章 46: It's in ruins

It had been fourteen hours since the journey to Heloria began. The sun had set hours ago, casting long shadows and eventually plunging the landscape into darkness. The carriage pressed onward without pause, driven by the determination to arrive early. Yet, despite the urgency, it was inevitable that breaks would be needed, for the carriage drivers were human, not machines.

In the last carriage of the convoy, the atmosphere was oppressive. Every passenger sat with their heads bowed, a single hand covering their faces in a futile attempt to ward off the nausea that plagued them. The air was thick with discomfort and the pungent smell of illness. Amidst this gloom, Luna sat quietly, her eyes flitting from one person to another. She seemed strangely unaffected, her demeanor calm and collected, a stark contrast to the misery around her.