Chapter 15: 13. Intentions

13. Intentions

- A Few Weeks Ago -

It wasn’t long since Lucas returned home from his journey into the Soul Harvesting Tower. There was a chill in the air and darkness covered the entire location, where he and his family stayed in a small, single-roomed house. In this cramped environment, a lit candle illuminated the entire area around the kitchen, bedroom, and tables.

“Hon’,” Rosey sat on the floor with an opened book in her hands while calling out to Lucas.

“...What is it?" Lucas asked absently, lying in a corner with eyes closed, head resting on a small pile of solid dirt.

“How much have you guys gathered, the coins, I mean?” While she flipped a page of her book.

“Um… If I recall, the last time I asked Wit about the amount, it was around 23 Imperial Gold Coins.”

“23…” Rosey took a deep breath, thinking about the amount he had told her. “23 Imperial Golds. And how much do we need to cross over to the city?”

“Five for each person. We are keeping the amount under wraps. We requested a downgrade conversion for a third of the amount to Arc Silvers so the golden appearance won’t raise any risk.”

“I don’t think that’ll do anything, but alright.” She tightened her grip on the book’s cover. Lucas’s breathing became louder, his consciousness gradually fading with each passing second. But Rosey continued muttering to herself. “And 11 years have passed since most of us joined to make a party. If there’s 10 of us, we still need…”

Rosey suddenly slammed the book shut, sending a whipping noise all around the room and even causing the delicate flame of the lit candle to flail harshly. “Do you really believe that going over there solves our problem?!”

Rosey turned to Lucas, speaking with a sharp tone that jolted his head up and roused his body. “R-Rosey…” He weakly said, sitting back up with eyes half-closed. “You’re going to wake up the children…”

“You do know about the ongoing search, right?! It’s stupid for us to go to the city where the biggest attention lies within their lands! Just- Why don’t we stay here and keep running when something chases our boy and girl, where the threat is less threatening despite the risks?!”

Aaah… I'm too tired for this… Lucas scratched his head, dusting out the dried dirt dug deep in his hair. “Ask Morgan… He was the one who planned this… I’m going back to sl-”

Rosey leaned closer to him with a dark-enveloped face that was shaded by the candle behind her. "Yeah, nice try," she replied. “You, Morgan, and Ted work together all the time. Tell me the plan right now! For a while, you guys keep changing plans for different reasons. Just make up your damn mind!”

“Ah… Well…” Conflicted, Lucas couldn’t look back at her strict expression and averted his eyes in random directions.

“I couldn’t help it. After all, people change, especially when you begin parenting. You remember the typhoon back then, don’t you? The rain killed thousands and the flood pulled many to the Boundary Line.”

“And your point?”

"W-well," he said, pressed against the wall. His drowsiness brought fatigue all over his body, making the face of an angered Rosey look more horrifying. “Y-You see. For a while, many places are filled with empty houses- more than ever. Very few live around here, and it may bring some people searching for that prophesied child to target the remaining survivors in this area.

“It's lucky enough that we are still living with our kids, but t-time is slowly running out. Based on Morgan’s thought, if the ones who were desperately searching for the child were from the city, most would focus on scavenging around their land first. After some time, once they see that all of the children they’ve captured were not the chosen ones, they’ll move onto our land- where we live and search everywhere.

“And 7 years since the typhoon hit, most of the men over there should be coming here now. We just need to avoid them and get to the city where the attention is minimum… Because, you know, the attention is coming in our direction.”

“Then shouldn’t we just move around more?" Rosey asked without giving Lucas rest. “All we need to do is stay away from those men. There’s no need to go to the city.”

"I don't know..." Lucas placed his head against the wall with his eyes closed, giving up his time to speak as his mind was about to shut down all at once. “Ask Morgan… He knows everything… Let me rest… Please…”

Rosey scooted back a couple of feet, allowing Lucas to ease his tension. “What happened to you? You look dead. Have you guys gone down a new level or something?” She asked.

“Not really…” Lucas spoke with an empty voice. “Just… been practicing… a new move…”

His voice grew quieter after each word and he remained still. With only steady breathing, Lucas fell into a deep sleep, sitting up against the wall, back bent slightly, and legs stretched out. Rosey slowly backed off and turned to the table holding a lonely book and a candle.

Crawling back and sitting in front of the table, she looked down at the book title: [True to The Vision of The FUTURE].

“Morgan,” Rosey said while focusing on the cover. “Either you’re smart or a maniac. Do you really believe this will work? If those organizations come to get our children, do you think we have enough time to get enough coins for all of us to escape into the city? Also, where did you get the information that you need five imperial golds for each person? I keep asking but you never say. Just what are you thinking?”

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Currency Info:

1 Imperial Gold = 10 Golds

1 Gold = 5 Arc Silvers

1 Arc Silver = 10 Silvers

1 Silver = 5 Noble Coppers

1 Noble Copper = 10 Coppers

1 Imperial Gold = 25,000 Coppers

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- In the Soul Harvesting Tower (Level 13) / Current Day -

“Lucas…” A voice called out in front of Lucas. Mind dazed, he walked idly forward without knowing where he was going.

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“Lucas!” Shouting this time, he shook his head and stopped his mindless walking. Upon looking up, he saw Morgan ahead, looking behind him worriedly. “Are you alright?”

Lucas stared at him for a good second, still having a dense cloud of thoughts in his head that caused an exhausting look on his face. “Oh… Uh- Yeah. I’m fine. What’s up?”

“Did something happen to you? You made that face ever since we’ve been going back up.”

“The… Face?”

“Yes. It’s like you saw something that you didn’t want to see. I thought that maybe those people dying was the problem, but I don’t think that’s it, considering… our past… But anyway- Did you come across something when we were still in level 29?”

“Um, I don’t think so,” Lucas assured Morgan with an unconvincing expression, averting his eyes in all directions. Morgan focused his gaze closer to him, which caused discomfort. Lucas slowed his steps to distance himself from Morgan. I remember feeling something similar to this from some woman two weeks ago… he thought.

“Alright. Well, it looks like you’re fine now. So no worries.” Morgan turned around and continued walking through the dark tunnels.

Did you let me off the hook? Or maybe you’re an easy person. Lucas, without responding, followed behind as their group did the same.

Ten people slowly walked up the cold dark tunnels. Large torches held by Ted, Morgan, and Remy shone the way, everyone remained silent. Many people stared at the ground, but Morgan paved the way from the front.

Morgan was ahead of everyone, directing them to the surface. Ted and Lucas were right behind him. Ted carried the unconscious Mai on his shoulder, though eventually she woke up and began walking on her own. Lucas supported Wit's weary body as he walked with a limp leg. Right behind them were Remy and Cassidy holding up one another. And behind them was the other group, a group of three members: Seven and two mages.

During their trip back up to the top, everyone encountered a few monsters standing in their way. Morgan, Ted, and Lucas were the main fronts who took them out. There were multiple times where the group had to stay under cover while the ones who still had strength cleared the way. However, even the three of them were about to collapse from the sheer energy they expended during their adventure, especially when they battled a monster of level 36. Four and a half hours passed since their battle against the Thornial Hunter.

“Ngh…” Cassidy grunted, her legs shaking and her face pale-white. “How much… until we’re outside…?”

Remy hushed her, closing her lips with his hand while looking ahead with sweat nearly soaking all over his clothes and armor. “Don’t talk… We still got three more levels to go…”

“Shouldn’t the other guys be helping us?” Mai questioned quietly for the people in the back to not hear.

“Leave them be,” Morgan replied, looking down at his map while periodically glancing ahead. “They lost most of their members. Give them some space, after all… their members died right in front of them.”

“Right…” Mai walked in front of Ted though just behind Morgan.

“Not that it matters if they help,” Lucas said. “We’re at level 13, so this is nothing. There are barely any creatures showing up since the people cleared the area at the beginning of the day.”

“We should still be careful. Based on my map, at this pace we’re walking in, it’ll take around 30 minutes to reach the base ground.”

“30 minutes…” Ted pulled out his pocket watch and looked at the time. “The sun is already setting, and we still gotta eat something.”

“We better at least take a week break,” Mai grunted as she walked unsteadily. “Damn it, it hurts.”

When they were resting in level 29, Lucas, Ted, and Seven looked out for any monsters coming their way. Morgan scouted the area to find any remaining Klertorimes to be collected. Fortunately, he found a few, but the number of plants amounted to the same number of coins as a typical day of their group's exploration. They were essentially earning the same daily value of money that could’ve been earned without going below level 25.

Some of their group members, like Wit and Morgan, realized that the Thornial Hunter’s large scythes could be sold for a great sum. Even without knowing its actual value, they were aware of its remarkable quality. It was tough enough to withstand the collision with Ted’s giant axes, and the texture looked to have high durability. If they were to guess, a pound of its material would be sold for a gold coin. But because it was so solid, even when Ted tried to break the tip of the scythe, it was impossible to break into fragments. Therefore, the group had to leave without it.

“Excuse me,” Seven said, whispering from behind everyone. “Um… Thank you. I should’ve said that sooner, but thank you for helping us…”

Everyone turned to face Seven, who was staring at the ground. He and the two surviving members behind him lowered their heads with gratitude. Keeping silent, they stood there without looking up, causing the entire group to stop and look at them.

“We appreciate it,” Lucas said. “I’m guessing you guys have understood the mistake you’ve made.”

Lucas felt a small tug from behind. Morgan pulled on his shoulder with a concerned expression. “Lucas, that’s a little…”

“Hey,” Lucas retaliated. “They’re not kids. If they’re going down to level 29, they should know about the dangers. But instead, they risked their lives and ours. No one would’ve died if they weren’t being so cowardly. As a leader, he should be more responsible for his members’ safety.”

Hearing his explanation, Morgan fell silent and had no way to refute it. As well as others, they didn’t respond and kept staring at Seven with sad looks. Some turned back around to ease the awkward tension in the air.

“I understand…” Seven replied hollowly. “It’s my fault that… It’s my…”

Seven’s voice began to shake. He quickly brought one of his hands up to his mouth and pressed it with a disgusted look. Crouching down, he brought his knees to the floor and coughed up some of his fluids.

“S-Seven!” In worry, two of his remaining members walked up and supported his weak presence. With cold dread crawling over their faces, they faced Lucas and others. “We’re sorry! We understand and we’ll do anything, so please don’t push him too much!”

“Too much?” Lucas said. “Is this a joke? Are you-”

“Lucas,” Morgan jumped in front of Lucas and looked at him with seriousness. With a torch casting a shadow between the two, they stared at each other for a long moment in complete silence. “We should stop here. They get that it’s their fault, so please get over it and move on. You’re beginning to act like your old self… So get it together.”

Suddenly, Lucas backed off a step and faced Morgan with widened eyes. As he stood behind everyone, he faced Seven and his members without saying a word. Ted, Mai, Remy, Cassidy, and Seven’s group all looked at him in silence. Shaking his head in disbelief, he uttered a small whisper that was barely heard. “N… No… I didn’t mean…”

“Uh…” Out of the corner of Lucas’s eyes, Wit murmured as he opened his eyes in tiredness. During their walk, Lucas forgot that he was supporting Wit. He immediately regained his composure and looked at him. “Whoever is holding a torch right in front of my face…”

Morgan turned to see where his torch was. And to his surprise, the fire was right in front of Wit’s squinting face as if the sun was right in front of him. He quickly pulled the torch back in shock. “Oh! Ah- Um! Sorry!” He stepped away while waving his arm around in frantic motions.

After getting a bit sidetracked, Lucas resumed his walk into the dark tunnels with Wit pressed onto his shoulders. “... As long as you understand, Seven, then there’s no problem. Let’s keep walking and get back to the top before the tower closes.”

When Morgan saw Lucas walk past him, he shook himself and proceeded to lead the group once more. Seeing that everything had concluded without anymore escalation, with a smile, he guided the way. Everyone else followed from behind as Seven and his members recollected themselves before walking.

“My boy… your kids must be going through a lot,” Ted blurted.

“Shut up-” Lucas nearly tripped over a pointy rock sticking out from the ground.

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