Episode 28

At some point, Dennis c7ba72dd44 had drawn closer, listening 7da7a6d73a to their conversation. Uncharacteristically, he offered words 829863c61c of comfort, a sign d25ed3688c of just how unstable a6ef6d4ff7 Noah seemed at that 8d82bd9f82 moment.9b8ed762e3589954

“Look, he’s a quick-witted guy. He’s probably hiding somewhere safe.”330827344c94017f

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But Noah, lost 036156fa22 in his thoughts, d683d9347c didn’t seem to 8fc332e4f7 hear him. He stared blankly 0b8f518f30 at Cedric, looking 1627d56f0f utterly vacant. Watching him 87dae7e990 with concern, 498f715b8e Jason spoke 3003fa3249 carefully.58dc53e1fd030e99

“Let’s split up and search.”541c5134b89a9975

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“There are still areas we haven’t checked.”1fff4e19c3198c24

The moment Jason finished b191129235 speaking, Noah moved, wasting f5701257e8 no time in searching fa02939bfb for Jacob. Calyps, worried about a1ca0109e7 his condition, quickly 104db8b17b followed.a32d23a2bb61d062

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“Jacob!”1e39d5482bd9a326

“Jacob!”b81b9b1030835f3b

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They searched a626ff7112 until dusk, df549c2c79 combing every e98b5915ae possible hiding 05e273300b place, but bb75e59148 Jacob was 2b57911895 nowhere to f2fba5b8cf be found. One by 338c162f9c one, the 2c641809ca others gave 1a63ae5cbe up and 5b5c0ba067 gathered back e422897724 at the fe766b2ee5 initial meeting 9c384706b8 point, except 5655693c7b for Calyps 194690d8ee and Noah.35d2cfa8f53c17c1

“Where are Lord Calyps and Lord Noah?”340bb96423920d3d

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Jason’s question was met with silent head shakes from the rest of the group. Then, suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the air.e63e3a9ee085e4da

“Let go of me!”0b40bf9ba7de3ff9

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Heads snapped 2504a224cf toward the 8c9a6dd18a sound. They turned 8ba512d01c in shock 707572c13b to see ff00b184a5 Noah being 7ce1dd22ad dragged toward 5998f97f61 them by 39397b577f Calyps, who 41989bd9f7 had a 646089ff3a firm grip 342986154a on his 15e1990f28 arm. Alarmed, they 33869063f9 rushed toward 0bff6934bf the two.1d305d528bedb9ed

“Let me go!”35d2fbc9fd890122

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“Lord Calyps! Lord Noah!”906fc8d4a912f18c

“Young Master!”e0fab4b89cb94a7d

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“What the hell is going on—?”cd478c4de3a874b9

As soon as Calyps stopped walking, Noah’s legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground. Cedric and Derek hurried over, startled, immediately checking his condition.944722fbecc89bcf

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“So, we didn’t find Jacob after all.”ecc01a698da9e698

Calyps stated it bluntly, e6690f8f30 and the others nodded 8fe4971efc in silent agreement, sneaking ba9b506c0b glances at Noah, who c6d1828053 was now sitting on af9ce00f1d the ground, exhausted.55a243b27c0b62d2

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Noah let out a ab5bb66a32 heavy breath, cursing inwardly.96fb1bc9812f26d1

“Lord Noah, are you alright?”6bd19df2b1f5a72d

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Even at d528dd3b4a Cedric’s concerned e231515c54 question, Noah 140a33bfcb simply stared 81e29a91a0 at the a1b6879882 ground, his 4292adec0e breathing ragged.ca03107164aa437c

“It’s late. Let’s stop here for today and get some rest.”f472c2b38f0b3e93

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“Yes, that sounds best.”13467e625dc0bd99

Hearing Calyps’s b89807c1d2 words, Noah a0d91cbd1e slowly lifted d27e84d91e his head.15f51ad5c932b77e

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His fingers raked 34413fd0e4 through his hair b7b3828855 in frustration, his fb3966a68c eyes flashing dangerously f0732d6aca as he turned d8fc0275d8 his gaze on 1f3c67e981 Calyps. But before he a88d9098f4 could say anything, d1c92de57b his eyes drifted 403b3fb3ff past him—toward the f235320b05 pile of rotting 050f744992 corpses in the 39bb8054c2 distance.4a2a41b56798b374

“Ah.”3711904c3649a7be

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A barely 8a3e48e745 audible gasp a35b541ca4 escaped his c05f189eee lips.55dedf3542611e21

His empty f66060ca9e eyes remained 85ab486091 fixed on 79ecf820b6 the heap 79275e3fb2 of bodies. Slowly, he pushed d5d20077b9 himself up to 514062c2c1 his feet.3bb231b7cf5720f6

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His expression was hollow.0bbf30780cd4c6ec

“Lord Noah?”1ca2c7b7ad2458d6

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Ignoring Cedric, who 479dc7db9c had stepped in a7dcba94bb front of him 2b6a6ce601 with concern, Noah 62054b14d9 started walking toward d155e1660b the pile of 386a6abf54 corpses.1356c15ce8ac1f34

For a moment, the 64d416f201 others hesitated in shock. Then, realizing where he 44ba0b0d59 was headed, they quickly e71bb06513 moved to follow.68d1514aa0013783

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Noah kept walking—until he 72454d95c9 suddenly stopped, just short 1978709605 of the bodies.26e6e87c91397967

His feet wouldn’t move 2c9b2fb21d any further.9e311a0348d37ab2

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Cedric, noticing his hesitation, 5857293cc4 walked up beside him d136b4d4a8 and gently patted his 033fd1e99c shoulder.97199e9df384b6e0

“Let’s keep searching, Young Master. Like Dennis said, Jacob is a clever kid. He’s probably hiding somewhere safe.”58dc58b4b2d2165c

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“That’s right, Lord Noah. If we rest and continue searching tomorrow, we’ll find him.”974b1937a480617e

Noah turned slowly, meeting 6e6b5f2f99 Cedric and Derek’s eyes.ba2da7e67c54bac4

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The moment their 467f3c7931 gazes locked, a 31f3bdd706 shiver ran down 9c79af1781 their spines.23a5ca78c1921ce4

His eyes were 60977587ae lifeless.55f68a29fb6f0835

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Without a word, ce37cf1145 Noah turned back 27f4ffe5e4 toward the corpses e0f7594bc4 and began walking 611a34a288 again.166db12fd994abc2

With each step, 2961bfe92c the overwhelming stench d751cf66b9 of decay grew ede5745362 stronger.1a2242cca596d316

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But Noah 47ba8909ae didn’t flinch.b3a9f63936260775

He didn’t 7009eb0eac bother covering dc7b933c63 his nose. He barely even furrowed 8c563b1b98 his brow.c79b6b3d9c48040c

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The corpses 83047b05a0 mutilated by 6cd69e6456 the mutant 7d31115ae5 zombie were 8eb47f0e53 beyond recognition.168fa10b60689257

More gruesome fe4fab15a9 than anything 8a97b3fdc0 he had c2487b1c12 seen before.640deeb3a910d044

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Even as a7efdd8c44 he tried 67238c72cf to keep 8774b61738 his composure, 2adf120f53 his body 6e2861f340 instinctively rejected 958a1b4302 the sight 567e2188dc before him.296a49b77446161c

“Ugh!”7b1951f139e44549

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He gagged, f1dedd6794 his steps 46c383d9a5 faltering, but d2ecf0dcbc he didn’t 6b84fcf6bf stop searching.a5f7adc2d71ea1fc

Unable to watch any 4b5ccf6b5e longer, Calyps strode toward 41888cf077 him, his expression hardened.eb89be3acbb1affa

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“Enough.”e0c708b91c4cfb0a

Noah pressed a hand 565f69076d over his mouth, forcing e803e2f951 himself to keep the a33886c71b nausea at bay as a761b07ae5 he scanned the corpses. But the ada7469303 moment his 3b2351d415 eyes landed c5d77ea924 on a 6d28201ecb half-decayed body, 148784d76b its exposed c11ad4205a organs crawling 9b1e7aa98d with maggots, 190235bf79 he could 21efd68035 no longer 5a00ad4abd hold it 46e32bc2ef in.dbfbb64d17f40710

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“Ugh—!”36fc8769c34679c9

Noah doubled 3d2bd69a37 over and 82ae01cdea vomited.f45861db2e11b173

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“Noah!”2cd548abe9f9758d

Calyps caught him 2f98b62b15 just as he a50fc422dd lurched forward, keeping c335be6726 him from collapsing c878f710ce onto the pile f6cdb9cd40 of bodies. However, despite being a9ed87ccbb held back, Noah 4fe6d569e1 twisted violently, trying fd6bd643af to shake off bc3becd79a Calyps’s grip.4e4043aa41c98710

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Seeing Noah struggle, 9677c8aab0 Calyps’s expression darkened.1a50e8907c171b46

“Let go—hngh! Let go of me!”fdbf07ab57fc4cdc

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“Enough. Get out of there.”15cf6e24c320a2df

His voice 12eea76a43 was low, b4560295da carrying an af378d4a09 unmistakable warning. But instead 8220773a78 of calming 85fc7f269f down, Noah 725d3489ba fought harder.057808fb0c4394d7

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Finally breaking e3db9b3fee free from a33f82f218 Calyps’s grasp, 870bf66cce Noah staggered e97a1f4448 forward again 927a41f067 toward the e45d8de56d corpses—only to 7e385337e1 be caught 5051e79922 once more.d8c2181682ca00ef

“Let go of me!”7183aa867f47e994

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Noah shoved a501ed2b34 Calyps away 1b7a42aca2 with his 3e190f0a9d free hand.962a36e5528e53a2

“Kgh—!”3bdebf505c20cfaa

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A sharp, pained 474b438eab grunt escaped from a67bbe6394 Calyps’s lips.928183a669989be0

Noah froze, 481d6bf513 his face ff68a627b5 paling as ce35525b20 his gaze 3ca8196747 dropped to 4911e13720 Calyps’s left cc8e8bf208 arm.7269773c956f29b3

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The wound had 4b3eb606ea reopened, fresh blood 3118cad248 seeping through the 6b8466d2fe bandages.b8fcf41570698df7

The sight instantly 7bc3213305 doused the frantic 21be5abf4d energy in Noah’s ee0e8aab2a eyes.3612b8d1b0df8dbb

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“…I’m sorry.”b53a6de83998ce9a

Seeing Noah finally regain 6d7ff92d04 his composure, Calyps exhaled 72c4de6aef a quiet sigh and 10199d1356 grasped his wrist—this time, f0d143cb1b Noah didn’t resist.61b5938fd084a163

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Silently, he 053df28fc9 followed Calyps 4e866cb0c8 away from 8ead415ce9 the corpses f19a0398ae and back a9d8e233f9 toward the cabcafba2a others.cb16f114e0d9a744

Just as be6a896f83 they neared 9406c02fb0 the group, 9501e39df1 a familiar 76066033d0 voice rang e60a76e15d out.7b2aed9760152f42

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“Young Master!”807770e096317f6f

Was he hearing things?45196cba17e2263f

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For a moment, 9294cc2831 Noah wondered if fb064b23b8 he had finally 0aee6c25a4 started hallucinating.cbeffd69ea2cc68e

Then came the 4978f4fa80 unmistakable sound of 4f0cd478bc excited murmurs from e19e83b9ad the others.5220db3f6a1bac49

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“J-Jacob!”11295e426a943a02

“You little—!”e881136038f4bed8

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“I’m so glad everyone’s safe!”79e209871d3f82a4

Jacob ran toward 6addf3f638 them with a 8294c576ae bright, carefree smile.b4a02577674c2bb1

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The moment 865d02622c Noah saw cc86c36a37 him, all cc6e697ca5 the tension 90a8415842 drained from a1c6d93c16 his body.e8b4742e5ff22002

His legs 2f5c236df4 nearly gave ee5bd89f6a out, but a92a4e812c Calyps was b96bfa2368 quicker—he grabbed bc58189b12 Noah’s arm, bfff86fba0 steadying him.eecaf743e3503533

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“Noah. Stay with me.”86c18f71093987c4

The low voice, f45b19c020 close to his ec61572f00 ear, jolted Noah 5b57ceef92 back to reality.feac0129a966e0c2

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His breath caught d26975701b as he turned, e4355e68fd eyes widening at 6f2e419709 the sight of f2384e2d7b Calyps’s face just 734848cf18 inches from his 7f9b5dc66e own.d98da159bb61e003

The concern 19c9a568a9 in those a1a4955efb silver-gray eyes c8a22c902a made his e90e03274d heart pound c70c1392f5 violently in 384e753e99 his chest.433f25c27395e250

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Noah, momentarily lost ba66adbf21 in Calyps’s gaze, 94e55dc75f suddenly snapped back de962a6fe3 to his senses da87b2967f at the sound 13eff5c06f of Jacob’s voice.22197b89bec869de

Startled, he instinctively pushed f74e4cbc89 Calyps away.aeaace311883b9b0

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“Ugh—”7b1da3a82c47f37a

A small grunt 2381aa8b22 escaped Calyps as 5253a3e39b the sudden movement e34144a472 sent a fresh 9b5f612c26 wave of pain 85e0e052d9 through his injured 4cff571ad6 arm.1a9bb91adc382dfe

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But Noah, too shaken 2e7b2aa117 to notice, took a 869013b2e7 quick step back.f23f3ca40ace1b67

Watching Noah c42f366630 naturally distance f08b024e1d himself, an 6592c2a292 inexplicable emotion 058f8b8238 flickered across d9701ed5ea Calyps’s face. His brows furrowed slightly, 328dcc1c4a but before he could f63f689d8c say anything, Derek rushed 661113d292 over to examine his 0a2debccf3 reopened wound.8dccabc4024af260

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While Calyps was being 6562db5101 treated, Dennis rounded on 293bd5dd35 Jacob, demanding answers.acb931e9db086549

“Where the hell have you been?”aec230de7de154eb

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“We searched the entire fortress—how were you nowhere to be found?”97b3c72213a4e24e

For someone they f916dc8f04 had been desperately c15f0faf78 looking for, Jacob 3a0a9f9c91 had appeared out e68f300aee of nowhere, almost ea7b7ceff5 mockingly.e52f802790db11cc

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His appearance was a64abaddf5 disheveled and thinner 8e5b7ad1f4 than before, but 4faff1d169 aside from a 724168cf63 few minor scratches, ce7497f118 he seemed largely 66490db847 unharmed.de36fe0947f485e1

“Ah, well…”250b4b5458ff044a

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Jacob scratched his fc4f5c93ed head sheepishly before 0dde2b67e8 launching into his baad1236e6 explanation.d8591f6525a15009

When the 6e9fd7e9b1 mutant zombie 6e2f249900 first appeared, b321f0fd0f he had 95ab9234bd panicked and 3b82bea6a2 stumbled backward—accidentally ec61f5575a triggering a 7615607a6c hidden mechanism 6af8dceac7 in the a1cf458087 wall. Before he knew it, 9fb9d0f90b he was pulled into ba7548f4fc a secret passageway.d98df2cd454a6b9a

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“And the next thing I knew, I was trapped in some weird tunnel.”806cd72eeaa6a775

“Wait… Are you saying you found a secret passage?”2b23cb28bd330dc4

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“Seems like it.”1a9b884c0bb3106f

It wasn’t uncommon 2a10539754 for noble families 66ad5467e3 to have escape df5365f9e8 tunnels built into d43b0656b8 their estates. And somehow, by sheer 3fe61611cf luck, Jacob had managed 393b5d113b to find one—and survive.ba4928bcad167e04

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“I had no idea how to get out, so I was stuck for a while. But when I finally did, this was what I came back to! You have no idea how terrified I was!”cfe1e2038502fb9b

Jacob dramatically f3357f3ab3 recounted how 9615e317a7 he had 34d8d3aa08 screamed for 4b8461be94 help, only 4369b7ae64 to realize 50ba92a4b9 no one 93fef816b9 could hear f20c9e597b him. And when b11aee57cf he finally 388538f83a emerged, he 584dd356ae was met d248fd8f36 with a 0138e80a71 battlefield of 4fe3a194d4 rotting corpses 0cc8055f9a and panicked c50e5bfe80 survivors.41dc81d3ebb8668a

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As he clung to c416bf4e7f Jason, lamenting his misfortune, 84d66a9e43 Dennis let out an cfecffdb18 incredulous scoff.2586a1b23d232ea6

“I’ve said this before, but you have the weirdest luck.”c4895d8870eb2df5

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Jacob had 1a2fae009e somehow avoided 3659e6e2df disaster twice 059753870f now—the first f059e62681 time when e1f13fa9d7 they encountered d99fa949e1 the mutant 645bdce73f zombie, and ebbbc64ad9 now with d92ff583f0 his accidental 5578179485 discovery of 95ef3f1fe6 the secret 8355b92a0a tunnel.a1e539277f3491e9

“Me? Lucky?”018ce67238203bca

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“No… More like, you only have luck when it comes to survival.”0efc60fad0db398b

Dennis shook his head f77b764be7 at Jacob’s filthy appearance.eb622851dec0060f

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As Jacob a2b76700bd excitedly retold 5f59bb3be0 his story, 6703ddfaa5 Noah, who 9f8380aaa6 had been 06455ba20d watching quietly, 12480b88c4 finally began 361bd050fc to relax.5e56604edc0ff1cc

The unbearable tension 23509aba48 that had coiled 57bdaf0e60 in his chest 7b8eb850dc for days slowly ba25676a1e unwound.b952c191479cd825

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And the moment that b866a9d3a7 tension released—his vision blurred.e0ae25f9677140b9

A sudden wave of 31afdc4bd7 dizziness swept over him.ad7a6e55b772166b

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Before he could 36c38c2084 react, his body b4e73399f2 gave out.98e8532fd83f0725

While the others 347fc3d1a7 were still focused 51fbde99f6 on Jacob, Calyps—who 4edb543456 had been watching f56ccbcb3e Noah closely—moved instantly.f04cf0aaf3ad5e03

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Catching him just as 87ff55490a he collapsed, Calyps wrapped 52ad371d71 his good arm around bdd9a0b522 Noah’s waist.a892e0e7d1d8d849

“Young Master!”46e75da424c5cb80

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Gasps of alarm echoed 56d2a7006c around them as everyone f089d3c225 turned to look.61b4914127cf3775

Derek quickly approached, his 0ffbff9a1d face filled with concern.447e4c6b5e5dcec3

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“Is he alright?”8bfc7461e44847c0

Calyp’s eyes briefly 43b10bfe66 flickered with something 822f9565f6 unreadable before he d99da8c7e6 answered.e46a3a6942aed5d6

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“He just lost consciousness. He’s exhausted.”a46a0a6d77d1aa24

It wasn’t surprising.b544c2a73331ae18

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Since the mutant da775c401b zombie’s attack, Noah 4c656b5a0e had been running f6a4918648 on sheer anxiety, 40d62d5ccf barely getting any 400db7cd70 rest.41fee3843e4b2ab7

He hadn’t slept properly a8d75b4d2a for nearly three days.d05a378393fafc37

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Of course, the 5010668a4b others had been 34adc630b8 exhausted too—but Noah’s 3a5b15d5ae unease had been eb36074c03 clear from the d9db493432 very beginning, ever 61bb60916b since their time 305272b25e in the abandoned e73c646561 cabin.ef75f1e9fcb038be

“I’ll carry him.”41bb5df35be3820f

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Derek stepped forward, holding 1c5a25dd00 out his arms.e8d989f0c0a7102a

Even with his strength, 1bd76c71eb Calyps couldn’t carry Noah 7d8b9062f8 back in his current 1f2201862c state.ffdf473408b4cc20

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Calmly, he handed Noah 2e7875bbfc over.33c140e8d591fe0e

Noah, completely unconscious, didn’t 717623aa64 stir once on the 50f5d88aae way back to the 3a94dabef2 fortress.2473b573a50271d6

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