They didn't stop running until after several minutes when the forest around them thickened densely, and the ground turned soft beneath their feet.
By then, Nyra's legs were trembling and Finn's breathing had gone shallow and sharp. Neither of them said it out loud, but they both knew stopping too soon was worse than collapsing later.
Finn finally raised a hand and slowed, crouching instinctively behind a cluster of low rocks.
"Here," he whispered. "For now."
Nyra dropped beside him, back pressed to the stone, her heart was still hammering in her chest. She wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her sleeve and immediately regretted it when dirt smeared across her skin.
"Do you even know where we are?" She asked scanning the surroundings where they stopped.
"Not exactly", he responded " I have an idea of the general location, but I've never been around this exact area."
"Isn't the forest dangerous?"
"It is."
"Then how do you know it so well?"
"That's a secret." He replied with a smirk.
The night felt different out here.
It was open and wide, as if the world didn't care whether they survived or not.
She scanned the darkness, every shadow was suddenly suspicious.
"How far do you think they'll come?" she asked quietly.
Finn didn't answer right away. He was listening to the surroundings, not just with his ears, but with his whole body.
Nyra stared at him. He was certainly full of surprises. The way he behaved seemed as if he were not new to this, as if he were familiar with the process. She was scared shitless and she was sure he was scared too, but the way he moved effortlessly showed his experience.
What else could he possibly be hiding?
"They'll follow," he said finally. "And they definitely won't stop till they find us".
Nyra swallowed. "Because of me."
Because of the Crown, Astrael-Null corrected smoothly from inside her. You are a delivery system. Do not flatter yourself.
She winced. You could say that nicer.
I could, it agreed. I choose not to.
Finn glanced at her. "It said something, didn't it?"
"Yes," she admitted. "And no, you won't like it."
"That's becoming a pattern."
They fell quiet again. The wind picked up, carrying the smell of damp earth and riverwater. Somewhere in the distance, an animal cried out in the distance making Nyra flinch.
Her fingers drifted, unconsciously, to the black star at her chest.
It was warm now. Perhaps, it was because she was directly under the night sky.
Astrael-Null stirred.
You are bleeding energy, it observed. It's subtle, and it is not very inefficient.
Nyra frowned. I don't feel anything.
You are not meant to, it replied. That is how the Crown keeps hosts functional.
Finn shifted closer. "You're staring into space again."
"Sorry," she murmured. "It's… talking."
He sighed, rubbing his face. "Figures. Also, what was that about earlier?"
She hesitated, then answered, "I got a mission earlier. Also Null said to turn left, so I did."
"A mission??"
"Yeah, to survive for the next 24 hours. The penalty is death by the way."
"That's crazy." He laughed "Do you at least get rewards for surviving?"
"Yes. But I don't know the reward though"
"Hey Null, how do I check that stuff again?"
Status window, he replied lazily in her head.
"Status window" she said loudly, and immediately, light shimmered in front of her eyes andthe words were displayed in front of her.
☆HOST STATUS: NYRA☆
Designation: Starkeeper
Bloodline: Forgotten Celestial Line (Verified)
Age: 17
Crown Integration: 13%
Stability: Unstable (Fluctuating)
Authority Access: Limited
Synchronisation: In Progress
Hmmm, her integration with the crown had gone up by 1%. She continued to read.
Celestial Affinity: 66
Strenght: 12
Endurance: 30
Agility: 10
Willpower: 56
Focus: 41
Perception: 48
Mental Fortitude: 43
☆Active Marks☆
Hollow Star Mark
Location: Upper chest
Status: Active
Effect: Enables communication with Crown-Core Entity.
Side Effects: Headaches, star-dreams, emotional bleed, insomnia.
☆Passive Traits☆
Star-Touched
The stars respond to your presence. You have the ability to call upon the stars at will.
Keeper's Burden
You are not meant to rule. You are meant to choose who does. Until then, the crown stays in your possession.
Residual Prophecy
Fate keeps circling you. Annoyingly persistent. You are fated to walk the path of those before you.
☆Locked Functions☆
Celestial Invocation: ???
Crown Command: ???
Star Alignment Authority: ???
Full System Access: ???
☆ MISSION ☆
●Survival of the fittest
Task: survive your pursuers for the next 24 hours
Penalty: death
Reward: ???
☆Celestial link☆
Candidate: Finn
She looked at Finn's name which was bold. They were linked. Probably because she was the one supposed to crown him.
Does this mean I can see his information?
Damn. That was a lot. She turned to see Finn staring at her.
"Do you see that?" She pointed to the status window in front of her.
"Nope".
Why can't he see it Null. She asked internally.
Because it's your status window. You're the one with the crown. I only let him see it earlier because I wanted him to know his position. Also, it costs a lot of energy to be seen. So no, it won't be happening anymore.
Oh, I see. Also, strength of 12? How strong is a normal person?
About 10-15. So yeah, you're average. Weak actually, but let's say average
So I'm basically a normal person in terms of physical strength. How strong would you say the high Astromancer is?
Don't bother comparing yourself to her. She is about a hundred times stronger.
Shit.
"Hey Finn, how good are you at hiding?" She asked nervously.
He let out a short, humourless laugh. "I grew up invisible. It's my only real skill."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know," he said quietly. "But it still answers the question."
A sudden crunch echoed from the dark.
Both of them froze.
Nyra's breath caught halfway in.
Finn's hand moved slowly to the knife at his belt.
They waited. The seconds seemed to be moving slowly.
Then another sound of footsteps came this time, deliberate. That was definitely not an animal.
Finn leaned in close, voice barely a breath. "Don't move."