UNLOCK: I CAN SEE MY STATS

chapter 15 : escape

A faint groan slipped through the darkness. Marcus's heavy breathing quickened, his body trembling from unbearable pain. He awoke and barely managed to open his eyes.

“Damn… I knew this would happen… but hell, the pain is worse than I remember.”

He tried to move his arm, but a sharp surge of agony nearly knocked him unconscious again. He gritted his teeth.

“This is the price of using ‘All for One’... Every time it feels like my body’s tearing itself apart from the inside.”

Beside him, the sound of heavy breathing made him turn his head slowly. Tina was stirring, waking up gradually. She opened her eyes and abruptly sat up, her gaze frantic.

“Where are we? What happened?” she said with a shaky voice, then caught sight of Marcus. “How did we get here? The camp… is it still standing?”

Marcus lifted his eyes slowly toward her and replied coldly,

“We withdrew south. The camp is gone, or at least, that’s what I believe.”

“What do you mean, gone?!” Tina shouted, moving closer, her eyes burning with a mix of fear and rage. “You left everyone behind and ran?!”

Marcus gave her a mocking glance.

“So you preferred a heroic death? The camp fell. The Ironland army was already on the way. By now, they’ve probably taken full control.”

Tina’s eyes widened in shock, her lips trembling as she shouted at him again,

“Heartless bastard! Traitor! We could’ve warned them! We could’ve done something, anything, instead of this cowardly escape!”

Marcus exhaled sharply and ignored her, redirecting his attention to his own broken body, beginning an internal scan.

“Torn muscles… some bones feel cracked… but at least nothing permanently damaged,” he thought, cautiously running his trembling fingers along his body.

“You’re ignoring me now?!” Tina said, her voice trembling with anger.

Marcus looked at her with vacant eyes, then answered with quiet finality,

“Staying there would’ve been suicide. If you want an honorable death, the battle’s not over. You can go back.”

Tina flinched, stepping back as anger and helplessness twisted inside her. She sat down in silence, watching Marcus completely focused on his own condition.

“There’s no point arguing now... he’s already made his choice,” she thought bitterly, casting one last look at him before turning her face away.

Marcus felt a slight tingling spreading through his body. Finally, the pain was beginning to ease, just a little, not enough to feel relief, but enough to move.

He opened his eyes slowly and stared up at the sky, whispering to himself,

“I’m still far from recovered… but at least I can move again.”

He sat up with great caution, resting his back against a nearby tree. He noticed Tina sitting a short distance away, staring at the ground with hollow eyes.

“Still angry?” he wondered to himself, with little actual concern.

She turned toward him slowly but quickly looked away without a word. Her thoughts raced, replaying his earlier words again and again, tormented by one lingering question:

Was he right? Was there really no other choice but to flee?

Marcus’s calm voice broke her chain of conflicted thoughts:

“We need to move now. This place won’t stay safe for long.”

She lifted her head toward him sharply.

“Where do you want to go now?” she asked, tension lacing her tone.

He looked at her coldly and answered with firm resolve,

“The nearest village. We need accurate information about what’s happening. Staying here any longer would be a grave mistake.”

“You don’t want to go back to the camp?” she asked, her eyes searching his face with a blend of accusation and hope.

Marcus let out a faint scoff as he stood, wincing in pain,

“You want to go back and die with honor? I told you before, there’s no room for idealism here. If we return now, we’ll just be names on a casualty list.”

Tina hesitated, then reluctantly stood up, muttering,

“Fine. Let’s go…” though she still refused to look him in the eye.

They moved cautiously through the forest, Marcus clearly in pain but forcing himself forward, Tina following silently, her thoughts swirling.

Maybe he was right… but I still can’t accept abandoning everyone without even trying to save them, she thought sorrowfully, eyes cast down.

After a short distance, Marcus suddenly stopped and raised his hand, signaling Tina to halt. She turned toward him in alarm, then heard it too.

They quickly hid behind thick bushes, watching as a patrol of Ironland soldiers swept through the area, searching for survivors.

“Damn… they’ve increased the patrols. Worse than I thought,” Marcus thought grimly, peering carefully through the dense leaves.

“Hide your energy, now,” he whispered urgently. Even though Ironland soldiers weren’t known for using sensory techniques, anyone could still feel Eternal Energy if it wasn’t suppressed, it shone like a beacon in the dark.

Tina clenched her teeth and did as he said, watching the soldiers closely.

He was right… we wouldn’t have survived if we’d stayed at the camp…

Suddenly, one soldier stopped very close to their hiding spot, as if he had sensed something. Both their hearts pounded. Tina felt pure terror ripple through her body.

“Stay calm. Don’t move,” Marcus whispered without looking at her, his eyes fixed coldly on the soldier.

His hand slid silently into his pocket, ready to consume one of the energy orbs he had taken from the camp.

Tina held her breath, realizing these might be her final moments.

But the soldier suddenly turned back to his comrades and shouted,

“Nothing here! Move west!”

They left quickly. After a long, tense silence, Marcus exhaled deeply and stood slowly, his voice calm.

“They nearly found us. We need to move faster.”

Tina also stood, this time looking at him with slightly different eyes. Her voice was quiet:

“Marcus… maybe you were right. Maybe we really didn’t have any other choice.”

He turned to her slowly and replied coolly,

“Now you realize? This is the reality. Idealism is just a lie in a world like this. You’d better learn fast if you want to survive.”

Tina swallowed hard. Bitterness burned her throat. She wasn’t ready to fully admit he was right, but the doubt had already taken root.

“Come on, the village isn’t far,” Marcus said, walking forward, ignoring the fatigue still raging in his body.

Tina followed silently, head low, her thoughts torn and tangled.

She couldn’t help but glance again at the teenager walking ahead of her, the boy younger than her, yet far more composed, more mature than his age should allow. Not to mention his power , she had witnessed him injure a Stone Clan member, the strongest person she had ever seen.

" Hmm! , Skilled in both medicine and combat… and he hasn’t even awakened his bloodline yet. Who are you really, Marcus Abomarian...?"

---

Lorana, City of Kata – Western Wing of the Mayor’s Palace

Scattered papers, neglected candles, and furious shadows danced across Shion’s face. Her hands gripped the edge of the table violently, her eyes glowing with restrained fury.

“How did this happen?!” she shouted, voice trembling. “How dare they attack the eastern camp like this?!”

“Mayor Shion, the report says only four soldiers survived. The rest…” the officer hesitated, swallowing hard, “the rest covered the retreat.”

Silence swallowed the room. Shion stepped toward the window, staring into the endless darkness. Her voice shook as she asked,

“Marcus… was he among the survivors?”

“Mayor, we couldn’t confirm identities… but… according to the report, it’s likely he…”

The officer didn’t finish, but his eyes said everything.

Shion stepped back, as if struck by an invisible force. Her breath shuddered. Her fury turned into raw pain.

“No… not Marcus… That boy doesn’t die that easily,” she whispered to herself, but her voice was weaker than she wished.

She turned to the officer, her face pale, eyes filled with cold, burning resolve.

“I want confirmation. Send out a scouting unit immediately. I want to know who lived, and who didn’t. No guesses. I want facts.”

The officer bowed, “Right away, ma’am,” and quickly left the room.

Shion stood alone, staring into emptiness. Her heart pounded, a wave of dread and anger swelling inside her chest.

" Marcus, don’t fail me… not now, not like this… "

she thought desperately, clenching her teeth to suppress her fear that he might be lost forever.

" Hmm ! Yes !! There’s still hope ...."

"Seth hasn’t returned yet. With his strength, it wouldn’t be hard for him to escape with Marcus…"

She remained motionless, staring into the darkness, unable to think of anything else but the boy she had sworn to protect, no matter the cost.