Chapter 143 Family by choice

Chapter 143: Chapter 143 Family by choice

Struggling back up the enormous statue was harder than any of them had expected. The water had already reached their legs, and it was rising much faster than they had anticipated. Every second mattered.

Ethan was the first to make it between the massive legs of the statue, grabbing onto the slippery stone as he desperately pulled himself upward.

"Faster, Ethan! The water is reaching our thighs!" Rowan shouted.

"I’m trying!"

Ethan gritted his teeth and continued climbing. The statue was extremely slippery now. Water streamed down its surface, making every handhold dangerous. One wrong movement could send him tumbling backward into the rising sea. He kept his eyes focused ahead.

His fingers slipped once. "Damn!" He quickly regained his grip.

Behind him, Rowan was helping Luna climb while keeping one eye on the approaching water. "Keep moving!"

Luna struggled to climb because her body was still weak from the injury she had suffered earlier. Even though Ethan had healed her, she hadn’t completely recovered from everything her body had endured. Rowan grabbed her hand. "Come on, Luna."

"I’ve got it."

"You don’t."

She glared at him. "Just pull me up."

Rowan did exactly that.

The water reached higher. Their thighs. Then their waists. Then their stomachs. The current pushed against them with increasing force.

Ethan finally reached the enormous hand of the statue. He grabbed onto the stone fingers and pulled himself onto the elevated surface. The moment he was safely above the water, he collapsed onto his back. He sucked in several deep breaths while staring at the dark sea below.

The water had returned with tremendous force. It spread across the landscape until there was no sign of the ground they had walked across earlier. Ethan wiped his wet face. "How did the day go by so fast?" His breathing slowly steadied. "It was the most unnatural thing I’ve ever seen."

A few moments later, Rowan finally managed to get Luna up. They were both completely drenched from head to toe. The cold had already begun catching up with Luna. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.

As she reached the outstretched hand of the statue where they were standing, she immediately held her chest. Fear washed through her. If she hadn’t made it back in time... She didn’t want to finish that thought.

The three of them were finally together again. Luna looked at Rowan, then Ethan, then toward the endless sea surrounding them. "What in the world was that?" Her voice was filled with disbelief. "I’ve never heard of a day moving this fast." She frowned. "Is this another change?"

Neither man had an answer. They could only stare at the ocean.

Something was happening to their world. Luna could feel it. It wasn’t simply another natural disaster. It felt as though something had struck the world and flipped reality into an entirely different direction. A direction that might not even be survivable.

Her system could have given them an explanation. It could have scanned the phenomenon. It could have told her what was happening. But it was gone. Again.

Luna’s fingers tightened. She hated not knowing. She hated being unable to control the situation. She looked toward the horizon. The sea had completely settled now. The dark water surrounded the statue on every side. It was almost black, like charcoal mixed with tar, stretching so far that Luna couldn’t see where it ended.

Ethan finally broke the silence. "Are we ever going to get out of this place?" He rubbed his face. "Getting down is already another risk." He looked toward the water. "Before we make it down and walk even a little distance, the day could already be moving toward night again." He clenched his fists. "And when the water comes back, are we supposed to rush all the way here again?" His frustration was obvious. "We almost didn’t make it this time." He looked around helplessly. "I thought we’d finally get the opportunity to leave."

Rowan sighed. "None of us wanted to stay here." He looked toward the horizon. "But we can’t ignore what just happened."

Ethan turned toward him.

Rowan continued. "Let’s just stay here for now." He gestured toward the statue. "Don’t attract anything and see if something changes that could help us escape."

Ethan scoffed. "That’s wishful thinking." He folded his arms. "Something isn’t going to magically change just because we sit here." He looked toward the ocean. "And how are we supposed to know if something changes?" His voice became more frustrated. "We’ll just be sitting here making ourselves an easy target." He glanced away. "And I’m worried about Kai and Adrian." His expression tightened. "What if they’re waiting for us somewhere?"

Luna’s heart clenched. That possibility had been sitting inside her mind too. What if Kai and Adrian were alive? What if they were injured? What if they were waiting for them to come? Or worse... What if they were already dead?

Rowan noticed Ethan’s expression. "It’s not our fault."

Ethan looked at him.

"It’s not yours either." Rowan continued. "We tried." He pointed toward the water. "Look at what almost happened when we tried leaving. We nearly got swept away by the flood." His voice became serious. "What if it happens again?" He shook his head. "Unless we know what the next step is, we can’t just walk out there blindly. Being careful isn’t cowardice, especially after everything we’ve experienced."

Ethan remained silent. He still wasn’t completely convinced.

But before the argument could continue, Luna snapped her fingers. "Want to eat something?"

Both men looked at her.

"I have some bread and chocolate drinks." She reached into her space and brought out a bottle and a fresh, plump piece of bread. The timing couldn’t have been better. Both men were starving.

Luna handed them each something. "Here."

"Thanks so much, Luna."

Ethan immediately opened his drink and tore into the bread. Rowan accepted his portion but didn’t eat immediately. He stared at it. His mind was elsewhere.

"Do you think the other two have food?" Luna looked at him.

Rowan lowered his gaze. "I’m wondering if they’re suffering." He swallowed. "Or whether they’re still alive."

His worry made Luna sigh. She had just been about to take a bite of her own bread. "It’s okay, Rowan Asfaang." She looked directly at him. "Eat."

Rowan slowly looked up.

"We’ll find them." Her voice was gentle but firm. "I promise." She took a bite. "Nothing has happened to them. I believe that." She paused. "And right now, we don’t have much else except faith."

Rowan finally sighed. He took a bite of his bread. "I’ve never had companions like them." His voice was quieter. "I know it hasn’t been that long, but I’ve grown attached to them." He smiled faintly. "Going without them feels strange." He looked toward the sea. "I can’t even eat without imagining Kai’s face after surviving this whole situation." He suddenly laughed. "Can you imagine his reaction when he realizes the water disappeared and came back?"

Ethan stopped eating. Then he laughed too. "Yeah." He shook his head. "You’re right." He looked toward Luna. "We’re family after all, right?"

Luna immediately noticed the question. Ethan knew she had previously rejected the idea of them being a family. So he watched her carefully, waiting for her response.

Luna simply let out a soft chuckle. "Family, right?" She looked down at her food. "I don’t really know how that feels." Her expression darkened slightly. "As I told you, my past was horrible." She continued eating. "Those people were beasts. I don’t even consider them family."

Ethan pushed his remaining bread aside. He looked at her seriously. "Family can be beautiful, Luna." ℯℯ𝘭.

She raised an eyebrow.

"I understand yours was terrible." He looked toward Rowan. "Same with his." Then his expression became distant. "But with the right people, family can make your entire world lighter." His voice trembled slightly. "I miss my father."

Luna’s chewing stopped.

"And my sister." Ethan swallowed. "My mother didn’t last long, but those two were my world." His fingers tightened around the bottle. "Then the apocalypse took my father." His voice cracked. "I fought so hard to survive with my sister." He looked down. "I would have sacrificed anything for her."

Tears began forming in his eyes. "I would change anything if it meant seeing her again." His breathing became uneven. "I’d even cut pieces of myself off if that was the price."

Luna’s expression softened.

"But I couldn’t save her." Ethan’s voice broke. "I failed to protect my little angel." He covered his face. "She believed in me." His shoulders trembled. "She was so little." Tears slipped between his fingers. "She was kind. She barely understood the world." He began crying harder. "She didn’t deserve such a horrible death."

Luna couldn’t simply watch anymore. She moved closer and wrapped her arms around him.

Ethan froze. Her scent filled his senses as she held him tightly. "You didn’t fail."

Ethan lowered his hands.

Luna gently wiped the tears from his face. "I’m sure she’s in heaven now, smiling at you." Her fingers moved through his hair. "Don’t give up." She looked directly into his eyes. "At least fight harder for her sake."

Ethan’s eyes filled with more tears.

Luna hugged him again. "I am your family now." Her voice was soft. "And you guys are mine." She held him tighter. "So I won’t lose you."

For a few moments, the three of them stayed together in silence.

Then—Ripple.

Luna froze.

Rowan immediately lifted a hand toward his lips. Silence.

Ethan stopped breathing.

The three of them slowly turned toward the sea. Another ripple spread across the dark surface. Then another.

Rowan carefully moved toward the edge of the statue’s enormous hand. He lowered himself slightly. "Don’t move."

Luna and Ethan followed his gaze. Something was beneath them. Something had surfaced.

At first, they could only see the faint outline of a head. Then another. Then another.

Luna’s blood ran cold. Ten eyes slowly emerged from the darkness of the water. Ten glowing eyes. All staring directly at them.

The three of them became completely rigid. Nobody spoke. Nobody breathed.

Whatever was beneath the statue had seen them.

And this time... They had nowhere else to run.