The sun rose from the west that morning.
No one ever talked about it, really ,not because it was normal, but because by the time most people noticed, they were already too busy surviving the day. Still, it cast a strange beauty over the horizon, painting the sky with shades that didn't quite belong. Another broken rule in a world already full of them.
A long breath stirred the still air inside the cave.
"Mmngh… haaah… it's morning already?" Celeste groaned, her voice muffled as she stretched out on the rough stone floor. Her limbs protested, and her cloak had done little to soften the cold. Somewhere outside, birds were chirping like they hadn't spent the night sleeping next to a pile of damp moss and regrets.
She blinked blearily up at the ceiling, eyes adjusting to the light that slipped in through a jagged crack overhead. Another day, another chance to maybe not starve.
A rustle beside her.
Valeria shifted with a grunt, dragging her cloak tighter around her shoulders before sitting up. Her hair stuck out at odd angles, and her expression was halfway between annoyed and exhausted. "That was awful," she muttered, squinting toward the cave's mouth. "I think my spine cracked in three different places. We need to stop pretending we can do this without beds."
"If we had the coin for an inn, I'd be in one." Celeste sat up, brushing leaves from her tangled hair. She gave her coin pouch a shake, more out of habit than hope. A few silvers clinked at the bottom, sounding more like an insult than actual currency.
Valeria snorted. "How generous of fate. Enough to buy stale bread or a dagger to end our misery, but not both."
"I don't think that's how budgeting works."
"It is now."
Celeste rolled her eyes, then reached for the staff leaning against the cave wall. "Come on. There's a village not far from here. If we're lucky, it hasn't been burned down or cursed yet."
"If we're lucky," Valeria echoed, slowly rising to her feet and dusting off her trousers. She checked her sword, sliding it into the scabbard with a practiced motion. "You know, I'd have more faith in a three-legged beast offering us employment than any villager out there."
"You and your mythical creatures," Celeste muttered, stepping toward the cave mouth. She paused at the edge, letting the sunlight spill across her skin. Warm. Sharp. Real. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the scent of pine and damp earth.
Valeria joined her, shielding her eyes with one hand as she looked out over the trees. "So, what's the plan?"
"We walk. We ask. We hope. And if all else fails…" Celeste tapped her staff twice on the ground, "…we figure it out."
They started walking two silhouettes cutting across a sunlit forest path. No grand speeches. No swelling music. Just boots on dirt, tired hearts, and the stubborn refusal to quit.
The forest around them felt half-asleep, branches swaying lazily overhead while squirrels darted between roots. Somewhere far off, the sound of water carried on the breeze.
For a brief moment, it didn't feel like survival. It felt like something else. Something almost like peace.
Then Valeria sighed. "If we get turned away again, I'm eating whoever's closest."
"You say that every time."
"And one day, I'm going to mean it."
Celeste laughed. Not a forced laugh, or a polite one. A real, tired, amused laugh.
The road ahead was long. Possibly cursed. Probably disappointing.
But for now, they were still walking it.
Together.
[—To Be Continued—]