Arthur, Eden, and Athy continued following the human footprints deeper into the forest. The terrain remained heavily damaged from the explosion, fallen trees and broken vegetation making the trail difficult to follow.
Arthur occasionally stopped to examine the ground, making sure they were still following the same people. Eden stayed close to him while Athy flew low rather than going high, following Arthur’s earlier warning.
Eventually Arthur noticed something. The footprints were becoming clearer. Whoever made them had continued moving after the explosion. That gave him confidence that the others hadn’t simply been dragged deeper by the blast.
"They’re moving on their own," he said.
Eden’s eyes brightened. "Then they’re okay?"
Arthur smiled. "That’s what I’m thinking."
They eventually heard movement ahead. Arthur immediately slowed, his hand moving toward his weapon as he listened to the sounds coming from between the trees.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
"Melo, wait!"
Arthur’s eyes widened.
"Mithra?"
A moment later, Mithra and Melo emerged from between the trees. Both were dirty and slightly battered, with leaves caught in their clothes and bits of broken branches tangled in Melo’s tails, but they were clearly unharmed.
Eden’s face immediately brightened.
"Mithra!"
She flew toward her, but stopped herself before crashing into her and instead hovered excitedly in front of her.
"You’re okay!"
Mithra smiled and opened her arms. "I’m okay."
Eden flew closer and briefly hugged her before turning toward Melo. "And Melo too!"
Melo smiled as her tails curled happily behind her. "I’m fine."
Arthur watched them with a small smile. The tension that had been sitting in his chest since waking up finally began to loosen.
"You’re okay," he said.
Mithra nodded. "So are you."
Arthur glanced at Eden and Athy before smiling. "All three of us made it."
Eden nodded proudly. "Arthur kept us safe."
For the first time since the explosion, Arthur felt like they might actually find everyone.
Mithra noticed the three of them and immediately smiled. "You found Athy too?" she said.
Athy happily flew toward them.
"Fortunately."
Melo’s tails relaxed when she saw everyone was safe.
Arthur asked the obvious question. "Why did you two come this far?"
Mithra looked confused. "We were following the emergency signal," she said.
Arthur paused. "Emergency signal?"
Mithra pointed toward the sky.
She explained that shortly after the explosion they had seen a bright light shoot upward from somewhere beyond the trees. They recognized it as the professors’ emergency signal. The professors had released it to tell the scattered students to regroup.
Mithra and Melo had been heading toward it ever since.
Arthur’s eyes immediately brightened.
"So that’s why everyone was moving deeper."
Mithra nodded. "We assumed the professors were trying to gather everyone back together."
Arthur looked toward the direction of the signal.
It made sense. The students hadn’t been scattered randomly anymore. Once the professors realized how far the explosion had thrown everyone, they had sent out the emergency signal to give them a destination.
Arthur smiled.
"So we don’t have to search the entire area."
"Exactly," Mithra said.
"You know if Sun was here, he would shock you didn’t want to explore." Melo pointed out.
Arthur chuckled before pausing and saying. "Lets quickly find the others. I am still worried about them."
"I agree."
Mithra and Eden said at the same time while Athy nodded.
The group continued toward the direction of the signal. They eventually heard a loud crashing like something was smashing through trees.
Arthur and the others cautiously approached. Then they saw Sun. He was using Kong to clear a path through the wreckage, with the small monkey tearing apart smaller branches while Sun struggled with the larger fallen trees.
Arthur stared for a moment.
Mithra laughed. "He’s clearing the forest."
Eden’s eyes immediately lit up. "Sun!"
Sun turned around.
His expression changed the moment he saw them. "Arthur!"
Eden flew toward him, and Sun quickly held out his hands as she nearly crashed into him.
"You’re okay!" Eden said.
Sun smiled with clear relief. "Yeah. I’m okay."
Eden then looked toward Kong. "Kong too!"
Kong raised a hand.
"I’m fine."
Eden nodded happily before flying back toward Arthur.
Sun pointed toward the destroyed path. "I’ve been trying to get through this mess for the last twenty minutes!"
Arthur looked at the enormous amount of destruction around him. "You could have gone around."
Sun paused. "I was worried about another shockwave."
"After twenty minutes?" Melo asked in disbelief.
"Yes."
"Hahaha, sounds like you realize how silly–"
"Shut up!"
Kong gave him a look.
Sun looked at Kong. "Don’t judge me."
Kong turned away.
Melo laughed.
Eden giggled as she flew back beside Arthur. "Sun is funny."
Sun looked offended. "I’m not trying to be funny."
Arthur smiled. "That’s probably why it works."
Sun then asked where everyone else was. Arthur explained that they’d already found Mithra and Melo.
Sun immediately looked relieved. "Good. Then we’re getting closer."
Eden nodded enthusiastically. "We’ll find everyone!"
Now the group was Arthur, Eden, Athy, Mithra, Melo, Sun, and Kong.
Only Vedas and Athena remained.
The group continued together. Because they now understood the signal, Arthur stopped worrying about finding the others randomly. Instead they followed the same destination.
Along the way Arthur noticed the destruction becoming less severe. Some areas were almost untouched. Others had been completely devastated. Whatever caused the explosion had affected different areas differently.
Athena’s absence became noticeable. Mithra mentioned that Athena had been with Vedas when the explosion happened.
Arthur nodded. "Then they’re probably together," he said.
Eventually Athy noticed movement ahead.
She pointed downward.
The group approached carefully.
And to their surprise, they finally found Vedas and Athena. But also saw them standing near several fallen Beasts. At first Arthur prepared himself for another attack, but then he noticed the bodies scattered across the ground.
Several Beasts were lying motionless among the broken vegetation.
Arthur’s expression changed.
Their bodies were covered in strange purple markings.
The same purple color he’d seen staining the trees.
Arthur stepped closer. "What happened to them?"
Vedas’ eyes widened when he saw them, and a relieved smile immediately appeared on his face.
"You’re alright—"
"Vedas!"
Eden rushed toward him and collided with his chest. Vedas staggered slightly before catching her, and a quiet laugh escaped him.
He gently caressed her hair.
"I knew Arthur would keep you safe."
Eden beamed. "He did!"
Athy then rushed toward Athena.
"Athena!"
Athena laughed as she caught her, gently patting Athy’s head and golden helmet. Athy immediately snuggled against her, her long white feathers threaded with black markings catching the light beneath her golden armor.
Athena smiled down at her. "You look like you’ve been through quite an adventure."
Athy nodded. "Arthur found me."
Athena looked toward Arthur. "Of course he did."
Arthur smiled.
"So, did you guys kill these beasts?" Melo asked as she came close.
Vedas shook his head and said. "We found them like this."
Athena nodded as he walked over to the beasts with Athy following her. She carefully moved some of the damaged fur aside, revealing more of the strange markings beneath it.
"They don’t look like normal wounds," she said.
Arthur crouched beside her. The purple material seemed to have spread beneath the Beast’s skin in thin branching patterns.
"The trees had the same thing."
Athena looked at him. "You saw trees with these markings?"
Arthur nodded. "Several areas had purple stains."
Vedas frowned. "So this isn’t limited to the trees."
Athena studied the Beast again. "That’s what I’m trying to determine."
Arthur looked from the Beast to the surrounding trees.
"Then something is affecting both."
Eden flies over to hug Athena and says. "I’m glad you’re fine."
Athena smiled and placed a kiss on the top of Eden’s head. "Of course, I can’t make little Eden worried now."
Arthur looked around.
Mithra and Melo were there.
Sun and Kong were arguing about the trees Sun had spent twenty minutes destroying.
Vedas was standing beside him.
Athena was holding Athy while Eden happily flew between everyone.
For the first time since the explosion, Arthur could see all of them together again.
Everyone was alive.
Everyone had found someone.
Everyone had made it.
Arthur slowly exhaled. He hadn’t realized how much tension he had been carrying until that moment.
"Everyone’s here."
Mithra smiled. "Everyone’s here."
Eden flew closer to Arthur and nodded enthusiastically. "Everyone!"
Arthur laughed softly and placed a hand on her head.
For a moment, nobody cared about the explosion, the destroyed forest, or whatever had caused it.
They had found each other.
And for now, that was enough.
"Why is it that my journey had the most hassle?" Sun immediately complained about his journey. "I spent twenty minutes breaking through trees. And you guys just had to walk or stay still!"
Mithra laughed. "You could have gone around."
Sun looked offended. "Why is everyone saying that?"
Kong looked away again.
Arthur laughed.
Eden flew between everyone happily.
Arthur noticed that the emergency signal was still visible in the distance. He realized the professors were gathering everyone somewhere. Rather than worrying anymore, Arthur became excited.
"So the professors are gathering everyone?" he asked.
Vedas nodded. "That’s what it looks like."
Arthur’s eyes shone. "Then let’s go meet up with everyone!"
Sun stared at him. "You sound way too excited about this."
Arthur grinned. "We’re all together again. Of course I’m excited."
Mithra laughed, Athena smiled, and even Vedas couldn’t help chuckling. Before they left, Arthur looked back at the purple stained Beasts.
He noticed something.
The purple markings weren’t identical. One Beast had them concentrated around its legs. Another had them around its chest. A third had markings reaching toward its head.
Arthur looked toward Athena. "Do you think it’s the same thing as the trees?" he asked.
Athena looked at the bodies again. "I think that’s possible," she said.
Arthur waited.
Athena added, "But I need to examine them properly before I can say anything."
Arthur nodded. "Then we’ll come back," he said.
Vedas looked at him. "Of course you want to come back," he said.
Arthur smiled. "We found something interesting."
Sun sighed. "There it is."
The group finally began walking toward the emergency signal.
Arthur walked in the middle of everyone rather than ahead of them. Eden was happily flying around him and speaking with Vedas. Athy stayed close to Athena. Kong walked beside Sun. Melo and Mithra talked quietly.
As they walked, Arthur glanced back once more at the fallen Beasts. The purple markings remained visible against their bodies.
He still didn’t know what they were.
He didn’t know what had caused the explosion either and somewhere beyond the trees, the Everglades was still strangely quiet.
But for now, Arthur had found his friends.
Whatever came next, they would face it together.
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