บท 597: The Squads

After their meeting, Elena guided Eccar down winding corridors toward his living quarters. It was a modest cave room carved into the stone of their hidden settlement. The air was damp and the walls were rough yet the space was quiet and insulated from the sounds of the world outside.

"Sorry we can't offer more," Elena said, a hint of embarrassment crossing her face as she gestured around the room which held only a straw mattress and a small stone shelf.

Eccar shook his head, giving her a reassuring look.

"This is enough. I've lived in much worse places." His thoughts flickered back to his time in the Chaos Realm. That was a harsh place where he could feel the constant, oppressive presence of corrupted Magic.

The air there seemed to pulse with dark energies that could sapping his mind's peace. Here, in contrast, he found a surprising calm. There was no shadow of corruption weighing down his thoughts and no perpetual sense of lurking dread.