Solflare: The Painter's Secret-Chapter 98: We Are Weaker Because of You

The cliff face sheared away in massive slabs of stone that broke free and plummeted downward with a sound like the world ending.

KRRROOOOOMM –!

The ground lurched beneath Leon and the lieutenant’s feet when the dust evaporated around them. Smaller fragments of the stone rained down first, stinging Leon’s shoulder and scalp.

The evaporated dust spiraled upward in choking clouds, turning the air into sand. Leon staggered, throwing an arm over his face while losing balance as the floor trembled like the aftermath of an earthquake.

His chest heaved, heart pounding in his ears as he tried to stabilize his balance.

Amid the chaos, Prince lifted a shimmering barrier like a transparent wall of force that rang like metal each time a rock struck it.

Shards sparked off it, ricocheting harmlessly aside, while the air boomed with each impact. Then, the canyon shook with a deafening roar as the massive slab struck.

The shockwave slammed into Leon’s chest and drove him to one knee, gasping for air.

He clutched his palms to his ears as the sound of tearing metal and cracking composites became unbearable.

In an instant, the supply crate and half the canyon floor vanished beneath a mountain of stone.

The falling rocks dragged on, each crash and shatter hammering the air until the final noise dwindled into scattered echoes.

Dust rolled through the canyon in heavy waves, clogging Leon’s throat and stinging his eyes, the world blurring into a choking haze.

Heavy silence followed when everything settled, including the small falling rocks that rolled to the side of Leon’s kneeling form.

At their front, their reward was no longer there, entombed under an unmovable grave of rock.

Leon stood motionless, arms still raised as the last faint strands of the golden light unraveled and died on his knuckles and on the black suit.

The pride curdled in his gut, replaced by a cold, sinking horror.

In that instant, the wristband chimed, its cheerful sound erupting in the devastation like a ghost’s cry.

[OBJECTIVE: SECURE SUPPLIES – FAILED]

[RATION CREDITS: 0]

[CASLORIC DEFICIT PROJECTION: CRITICAL]

Lieutenant Prince turned a sharp glance at Leon. Although he didn’t speak, the air around him grew cold, the faint hum of his energy field stilling into an absolute silence.

He walked two steps forward, stopped an inch from Leon, then sighed. "Your emotion costs us calories," he stated, each word hammering like a blow.

"The output required for the display was approximately 1,200 kilojoules. The rations destroyed could have replenished it three times over."

He leaned in closer, his mouth almost touching Leon’s ear. "Now, we are weaker because of you." He cursed under his breath and turned his back.

He left, leaving Leon alone in the pass, anger fueling him like the blood running through him.

The branches of the already dead trees dropped weak leaves, making the atmosphere more restless as Leon joined and followed him back.

His stomach twisted into a sharp, demanding knot. Every step he took seemed like a reminder of his failure, the wasted energy, the chaos he’d caused, and the destroyed supplies.

’We are weaker because of you.’ The words reeled like a move in his mind as he lifted his gaze to the figure moving and crashing down trees that hadn’t entangled with him.

The canyon narrowed around him, its walls looming as though they meant to crush him into the earth.

Above, the sky bruised into a darker purple glow, sinking toward a starless, suffocating night. Harsh winds moved through the gorge in restless sighs, carrying the cold scent of stone and dust.

Branches from the sparse canyon trees scraped against one another, their shadows bending long and jagged across the rocks.

The usual chorus of chittering creatures was gone, replaced by a stretched silence that wasn’t peace at all but one that listened. In Leon’s ears, it sounded more dangerous than any growl.

Prince distanced himself from Leon as the bunker’s door closed behind them.

To prevent further damage, Leon respected his decision and kept his distance, moving out of the bunker and sitting under a half-dead tree.

The sparse leaves of the tree rustled like dry bones in the wind as they offered him little shelter. He leaned against the rough bark, the coldness of the stone seeping through his suit.

Leon’s face went pale as he shifted his gaze from the tree’s branches to the entrance of the bunker. There, he saw Lieutenant Prince methodically consuming a nutrient bar, biting it with a measured sequence.

The hollow ache in Leon’s gut intensified as he swallowed hard, as if he were the one eating the nutrient bar.

He forced his gaze to the side of the bunker, but his mind still lingered on the bar like the air flowing around him.

The hunger in him rapidly ate his lungs like a live wire in his stomach, serving as a gnawing reminder of his own mistake.

A soft chime erupted from the wristband, causing him to flinch. His expression dimmed, his movements slowed as realization struck him: whatever might come wouldn’t praise him but turn him to dust as Mr. Lee had stated.

[CALORIC DEFICIT: CRITICAL]

[SUGGESTED ACTION: METABOLIC STASIS]

Leon’s eyes widened as his vision turned blurry to the extent that he couldn’t see his own arm but only hear footsteps approaching.

"Your temperature is dropping," Prince’s voice sounded heavy in Leon’s ears.

"Come inside and rest. We have a long day ahead." Prince’s voice began to fade as the footsteps sounded distant.

Leon stayed there, still leaning against the tree as if he’d melted with it. His body shivered, yet he stayed, letting the night’s drizzle fall on him like a blessing.

A glob formed in his mouth, forcing him to turn his head and spit onto the dust-filled ground. His neck froze when something flickered past his darkened vision.

Strangely, a flying creature appeared from nowhere and caught his eye. In a blink, heavy flapping winds caught his ears, followed by spiraling air that made the tree he leaned on tremble heavily.

"Why didn’t I even go inside when he asked me to? What the fuck have I brought myself into?!" he whispered, then tried to sneak to the side of the tree so the creature didn’t spot him.

He sighed, finally hiding himself, but saw Prince rushing out of the bunker in a flash.