Tragedy of Divinity

Chapter 22: Departing Jill

The morning mist clung to the cobblestone streets as the trio prepared to leave Jill. The quiet hum of the city seemed heavier than usual, as if the air itself was reluctant to let them go. Seraphine stood at the edge of the plaza, her expression neutral but her mind racing with thoughts. She had spent centuries in the Nexus, wandering its ever-shifting chaos, yet Jill had unsettled her in ways she hadn't expected.

Behind her, Quintin struggled to balance a large burlap sack stuffed to bursting with food. "We're just leaving a city, not going on a six-month expedition," Seraphine said dryly, glancing over her shoulder.

Quintin grinned, unbothered by her sarcasm. "Hey, you never know when we'll find the next safe spot. And besides, have you tried the bread here? It's like a hug for your soul."

Lucian, standing a few steps away with his arms crossed, gave an unimpressed scoff. "If you eat all that, you'll be the first to slow us down. Don't expect me to carry you when you collapse from overeating."

"Relax, Lucian," Quintin said cheerfully, adjusting the sack on his shoulder. "I'll share."

Lucian shot him a glare that could have frozen the sun. "I don't want your scraps, idiot."

"Good thing I packed extra then," Quintin muttered under his breath, earning a faint smirk from Seraphine.

The road leading out of Jill was an eerie juxtaposition to the city's structured peace. The cobblestones gave way to uneven dirt paths, and the faint glow of runes faded into the ever-present gray haze of the Nexus. The trio walked in silence for a while, the weight of their departure settling over them.

Seraphine broke the quiet first. "You didn't have to come with us, you know," she said, her tone directed at Lucian.

Lucian didn't break stride, his hands shoved into the pockets of his coat. "And leave you two bumbling around to get yourselves killed? No thanks. I'd rather not add your deaths to my conscience."

Quintin glanced between them, sensing the tension but unsure whether to intervene. "Well, uh, thanks for the vote of confidence, I guess?"

Lucian ignored him, his focus straight ahead.

Seraphine sighed. "You've made it abundantly clear that you don't like me. So why bother sticking around at all? Surely you have better things to do than babysit."

Lucian's jaw tightened, and for a moment, it seemed like he wouldn't answer. But then he spoke, his voice low and clipped. "You think I like this? Being stuck in the Nexus, surrounded by chaos, with no way out? Trust me, if I had a better option, I wouldn't waste my time with either of you."

The bluntness of his words didn't faze Seraphine. If anything, she seemed amused. "Good to know where we stand."

Quintin cleared his throat, trying to lighten the mood. "Hey, come on, we're a team now, right? We don't have to like each other to work together."

Lucian shot him a withering look. "We're not a team. We're a temporary inconvenience."

Seraphine chuckled softly, the sound catching Lucian off guard. "You're nothing if not consistent," she said, her tone almost teasing.

The day stretched on, the oppressive gray sky casting a dull light over the landscape. The trio passed through stretches of desolate terrain: barren fields where the ground cracked like old parchment, twisted forests that whispered faintly when the wind stirred, and the occasional rift that shimmered ominously in the distance.

Quintin, still carrying his massive sack of food, tried to break the silence with idle chatter. "So, what's the plan? Just keep walking until we find something interesting?"

Seraphine shrugged. "That's usually how it works in the Nexus. You don't find things; they find you."

Lucian snorted. "Not the most reassuring strategy."

"It's the only strategy," Seraphine replied evenly. "Unless you have a map of this place tucked away somewhere?"

Lucian didn't respond, but the faint twitch of his lips suggested he might have been smirking.

As the sun—or whatever passed for it in the Nexus—began to sink lower, they came upon the remnants of what looked like an old settlement. Crumbled stone walls and rusted metal frames jutted out of the ground like skeletal remains, and the air was thick with the scent of decay.

"Lovely," Quintin muttered, dropping his sack and stretching his arms. "Think we should camp here for the night?"

Lucian surveyed the area, his expression unreadable. "It's defensible. Better than wandering in the dark."

Seraphine nodded, already scanning the ruins for anything useful. "We'll take shifts. This place is too quiet for my liking."

Quintin groaned but didn't argue, too tired to protest.

As night fell, the ruins seemed to come alive with faint, ghostly noises: the creak of unseen wood, the distant sound of whispers, and the occasional rustle of something moving just out of sight. Seraphine sat by the fire they had built, her gaze fixed on the flickering flames.

Lucian stood a few feet away, leaning against a crumbled wall with his arms crossed. He had been silent for most of the evening, his eyes scanning the darkness beyond their camp.

"You don't trust this place, do you?" Seraphine asked, breaking the quiet.

Lucian glanced at her, his expression as cold as ever. "Trust isn't a luxury I can afford."

She nodded, understanding more than she let on. "That makes two of us."

Quintin, lying on his back near the fire with his hands behind his head, yawned loudly. "Well, if something's gonna eat us, I hope it waits until morning. I'm too tired to run."

Lucian rolled his eyes, but Seraphine chuckled softly, the sound almost lost in the night. Despite the tension between them, there was an unspoken understanding that had begun to form—a fragile thread tying them together in the chaos of the Nexus.

As the fire crackled and the night deepened, the trio settled into an uneasy peace, each lost in their own thoughts. The ruins around them loomed like silent sentinels, their shadows stretching long and dark.

In the distance, something watched. And waited.

End of chapter 22.