Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 72: Chapter 72 — Beyond the Cavern

Chapter 72 — Beyond the Cavern

Victor watched as Moonlight slowly approached.

She followed the narrow path through the trees before reaching the small clearing where he sat. For a moment, she simply looked at him.

Then she gently sat down beside him on the bench.

Neither of them said anything.

For the next several minutes, they simply sat together.

The forest around them remained peaceful.

Leaves rustled gently above their heads as the breeze moved through the branches. The faint glow from the luminescent stones scattered throughout the forest created soft pools of light between the trees.

A pair of birds could be seen flying through the forest. They watched as the birds disappeared.

Victor leaned back slightly.

Moonlight sat quietly beside him.

Neither of them seemed to want to be the first to fil the silence.

They simply enjoyed the moment.

Eventually, Victor was the first to speak.

He looked upward toward the trees.

"Did you know there are forests in the outside world as well?"

Moonlight turned toward him.

She didn’t say anything.

She simply waited for him to continue.

Victor smiled faintly.

"There are huge forests out there. Some of them are bigger than everything inside this cavern."

Moonlight’s eyes remained on him.

"The beasts are different. There are more people. More animals. More of everything."

Victor paused for a moment.

Then he looked deeper into the forest.

"There are forests where every tree looks completely different from the ones here."

Moonlight listened quietly.

"There’s one forest where the trees are completely purple."

Her expression changed slightly.

Victor noticed.

"The leaves are purple with dark black hues running through them. Green vines grow everywhere, and there are flowers in every color you can imagine. Pink. Red. Orange. Purple."

Victor smiled slightly.

"The entire forest almost looks like a sunset."

Moonlight looked toward him.

Victor could tell she was trying to imagine it.

"It’s one of the prettiest forests in the outside world."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Victor continued.

"That forest is home to a species of snake that people say are some of the prettiest snakes in the world."

Moonlight raised an eyebrow.

Victor laughed quietly.

"They’re also poisonous."

Moonlight stared at him.

"So you probably don’t want to get too close to one."

Moonlight laughed.

Victor smiled.

For a moment, the sound surprised him.

He had forgotten what it was like to hear the girl laugh.

Here, surrounded by the forest, she seemed more relaxed.

Victor didn’t say anything else.

He had no intention of questioning her.

No intention of asking why she had disappeared.

He simply enjoyed having her sitting beside him again.

The silence returned.

But this time, it felt comfortable.

Eventually, Moonlight looked downward.

"I’m sorry I wasn’t able to see you these last two weeks."

Victor turned toward her.

Moonlight’s expression had become more serious.

"It wasn’t my choice."

Victor listened.

"Oheema banned me from bringing you food."

Victor’s eyes widened slightly.

Moonlight continued.

"She barred me from going near the prison."

Her hands slowly tightened together.

"The guards wouldn’t even let me get close."

Victor was quiet for a moment.

Then he smiled.

"You have nothing to apologize for."

Moonlight looked toward him.

Victor leaned back against the bench.

"Sometimes we can’t control the situations we’re put in."

Moonlight listened quietly.

"And sometimes we’re stuck dealing with whatever happens."

Victor shrugged slightly.

"That’s just life sometimes."

Moonlight stared at him.

Then a bright smile slowly appeared on her face.

The soft light from the luminescent stones filtered through the trees, resting gently against her features.

Victor looked away before staring for too long.

For several moments, they simply sat together.

Then Moonlight spoke again.

"Oheema was planning on assigning a guard to you."

Victor looked toward her.

"A guard?"

Moonlight nodded.

"To follow you around and guide you through the village."

Victor raised an eyebrow.

Moonlight’s faint smile returned.

"I thought it would be better if I did it."

Victor laughed.

"Yeah."

He looked toward her.

"I think that would be a lot better."

Moonlight smiled again.

The two of them remained on the bench for a while longer.

Neither of them felt the need to speak.

The forest was quiet.

The strange squirrel-like creatures Victor had watched earlier were nowhere to be seen now. Only the gentle movement of leaves and the distant sounds of the cavern filled the silence.

Eventually, both Victor and Moonlight stood.

They began walking back toward the village.

The narrow path wound between the massive trees.

Victor and Moonlight walked beside one another.

Every now and then, their shoulders bumped together.

Neither of them commented on it.

Victor looked ahead.

"Hopefully, one day, I’ll get the chance to show you what the actual outside world looks like."

Moonlight looked toward him.

"So you don’t have to hear about it from me."

She smiled.

"That would be great."

Victor smiled back.

Neither of them said anything else.

They continued walking.

Eventually, the trees began to thin.

The village appeared ahead of them.

Victor and Moonlight reached the edge of the settlement and continued toward his hut.

When they arrived, Victor stopped outside the entrance.

Moonlight stopped beside him.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Victor turned toward her.

Moonlight gave him a faint smile.

Victor returned it.

Then she turned and began walking away.

Victor watched her disappear between the huts.

A smile remained on his face.

He pushed open the wooden doors and stepped inside.

The hut was quiet.

He brushed his hand against one of the wood carvings. Feeling the grooves between the design.

He walked toward the bed and sat down.

Then he slowly lay back.

For the first time in a long while, his mind wasn’t filled with thoughts of survival.

He wasn’t thinking about the Mana Lock Prison.

He wasn’t thinking about sacrifice.

He wasn’t thinking about what tomorrow might bring.

Instead, he simply closed his eyes.

A faint smile still rested on his face.

And before long—

Victor fell asleep.

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