The faint rustle of leaves stirred the air as Belial's eyes fluttered open, his vision hazy and unfocused. The jagged outline of the skeletal tree above him swam into view, its branches clawing at the sky, casting frail shadows over his face. Pain throbbed in his arm, a dull ache that pulsed with every breath, but he was alive. That much he could feel. He shifted slightly, wincing as the movement jostled his bandaged wounds, and then he heard it—a voice, sharp and familiar, cutting through the fog in his mind.
"Nero, you absolute fool..."
Belial blinked, turning his head toward the sound. Xin loomed over him, his silhouette framed against the dim light filtering through the canopy. His friend's face was a storm—eyes narrowed, jaw tight, lips pressed into a thin, furious line. The soft, gentle Xin that Belial knew so well was nowhere to be seen, buried beneath layers of anger and something deeper, something raw. Beside him, Raven stood with her arms crossed, her expression a mix of relief and irritation, while two strangers—a man and a young woman—watched from a short distance away, their gazes curious but guarded.
"Where…?" Belial rasped, his throat dry as he tried to sit up. His head spun, and he slumped back against the tree with a groan.
"You're on the other side of the mountain," Xin snapped, his voice like a whip. "Far enough from where we were that it took us all day to find you. Do you have any idea what you've put us through? What could've happened to you out here?"
Belial squinted up at him, the pieces slowly clicking into place. The memory of his reckless trek—pushing through the brush, dodging the sun's deadly rays, driven by a stubborn need to prove something—came rushing back. He grimaced, rubbing a hand over his face. "I… I'm fine, Xin. I made it, didn't I?"
"Fine?" Xin's voice rose, incredulous, and he took a step closer, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "You call this fine? You're half-dead, Nero! Bleeding out, slumped under a tree, with no one around to help you until these two showed up. If they hadn't found you—if we hadn't tracked you down—you'd be a corpse right now. Do you get that?"
Belial's jaw tightened, a flicker of defiance sparking in his chest. "I didn't ask you to come after me. I can handle myself."
"Handle yourself?" Xin laughed, but there was no humor in it—just a bitter, jagged edge. "You're lucky you're even breathing. What were you thinking, going out there alone? The sun, the monsters, the sheer stupidity of it—you could've gotten yourself killed, and for what? What was so important that you'd risk everything like that?"
Belial shifted uncomfortably, his gaze dropping to the ground. He didn't have an answer—not one he wanted to give, at least. The truth gnawed at him: he'd been cocky, too sure of himself, too eager to test his limits in a world that didn't forgive arrogance. He'd wanted to prove something, to himself or to Xin or maybe to no one at all, and it had backfired spectacularly.
Talk about bad luck.
But admitting that felt like swallowing glass, so he settled for a half-truth instead.
"I… I just needed to see something," he muttered, his voice low. "It's not a big deal. I'm sorry, alright?"
"Sorry?" Xin echoed, his tone dripping with disbelief.
"You think 'sorry' cuts it? You think that makes up for the hours we spent dodging the sun, tearing through this wasteland, not knowing if you were dead or alive? I thought—" He stopped, his voice catching, and for a moment, the anger faltered. Something softer, something pained, flickered in his eyes before he shoved it down again. "You don't get to do this, Belial. You don't get to scare us like that and brush it off with an apology."
Raven stepped forward, her voice calmer but no less firm. "He's right, You really worried us. Whatever you were chasing, it wasn't worth it."
Belial looked between them, guilt twisting in his gut like a knife. Xin's fury was loud, unyielding, but it was the undercurrent of worry that hit him hardest. He'd seen Xin angry before—quick flashes of temper that faded as fast as they came—but this was different. This was personal, raw, and it stripped away the easy confidence Belial had been clinging to.
"I didn't mean to," he said finally, his voice quieter now, stripped of its earlier defiance. "I messed up, Xin. I'm sorry. Really."
Xin stared at him for a long moment, his chest heaving as he wrestled with the storm inside him. The silence stretched, heavy and taut, until at last he exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his hair. "You're an idiot," he muttered, the edge in his tone dulling slightly. "A reckless, stubborn idiot. But you're still here, so I'll take it. Just… don't do it again. I mean it."
Belial nodded, a faint, crooked smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah. I'll try."
"Try harder," Xin shot back, but there was a trace of reluctant relief in his voice now, a hint that the worst of his anger was ebbing. He sank down beside Belial, resting his elbows on his knees, and let out a long, tired breath. "You're going to explain this later, you know. All of it."
Belial chuckled weakly, wincing as the motion jostled his arm. "Sure. When I can think straight."
Before Xin could respond, the man standing nearby cleared his throat, drawing their attention. He was older than the rest of them, with a weathered face and a calm demeanor that suggested he'd seen worse days than this. Beside him, the young woman watched with sharp green eyes, her arms crossed casually over her chest.
"Glad you're awake," the man said, stepping forward. "I'm Toren. This is my partner, Lira. We've already met your friends here, but I figure you deserve an introduction too."
Lira gave a small nod, her expression softening slightly. "You're a tough one, I'll give you that. Most people don't last long out here on their own."
Belial tilted his head, studying them. "You're the ones who found me?"
"Yep," Lira said, her tone brisk but not unkind. "Found you half-dead under this tree. You're welcome."
Toren smiled faintly. "We're with a search and rescue team—Coalition remnants, mostly. Our job's to find survivors out in the wilds, bring them back if we can. You're one of the lucky ones."
"Lucky," Belial repeated, a wry edge to his voice. He glanced at Xin, who was still glaring at him, and sighed. "Yeah, I guess I am."
Xin snorted, but he didn't argue. Instead, he turned to Toren and Lira, his posture relaxing slightly. "You've got a camp, you said? East of here?"
Toren nodded. "A few miles out. Shade, supplies, a place to rest. You're welcome to come with us if you want. Your friend could use the recovery time."
Lira's gaze flicked to Xin, a spark of curiosity in her eyes. "And maybe you can tell us more about that ether trick you pulled earlier. Still can't believe you don't have a Hax."
Belial frowned, looking between them. "Ether trick? What's she talking about?"
Xin waved a hand dismissively, though a faint flush crept up his neck. "It's nothing. Just patched you up a little after they stabilized you."
"Nothing?" Lira scoffed, incredulous. "You manipulated ether without a Hax. That's not 'nothing.' It's borderline impossible."
Belial's brows shot up, and he turned to Xin with a mix of surprise and amusement. "You've been holding out on me."
"Shut up," Xin muttered, shoving Belial's shoulder lightly—careful not to aggravate his wounds. "It's not a big deal."
"It kind of is," Raven said, a rare smirk tugging at her lips. "You should've seen their faces when he did it."
Toren chuckled, shaking his head. "She's not wrong. You're an odd bunch, I'll give you that."
Belial grinned despite himself, the tension between him and Xin easing into something more familiar—something lighter. "Guess we are. Thanks, by the way. For dragging me out of the mess I made."
Lira shrugged. "Part of the job. Just don't make a habit of it."
"No promises," Belial quipped, earning a groan from Xin and a quiet laugh from Raven.
Toren clapped his hands together, breaking the moment. "Alright, then. Rest up a bit longer, and we'll head out when you're ready. Sun's still a problem, but we'll manage."
As the scouts stepped back to give them space, Xin leaned closer to Belial, his voice low. "You're still an idiot. But I'm glad you're okay."
Belial met his gaze, the guilt from earlier softening into something warmer. "Yeah. Me too."