Chapter 29: Reunion (2)
They talked for a while longer, not yet about anything serious—just meaningless conversation between friends that they both had missed having so much. The simple exchange of words without the constant pressure of survival felt like a luxury they'd forgotten could exist. They reminisced about the academy, laughed about stories, and for brief moments, almost forgot the deadly realm that surrounded them.
Soon, however, the casual conversation began to fade, and Arthur's real questions started forcing their way through. The comfortable bubble of normalcy could only last so long when surrounded by such danger.
"So where did you get teleported, and if you got no abilities, how have you been surviving?" Arthur asked, shifting slightly to ease the ache in his back from days of constant movement.
Luke giggled and looked from his friend to the ground where he sat, drawing absent patterns in the dust on the stone with his finger. "I was actually teleported here inside this temple but was driven out by the monster that dwells inside—and not without suffering these injuries either." He gestured to the healing wounds visible through the tears in his uniform.
"Thankfully, while I might not have any abilities, I still have the basic enhancements all Chosen get, so my wounds have been healing fast." His voice carried a note of resignation—the one small blessing in an otherwise cruel twist of fate.
Arthur's body immediately tensed as he completely forgot about the danger just on the other side of the wall from them. His muscles contracted, and he almost jumped up, but Luke put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"Don't worry, it never leaves the temple for whatever reason... only reason I'm alive." Luke's voice was calm, suggesting he'd come to terms with his precarious sanctuary. "That, and for some reason, nothing ever comes near it either. Some nights I'll see creatures flying in the sky circling me, but they never come down as long as I'm close to these temple walls."
Arthur slowly relaxed, but not completely. He rested back against the wall, the stone cool against his sweat-soaked back. "So you've just been hanging out here this whole time?"
Luke shrugged his shoulders, a gesture that seemed to carry the weight of his helplessness. "I mean, yeah. I got no powers, and besides that, I'm already weak and a coward, so I wasn't gonna leave this temporary safety just to die out there." There was no self-pity in his voice—just a pragmatic assessment of his situation.