Chapter 156: Not Too Old Friend
Syras stirred at the sound of a voice cutting through the fog of sleep.
"Wake up," Edward said quietly.
Syras blinked, the world coming into focus. He was lying on a rough bed, the kind he barely remembered collapsing into not long ago. His limbs still ached with exhaustion.
"Is it time already?" he murmured.
Edward gave a curt nod. "Yeah. In five minutes, the ocean goes back to its place. After that, we’ve got exactly twelve hours to move."
Syras sat up, rubbing his eyes. The air felt heavier now, charged with urgency. "Twelve hours to run," he echoed. Then his brow furrowed. "But why? Why can’t we just make a barrier inside the labyrinth while we’re there?"
Edward raised an eyebrow, almost impressed. "Good question. But of course, it can’t be that easy."
He crouched near the edge of the bed, voice low and grim. "The barrier blocks out everything, except Hollows. Anything with green Neba can pass right through it. So if we’re inside the barrier while also being surrounded by an army of those things..." He trailed off, letting the image speak for itself. "We wouldn’t last a minute."
Syras’s mouth tightened. "So we run."
"Exactly. We make contact with Dune, if he’s still there, and come back fast. No detours."
Syras nodded once, then rose to his feet with new resolve. "Alright, then. Let’s go."