“Perfect. That’s not too long,” Storm replies.
I wince, “Yeah, if I’m right.”
“Don’t worry, man, we’ll figure it out,” Kill replies.
“Wouldn’t Laikynn know the exact direction?” Reaper asks curiously.
I shrug, “I mean, it’s possible. He spends a lot more time out in the thick of everything. In theory, he should know, but in practice he may have been too busy surviving to find it, just like everyone else.”
“Well, I suppose the best way to find out is to ask him,” Farren says as she opens the door.
The others all file out, and I stand there in shock for a moment before I head out after them.
“Hey, it’s pretty cool that you can still tell if it’s night or day here,” Rival says. “I know that it’s still pretty dark, but I can see a bit more. It’s not just pitch black. I can make out the vague shapes of things, and I definitely couldn’t do that last night.”
I shake my head, “You can’t usually tell the difference.”
“What?” Kill asks sharply.
“I have never seen the realm look like this before,” I explain as simply as possible. “It has always looked like it did last night. There has never been a variation.”
“Never?” Farren double-checks.
I shake my head, “Never.”
“Well, that’s interesting,” Hades muses thoughtfully. “Is it because the realm is close to the end, or is there something else going on?”
“I have no fucking idea,” I reply bluntly, because what the fuck?
“Well, let’s take advantage of the extra light as limited as it is and head off. I would really like it if we could get this done in a day. Hopefully, we can then find somewhere safe to camp for the night before we head into the castle to rescue the others,” Storm explains his plan.
“Let’s just ask Laikynn about the direction quickly,” Mayhem reminds us. That was the initial plan before I got distracted by the fucking change in the darkness.
“Ask me about what?” Laikynn asks, suddenly appearing in front of us.
Okay, so it’s not that light now. I mean, I didn’t see him approach, but there is a difference that is especially noticeable to someone who has spent their whole lives living under the artificial lights of the compound or venturing into the surrounding pitch-black darkness.
“Do you know where the castle is?” Farren asks Laikynn.
Laikynn nods but doesn’t say anything. A growl bubbles in his chest, and my eyebrows rise. Since meeting him, I haven’t heard him growl at Farren, and I tense, ready to step in if need be.
After a moment of nothing but growls coming from Laikynn, he says angrily, “It would appear that for some reason, I am not allowed to tell you or show you.”
“Of course you aren’t,” Kill mutters, sounding entirely unsurprised at Laikynn’s confession.
“Why not?” Khaos asks, his eyes narrowed.
Laikynn’s words are more growl than anything as he replies, “I do not know. But I will keep you all safe.”
With those parting words, he disappears again.
“That’s probably not a good sign, is it?” Loki sighs.
“Probably not,” Reaper replies gruffly.
Storm looks at me, “It looks like it’s on you, Rast.”
I smile, more because my nickname has caught on and he’s calling me it too, rather than because I’m apparently in charge of leading them to the castle that I only vaguely know the direction of.
