Chapter 752 Tensions Arise

The entire group was silent as Lee Seng flicked his fingers and watched the bedding fly up. The Void Gate opened and he silently threw them in. Keng and Calis watched Lee Seng as he did the mundane tasks. It was something for him to do since the group didn't want him to fight.

"Did any of you eat?" Lee Seng quietly asked.

"N-no." Calis answered. Lee Seng nodded and turned away from them.

"I'll get more wood for a fire. We can reheat the food and eat before we leave." Lee Seng quietly made his way into the forest, leaving the group in silence. He took his time picking the wood that Calis had gathered yesterday. He plopped them into his Void Gate, mindlessly letting the mundane task take over.

Lee Seng closed the gate and flicked his finger at the remaining wood. It would suffice for reheating the food. He turned and noticed Calis standing off to the side near a tree. Lee Seng hadn't even detected Calis.

"Everything alright?" Lee Seng asked. He braved a face like he wasn't bothered by the entire team. Calis felt different. He felt like someone who was just an outsider looking in. He knew enough of their struggle to form an opinion but kept it to himself.

"Everything's good. I thought you'd need help, but it looks like you handled it fine." Calis answered, moving to walk with Lee Seng. "So, where did you go? Where did that portal take you to?"

"The Estate." Lee Seng answered truthfully. "The Vampire Lady wanted me dead apparently. She caught onto me after Lord Cain. I managed to get out with the help of a friend." Calis nodded and turned, stopping. Lee Seng wandered a couple steps more before stopping and turning to look at Calis.

"Lee Seng… I'm sure you're curious to what happened with your friends, right?" Calis asked, quietly. "Y'see… It's been a rough time for them since they came to Daros after narrowly getting away from the Deimons that came for all of you guys."

"Why're you telling me?" Lee Seng asked.

"Well… I just thought that maybe—"

"Let them tell me." Lee Seng told Calis. "They should be the ones telling me what happened. They should be telling me how they feel, what trials and tribulations they encounter. How they got over it? How hard they fell?" Lee Seng plucked the mask off and wiped his eyes. "I know I'm having a tough time, but I want them to tell me all of that themselves. Y-you should understand, right? Y-you're a Captain or something right?"

"I never thought I'd get out, to be honest." Calis told Lee Seng. "After we got separated that day… I thought you guys would be dead, but you weren't. I went straight to the Commander and asked what happened. I barely missed you guys after you went to Olivia's village. I waited and waited but then heard of the attack there and went to see for myself… That place was decimated and there was no sign of you guys.

"I panicked and went to Daros thinking I wouldn't see you again but I did. I saw all of you… in Revit after rumors reached my shores… I…" Calis gulped his feelings down. He took a breath and steadied himself. He looked Lee Seng in the eyes and smiled. "I'm really glad you're awake. My worries vanished when I saw all of you, again. Another lifted off when you woke up. All of my worries will be over when we get that Cup, but I want you to know I will fight besides you no matter what. I'll do what I can, but don't shoulder how you feel and how they feel alone. I'm here."

Calis rested his hand on Lee Seng's shoulder and squeezed it. He smiled and Lee Seng wiped his tears, nodding.

"We should get back." Lee Seng suggested.

"Mmm." Calis pulled his hand away as Lee Seng set the mask back on. The two wondered back to a quiet camp. Evan, Manny and Olivia sat together while Liz and Keng sat together. They all acknowledge Lee Seng and Calis had come back together, but didn't say anything. Lee Seng pulled the wood over to the fire and set it down. He lifted his hand and shot a concentrated beam of light, igniting the wood in an instant.

The fire consumed the wood as Lee Seng flicked his finger at the food and dragged it over to the fire. He set the food down and plopped a seat in front of the fire. Calis sat down next to him and they silently watched the food reheat.

They all ate in silence, cleaned their dishes with the help of Keng's hydrokinesis from Hydrosphere and set the things in Keng's Void Storage before heading out. The group gathered into their formations. Keng and Liz behind Calis and Lee Seng while the rest were at the front.

They made no small talk as they walked. Lee Seng pulled the map up, occasionally and checked how far they were. Time went slowly and the tension between Lee Seng and the rest seemed to only grow thicker.

The sun slowly rose and set. Before Lee Seng knew it, they were only a couple miles away from the city. The ruined city could be seen in the distance as the altered campfire burned. Lee Seng sat in the tree, swinging his feet.

"Lee. Eat time." Keng called up.

"Mmm." Lee Seng jumped down, landing softly as he turned and walked back to the fire. He sat next to Keng and Manny and dug into the food.

'Should I say something?' Lee Seng wondered. He picked at his food as his mind wandered.

"What's the plan in the ruined city tomorrow?" Manny broke the silence with the obvious question.

"We'll look for a Deimon and figure out what to do from there." Lee Seng answered with a shrug.

"No scouting? No plan?"

"What's there to plan when we don't know what are enemy is?"

"We know they're a Deimon." Evan obviously pointed out.

"But we don't know how what class they are or their powers." Lee Seng pointed out. "We need to figure that out and do our best with that information."

"The more time we waste trying to plan it out, the less time my people have to live." Calis brought up. "Don't you think this'll be risky? Even if we find a Deimon, we don't know it's power. If we manage to capture one or even kill one, we don't know where the cup is."

"Lord Cain said he'd help only if we caught a Deimon." Lee Seng shrugged.

"You'd trust someone who tortured you?" Olivia asked. The forest grew electric and the group grew uncomfortable like the two were about to start a fight.

"I'm still alive, so yes." Lee Seng shrugged.

"Why would you trust someone's word? Are you naive?"

"Better to succumb to some good thinking than no good thinking."

"I don't understand you. You obviously know how I feel yet you act like nothings wrong. Are you stupid? Are you hoping for some reconciliation? Are you hoping I'll forgive you after all's that happened?" Olivia threw her spoon into her plate and cocked her head.

"Here we go." Ritsuka mouthed. He let out a sigh and cleared his throat, ready to say something when Lee Seng was the first to speak.

"Oh, so you want me to act out and make a scene?" Lee Seng asked a bit louder. He set his plate down and leaned forward looking at Olivia. "I've done that ever since that Biohuman serum failed me. Throwing a tantrum, blaming everyone else for problems you can fix… I'm done with doing that."

"Why? You don't think you deserve it? You don't want to tell me it's my fault that I wasn't good enough to save my grandmother because I decided to save you first?!?" Olivia asked loudly. Lee Seng sighed and stood up. He licked his lips and looked at his food. He flicked a finger and set the plate in his hands.

"I refuse to be something I can't afford to be." Lee Seng quietly told them. "I refuse to act the way you want me to act. I refuse to sit around and point fingers. I refuse to let anyone tell me what to be. Why should I live for others and why should I live for myself?"

"Lee…" Keng called out. Lee Seng turned around and sighed.

"I'll scout the city by myself and come back before morning. You… Figure yourself out, Liv. If you don't want to do this, you don't have to. Spend your time blaming me if that's the best use of your energy. I don't have time for this."

Lee Seng disappeared form his spot, leaving a small tendril in his place. Keng, Calis and Ritsuka groaned as Olivia, Manny and Evan stayed quiet.