deny it."

"And what if that doesn't work?" Lylia asked.

"Then we find another way," Greg said, but his voice didn't sound sure.

The truth was that he didn't have a backup plan, and of course Veldway was their last chance. They had no other choice if the First Elite Knight said no, even if they did anything to bring him back.

Hilda hadn't said much all morning, which wasn't unusual for her. But as the day went on, Greg saw that she was favouring her left side, and she sometimes winced when she thought no one was looking. He went up to her during their lunch break.

He asked, sitting next to her on a fallen log, "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Hilda said, but the word sounded a little strained. "Just tired."

"It took two days of walking to get to Meridian, and now it will take three more days to get to the Peaks..."

"Travelling this much isn't good for my body anymore."

"We can go slower if you like."

Hilda said, "No... Every hour we waste is another hour that something has to grow and destroy."

"Don't worry about it... I'll be fine."

Greg saw that her hand shook a little as she drank from her waterskin, though. In the sunlight, the silver marks on her arm seemed to pulse more, almost as if they were breathing. He remembered to keep a closer eye on her.

...

That night, when they set up camp in a small clearing, Hilda's condition became clearer. She said she didn't want dinner because she wasn't hungry, but Greg saw her holding her stomach when she thought no one was watching. The marks on her skin had spread, moving from her arms to her neck in thin, circuit-like lines.

"Hilda," Lylia said softly as she knelt next to the miner who was sitting against a tree, "those marks... are they getting worse?"

"They're just getting used to it," Hilda said, but her voice was shaky. "My body is still getting over what the Calamity did to me."

"The healer in Meridian said it would take time..."

"Did the healer say the marks would get bigger?" Elwen asked, her voice full of worry.

Hilda said, "No, but every case is unique, right...? I'm okay, guys... really. No need to be all worried about this miner."

But they all knew she wasn't okay. Hilda still refused to turn back, and her companions were unable to persuade her to do so. So they kept going north, each of them carrying the unspoken fear that things might get worse for Hilda before they got better.

...

On the second day, the ground got rougher. The soft hills turned into rocky slopes and narrow passes. The trees went from oak and maple to twisted pines that looked like they were leaning away from the mountains in front of them, as if even nature knew better than to get too close to the Howling Peaks.

They heard it before they saw it, it was a low, constant moaning sound that the wind carried. At first, it was just a little bit of background noise, but as they climbed higher, it got louder and louder. The sound seemed to come from all over and nowhere at the same time, making an unsettling dissonance that made everyone's teeth hurt.

Hilda said, "That's the wind," but she had to speak louder to be heard over the noise that was getting louder. "The Peaks make strange winds..."

"If you're not careful, the sound will get stuck in your head."

"That's why people go crazy here."

"How do we not go crazy?" Elwen asked, and Hammy pressed up against her neck as if the sound made him feel better.

Hilda said, "Don't pay too much attention."

"Pay attention to each other and talk."

"It's dangerous when you start to listen for patterns in the wind and try to make sense of it. That's when it gets you."

So they had a talk. They discussed anything and everything, making their own voices louder than the mountains' song.

Lylia told stories about her time as a Royal Knight before she left to open her restaurant. Elwen talked about her family in Moonwood Grove and the heavy weapon legacy she had escaped.

Greg talked about his past life as the Warhammer Saint, the weapons he had made, and the guilt he still felt. And all the while, the wind howled, trying to get into their heads.

None of them slept well that night. The wind's moan didn't stop, and if they listened closely, it sounded like it was saying something.

Greg stared at the stars and wondered if they were doing the right thing. What if Veldway had died? What if he left because he knew the Calamity was coming and saving himself was more important to him than saving the world?

"Can't sleep, huh?" Greg could hear Lylia's voice nearby.

She had moved closer without him knowing and sat down next to him by the dying fire. "Is there something bothering you...?"

Greg said, "It's probably the wind that kept me awake," which wasn't a complete lie.

"That's part of it," Lylia said.

For a moment, she was quiet, and then she said, "Thank you."

"Huh...? For what...?" Greg looked confused.

Lylia smiled. "For what you said in Meridian. About me not being useless."

"I meant every word."

"I know," Lylia said in a low voice.

"And that is why it is so important for me... I really appreciate that..."

"I love you, Greg..." Lylia gave a quick peck on his cheek and then closed both her eyes while leaning to him.

Greg let her lean against his shoulder because it made him feel better to have her there. And he can't answer what Lylia just said, so he let it be.

They stayed like that until they were too worn out to stay awake any longer. They slept sitting up, with the fire's embers giving them very little warmth.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.