Chapter 31 : the weight we carry

The cave was damp and silent, save for the faint drip of water echoing through the stone walls. Aldah sat cross-legged near the faint blue glow of a mana crystal, her courier bag serving as a cushion. Across from her, Vix leaned against the wall, his usually sharp expression softened by exhaustion. They had walked for a long time, hearing the monster’s growls, the childish voice who was asking about Mira.
For a while, they had both sat in silence, but the tension of unspoken thoughts weighed heavier than the air around them. Finally, Aldah spoke.

“I refuse to leave this world without knowing what happened to my brother”
Vix raised a brow, tilting his head slightly.

“You don’t talk much about him. What was he like?”
Aldah’s lips curled into a faint smile, though her eyes dimmed with sadness.
“He was kind. Always watching over me, even when I didn’t need it. He had this way of making the worst day feel like nothing. He was a courier, he was making good money, but one day… he just vanished on a delivery. No body, no clue. Just gone.”
Her voice faltered, and she stared at her gloved hands.
“I’ve been running ever since, chasing rumors, hoping one day I’ll find him. Maybe alive. Maybe not. But I can’t stop searching, I don't remember my parents much, he raised me, taught me everything...I became a delivery girl not because it was my dream, but because I wanted to find him, to follow the same path he did, to understand what really happened to him. But it was difficult, I couldn't find a healer, nobody wanted to pair up with me... I needed money you know, I had to do what I could, I used to be a waitress, a farmer, even a cook, that job was funny ha ha. And now I'm with you, thanks again. I know sometimes I am unbearable but once I'll found out what happened to him, I'll set you free...
The silence lingered before Vix shifted, pushing himself off the wall. He chuckled lightly—though it sounded hollow.
I am the worst...
Vix smirked bitterly, his gaze distant.
“now I understand...your... straightforwardness, chaos, unbreakable optimism are signs that you were raised with love and care. My family? They’d rather lock me in their golden halls and drown me in expectations. ‘Vix, the heir,’ ‘Vix, the perfect son.’ They hated the idea of me wasting time as a courier’s healer. So I did it anyway. Not because I cared about deliveries or even healing at first, but because it was the one thing that spat in their faces.”
He sat down beside her, lowering his voice.
“I thought it was rebellion. But then… I met you who actually needed me. Couriers aren’t like nobles. You don’t carry empty titles—you carry lives, hopes, words. I realized I wanted to be part of that. Not their world.”
Aldah studied him carefully, surprised by his honesty. She gave a small nod.“So, you’re running from your family. I’m running after mine.” she smiled.
Vix chuckled softly, shaking his head.
she came closer to him.
They began to laugh, their laughter—quiet and brief—echoed in the cavern, lightening the air for the first time since they were trapped.
Then, the mana crystal’s glow flickered. The air grew colder, and a deep, ethereal voice resonated from the shadows.
A spectral figure emerged from the wall—a tall spirit, cloaked in flowing mist, His presence carried serenity.
Vix instinctively raised his hand, a healing light sparking in his palm, but Aldah gently lowered it.
“…You’re not here to harm us, are you?”
The spirit’s form rippled like water.
“No”

The walls shimmered faintly, a hidden corridor revealing itself beyond the crystals.
Vix and Aldah exchanged a glance—fear and hope blending in their eyes.