The Last Nightmare

The fire crackled, its glow flickering across the cavern walls, sending shifting shadows dancing around them. The warmth of the stew lingered on Nate's tongue, but his appetite had faded.

Elena's quiet confession still echoed in his mind.

"My brother is dying."

Then Darius's casual yet bitter admission:

"I owe someone. A big debt."

And Kai's cold, measured words, hiding something raw beneath the surface:

"I wasn't strong enough to protect her."

Nate exhaled slowly, staring into the fire. He felt… off.

Like something was twisting inside him.

Not pity. No, it was something heavier. Guilt.

They had fought together. They had bled together. But until this moment, he hadn't even thought to ask why they were here.

Had he been that self-absorbed?

---

He clenched his fist, his nails pressing into his palm.

Money. That was his reason, wasn't it?

But comparing to them… it felt somehow similar.

Elena was risking her life for her brother. Darius was fighting to settle a past debt. Kai was chasing a shadow, desperately trying to right a failure that still haunted him.

And Nate?

What was he fighting for?

His memories drifted —to his family,His little sister,his father and his sickly mother who really needs the advance potion to get better.

"I just didn't want to die.I want to return to my family"

But now, sitting here, surrounded by people who carried real burdens like him, that reason felt something .

His grip tightened.

"I don't want my mother to die."

"I want my family to live a Happy life"

The realization hit him harder than he expected.

For the first time, he wanted more.

---

The silence stretched between them, heavy but not uncomfortable.

Darius had gone back to sharpening his axe, his usual easygoing smirk slightly dimmed. Elena quietly stirred the pot, though her violet eyes seemed distant, lost in thought. Kai simply sat, his dagger spinning between his fingers, his expression unreadable.

Nate watched them, feeling the weight of everything left unsaid.

He had fought beside them, trusted them with his life—but he barely knew them.

That truth bothered him in a way he couldn't quite explain.

He hesitated before speaking. "You guys have such strong reasons for being here… but how did you even meet?"

The question made all three pause.

Kai's dagger stilled.

Elena blinked, as if pulled from a trance.

Darius chuckled, leaning back against the cavern wall. "Now that's a story."

Kai exhaled through his nose, flipping his dagger once before tucking it away. "I suppose it's only fair. We shared our reasons. Might as well tell you how it all started."

Elena smirked. "I bet Darius is going to make himself sound like some noble hero."

Darius grinned. "Hey, I am a noble hero. Just a very broke one."

Nate chuckled despite himself. The mood was shifting, but he could tell—this story meant something to them.

And now, for the first time, he was about to understand.

---

Elena leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. "It started in a border town. We didn't know each other, but we were all there for different reasons."

Kai nodded. "A merchant caravan was passing through. Rich targets. Easy prey for the right kind of people."

Nate frowned. "Bandits?"

"More like a mercenary gang," Darius corrected. "The Bloodhounds. Nasty bastards. They had a deal with the local guards, so no one stopped them from looting travelers."

Elena's lips pressed into a thin line. "I was in that town gathering supplies. I had just finished treating a few villagers when I heard the attack."

Kai's voice was flat. "I was tracking them."

Nate raised an eyebrow. "Tracking them?"

Kai's fingers twitched. "They had something I was looking for."

Nate didn't press.

Darius stretched. "And I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time—or the right place, depending on how you look at it."

Elena shot him a look. "You were gambling."

"Hey, I was winning!"

"You were cheating."

"Details." Darius waved a hand. "Anyway, the bastards storm in, weapons drawn, demanding money. I was not about to give up my winnings, so I did what any reasonable man would do."

Kai deadpanned. "You threw a table at them."

Nate blinked. "You what?"

Darius grinned proudly. "Full force. Right in the leader's face."

Elena sighed. "And that, naturally, escalated things."

Kai leaned back. "I was already watching them from the rooftops, waiting for the right moment. When Darius started swinging, I figured I might as well join in."

Nate smirked. "And Elena?"

"I was trying to help the wounded." She shot Darius a glare. "Until someone threw a guy into my supply cart."

Darius laughed. "To be fair, I didn't think he'd land exactly on it."

Elena rolled her eyes.

---

Nate shook his head, grinning. "So let me get this straight—you met because of a bar fight with mercenaries?"

"Pretty much," Darius admitted.

"But that doesn't explain why you stuck together after that," Nate pointed out.

Kai's expression grew serious. "Because the Bloodhounds weren't the real problem."

Elena's gaze darkened slightly. "We thought we'd won. We cleared out the Bloodhounds, took down most of their fighters… but then their leader stepped in."

Kai's expression remained unreadable, but Nate noticed the way his fingers curled slightly. "That's when we realized he was Awakened.A real monster. The three of us barely managed to escape that first fight."

Nate sutter "Awakened? "

Elena nodded.

Darius let out a low whistle. "Bastard nearly roasted us alive."

Nate tensed. "Flame?"

Elena nodded. "He could control flames to a terrifying extent. Not just throwing fireballs like some novice mage—he could ignite the air itself. We barely had time to react before the entire street was burning."

Darius scoffed. "Tried to take him head-on. Bad idea. His flames ate through my armor like it was paper."

Kai's voice was low. "We ran. There was no winning that fight."

"Run all you like. The next time I find you, you'll burn....This is what the Awakened leader has said"said Darius.

Nate's eyes widened slightly. " But You took down the entire mercenary gang?"

Elena gave a small, knowing smile. "It wasn't easy."

Darius smirked. "But damn, was it fun."

Kai exhaled. "After that, we stuck together. Made sense. We worked well as a team."

Elena nodded. "And over time… we became more than that."

She glanced between them, her usual composed expression softening slightly.

"We became family"

The word family settled in Nate's chest in a way he didn't expect.

He had never had that. Never had people he could rely on like this.

For so long, he had been alone.

And yet, sitting here, listening to their story, he didn't feel alone anymore.

A lump formed in his throat.

He wanted to be part of this.

Not just as an ally. Not just as someone fighting for survival.

But as one of them.

He glanced down at his hands, then back at them.

Finally, he spoke, voice quieter than before.

"…I want that too."

Kai looked at him.

Elena tilted her head slightly.

Darius grinned. "Then stick around, kid."

Nate let out a breath.

Yeah.

Maybe for the first time, he had something worth fighting for.