Chapter 25 The Leech In The Dark - The Great Rift Vally Arc Part 2

I froze, the weight of Ren's words settling like a heavy stone in my chest. Kaede... Alone, out there, probably fighting for her life. A flood of guilt surged through me. Why didn't I think more? Why didn't I plan better?

"Kaede? Where's Kaede?" The words came out strained, but I had to ask. She had to be okay. She had to be.

Ren didn't flinch, his eyes tightening, his jaw set. "Last I saw, she was trying to fight her way out. We got separated in the chaos."

His words hit harder than I expected. I nodded, but my mind was already running a million miles an hour. She's fine. She has to be.

But the knot in my stomach wouldn't loosen.

I couldn't just sit there. I needed answers. "How did this happen?" My voice cracked slightly, but I pushed it down. "We were supposed to be prepared. We had the advantage."

Ren's eyes shot to mine, and there it was again—the flicker of disdain. He wasn't holding back. "Maybe if you actually led us instead of rushing in like you always do, we wouldn't be in this mess."

His words stung, and they stung deep. I bit back the sharp retort that wanted to burst out. But his frustration wasn't the only thing filling the space between us now. It was everything—the failure, the regret, the broken pieces of what was supposed to be our victory.

He stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants. The movement felt like a dismissal. "But no. You're always so eager to be the hero without thinking things through."

I opened my mouth to argue, but it felt pointless. He wasn't wrong, and I knew it. I rushed in. I thought I could fix things on my own. I thought I could control the situation, and now, everything was falling apart. I swallowed hard, trying to find my grounding again.

"Do you even understand what you've done?" His voice dropped low, the tension in the air palpable, almost suffocating. "We could've planned, waited, but no, you had to jump in. Now, we're scattered, half-dead, and you're asking me what happened. I'm not here to hold your hand."

My hands balled into fists, the anger bubbling up before I could stop it. Damn it. Why couldn't I just do one thing right? My breath quickened, but I fought to keep it steady. I didn't need to fight him right now—not like this.

"I'm not asking for your help," I bit out, keeping my voice steady. The last thing I needed was for Ren to think I was weak. "I'm trying to survive, same as you. I didn't ask for this, Ren."

He scoffed, turning his back, clearly done with the conversation. "Whatever. You'll figure it out."

I felt the anger coil tighter in my gut, but I let it go, for now. He wasn't the enemy. The shadows were.

I forced myself to stand, ignoring the ache in my body, pushing past the exhaustion that threatened to swallow me whole. "We need to find the others," I said, my voice firmer than I felt.

Ren didn't even spare me a glance. "You're in no shape to do that, and neither am I. We wait until morning. We don't go chasing after shadows unless we have a better chance of survival."

I gritted my teeth, the frustration bubbling up once more. "Fine." My voice was low, tight with barely-contained anger. "But we're not waiting too long. I won't let them pick us off."

Akira's voice broke through the tension, steady and calm. It took me a second to realize he'd been listening. "Ren's right," he said, not looking at me but staring out into the darkness. "We're not in any condition to go after them now. It's better we regroup and plan. And I don't know about you, but I'm not about to let any of those shadows take us out."

Ren shot a glance at Akira, irritation flickering across his face. "Fine. But I'm not waiting around for you to get your act together. You better keep it together this time."

I could feel Ren's disdain, but I didn't let it get under my skin. I can't afford to care about that right now. Too much was at stake. Kaede. The others. The shadows that were closing in, surrounding us. Focus.

I met Akira's gaze. His expression was calm, but there was a quiet intensity there. "We'll go after them in the morning," I said, my voice firmer now, my decision made. "Rest up. We don't have time to waste."

Akira gave a single nod, his gaze shifting from me to the shadows. "We stay sharp. One wrong move, and we're done."

I exhaled sharply. I know.

I had to make this right. I couldn't fail Kaede. Not like this.

The air felt heavy as the three of us stood there in the silence, our surroundings growing colder, the shadows creeping closer. The weight of responsibility was heavy on my shoulders, but it wasn't the first time I had carried it. It wouldn't be the last.

Akira glanced around, taking in the stillness, before breaking the silence again. "So, what's the plan?"

Plan. I already knew. There was no room for hesitation anymore. I wasn't going to let anything tear us apart—not now, not after everything we've been through. We had to find Kaede. Regroup. Get the upper hand.

"We stick together," I said, my voice firm. "We wait for the right moment, then we go after them. We can't keep running, but we won't be reckless either. We move smart. And we move fast."

Akira's smirk softened just a little, like he was weighing my words. "Sounds good. But remember, we're not out of the woods yet. We can't afford to make any more mistakes."

I know.

But for the first time since everything went sideways, I felt a little bit of certainty. I'm not doing this alone.

I wasn't going to let the shadows win. Not when we still had a chance.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"1 day."

"What? No way."

The night stretched on, and the camp was quieter than I expected. The air was thick with tension, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Ren was still seething in his corner, clearly wrestling with the frustration of how things had turned out. Akira, ever the strategist, was quietly observing everything around him, his sharp eyes catching every movement in the shadows.

I stayed at the fire, watching the flames dance and flicker. It was almost mesmerizing, the way they fought the darkness, but even that didn't calm the storm swirling in my head. We were supposed to be the ones in control, but now it felt like everything was slipping through our fingers.

I forced myself to focus on something else. Tomorrow.

Tomorrow we'd make our move, and we couldn't afford to mess it up.

Akira finally spoke again, breaking the silence, his voice as smooth and calculated as ever. "You know, you don't have to carry all the weight alone."

I glanced up at him, meeting his calm gaze. I didn't respond immediately, unsure how to even begin. Did he mean what Ren had said?

"I know you're the one who's always at the forefront," Akira continued. "But we're all in this together. If you try to take on everything yourself, you're just going to burn out."

I didn't answer at first, still processing his words. They were easy enough to hear, but harder to take to heart. I wasn't used to relying on others. Not like this.

"Ren's right about one thing," Akira added, his tone soft but firm. "You push yourself too hard, too fast. That's why we're here, isn't it?"

I clenched my jaw, a familiar anger bubbling up. But Akira's eyes stayed calm, steady, unflinching. He wasn't accusing me. He was just telling me the truth.

I let out a breath, trying to calm the frustration that had been growing inside me. "I know." I hated admitting it, but it was the truth. I did rush in too often. I acted before thinking, hoping my instincts would carry me through. And sometimes they did. But not this time. This time, we were scattered. Half-dead, like Ren had said. It wasn't enough anymore.

"Tomorrow," I said again, trying to reclaim my focus. "We take our time. We move carefully. We regroup. And we stick together."

Akira nodded, satisfied with the plan. His expression softened, the tension in his face easing.

"Good. Just remember," he added, his smile rare but genuine, "no matter what, we've got your back. But you've got to trust us, too."

I met his eyes, and for a moment, I let that sink in. Maybe I had been carrying too much. Maybe I had been pushing too hard, expecting too much from myself.

Tomorrow, I'd fight smarter. We'd all fight smarter.

The fire crackled as the night wore on, and I finally laid down, trying to get some rest. But sleep didn't come easily. My mind kept replaying the chaos, wondering where the others were, wondering if we could really pull this off.

We will.

(Next Day - 3 Days In)

I woke up. I looked around but couldn't find anyone, "Where is everyone?"

"Yo. Here." Akira walked up and gave me some fresh bread, "Eat up. We leave in 10."

"Um... Sure? Where's Ren?"

"He's further up ahead getting ready. We should go now."

I quickly ate my food and got up.

"So what do we do?" Akira asked.

"I say we go in and take whoever is responsible down." Ren called out as he walked towards us.

"Good Idea." Akira responded optimistically, "What do you say Akarui?"

"For once, I agree with you."

Akira then added, "Then we don't waste any more time."

The sun was barely up, and the shadows still clung to the trees like they were waiting for something. Maybe they were. But I wasn't about to sit around and find out.

"Let's move."

I nodded at Akira's suggestion, trying to clear the fog in my mind. There was no time to waste, not now. We had to get moving. The sooner we confronted whoever was behind this mess, the better.

We started moving through the thick brush, the silence almost suffocating. The sound of our steps on the ground seemed louder than they should've been. Every snap of a twig made my nerves jump. But I couldn't let it show. Not now. Kaede needed us. The shadows were still out there, too.

Then I felt it—an energy surge that nearly stopped my heart. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

"Stay sharp," Akira muttered under his breath, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "Something's not right."

And then... He smiled, "Well... well... Well... We have company."

Out of nowhere, a figure stepped from the trees, its body a swirling mass of dark energy, its form shifting like smoke. It was tall—too tall—and it moved with unnatural fluidity. The eyes glowed a sickly green, a taunting glimmer in the darkness.

"Akarui... Watch out!" Akira shouted, just as the figure lunged.

I barely had time to react. My chi surged, instinctively preparing for a fight. But before I could gather enough energy, the figure lashed out with an almost invisible arm, sending a shockwave through the air. The impact threw me back, and I slammed into a tree, my breath forced out of my lungs.

Ren was already on his feet, charging forward without hesitation. His fists collided with the figure, but the attack barely made a dent. The thing... it wasn't just some shadow. It was something else entirely. Something dangerous.

"Watch its movements!" Ren shouted, backing away just as the figure swiped at him again.

Akira stayed a few steps behind, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. "It's not human," he muttered, shifting into a ready stance. "It's something else. Something we've never fought before."

The figure seemed to shift in and out of the shadows, moving with inhuman speed, always one step ahead of us. It was using the darkness itself as a shield, a weapon, a mask. We couldn't land a hit without being overwhelmed by its speed and power.

I could feel it—the energy draining from me, slowly at first but growing quicker with each second. This wasn't just a fight. It was a trap.

Ren exchanged a glance with me, then charged again, but this time with a different focus. "We're not backing down."

Akira nodded, his stance tightening. "Alright, we take it down together. On three. One..."

Before he could even finish, the figure let out a guttural growl, a sound that seemed to echo from every direction. Then it lunged again, faster than before.

"Two..." Akira continued, but the world seemed to freeze as the figure moved closer.

And then, everything exploded.