Chapter 25- The desperation birthed dark thoughts

Chapter 25: Chapter 25- The desperation birthed dark thoughts Eva’s finger moved slightly, her face pale as white paper. Sweat coated her face from the searing pain that racked her entire body. She opened her eyes slowly and saw the bleeding Julian beside her. Turning her head slightly, she spotted Ethan, too, in the same dire situation. Her trembling hands inched towards them, her finger quivering. Tears slid down her chin as the overwhelming pain prevented her from even moaning. Some of her bones had shattered from the direct impact of that force, leaving her barely able to move her head and hands. Her finger finally touched them. She closed her eyes, her hair glowing brighter as green light flowed from her hands into their bodies. She healed them for as long as she could before her eyes closed completely. Her hands fell limply onto theirs as she lost consciousness. Yet her body continued absorbing the energy in the air, the tattoo on her finger writhing faintly. Ethan was the first to wake up, "Mmm..." He groaned, his body aching all over. Despite Eva’s efforts, Ethan still felt pain in his bones. Every movement he made sent a numbing ache through him. His blue eyes flickered around, trying to make sense of the situation. When his gaze landed on the crowd, unease settled in. Something about their expressions of hopelessness and fear felt wrong. He turned to the side and froze at the sight of Eva and Julian’s state. Relief washed over him when he noticed their chests rising and falling faintly. He moved towards them, his eyes softening as he saw Eva’s hand resting on his. The realization dawned on him- she had healed them and as if to cement his assumption, Julian’s eyes trembled slightly before opening. He sat up slowly with a grimace of pain on his face; at the time he was pushed back from that force, he felt his back slammed into the ground. He shook slightly as he recalled the pain of having his bones shattered; he could even hear the breaking sound. "You’re awake. How does your body feel?" Julian looked over when he heard Ethan’s hoarse voice. He followed Ethan’s eye gesture and saw pale fingers laying loosely on his hands and his mind clicked instantly. He moved his shoulders, he could feel numbing pain but his bones were healed. He glanced at the pale Eva with surprise before his expression came back to normal. Julian and Ethan brought out a potion from their space bag at the same time. They stared at each other, but Ethan was faster. He held her gently on the neck and fed her gently, but her lips were tightly shut, and the potion kept sliding down her closed lips. He glanced at the bottle and then her lips; his ears reddened when an idea came to him. "Excuse me," he muttered before taking a sip. Leaning down he pressed his lips to hers, letting the potion flow into her mouth. Julian stared in disbelief, his gaze zeroing in on the half-empty potion. ’It won’t be enough.’ he thought. Clearing his throat at his raising thought, but when Ethan wanted to open another vial he paused him and took Eva gently from his hands. Ethan’s shot him a glare, but he ignored it; he took deep breaths and held the potion liquid in his mouth. Leaning closer, he kissed her, feeding her the liquid. ’her lips are so soft.’ this thought flashed in his mind, though he fed her seriously with no foul play. After two vial of recovery potion, Eva remained motionless but her face had a flush to it, making them relax a bit. Ethan was released from Julian’s power; he flicked a small stone of ice at Julian’s forehead, hitting him squarely. Julian grimaced but didn’t retaliate; he knew Ethan hated people using their powers on him. Because he is Ethan’s sworn brother he was able to live. Ethan was about to get up when a panic shout echoed through the room. "We’re all going to die! I don’t want to die." The man’s hysteria drew everyone’s attention as he pointed at the breathforge, its dimming light signalling its failing ability to supply air. "No, we still have three days! They won’t abandon us..." another man argued, but his voice faltered with doubt. The atmosphere turned tense, panic spreading like wildfire. Some moved toward the warp gate, only to find it empty. Others began to feel the suffocating pressure of depleting air. Despair clawed at the edge of their sanity. The desperation birthed dark thoughts. Eyes shifted warily, calculating. Of the two hundred people gathered, barely half remained from those who’d entered the dungeon A tense silence fell, thick with unspoken danger. Ethan and Julian,l watched all these, sensing something bad was going to happen; from their experience, whenever there’s a crowd of panicked and fearful people, bad things happen. Ethan motioned for Julian to go to the corner; the space was large enough to contain them and cover them from preying eyes while still giving them a chance to react if needed. Julian carried Eva gently and moved over, "We keep watching by turn." Ethan said, Julian, nodding at his words. He held Eva closer to him, he could smell her unique scent. He suspiciously breathed it in; he stiffened when he felt a cold gaze boring on him; he looked up to meet Ethan’s cold blue eyes staring at him. "What? I’m holding her till it’s our turn to switch places." Julian narrowed his eyes at Ethan before moving back with the sleeping Eva in his hands. He only has this opportunity before Eva wakes up. Ethan felt the urge to hit Julian, he suppressed himself and sat honestly in the entrance of the opening. Closing his eyes to rest, but mindful of his surroundings. As the surroundings grew quieter, when everyone was sleeping, few shadows moved across the crowd. One of them slit the throat of a sleeping figure, covering his mouth to ensure no sound can be heard. Unsuspecting people were killed, but those whose instincts were honed by danger quickly reacted and blocked the blow. "What are you doing!" A man shout woke up some people, their eyes widening in terror at the sight of slit throats and stabbed chests. They quickly reacted and fought off their attackers. "You have to die! The air will last longer if there are fewer of us!" one attacker shouted, his voice frantic. He grew a branch through the seed he was holding, snapping a man’s neck ruthlessly with precision.