Three Lies, All True || ONC2021 Longlister

Chapter 10: Limited Perspectives

Three days came and went so quickly. Too quickly for Petra's taste. She half expected that, without Adrien, she and Peter would just slow down. But instead, everything was fast and smooth, with almost no distractions.

Maybe the fact that she did nothing but write in her journal while she and Peter rested. Or maybe it was that Adrien wasn't with them, and there was no point in stopping to ask for his strategies.

As she continued walking down the less snowy fields, her eyes flicked to Peter, before looking ahead again.

Maybe it wasn't even any of those. Maybe it was the fact that, after that night, she and Peter barely talked anymore.

With a sigh, she stopped in her tracks and waited for him to catch up. Like the past days, whenever they were walking or just idle, he would only stare at his hands. He didn't say anything about the previous days, so she wasn't sure what he knew or what he was thinking.

Unlike Adrien, she wasn't a mind reader.

It made her clench her hands into a fist. Just how much did he know for so long?

Once Peter caught up to her, she flicked her eyes to his hands. "I recommend covering it up. You're easily cold, so who's to say that you won't get frostbite?"

With a sigh, Peter grabbed his glove from his coat. He slid his finger on his palm again before flinching back, then covered his hand immediately. "It's still not coming back."

"There's no point in hurting yourself." She turned her head away and looked down. "We can have it checked with the Medical Brigade once the mission is over."

"What am I supposed to do without magic, then?"

"You can use a sword, can't you?"

"I can, but…" He flipped his hand again and crossed his arms. "I just feel so… vulnerable without magic."

Petra held her own hands, feeling her own magic flowing in her veins. She understood what he meant, she couldn't imagine herself without magic. Just thinking about it made her shiver.

She wasn't sure how long they had been walking, but the sun was already high up in the sky. A part of her felt like Peter would pass out again, and she wasn't sure if they had enough time for another break. Not when they were close.

"Petra, I think we're here."

Petra snapped her head upwards, flinching when light got in her eyes. She squinted, cursing at the sun for being so bright during this season.

Then, her eyes slightly widened.

The reason this place was called the Burning Fields… Adrien said that it was dry and empty, even in the middle of Marzanna. It seemed like he also forgot to mention that it would be hot.

Her eyes immediately flicked to Peter, who was walking just behind her. "Do you feel like passing out in the next three seconds or are we going to stick to the plan?"

Peter chuckled, though Petra couldn't tell if it was genuine laughter or nervousness. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Magicless and probably exposed, but I'm sure I can handle a fight."

You better. She flicked her eyes away and stared down the cliffside again. You're still the commander for a reason.

Just like what Peter said, down below the cliffs was a manor. Alejandro's Manor. She squinted her eyes, allowing her to see some of Nuryyn's own super soldiers guarding the house. But she didn't need to look further to know that perhaps more than half of them are defects.

Unlike Royisa, Nuryyn didn't throw away their defects.

It made her scoff, but she bit back any other comments inside and turned away.