The first ray of dawn had yet to reach the sanctuary.
A pale light lingered beyond the distant mountains, but the forest surrounding the safe zone remained clocked in an uneasy silence. The corrupted horde had retreated long ago, yet the lingering presure refused to fade.
It was too quite.
Far too quite.
The cracked barrier still shimmered faintly around the sanctuary, repairing itself little by little as mana slowly seeped back into its damaged structure. Compared to the violent assualt from before, the forest now appeared peaceful.
Almost
Too peaceful.
Limbo stood near the damaged section of the barrier, his eyes fixed upon the endless sea of dead trees stretching far into the horizon.
His thoughts.
The corrupted creatures had attacked.
They had damaged the barrier.
They had every opportunity to continue.
Yet...
They left.
"...Why?"
He spoke softly that even he barely heard himself.
Nothing about yesterday made sense.
If they wanted to kill them, they should have continued attacking.
If they wanted to Destroy the sanctuary, they had enough numbers to keep applying pressure.
Instead....
Only a handful had attacked while the others wandered around as though searching for something.
His fingers unconsciously tightened.
"They weren't trying to win..."
"...They were trying to learn."
The realisation made him even more uneasy.
A direct battle was easier to understand.
An enemy that observed...
Adapted...
And planned....
Was far more dangerous.
Limbo letvout a slow breath looking towards the repaired portion of the barrier.
"...Should we leave?"
The thought surfaced naturally.
The barrier was damaged.
The corruption was spreading faster every day.
The sanctuary was no longer safe.
Would escaping now be the wiser decision?
Or....
Was that exactly what the enemy wanted them to do?
His mind replayed every movement made by corrupted scouts.
Every step.
Every pause.
Every strange action.
"..No..."
He shook his head.
"If I can't understand their purpose..."
"I can't predict their next move."
That uncertainty bothered him more than the army itself.
A sudden breeze swept across the clearing.
Limbo looked towards the sky.
Morning was approaching.
Yet his chest felt strangely heavy.
Behind him, the wooden door opened quietly.
Adri stepped outside carrying the small wooden bowl filled with fresh water.
Her expression remained as calm as ever, though faint traces of exhaustion could still be seen beneath her eyes.
She walked beside Limbo and quietly followed his gaze towards the distant forest.
Neither of them spoke immediately.
Sometimes...
Silence carried more weight than words.
After several moments, limbo finally broke it.
"...Do you think they'll return?"
Adri didn't answered immediately.
"They will."
Her reply came without hesitation.
"It may be today."
"It may be Tommorow."
"But they will."
She lowered her eyes towards the cracked barrier.
"The corruption rarely gives up after finding a place like this."
Limbo nodded slowly.
"I figured as much."
Another silence settled between them.
This time it was Limbo who spoke first.
"...Then shouldn't we leave while we still can?"
Adri looked at him.
There was no surprise in her expression.
Almost as if she had expected that question fromthe very beginning.
"You should."
Limbo blinked.
"....Me?"
She nodded.
"This battle..."
"...was never yours to begin with."
"You've already done far more than anyone could have asked."
"You brought Mora home."
"You protected this sanctuary."
"You stood against corruption."
"That alone is enough."
Limbo quietly listened.
Foa a while he said nothing.
Then....
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...You're right."
"It wasn't."
"I volunteered to come here."
"No one forces me."
His eyes slowly drifted towards the forest once again.
"But the moment I stepped inside this place..."
"...it became my problem too."
Adri remained silent.
"The corruption doesn't stop because I walk away."
"It spreads."
"It grows."
"If I ignore it today..."
"....one day it'll reach the people waiting for me."
His thoughts drifted towards home.
Towards Ela.
Towards his Father Ronan.
Towards the village he had left behind.
He had promised himself he would return.
Safe.
If the corruption continued spreading...
Would they remain safe?
He didn't know.
And that uncertainty alone was enough.
"So..."
He looked back at adri.
"I can't pretend I saw nothing."
A faint chuckle escaped him before he added,
"...Besides."
"I don't want an old granny..."
"....and a hopeless child..."
".... getting in my way."
Silence.
Then—
"Hmph!"
Mora puffed her cheeks from the doorway.
"I heard that!"
She stomped towards him with surprisingly energetic steps despite everything that had happened.
"Who's hopeless?"
Limbo looked down at her with a perfect straight face.
"You."
"I am not!."
"You cried yesterday."
"Because my head hurt!"
"You also hid behind adri."
"I was protecting Granny!"
Limbo raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"So you were protecting her?"
"Exactly!"
She proudly crossed her arms.
"I'm stronger than I look."
A faint smile escaped Limbo.
"So that's why you hid."
"I wasn't hiding!"
"You definitely were.".
"I wasn't!"
"You were."
For the first time since the corruption appeared....
Laughter quietly echoed the small house.
Even Adri couldn't stop the corner of her lips from lifting.
Only slightly.
But enough.
The suffocating atmosphere surrounding the sanctuary erased for just a brief moment.
Watching the two argue like children...
Adri's eyes softened.
"....frog in the lake."
She muttered under the breath.
Limbo turned toward her.
"What?"
Adri let out a quiet sigh.
"You really are."
"You've only seen a tiny corner of this world..."
"...Yet you already dare to shoulder burdens far beyond you strength."
Her gazed shifted towards the forest once again.
"That reckless brat..."
"The Guardian..."
"...acts exactly the same way."
Limbo scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I'll pretend that was a compliment."
"It wasn't."
She answered immediately.
"It was a warning."
Her voice became noticeably calmer.
"You've seen only the surface of corruption."
"What lies beyond..."
"...is far worse."
The playful mood disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
Limbo understood.
The real battle...
Hadn't even begun.