****On the Way to the City****
The walk continued in silence for a while after Lisa’s question hung unanswered in the air.
Marcus didn’t press the subject again immediately, but Lisa could tell by the way her jaw kept tightening that he wasn’t done either.
Sure enough, after a few more minutes, he turned toward Darlus again.
"I’ll ask one more time," Marcus said.
"What happened to you in the Old World?"
"I already told you," Darlus said in a flat voice.
"Nothing happened. I woke up, waited, and got pulled back."
"That’s not what your eyes say."
Darlus stopped walking for a second, and once more it was just long enough for Lisa to notice before forcing himself to keep pace again.
"My eyes don’t say anything," Darlus muttered.
"You’re reading too much into it."
Marcus studied him for a long moment, unknowingly the same calculative expression from earlier settling back over his face.
"Fine," he said eventually.
"Keep your secrets. But secrets like that have a way of catching up to people."
"Duly noted," Darlus said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm.
Marcus didn’t respond to that; he just turned back around and kept walking, leaving the silence to settle over the three of them once more, the only sound being the murmurs of the Two-ringed Bearers in front.
’Whatever happened to him, he’s not ready to say it,’ Lisa thought as she glanced sideways at Darlus.
She let the matter drop, for now, filing it away with everything else she didn’t have answers to.
The gates of Evergreen City came into view not long after, torches lining the walls, the usual quiet hum of the city carrying faintly on the wind.
Marcus slowed to a stop just outside the gate, turning to face the two of them properly for the first time since they’d left the clearing.
"This is where I leave you," he said.
"You’re free to go, both of you."
"Just like that?" Lisa asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Just like that," Marcus said. "You made your choice back there, and I intend to respect it."
Lisa crossed her arms, not quite ready to let him walk off that easily.
"You still haven’t told us anything," she said.
"What the horde wants, what attributes actually are, none of it."
"That’s true," Marcus said.
"So?"
"So nothing," Marcus said, his tone even.
"You made your choice; you chose protection over answers, so I am not obliged to tell you anything."
Lisa’s expression darkened.
"That’s convenient."
"It’s not meant to be convenient," Marcus said. "It’s meant to be fair. Morden chose differently, and wherever he is right now, he’s paying for that choice with answers you two don’t have."
Darlus flinched slightly at the mention of Morden, though he didn’t say anything.
"That doesn’t seem fair at all," Lisa said.
"Life rarely is," Marcus said, already turning to leave.
He walked off without another word, his Bearers falling into step behind him, leaving Lisa and Darlus standing alone at the gate.
Lisa let out a frustrated breath, watching him go.
"I hate that logic," she muttered.
"Doesn’t mean he’s wrong," Darlus said quietly.
Lisa didn’t have a response for that, so she didn’t give him one.
****Morden’s Location
Morden moved first, closing the distance before the young lion could finish coiling into its stance.
The Lion reacted fast, and it was even faster than Morden expected, allowing it to twist sideways just enough to avoid a direct hit, flames licking out toward Morden’s exposed side.
Morden barely managed to pull back in time; the heat of the flames was close and hot enough to almost burn his clothes away.
’That was closer than it should have been.’
[Speed +20 (Temp.)]
He activated the boost without hesitation, using the sudden burst to circle wide instead of charging straight in again.
The Lion tracked him easily, its golden eyes following every movement, clearly unbothered by the increase in speed.
"Is that all?" the lion taunted, flames flaring brighter along its shoulders.
"Not even close," Morden said with a slightly haughty voice, already shifting his weight for another approach.
He feinted to the left before cutting right at the last second, driving a solid strike into the Lion’s front leg before it could fully correct.
The lion let out a sharp growl, more surprise than pain, stumbling half a step before catching itself.
"Not bad," it admitted.
"Told you," Morden said.
The fight picked up pace from there, both of them trading quick exchanges, continuously testing each other’s limits with every clash.
Morden felt the plant’s healing still humming faintly through his limbs, keeping him sharp in a way he hadn’t expected to feel again tonight.
’Whatever that thing did, I owe it one.’
The Lion pressed harder, flames trailing every swipe of its claws, forcing Morden to keep moving and keep dodging and leaving him no room for hesitation.
[Strength +20 (Temp.)]
He used the boost the moment an opening appeared, driving his fist directly into the Lion’s shoulder with everything the enhancement gave him.
The impact sent the lion skidding back several feet, claws digging deep grooves into the dirt as it tried to steady itself.
For a moment, neither of them moved, but they were both breathing hard and sizing each other up all over again.
’One more good hit and this should be over.’
Morden could feel it now; there was already a shift in momentum, the way the Lion’s movements had grown just slightly slower and just slightly less certain than before.
He pushed forward with every ounce of speed the boosts had left him, closing the distance before the Lion could fully recover.
The Lion tried to counter his flames surging forward in one last desperate burst, but Morden was already inside its guard and too close for the flames to matter.
His final strike landed clean, catching the Lion across the jaw with enough force to send it sprawling onto its side.
The forest went quiet, the other Genetic Beasts nearby watching in stillness as the young lion lay there with his chest heaving and its flames flickering weakly along its mane.
Morden stood over it, breathing hard himself as the adrenaline still burnt through his veins.
"You good?" he asked, extending a hand out of habit before realizing how ridiculous that probably looked to a Lion completely covered in fire.
"Rematch," it said. "Someday."
"Sure," Morden said, allowing himself a small, tired smile. "Someday."
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