"It's probably because your powers need 'nutrients'," Elara said, glancing at Jorah after hearing him mutter to himself. "Improving plant-based abilities, aside from one's own training, sometimes requires absorbing other plants or things containing life energy. Just like Vespera; when she was 'leveling up', she absorbed a lot of energy from crystal cores."
Vespera, who had been resting with her eyes closed in the back, opened them shyly upon hearing Elara mention her name. She offered Jorah a small, kind smile.
However, the second after she smiled, her expression suddenly froze. She whipped her head around, staring back in the direction they had come from!
At almost the same instant, Elara also sensed something. A flash of surprise crossed her honey-colored eyes, and she blurted out, "Someone's following us!"
Zephyr slammed on the brakes. The SUV let out a piercing screech as it skidded to a halt, carving two deep tracks in the snow. Everyone turned to look back. Not far behind them, a black heavy-duty motorcycle was roaring towards them with a swagger completely at odds with the apocalyptic scenery!
Soon, the motorcycle pulled up beside their vehicle. The rider clumsily brought it to a stop, then swung a leg off, panting, and removed the obviously oversized helmet from his head.
Beneath the helmet was the familiar face of Alan, crowned with his messy mop of curly hair. Squeezed by the helmet, his soft brown curls were now all sticking up rebelliously, like a comical bird's nest.
"Sorry, sorry!" Alan gasped for breath, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender, a sheepish and fawning smile on his face. "I... I just wanted to... uh, collect some firsthand plant samples... I promise, I won't cause any trouble for you guys!"
Elara stared at this uninvited "troublemaker," feeling completely speechless. She couldn't help but press a hand to her forehead. How on earth did this guy slip out of the villa? And where did he get this heavy-duty motorcycle?
Seraph was more direct. She shot Alan an exasperated look and, with a flick of her finger, sent a tiny, fingernail-sized spark flying with a hint of punishment, landing right on Alan's messy "bird's nest."
"Ow!"
Alan yelped, frantically patting his hair, trying to extinguish the small flame. By the time he managed to put it out, a small, scorched black patch had been added to his already messy hair, making him look even more ridiculous.
"I was wrong, I was wrong, Big Sis Seraph!" Alan begged for mercy, on the verge of tears.
Cassian's brow furrowed slightly. He ignored Alan's antics and instead scanned him from head to toe with a scrutinizing gaze.
Though Alan looked disheveled, his protective gear was impeccably in place. There was hardly an inch of exposed skin on his entire body. He wore a thin layer of nitrile gloves, with a pair of thick, cut-resistant work gloves over them. Even his boots had a thick layer of plastic film wrapped and secured around them with duct tape. A bulging fanny pack was strapped to his waist, its contents of collection tools and emergency medical supplies unknown.
This getup indeed looked like he was fully prepared, not like he had run out on a whim.
Cassian glanced at Elara and saw her expression of headache mixed with resignation. He gave her a slight nod, tacitly approving Alan's inclusion.
Elara sighed, as if accepting her fate, and said to Alan, "Do what you want, but remember, absolutely no acting alone. Stick close to us."
"You got it!" Alan beamed immediately.
"Follow me."
Zephyr, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. His cold gaze swept over Alan, then landed on Jorah, who had been staring at the strange forest with a dazed, faraway look in his eyes.
Zephyr reached out one hand and accurately snagged the back of Jorah's neck, who was about to walk uncontrollably towards the forest, and yanked him back forcefully.
"You too," Zephyr's voice was devoid of emotion but filled with an unquestionable, commanding tone.
After being yanked back by the scruff of his neck, Jorah snapped out of his trance-like state. He looked at the strange, verdant forest before him, then at his formidable-looking, clearly not-to-be-messed-with "teammates." The flicker of longing he had felt from his ability's resonance was instantly replaced by a bone-deep fear.
He wilted, shrinking his neck, and pointed at the excited, eager-to-go Alan beside him. In an almost pleading tone, he said, "How about… how about you take him in, and… and just leave me, okay?"
"Why?" Zephyr released him, looking down at him from his towering height. His tall, powerful frame cast a massive shadow on the white snow, completely engulfing Jorah and bringing with it an invisible, suffocating pressure.
"I… I'm useless if I go…" Jorah hung his head, not daring to meet Zephyr's gaze, and mumbled, "My powers… I can't even use them on purpose. I'll just drag everyone down…"
As he spoke, a bit of his spoiled rich-kid temper seemed to flare up. He threw caution to the wind, plopped down onto the snow, and adopted the posture of a deadbeat, as if to say, "I'm useless, do whatever you want with me."
However, before the snow under him could even get warm, he suddenly felt his body go light, his feet leaving the ground.
Zephyr, his face impassive, once again lifted him from the ground without allowing any refusal. He then slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, all in one swift, silent, and decisive motion.
Watching Jorah slumped over Zephyr's shoulder, looking utterly dejected and resigned to his fate, Elara's heart softened. She knew Jorah's cowardice wasn't entirely his fault; it stemmed more from his previously pampered life and the terrifying, near-death experience he'd had when the apocalypse began.
She took small steps to walk alongside Zephyr, tilted her head up at Jorah, who was now facing away from her, and said in the gentlest voice she could manage, "Jorah, don't think like that. The first time you unleashed your powers, even unconsciously, you reached a level that many ordinary ability users can't achieve. You just overexerted yourself and need a little time to recover. Trust us, we'll try to find a way to help you recover on this trip."
Vespera, following behind the group, seemed to hear Elara's words. She looked at Jorah on Zephyr's shoulder, slowly turned her head, and then gave a firm, solemn nod in his direction, as if silently offering him her affirmation and encouragement.
Soothed by Elara and Vespera's comfort, Jorah's dejected heart seemed to feel a little better. Although he remained silent on Zephyr's shoulder, at least he no longer looked like he had completely given up.
The group re-formed and officially stepped into the strange, green forest.
The moment they entered the woods, everyone immediately felt an atmosphere completely different from the outside world. Inside the forest, it was unnaturally quiet, so quiet it made one's scalp tingle. There wasn't even the "rustling" sound that the wind should have made blowing through the leaves, as if all sound in this space had been devoured by some invisible force.
The sunlight was blocked by the abnormally dense canopy overhead. Only scattered patches of light filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground and adding to the eerie, sinister atmosphere.
Though there was no sound, every one of them—Elara, Cassian, all of them—could clearly feel it: as if countless unseen eyes were watching them from every corner of the forest, from behind the gnarled tree trunks, from within the dense, leafy shadows, staring unblinkingly.
The feeling of being watched by countless unknown things made everyone's nerves tighten, their hands gripping their weapons.