CHAPTER 66: A PLACE THAT FEELS LIKE PEACE

The morning light filtered through the vines that hung like natural curtains at the entrance to the settlement.

A beam of sunlight illuminated specks of dust and tiny insects flitting between the leaves, while the breeze carried the scent of damp earth.

Rhys straightened slowly, his muscles protesting after the fitful rest of recent nights. He had been sleeping on one of the clinic’s cots, though not out of medical necessity anymore. He had grown used to Eun-woo’s closeness, and to the shared warmth in that corner that, despite the rough blankets and the persistent smell of medicinal herbs, had become a quiet refuge.

Eun-woo was already awake. He didn’t speak, but held a half-knitted scarf in his hands, letting his fingers move in slow, mechanical motions. It was a calm gesture on the surface, though the rest of his face kept a focused look that seemed to hide deeper thoughts.

"Another night of nightmares?" Rhys asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"I dreamed about the cave..." Eun-woo replied with a faint sigh, "but not about the creature."

Rhys sat on the edge of the cot and stretched his neck

"That’s progress," he said. "Although I don’t like that it’s still showing up in your dreams."

Eun-woo shrugged, setting the scarf on the makeshift table beside the bed.

"I think I’m still going to need time."

Outside the clinic, the settlement was already stirring. The murmur of voices, the clatter of tools, and the song of some distant bird formed a routine that had slowly become the new background noise of their lives.

Rhys got up and straightened the blankets. As he did, his eyes lingered for a moment on the empty cot across the room.

It was Rong Ye’s.

For a moment, the sight of the neatly folded sheets and the empty space brought him a strange feeling, relief, certainly, but also a kind of disbelief.

For days, that cot had been the epicenter of everyone’s concern in the clinic. He remembered vividly when they brought him in, unconscious, his face covered in dust and blood.

Jess had been the one to murmur the words that made Rhys’s stomach tighten: several broken ribs and possibly a punctured lung.

Rong Ye’s condition had been critical. The slightest shift in his position required careful hands and coordination between two or three people to avoid worsening the injuries.

There were nights when Rhys stayed awake, listening to the harsh sound of his breathing, wondering if he would make it until dawn.

The clinic was no hospital and everyone knew it. There were no machines, no sophisticated medicines, just clean bandages, warm compresses, crushed herbs, and the stubborn patience of those who refused to watch him die.

Eun-woo, even with his own physical pain, had spent hours at Rong Ye’s side, making sure the blanket covered his shoulders and moistening his lips when he couldn’t drink on his own.

Little by little, the immediate danger began to fade. First came the moments when Rong Ye could sleep without so much restlessness. Then, his breathing became deeper and less irregular. When Rong Ye finally managed to sit up, with help, to eat a few spoonfuls of soup, Rhys felt something loosen in his chest.

The day Rong Ye took his first steps away from the cot was almost silent. There were no loud celebrations, but a murmur of approval rippled through the clinic.

Rong Ye was not a man given to talking much with strangers, but he nodded in thanks to every person who had been there during his darkest days. Since then, he spent part of his time outside, soaking in the sun or walking slowly to regain strength in his legs.

Now, the absence of his body on that cot was a reminder that things could get better.

Rhys allowed himself a brief but genuine smile. In the midst of so many losses and wounds that still ached, there was something worth holding onto: Rong Ye was alive, and growing stronger each day.

Before leaving, Rhys touched Eun-woo’s shoulder.

"Coming to breakfast?"

"Give me a few minutes," he replied. "I want to wash up first."

Rhys nodded and stepped out into the fresh air toward the center of the settlement, where a large table cobbled together from wooden planks served as a meeting point. A couple of women stirred steaming pots of root soup, while a child went back and forth handing out pieces of bread to those already seated.

Jess was there, speaking to an elderly man with white hair and work-worn hands. She wore a clean shirt, but the bandage on her right arm remained, a reminder that her recovery was not yet complete.

"Good morning, Rhys," she greeted him with a brief nod.

"Good morning," he replied, taking a bowl of soup one of the women offered him.

The aroma was mild, but Rhys savored it as if it were a feast. It had been weeks since the constant fear of the cave had given way to these calmer days, and though his body still remembered the tension, his stomach welcomed every hot meal.

Jess resumed her conversation with the old man, but Rhys caught fragments: mentions of lookouts, gathering routes, and a "reinforcement of the mesh" on the northern side of the settlement. It didn’t surprise him. Since the cave collapse, security had become everyone’s priority.

When Eun-woo arrived, the sun had already climbed a little higher in the sky. His hair was damp and he wore a clean shirt, with a faint flush in his cheeks that he hadn’t had before. Rhys pulled a bench aside so he could sit next to him.

"Did you sleep any more after I got up?" Rhys asked.

"No. I just kept thinking."

"About what?"

Eun-woo stirred his soup with the spoon, not looking at him.

"Now that we’re here, it feels like everything is calm... Calm before something else happens."

Rhys studied him, recognizing that shadow of unease in his words.

"You might be right. But for now, I’d rather not think about that ’something else.’"

A brief silence settled between them, broken by the sound of a bowl being set on the table. Jess had finished her conversation and was coming toward them.

"Rhys, Eun-woo... when you’re done, I want you to come with me to check the western area. I need you to see how the access points are holding up."

"Sure," Rhys replied, and Eun-woo nodded.

While they finished breakfast, Rhys couldn’t help noticing how several eyes followed Jess, not always with friendliness. The tension between some residents and her had not disappeared. And though no one mentioned it openly, they all knew the cause: Nolan.

The man remained shut in one of the farthest cabins, guarded day and night. His condition was still fragile; the wound he had inflicted on himself had required immediate attention, and for days his recovery was as uncertain as Rong Ye’s had been. The bleeding had been difficult to control with the settlement’s limited resources.

Jess and a couple of healers took turns cleaning the wound and changing the bandages, making sure it didn’t become infected. Even so, Nolan refused to cooperate beyond the bare minimum: he didn’t speak, didn’t answer questions, and often closed his eyes tightly as if the mere presence of another person was unbearable.

In the early days, he had stubbornly refused food, accepting only sips of water or a piece of hard bread when he was too weak to stand. Just enough to keep from collapsing.

That resistance, far from softening tensions in the settlement, had hardened them. Some saw it as stubbornness, others as a form of silent manipulation.

Over time, his wound began to heal and his steps grew steadier, but the silence persisted. Neither Jess, nor Rhys, nor anyone else had heard a single word from him since he was brought from the cave.

Jess never confirmed anything, but rumors spread quickly. Some wanted him expelled, others preferred to leave him there until he spoke.

No one seemed willing to forgive what he had done, and even less to trust him.

Rhys mentioned it to Eun-woo as they walked toward the western side.

"Jess says he hasn’t spoken to her. Not a single word."

Eun-woo frowned.

"You think he’s faking it?"

"I don’t know." Rhys kicked at a stone on the path. "Maybe. Or maybe he’s already decided he won’t tell us anything."

The path led them to a part of the settlement where the vegetation grew thicker. Several people were reinforcing a section of the mesh that separated the clearing from the forest, tying new segments with thick rope. Among them was Caelan, crouched and wearing a sleeveless shirt that revealed fresh scars along his arms.

"If we don’t secure this side properly, the next strong wind will bring it down," Caelan said without looking up, threading the rope through the metal with quick, firm movements. "And I’m not putting this mesh back up for the third time in a month."

Rhys gave a half-smile but watched him for a few seconds. Of all those who had been in the cave, Caelan seemed the least affected. He worked with energy, spoke in the same practical tone as always, and even allowed himself light jokes with the others. But Rhys knew him well enough to tell that this normality was only a façade.

Caelan was the kind who preferred to keep everything inside, letting the weight pile up in silence, giving no one the chance to see how much it truly affected him.

Eun-woo crouched to hold the rope while Caelan tied it off with a sharp tug.

"Need more hands?" Rhys asked.

"Always," Caelan replied, and though his tone was neutral, his gaze briefly met Rhys’s before returning to his work.

Jess stopped to inspect a post that had shifted slightly.

"If the mesh falls, it won’t just be because of animals," she said. "There are also people out there who won’t bother asking before coming in."

Rhys and Eun-woo helped Caelan adjust the rope, and though the work was simple, the effort was a reminder that the settlement was not isolated from danger.

On the way back, they ran into Jae, carrying two baskets full of large leaves and tubers.

"Good morning," he greeted, though his voice sounded muted.

Rhys noticed that Jae avoided meeting his eyes. Since the cave, the boy had kept some distance, as if he didn’t feel part of the group that had made it out alive. Rhys thought of saying something, but didn’t push it.

The afternoon passed with small tasks: hauling water from the stream, helping in the garden, and cutting branches to reinforce the cabin roofs.

Eun-woo spent some time with the animal caretakers, watching a small, furry creature trying to open a nut with its claws. Rhys saw him smile faintly and decided not to interrupt.

As the sun began to set, the settlement was bathed in golden tones. Smoke from the fires rose in soft spirals, and the smell of food once again filled the air.

In the clinic, Rhys and Eun-woo settled onto their usual cot together. Nebu, as always, curled up at their feet.

"You know," Eun-woo murmured, staring at the ceiling, "I think I’m getting used to this place."

Rhys looked at him, lying on his side.

"Is that good or bad?"

"I don’t know yet," Eun-woo replied. "But... with you here, I guess it’s good."

Rhys gave a small smile and slid his hand to intertwine it with his.

"Then let’s try to keep it that way."

Eun-woo squeezed his fingers, and for a moment, the settlement’s calm felt like enough.