The boys led the way out, but at the door of the cell, I took one last look back. L sat there, still a crumpled unmoving heap against the dingy stone wall.

“Are you not coming?” I asked.

But he just smirked, his silver eye shining while the other stayed a steady, unmoving black. “Do not worry about me. I will find my own way, in due time.”

“Well… if this was your doing, then thank you.”

He smirked, his dimple deepening. “It was your doing, Minji. You chose.”

I frowned, a pang of uneasiness shooting through my stomach. I searched my thoughts… I remembered speaking with L, telling him my name. But what was it that I chose? What exactly had happened?

What had I said??

“Minji!” Hoya shout-whispered from down the hall. I snapped out of my reverie, remembering the urgency of our plight. Then, I bowed to L and left him there. I would have to search my memories another time.

The corridors were eerily desolate. Not a single guard, no movement, not even a burning candelabra to signal that someone had recently been there.

We scurried quietly, our breathing and the soft pad of our shoes on the stone floor the only sounds to fill the silence around us. We guessed our way through, until finally, finally, we saw the telltale rays of sunlight and knew we had found the exit.

"Hurry, Minji! Let's go!" Hoya ushered.

We held our breath as we sprinted out of the stone fortress. Before us, there was a large and long field of golden grass. I was terrified as we ran, wondering if there were marksmen at the roofs who would shoot us down at any given moment. It wasn't until we crossed the field and the earth dipped below a small, steep hill that I knew we were finally safe.

I chanced a look back at the tremendous gray building. And if I wasn't completely mistaken, I thought I saw movement. A curtain, swaying into stillness, as if someone had just released it after peeking outside.

"Don't worry about that place anymore, Jaemi," Namu huffed beside me, urging me forward. "We got other things to think about."

"Majayo. Like finding a place to stay tonight," Hoya said.

"If Pockery was already taken... do you think there are still Safe Zones out there?"

"I don't know, Namu. But we'll have to be careful. Rivall and Pockery were two of only a handful of Rebel-friendly cities. And now... Pockery is no more."

"Well, what about Pilton? I heard that place was impenetrable."

Hoya frowned in thought. "Not a bad idea. We could go there and lay low until we hear word from Jjang. Surely, he can give us better direction."

"So we’re still trusting Jjang, huh?" Namu said sarcastically under his breath.

Suddenly, Hoya halted and wheeled toward Namu, grabbing for his neck, immediately threatening and hostile. Namu jumped back, wide-eyed with surprise.

"Yah! Namu! Don't you ever question Jjang around me. Ever! He's done more for this Rebellion and for sorry pabos like you than you will ever know! So don't you dare question him!"

For a moment, Hoya stood still, shooting an icy glare at Namu that rendered him motionless. Then, Hoya reeled himself back in, taking a lengthy moment to steady himself before turning to the horizon.

"We don't know which cities are Rebel-friendly or which ones are Syndicate hubs. It's getting harder and harder to figure out who to trust. But for now, we’ll go to Pilton. We’ll go there and wait."

"Okay, but... where are we now?" I asked.

Namu and I watched as Hoya's secure gaze traced the landmass before us. Suddenly, he pointed.

"There. There is where we need to go."

"But Hoya. How do you know?"

In response, he looked at me, brown eyes searing with tense seriousness and determination. Then, without a word, he led the way, walking purposefully in the direction he had pointed. I looked at Namu with a confused frown, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Nevermind it. Let's go," he said.

*******

I almost couldn’t tell it was sunset through the gray skies, but suddenly, darkness fell as we reached the outer rim of a thick forest, whose woody chill both scared us and drew us forward.

“Is this…?” Namu started.

“Yes,” Hoya answered. “Nivee Forest. Also known as The Sacred Wood.”

“Sacred Wood?” I asked. “Why?”

“Rumor has it that a powerful Oracle lives here,” Namu said as he reached up and ran his hand gently across the trunk of a tree, as if saying hello to a pet. “They say his divination is flawless, and that he will tell you exactly what will happen in your future, and no matter how you try to change it, it will always come true. But, he supposedly asks a high price for his talents.”

I frowned. “In terms of money?”

“No. Actually… they say he is a cannibal.”

I flinched. “Mwo?! Please tell me you’re kidding.”

Both boys shook their head somberly. “I’ve also heard that if he finds you particularly… appetizing, he won’t let you out of the Wood until you surrender part of your flesh and let him give your destiny.”

“Yeah,” Hoya added. “There’s this one guy I heard of that literally had to give his right arm, just for the Oracle to grant him passage through the Wood.”

“So… why are we going through this forest??”

Hoya sighed. “It is the quickest way to Pilton. And also, it is said that the Oracle is actually very hard to find.”

“Huh?!”

“Majayo,” Namu chimed in. “I knew men who sought him out. Apparently, he lives among a large colony of people in this forest. Tree-dweller types. And they are very kind—they’ll give food and shelter. But they all know who the Oracle is, and they won’t talk to outsiders about him. The men I knew… they all stayed in the Wood for weeks but still could not find him. Came home disappointed and empty-handed.”

I frowned. “So, we’ll stay the night with this colony, and hope that we don’t accidentally bump into the Oracle?”

“Right,” Hoya and Namu said in unison. Then, Hoya led the way, stepping long into the woody brush. Namu smiled at me from the corner of his eye and patted my shoulder in a supportive way. Then, we followed our companion.

--

Sorry for the hiatus. And if it's been so long that you forgot the story and have to re-read it, sorry for that too. I actually have a few chapters pre-written, so brb with another (much-longer) update.