Chapter 111(Part 02)
The morning sun was still low when Alok's mother began packing the car.
She moved with practiced efficiency, folding blankets, stacking supplies, and checking the cooler. Agata darted around her, grabbing snacks and stuffing them into a bag with the kind of chaotic energy only a teenager could possess.
Alok stood on the porch, watching them.
He had barely slept. The conversation with Tira replayed in his mind her pale face, her trembling voice, the way she had hugged him back like he was the only anchor left in her storm.
He had sent her back into the lion's den.
And he had promised to save her.
His mother called out, "Alok, are you going to help, or are you just going to stand there looking mysterious?"
Agata snorted. "He's always mysterious, Mom. It's his thing."
Alok forced a smile and walked toward the car. "What do you need me to carry?"
His mother handed him a heavy cooler. "Start with this. And try to look like you're excited. This is supposed to be fun."
Alok took the cooler. "I am excited."
"You look like you're going to a funeral."
Agata laughed. "He always looks like that!"
Alok didn't argue. He just loaded the cooler into the trunk and went back for more.
The drive was long, but the scenery changed quickly.
Castrone's gray buildings and crowded streets gave way to rolling hills and patches of forest.
The air grew cleaner, cooler. Agata pressed her face to the window, her earlier disappointment fading as the landscape unfolded before her.
"Look at that lake! Mom, can we swim there?"
"We'll see," their mother said, her voice warm. "First, we need to set up camp."
Alok watched his sister's excitement with quiet relief. She was young enough to still find joy in simple things. He envied that.
He thought about Tira again. About Vaelia. About Ceya.
Are you still alive? he wondered. Are you already in Feilw Land?
He pushed the thought away. There was nothing he could do now except wait.
They reached the campsite by early afternoon.
It was a small clearing near a river, surrounded by tall trees and thick underbrush. The sound of flowing water filled the air, and the sunlight filtered through the leaves in golden patches.
"This is perfect," their mother said, breathing in the fresh air.
Agata was already out of the car, running toward the riverbank.
"It's so clear! I can see the bottom!"
Alok pulled the tent from the trunk and began setting it up. It was a simple task one that required no thought, no strategy, no calculation. Just poles, fabric, and pegs.
His mother joined him, working beside him in comfortable silence.
"You seem distracted," she said quietly.
Alok didn't look up. "I'm fine."
"You're not a good liar, Alok. You never have been."
He paused, his hands resting on a tent pole. "I'm just... thinking about the trip. The one we couldn't take."
His mother's expression softened. "I know. It's disappointing. But we'll have other opportunities. Feilw Land isn't going anywhere."
It is, Alok thought. It's moving faster than I can keep up.
But he said nothing. He just nodded and drove the next peg into the ground.
By evening, the camp was fully set up.
The tent stood firm, a small fire crackled in the center of the clearing, and the smell of grilled food drifted through the air. Agata was roasting marshmallows, her face lit by the orange glow of the flames.
Alok sat on a log, watching the fire.
His mother sat beside him, a cup of tea in her hands.
"It's nice," she said softly. "Just the three of us."
Alok nodded. "Yeah."
"I wish your father could see you now. He would have loved this."
Alok's chest tightened. He rarely spoke about his father. The memories were too tangled love, loss, unanswered questions.
"He would have sat exactly where you are,"his mother continued. "Staring at the fire, thinking about something he never told anyone."
Alok didn't answer. He just stared deeper into the flames.
Maybe I'm more like him than I thought.
The night grew deeper, and the fire died to embers.
Agata had fallen asleep in her sleeping bag, her face peaceful. Their mother had retreated to the tent, leaving Alok alone by the remains of the fire.
He sat on a flat rock near the river, looking up at the stars.
The sky was vast and dark, scattered with points of light that seemed impossibly far away. The sound of water filled the silence, constant and calming.
Alok thought about Ceya. About the word she had written in the dirt. HELP.
He thought about his family. About the promises he had made.
He thought about the man in the black coat. The Chairman's smile. Vaelia's cold eyes.
They think they've won. They think I'm trapped.
He clenched his jaw.
They don't know me.
....
His phone buzzed.
He pulled it out, squinting at the screen.
Unknown Number: "Alok. Please be safe. I promise to help you as much as I can."
Alok stared at the message. His chest tightened.
Tira.
He typed back quickly:
Alok: "Good flight. I'm counting on you."
He waited for a reply. None came.
He pocketed the phone and looked back up at the stars.
She made it. She's inside.
He allowed himself a small breath of relief.
Now we wait.
.....
His phone buzzed again.
Rihan: "You awake?"
Alok almost smiled. He typed back:
Alok: "Yeah. You?"
Rihan: "Can't sleep. Thinking about what you said."
Alok: "Which part?"
Rihan: "The part where you smiled like you already knew how all this was going to end."
Alok paused. His thumb hovered over the screen.
Rihan: "You had that creepy look again. The one from before. You said 'one stone, two birds' and I knew you were planning something big. So now the Feilw Land plan is dead. What's the new plan?"
Alok stared at the message for a long moment.
He couldn't tell Rihan about Tira. Not yet. Not until he knew more.
Alok: "I'm still figuring it out."
Rihan: "That's not like you."
Alok: "I know."
Rihan: "You scared?"
Alok didn't answer immediately. He looked up at the stars.
Alok: "A little."
Rihan: "Good. That means you're still human."
Alok almost smiled.
Alok: "Go to sleep. I'll call you tomorrow."
Rihan: "Fine. But don't do anything stupid without me."
Alok: "No promises."
Rihan: "That's what I was afraid of."
Alok pocketed the phone and leaned back on the rock.
Tira is in Feilw Land. Rihan is ready. My family is safe for now.
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, the game continues.