CHAPTER 246: CHAPTER 245 - THE CHAOTIC GROUP.

The Ashen Expanse was as bleak and twisted as ever—ashen winds howling over the warped stone plains, and corrupted trees creaked like ancient bones.

Yet, somehow, the scene somewhere deep, where corrupt beasts are supposed to be running wild, was... oddly peaceful.

Cluckles, the snow-white chicken, wrapped in his fluffy red scarf, sat upon a smooth boulder, one leg crossed over the other like a sage atop a mountain.

His beady black eyes shimmered with the deep, disappointed wisdom of someone left behind.

"The great Cluckles," he said solemnly, "was abandoned. Forgotten. Left to perish in this bleak realm with naught but feather and scarf."

He had been going on about it for around an hour.

After all, Raven and his group had left him alone.

Well, not alone, as across from him, the panther-like corrupt beast—sleek, dark, and elegant—lay on the ground, tilting its head in utter confusion.

Its shimmering silver eyes blinked innocently as its long tail lazily thumped against the ground, like a cat listening to jazz it couldn’t understand.

It had been an hour, and since it felt like the chicken was lonely, it stayed here, lying on the ground.

"Do you know what pain is, beast?" Cluckles continued, nodding sagely. "It is not the cold wind nor the corrupted soil. It is betrayal. Cluckles knows the pain of betrayal most foul."

The beast tilted its head again.

Then, it sneezed.

The moment he did—with a crackling flash of displaced air and light—bamf!

The team reappeared mid-step, mid-sentence, and mid-mood.

Alex stumbled forward, eyes wild. "MY LAVA PANTS! NOT AGAIN!!"

It had taken so much of his effort to make those pants. Yet, before he could grab them, Arietta had whooshed them away.

Clara caught herself gracefully, blinking. "We were in the middle of a farewell!"

Selena adjusted her collar, as if she’d planned to reappear fashionably late. "She didn’t even give us a warning."

Jessy squinted at the sky. "How long were we gone? Forty minutes?"

"Fifty-eight minutes, give or take," Rufus said, adjusting a watch that looked way too advanced for this world. "Not bad for a multi-month training arc."

Siris stabbed the ground. "I swear I was halfway through the best insult I’ve ever thought of."

Graye wobbled slightly in her armor—and then yelped as a 300-pound blur of muscle and happiness tackled her.

"AAHH—BEASTY!!" She squealed, laughing as the panther-beast slobbered joyfully over her face. "I MISSED YOU, YOU OVERGROWN CAT-DOG!"

She was the one who played with the beast the most before getting teleported to Arietta’s domain.

It was because, unlike others, who could and would get hurt by the beast’s playful bites, Graye wouldn’t.

As long as she wore her armor—which she always did—no magical attack could touch her, and the corruption poison that was covering the beast’s teeth was a magical attack of sorts.

The beast, on the other hand, rolled, tail thumping like a drum, clearly demanding playtime now.

Lia smiled, watching the joyful reunion. "Aww..."

The next second, she crouched next to her plant buddy, talking to it.

Meanwhile, Jake silently patted his shadow, and Nibbles emerged holding a tiny sign that read, "We forgot the bird."

Cluckles stood dramatically, his scarf billowing despite the lack of wind.

"Cluckles has known betrayal. He has known abandonment. But worst of all..." He turned slowly. "Cluckles has known neglect."

Graye waved, still being licked. "Hi Cluckles! We’re back!"

"Hmph." He looked away. "Cluckles acknowledges your existence. Barely."

"C’mon, you were gone for like an hour," Clara said, trying not to smile.

"To Cluckles," he declared, "it was a lifetime of feathered solitude!"

Jessy deadpanned. "You were monologuing to the beast."

"Cluckles was sharing ancient poultry wisdom."

The panther-beast let out a happy burble and started rolling in the ash beside Graye.

Selena glanced around. "Wait. Where’s Raven?"

Everyone froze.

"...She didn’t bring him back," Jake said slowly.

"Oh no," Siris growled. "She kept him behind for romantic reasons, didn’t she?!"

"She snapped us back mid-sentence just to get alone time?" Alex shrieked. "She didn’t even let me take my pants!"

"I’m telling you," Rufus whispered, "we’ve underestimated her obsession."

Cluckles flapped his wings. "Looks like someone has claimed the leader. This is how cults begin."

Jessy rubbed her forehead. "So much for the emotional moment we had."

Lia, on the other hand, busy talking to her plant, widened her eyes. "What?! You’re gonna give birth?! How does that happen?"

The group groaned collectively as Alex muttered something about lava pants revenge, Siris sharpened her daggers, and Graye continued wrestling with her giant cuddle-beast.

Cluckles, still on his boulder, raised a wing.

"Cluckles shall meditate on this. But vengeance may still be on the menu."

The panther-beast sneezed again.

In the distance, the skies swirled ever so slightly—whispers of looming trials to come.

But for now, the heroes were back.

Minus one.

And unfortunately... plus one sage-like chicken.

............................

Around an hour later.

Or, more like, around sixteen hours according to Arietta’s clock.

A sudden ripple pulsed through the air, just faint enough to stir the ash, just sharp enough to raise every head.

With a muted whoosh, a crack of light split the space near Cluckles’s boulder, and from it, Raven stepped out.

Hair tousled.

Eyes glowing faintly.

Chest exposed beneath his slightly torn black coat, clearly the victim of a romantic tug-of-war.

He looked... suspiciously well-rested.

The group stared in a mixture of horror, awe, and judgmental silence.

Cluckles, perched atop his rock with crossed wings, squinted down. "Ah. The leader has returned, but Cluckles can smell the lingering divine smell on him."

Selena was the first to move, walking straight up to Raven and hugging him from the side with an accusing squint. "How do you keep getting hotter every time? This is starting to feel personal."

He hadn’t done anything, but looking at him dressed up like that, Selena felt like she was being seduced.

Raven just shrugged. "I’m built different."

Behind them, Alex threw both hands in the air. "Why?! Why didn’t you bring my lava pants with you?! It took a lot of concentration to make it!"

Jessy groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "We’ve been speculating for hours, and somehow all of our worst theories were true."

Siris marched up, dagger twirling in her hand. "Did she keep you there willingly, or did you let her? Blink once if you were under duress. Blink twice if you liked it."

Raven blinked twice.

Clara choked on a laugh while Graye—still pinned by her massive slobbering beast friend—called out, "Dude, you’re lucky Siris didn’t start a rescue mission with explosives!"

Jake gave a subtle nod as if letting Raven know that he was still here.

Rufus rechecked his imaginary watch. "Exactly sixteen hours and eight minutes. That’s a world record for post-training cuddles, even by divine standards."

Lia finally looked up from her plant, blinking innocently. "Planty here says that you look like a tree ready for tiny creatures to make their nests."

Raven turned to her, staring into her eyes, and after a short stare-down, she looked away, her cheeks rosy.

She still couldn’t look him in the eyes for long without blushing.

"I know!" She whispered furiously to Planty. "But I can’t keep a straight face when he looks at me like that!"

It was then that Selena looked at him from the side. "So... got anything to say?"

Raven stretched slightly, cracking his shoulders. "No comment."

Cluckles clucked. "Coward."

The panther-beast gave an approving rumble, flopping over to reveal its belly like a disinterested judge.

Graye gave a double thumbs-up from underneath its paws.

It was then that Selena folded her arms, her eyebrow raised. "So now that the divine cuddle session is over, what’s the plan, fearless leader?"

Cluckles squawked in agreement. "Yes. But Chuckles would prefer not being abandoned again."

Raven ignored the sass and looked around the group, now mostly back to their usual half-serious, half-chaotic selves. "The third phase of our training got paused, so we’ll be making up for it the old-fashioned way."

Siris’s eyes lit up. "Please say violence."

"Violence," Raven confirmed with a grin. "We’re heading deeper into the Ashen Expanse—where the really corrupted stuff hides. Bigger beasts, nastier mana, more chances to die dramatically."

Jessy gave a thumbs-up. "Sounds like fun."

Alex muttered, "As long as I get time to remake my pants..."

"We’ll take shifts," Raven added, glancing at everyone. "Two groups rotating, clearing zones, purging corruption, and fighting whatever thinks it’s scarier than us."

Rufus nodded thoughtfully. "Efficient. Dangerous. I approve."

Graye tried to sit up, but the beast nuzzled her down again. "So we’re doing a live combat grind-fest until our souls scream? I’m in."

Lia blinked. "Planty says that sounds terrifying."

"Good," Raven said. "Let’s get moving."

Behind him, the ash swirled, as if the Expanse itself was listening and accepting their challenge.