Chương 66: 066

"Adan, I don't wanna be carried," Maya whined, wriggling in Henry's unyielding grip. After yesterday's repeated delays, he'd decided to carry her most of the way today. Maya, naturally, was displeased, and determined that everyone know it. Henry sighed and adjusted her on his hip.

"I know," he said, for what had to be the tenth time since we'd set out.

"But you can't keep wandering off. You could get lost or hurt. I told you after the second time, if it happened again, I'd have to carry you. Tomorrow, we'll try again. Stay close, and you won't have to be carried. Deal?" She slumped against his shoulder, sulking.

"But there are so many pretty things…" Her gaze lingered on a vibrant purple bloom hanging from a willow-like tree with pale gray bark, its flowers drooping like lanterns. She reached for it. Dura intercepted with practiced ease, nudging the plant aside using the flat of her axe blade. Henry stepped back before Maya could try again, shooting the orc a grateful look.

"We don't know what's poisonous, sweetling. I won't risk you getting hurt." Maya cuddled closer, defeated but still pouting.

"Fiiine," she mumbled, dragging the word out like agreeing physically hurt. Henry chuckled and tickled her side.

"That didn't sound convincing, little one. Are you sure?" She squealed, laughter bubbling free as she squirmed.

"I am! I am! Stop tickling!" His grin widened as he relented.

"Good. Just checking." Dura drifted closer to me, a soft smile curving her lips.

"He's a good father." I nodded.

"He is." My voice was quieter when I added, "I've met enough bad ones to know the difference." Time's gaze burned into the back of my head. I resolutely didn't look at him. Knowing he knew about the basement, Mr. Bugel, the abuse… it made my skin itch. I hadn't told many people, and the few I had hadn't believed me. The courts had ruled in my favor, but the whispers had lingered anyway. You just wanted attention. Got a good man locked up for nothing. Hope you're proud of yourself.

My stomach twisted as the old, venomous voice clawed its way up. I shoved it back down and focused on the present. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Still, Time's stare didn't relent. The sensation finally forced me to glance at him. His expression was neutral, save for a flicker of contemplation in his eyes. When our gazes met, he hummed thoughtfully.

"You are quite…casual when referencing your past trauma." I shrugged, eyes returning to the path.

"It's a habit. Making jokes about it, it's easier that way." Dura glanced at me, curiosity flickering across her face, but mercifully changed the subject.

"Did you have any luck finding the tomes?" I groaned, rubbing the back of my neck.

"I think so? Some of the books might be tomes, but there aren't any titles. And I don't even know what I'm supposed to be looking for." Time nodded, his gaze flicking to the satchel slung over my shoulder.

"Tomes usually bear symbols indicating the affinity of the spells within." I thought back.

"There were a few with something like fire, one with a spiky ball, and maybe two with a diamond?"

"Likely mana tomes, fire, light, and ice," he said.

"When we stop tonight, I will take a closer look." What we'd do with them afterward was another question entirely. Maybe Inspiration could build some kind of vault. I'd bring it up later.

"Adan, I have to pee." Maya's plaintive whine snapped me back to the moment. Henry shot me an apologetic look.

"This is normal. Sorry for the delay." I waved him off, amused by the familiarity.

"It's fine. I used to work with kids. I know how it goes." I gestured ahead.

"Looks like the trees thin out there, we can stop." We stepped past the last of the foliage. I froze.

"What the f-."

"Language," Henry cut in, and I grunted, shaking my head.

"English," I said.

"But seriously, what is that?" I pointed ahead. A massive fissure split the land before us, stretching for miles. Hundreds of feet wide, its edges crumbled into dead grass and jagged stone. The forest around it stood untouched, as if some colossal beast had dragged a single claw through the world and left everything else intact. Henry grimaced, foreboding and sympathy mingling in his eyes.

"It was caused by a spirit's grief. No one knows which one, or what happened. One day, everyone across Nexus felt this crushing wave of power." He swallowed.

"And then…this." He shuddered, looking away.

"We were lucky they contained it to an unpopulated area. A little farther, and Highgate would've been destroyed." Time's expression shifted, pain and guilt flickering across his face. My blood ran cold. Grief hollowed you out, scraping at your insides like a rusted spoon. For beings like spirits, whose emotions didn't stop at their own skin, this kind of devastation could only come from one thing. Loss. And judging by Time's reaction? He'd made this. He'd lost a child, one of the worst losses imaginable.

The pain would've been unfathomable. And this was the scar it left behind. My stomach churned as I stared down into the chasm again, its jagged edges a testament to the sheer force it had taken to tear the earth apart. I'd known Time was powerful, he'd rewound an entire planet, but seeing this… This was something else entirely. And I'd cursed him out the first time we met. Holy shit.