Chapter 162 All five reunion

Chapter 162: Chapter 162 All five reunion

The aircraft descended slowly through the strange sky, its engines humming with a steady rhythm that seemed almost too loud in the eerie silence of the island below. Luna’s hands gripped the controls tightly, her knuckles white against the dark metal. Every instinct screamed at her to land faster, to move quicker, but she forced herself to remain calm.

"I don’t know what’s down there." She reminded herself. She can’t afford to be reckless.

Rowan had moved to the back of the aircraft, his face pressed against the window as he tracked Kai and Adrian’s movements through the dense forest. "They’re running toward us," he reported, his voice tight with barely contained emotion. "Kai’s in front. Adrian’s behind him. They’re both alive."

Ethan let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. "Thank god."

Luna didn’t respond. She was too focused on finding a safe place to land. The forest below was thick with those strange, twisted trees—the ones with bark that looked like bone and leaves shaped like claws. The roots spread across the ground like veins, creating an uneven, treacherous surface.

"There," Ethan said suddenly, pointing toward a clearing near the collapsed cave. "That flat area. It should be big enough."

Luna nodded and guided the aircraft downward. The landing was rough—the ground beneath them was unstable, littered with debris from the cave collapse—but she managed to bring them down without crashing.

The moment the aircraft touched the ground, Rowan was already moving. He threw open the door and jumped out before the engines had fully powered down, his boots hitting the dirt with a heavy thud.

"Rowan, wait!" Luna called after him, but he was already gone, disappearing into the trees.

Ethan moved to follow, but Luna grabbed his arm. "We don’t know what’s out there. We need to be careful."

Ethan looked at her, his expression torn between frustration and understanding. "Luna, they’re right there. Kai and Adrian are right there."

"I know." Her voice was steady, but her eyes betrayed her. There was fear there—not of the island, not of the creatures, but of what they might find. What if Kai and Adrian were injured? What if they had been changed by this place? What if the reunion she had dreamed of wasn’t the one she was about to have?

She pushed those thoughts aside.

"Let’s go," she said.

Kai had never run so fast in his entire life.

His legs pumped beneath him, carrying him through the twisted forest with a speed he didn’t know he possessed. Branches whipped at his face, roots tried to trip him, but he dodged them all with an almost supernatural grace.

She’s here. She’s actually here.

The thought repeated in his mind like a prayer. After everything—the cave collapse, the strange creatures, the endless darkness—Luna had found them. She had come for them.

Behind him, Adrian struggled to keep up. "Kai, slow down! We don’t know if it’s safe!"

"I don’t care!" Kai shouted back. "That’s Luna’s aircraft! I’d recognize it anywhere!" It was actually because of the design that looked similar to the ampibious vehicle that gave it away.

He burst through a thick wall of vegetation and skidded to a halt.

There, standing at the edge of a clearing, was Rowan.

Kai’s heart nearly stopped. Rowan looked different—his clothes were torn, his face was smeared with dirt and dried blood, and there was a haunted look in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. But it was him. It was really him.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Rowan’s face broke into a wide grin. "You’re alive."

Kai laughed—a breathless, disbelieving sound. "You’re one to talk. You look like you crawled through hell."

"Close enough."

They closed the distance between them in three long strides. Rowan grabbed Kai by the shoulders, his grip almost painfully tight, as though he was afraid the blonde would disappear if he let go.

"You idiot," Rowan said, his voice rough. "You absolute idiot. Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

Kai’s grin softened. "I missed you too."

Adrian finally caught up, stumbling out of the trees with a string of curses. He bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air. "You... are... insane..."

Rowan looked at him and laughed. "Still complaining, I see."

Adrian straightened up, his face flushed. "I’ll complain as much as I want. That bastard just ran through a forest full of monster plants without looking back once."

"Monster plants?" Rowan raised an eyebrow.

"Don’t ask."

Before Rowan could respond, another voice cut through the clearing.

"Kai!"

Kai’s head snapped toward the sound. His heart, which had already been pounding, somehow managed to beat even faster.

Luna was running toward them.

She had changed since he had last seen her. Her hair was longer, tied back in a messy ponytail. There were dark circles under her eyes, evidence of sleepless nights and endless worry. Her clothes were practical—dark pants, a fitted jacket, boots that had seen better days. But her eyes... her eyes were the same. Those piercing, beautiful eyes that had haunted his dreams since the moment they had been separated.

Kai didn’t think. He just moved.

He ran toward her, closing the distance between them in seconds. Luna did the same, her boots pounding against the strange, root-covered ground. When they finally collided, it wasn’t graceful. It wasn’t romantic. It was desperate—two people who had spent too long apart, who had feared the worst, who had almost given up hope.

Kai wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet, spinning her once before pulling her tight against his chest. Luna’s arms locked around his neck, her face buried in his shoulder.

"You’re alive," she whispered. Her voice cracked. "You’re actually alive."

"I’m alive," Kai confirmed. His voice was thick with emotion. "I’m here. I’m not going anywhere."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. They simply held each other, breathing in the scent of the other, reassuring themselves that this was real. That the nightmare was finally over.

Then Luna pulled back slightly, her hands moving to cup Kai’s face. She looked at him—really looked at him—her eyes tracing every line of his features as though she was memorizing them.

"You look terrible," she said.

Kai laughed. "You should see the other guy."

"I did." Luna’s expression darkened. "The island. The creatures. The cave collapse." She shook her head. "I was so scared, Kai. I thought I’d lost you."

"You didn’t." Kai’s voice was gentle. "You found me. Just like you always do."

Luna’s eyes glistened. She blinked rapidly, refusing to let the tears fall. "I brought Ethan and Rowan. We have the aircraft. We can leave."

"Leave?" Kai’s eyebrows rose. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Kai looked over Luna’s shoulder toward Adrian, who had finally caught his breath and was now watching the reunion with a complicated expression on his face. There was relief there, but also something else—something that looked almost like longing.

"You hear that, Adrian?" Kai called out. "We’re getting out of this hellhole."

Adrian nodded slowly. "Good." His voice was quiet. "That’s... good."

Luna followed Kai’s gaze. Her eyes met Adrian’s, and something passed between them—an understanding, perhaps, or a shared acknowledgment of everything they had endured.

Adrian had been the one to protect Kai. To keep him alive. To drag him through the rubble and fight off the creatures and never once give up hope. Luna could see it in the exhaustion etched into his face, in the cuts and bruises that covered his hands, in the way he stood—ready to move, ready to fight, even though his body was clearly at its limit.

"Adrian," Luna said softly.

He looked at her.

"Thank you."

Adrian blinked. For a moment, he seemed unsure how to respond. Then he shook his head. "I didn’t do anything special."

"You kept him alive."

"He kept himself alive." Adrian glanced at Kai. "I just... helped."

Luna smiled. It was a small smile, but it was genuine. "That’s all any of us can do."

Ethan emerged from the trees, his expression lighting up the moment he spotted Kai and Adrian. "You two look like shit."

Kai grinned. "Thanks. You look like you’ve been crying."

Ethan’s smile faltered. "I have not."

"Your eyes are red."

"I got something in them."

"Sure you did."

Ethan walked over and pulled Kai into a brief, fierce hug. "I’m glad you’re not dead."

"Me too." Kai patted his back. "Me too."

When they separated, Ethan turned to Adrian. The two men looked at each other for a moment, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

"You kept him safe," Ethan said.

Adrian shrugged. "He’s hard to kill."

"I know." Ethan extended his hand. "Thank you."

Adrian stared at the offered hand for a second before taking it. His grip was firm. "Don’t mention it."

Luna insisted on checking both Kai and Adrian for injuries before they boarded the aircraft. She moved with practiced efficiency, her fingers pressing against ribs and limbs, her eyes scanning for anything that might require immediate attention.

Kai watched her work, a fond smile playing on his lips. "You know, most people would just ask if we’re okay."

"Most people aren’t dealing with an apocalypse." Luna’s tone was sharp, but her hands were gentle. "Hold still."

"I am still holding on."

"Your arm is twitching."

"That’s because you’re touching me."

Luna’s cheeks flushed slightly. She quickly looked away, focusing on Adrian instead. "Your hands."

Adrian held them up. They were covered in cuts and scrapes, some of them still bleeding. "It’s nothing."

"It’s not nothing." Luna reached into her space and pulled out a small medical kit. "Sit down."

Adrian hesitated.

"Sit."

He sat without complaining.

Luna knelt beside him, cleaning the wounds with careful, precise movements. Adrian watched her in silence, his expression unreadable.

"You don’t have to do this," he said quietly.

"I know that but still."

"I mean it. I’m fine."

"You’re not fine." Luna’s voice was soft. "You’re exhausted. You’re injured. And you’ve been carrying the weight of keeping someone else alive for god knows how long." She looked up at him. "That takes a toll."

Adrian’s jaw tightened. He looked away. "I just did what needed to be done."

"That’s what heroes do."

"I’m not a hero."

Luna finished bandaging his hands and stood. "You are to me."

Adrian didn’t respond. But something in his expression shifted—a crack in the wall he had built around himself, a glimpse of the vulnerability he kept hidden beneath layers of sarcasm and indifference.

Rowan approached them, his eyes scanning the horizon. "We should leave. The sun is starting to set."

Luna followed his gaze. He was right. The sky was already beginning to darken, the strange, too-bright light of the island fading into something more ominous.

"Everyone on board," she ordered. "We’re leaving."