"Let’s leave."
After saying these words, Akaza crouched, and Sonya carefully helped place Simon on his back.
Even though they tried to be gentle, Simon still groaned faintly in his sleep. His brows furrowed, and his fingers twitched slightly.
Akaza froze.
Sonya also stopped moving.
After a few seconds, Simon’s expression relaxed slightly.
Akaza released a soft breath.
"For a second I was worried he was going to wake up. I kind of like him when he’s sleeping like this. His aura and gaze can be terrifying at times."
Sonya nodded.
"Well, you’re not wrong."
Akaza adjusted Simon carefully, making sure Simon’s chest was not pressed too hard against his back.
Simon was taller than Sonya, but Akaza’s build made carrying him much easier. Simon’s arms rested weakly over Akaza’s shoulders, and his head leaned to the side.
Akaza frowned slightly.
"Damn. He’s heavy."
Sonya looked at him, and she could not help but chuckle.
"Heavy kitty."
Akaza’s lips twitched.
"The creativity you have when giving others nicknames is legendary."
Sonya’s lips curled up slightly.
"I know."
Akaza shook his head slightly, then he started moving.
Sonya followed behind him.
They followed the river.
The forest around them was quiet, but not dead. The sound of water followed them like a companion. The river curved through the trees, sometimes narrowing between large stones, sometimes widening into calm pools where strange silver fish moved beneath the surface.
The air smelled of damp earth, leaves, and faint demonic energy.
Small insects buzzed around glowing mushrooms that grew near the roots of trees. Some mushrooms were blue, some were red, and some pulsed with faint light like small hearts.
Once, Sonya stopped Akaza from stepping on a patch of grass that looked normal.
Akaza frowned.
"What?"
Sonya pointed at the grass.
The ground trembled slightly, then the grass opened like countless thin mouths filled with tiny teeth.
Akaza stared at it with cold sweat on his back.
That was close. He could have lost a foot or he could have been severely injured if he stepped on the grass.
He looked at Sonya.
"Thank you."
Sonya nodded.
"Can you do anything without this honourable?"
Akaza had the urge to smack some sense into Sonya, but he restrained himself since he could not do such a thing while carrying Simon.
They walked around the patch and continued moving.
A while later, a group of weak demonic birds watched them from the trees. Their feathers was grey, and their eyes were too large for their faces. They chattered softly among themselves, then flew away when Akaza looked up.
Akaza narrowed his eyes.
"They look edible."
Sonya frowned. "Really?"
"What? We need food. And I’m hungry."
Sonya looked at him with slightly raised brows.
"Are you sure you were attended the same Shadowgrave Academy I did?"
Akaza clicked his tongue but didn’t say anything.
He couldn’t bring himself to say that for the major part of his time in the academy, he was among the lazy ones.
They continued moving, and for some time, they moved in silence.
Sonya occasionally looked back, making sure Merath was not following them.
Akaza kept his senses on the surroundings, and though he looked careless at times, his body was ready to react at any moment.
They continued following the river until the forest slowly began to change.
The trees became more spaced out.
The ground became firmer.
The grass became shorter.
Then Sonya noticed something through her earth affinity.
Footprints.
Not beast footprints.
Demon footprints.
She crouched and touched the ground.
Akaza stopped.
"What is it?"
He couldn’t see anything, and he could not crouch to inspect it.
"Demons passed through here."
Akaza frowned.
"How many?"
Sonya closed her eyes for a moment, and the faint imprint that only she could see because of her racial talent appeared in her mind.
"More than a dozen. They might be travelers or merchants."
Akaza looked ahead.
"It should have been a long time, right? Cause I can’t see any footprints from here."
Sonya stood.
"I don’t know. Many things can hide a footprint. So they could have passed through here yesterday and their footprints could have been hidden by nature or by the demons themselves."
Akaza’s eyes flashed.
"That doesn’t sound good."
Sonya shrugged.
"We’ll just be careful. That’s all."
They continued moving more carefully.
The river soon curved to the left, and beside it, a narrow dirt path appeared.
It was not a natural path.
It had been used many times.
There were wheel marks on the ground, hoof marks, and footprints. Some were fresh. Some were old. Broken pieces of rope and a small rusted nail were near the edge of the path.
Akaza looked at the path and released a soft sigh of relief.
"Finally."
They had been walking for hours, and the night was close from what they could see.
Seeing signs of civilization, or something close to it eased their tense nerves.
At that moment, Simon’s fingers moved slightly.
Akaza felt it and turned his head.
"You awake?"
Simon did not respond immediately.
His eyes slowly opened.
The first thing he saw was Akaza’s shoulder.
Then the side of Akaza’s head.
Then the sparse trees and dirt road around them.
Simon remained silent for a few seconds.
Then his voice came out low and rough.
"How long have I been asleep for?"
Akaza looked ahead as he replied.
"Hours. Probably three hours or four, or maybe more. I don’t know."
Simon blinked slowly.
That was a lot longer than he expected.
He looked at Sonya who was walking beside them with her hands behind her back.
She looked at him with a slight smirk, then she pointed at Akaza.
"He said you were heavy."
Akaza’s lips could not help but twitch, and Simon stared at her.
"And this honourable called you heavy kitty. Now choose one."
"Do you want little kitty or heavy kitty."
Simon closed his eyes.
"I should have left both of you inside the barrier."
Sonya scoffed.
"And who would be carrying you right now?"
Simon said nothing, and he decided to inspect his body.
The first thing he checked was to be sure that Unholy Regeneration did not heal his body strangely but to his relief, it did not.
His body was still terrible, but it was no longer as terrible as before.
The pain was still everywhere, but it had become something he could ignore better to a certain extent. His demonic pathways were still a mess, but the worst tears had begun closing. His muscles no longer felt like they would fall apart with every breath.
His mental energy had recovered slightly too.
Not much.
But enough that his thoughts were clearer.
His soul still felt strained, but it was a lot better.
Even after sleeping, his body was still not healed to the point that he could walk on his own.
Simon released a slow breath.
"Not bad. Could have been worse."
Akaza glanced at him from the corner of his eyes.
"We found a path."
Simon looked at the dirt path beside the river, and his eyes became slightly sharper.
"Any signs of pursuit?"
Sonya shook her head.
"Not yet."
"Merath?"
"No sign of her."
Simon remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke.
"Keep following the path, but don’t walk in the center."
Akaza raised a brow.
"Why?"
"Traps, ambushes, and so on."
Akaza looked at the peaceful path.
"You really know how to ruin a good thing."
Simon looked at him.
"A good thing in the demon realm is usually bait."
Akaza could not refute that.
They moved along the edge of the path, keeping close to the trees while still following the river.
After walking for some time, the path widened.
The wheel tracks became clearer. The footprints became more frequent.
Then they saw it.
An old wooden signboard stood near the road, half-covered in moss and vines.
The wood was dark from age and rain, but the words carved into it could still be seen.
Akaza stopped in front of the signboard and narrowed his eyes.
Sonya tilted her head slightly.
"What does it say?"
Akaza brushed away some of the moss.
Then he read the words.
"Vashar City."