Tears welled in Henry's eyes, just an inch away from him was Lumora, the light in her eyes that were oh so bright in his memory were now dull she looked at him with a face of worry, and fear. It terrified Henry, 'How could I do this to my friend?' Immediately he stopped holding her down.
"Lumora, are you okay! I'm so sorry I didn't know I was scared, I thought you were a stranger."
As Henry laid out excuses, he felt pressure in the back of his head. Instantly, he felt a wash of energy come over, as every inch in his body told him that the ally he was looking at, Lumora, one of Henry's only friends, was the target.
'No…'
It had to be a sick joke, Lumora wasn't a monster, there were no monsters in Rakh'el. The chosen had to kill a monster they were linked to, or else they would never escape the ancient city.
'It can't be. No I can't, I can't kill Lumora. You hear me! I refuse!'
He screamed at whatever being had been controlling his fate, though nothing replied to his inner monologue.
"Oh god Lumora are you okay?"
Henry bent down helping his friend up, they were so close that their noses nearly touched, her lips quivered.
"Hey… Henry."
Tears slowly poured down her face, as she attempted to keep composure, pushing Henry over the edge, he began to sob as well.
The two hugged, their tears falling onto each other.
"I'm so sorry, please forgive me, I'm so sorry."
Lumora sobbed the words into his shoulder, though Henry just thought she was apologizing for hiding from him.
"It's okay. I wish I found you sooner."
Lumora's grip became tighter.
"I've been so terrified."
Henry nearly laughed saying the words.
"But now that I've got a friend with me, there's nothing to fear."
Henry held Lumora tight, the two in desperate need of human contact by now.
***
The two had made their way towards the fire, and awkwardly sat next to each other. The silence between them left Henry filled with unease, but he could tell that Lumora had been through a lot, as he had during the past three months. He clenched his fists.
'Another shitty move by fate.'
Henry wanted nothing but for Lumora, and Marlon to be safe and out of the trial by now. Yet, it was just his luck that in the eighty days he was here, so was Lumora, and better than that, the two had only found each other after so long.
Deep in thought, Henry almost missed Lumora tugging on his arm.
"Yeah?"
He leaned in to see her better. Her face much more worn, and tired, than he remembered from the academy.
"I'm exhausted… do you mind if I sleep?"
Henry nodded, and leaned back against the wall, thinking of getting some shuteye as well, when he noticed something against his arm.
It was Lumora, resting her head on him, she was already fast asleep. Henry's face was flush. He couldn't believe how lucky it was that Lumora was here. The only issue now was that he had to find a way for them to escape while she was his chosen enemy, the thing he and all chosen were told to kill to escape the trial.
'Goddammit fate, why do you hate me!?'
Henry lay his head against the cold stone of the ruin. Comforted by the fires heat.
He would find a way out of this. He had to, or else they would be trapped. Henry knew that regardless of what happened, he could never hurt Lumora. She was too dear to him.
'There's going to be another way out.'
He reassured himself, as he slowly fell asleep.
***
Henry was awoken by the dissipating fog, something he had become accustomed to.
Lumora was seemingly still asleep, so he carefully moved her to the bed, letting her rest longer.
Henry grabbed some vines, and begun cooking them. By now he had gotten a taste for them. If you eat the same of anything for long enough, you'll end up liking it. Though liking was an overstatement, the slimy vines were still digesting, the only thing he enjoyed was the satisfaction of biting into them.
'God, I need to get out of this place.'
Running through his memories, he has constructed a semi functional map of Rakh'el in his head. Though the map didn't work for getting to specific places, it only gave him an idea of where to go when he wanted to reach another section. Turning right, on a infinitely long road, after the seventh home, almost always sent him to section p which was filled with peasant homes, this was the only section that could universally be reached from every different section.
The ruins of Rakh'el weren't so impossible when you were there long enough. An issue did arise when it came to other sections. Each section was more impossible than the last, some moving in the matter of two steps. When he was in the royal section, he had stepped out of his basecamp, and when he turned around to walk back in, it was entirely different. Thankfully, due to his fear of losing the book, his bag was always on him.
'Is there really no way to escape?'
Henry had explored nearly everything, yet there was one more thing that had remained hidden from him during the last month.
'The door.'
The only door in Rakh'el was dangerous, yet he knew it led more then just to the castle, the only issue was that he was yet to find it after the first time.
Henry looked down at Lumora. Had she found the door? Maybe with their knowledge combined they could find a pattern, and continue searching for the door, potentially an escape could be possible.
Turning back to the fire, Henry pulled the vines down before they burned.
'Before escaping, let me get some food in my stomach.'
Henry laughed at his joke, and began eating.