Chapter 190 - 185: Leaving Greenhollow
Morning came quietly to Greenhollow.
For once, John woke up without immediately thinking about monsters, ruins, strange powers, or whatever trouble might be waiting around the next corner.
He simply stared at the ceiling.
Then he remembered yesterday.
The festival.
The honey cakes.
The children.
The flower.
He turned his head toward the small white flower sitting on the table beside his bed.
He had almost forgotten about it.
Almost.
John picked it up and examined it.
"...Good luck, huh?"
A knock came from the other side of the door.
"John?"
Lythriel.
He quickly placed the flower back down.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Lythriel stepped inside, already dressed and carrying a small bag.
"You’ve been awake for a while?"
"Not really."
She glanced at the table.
Her eyes immediately landed on the flower.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"You kept it."
John looked at the flower.
"She gave it to me."
"I know."
"So?"
"Nothing."
She smiled innocently.
John narrowed his eyes.
"You’re teasing me."
"Maybe."
He sighed.
"You’re enjoying this way too much."
"A little."
She sat down.
For several seconds, neither said anything.
Then Lythriel’s expression became more serious.
"Did you sleep well?"
John nodded.
"Yeah."
"Really?"
"Really."
She studied him.
"Good."
John looked at her.
"You were worried."
"Of course I was."
She looked away.
"You’ve been through enough lately."
John smiled faintly.
"I’m okay."
"I know."
She paused.
"But being okay doesn’t mean you have to keep pushing yourself."
John didn’t answer immediately.
That was something he had been slowly learning.
He had become so used to moving forward that stopping sometimes felt wrong.
But yesterday had been different.
For a few hours, he hadn’t been an adventurer.
He hadn’t been a dragon.
He hadn’t been someone carrying strange powers and an even stranger history.
He had simply been John.
And he had enjoyed it.
"I’ll try."
Lythriel smiled.
"That’s all I wanted."
---
When they went downstairs, the others were already preparing breakfast.
Aerion was checking their supplies.
Sylvara was packing herbs and medicine.
The Soul Raven sat near the window.
John took a seat.
"What’s going on?"
Aerion answered without looking up.
"We’re leaving today."
John paused.
"Today?"
"The festival is over."
"The town is returning to normal."
Darius entered the dining hall behind them.
"The expedition is also leaving."
John looked at him.
"Already?"
Darius nodded.
"We’ve documented everything we can reasonably document without spending another month here."
He placed several papers on the table.
"The ruins will remain under the protection of the local authorities."
John glanced through the documents.
"So that’s it?"
Darius smiled.
"For now."
That answer was exactly what John wanted to hear.
No dramatic announcement.
No sudden mission.
No reason to remain in the ruins.
Just time to move on.
---
Breakfast was surprisingly peaceful.
They talked about the road ahead.
The nearest major city was several days away.
It was called **Ravencross**.
Unlike Greenhollow, it was a proper trade city.
Merchants from several kingdoms passed through it.
Adventurers gathered there.
There was also a large Adventurer’s Guild branch.
John immediately became interested.
"How large?"
Darius looked at him.
"The city?"
"The guild."
Darius laughed.
"You’re already thinking about adventuring."
John shrugged.
"Maybe."
Lythriel smiled.
"You missed it."
"I did."
That was the truth.
The recent expedition had been interesting, but it had also reminded John how much he enjoyed traveling.
Meeting new people.
Seeing new places.
Finding stronger monsters.
Learning about the world.
There was still so much of Terraxos that he hadn’t seen.
And he didn’t want the journey to become nothing more than chasing mysteries about his birth.
There were things he wanted to discover because they interested him.
Not because some ancient ruin told him to.
---
By late morning, they were ready.
Greenhollow’s main gate was crowded.
Several merchants were leaving.
Farmers were bringing carts into town.
Children were still wearing flower crowns from yesterday.
The festival had ended, but its traces remained everywhere.
John looked back.
It had been a surprisingly pleasant stop.
Lythriel walked beside him.
"You’re going to miss it."
"Maybe."
"The honey cakes?"
"Definitely."
She laughed.
"You should’ve bought more."
"I thought you bought four."
"I did."
"Then what’s the problem?"
"They’re gone."
John stared at her.
"You ate four honey cakes in one afternoon?"
"Two."
"What happened to the other two?"
She smiled.
"Later."
John shook his head.
"I don’t want to know."
---
As they passed through the gate, the innkeeper stood outside waving goodbye.
"Come back someday!"
Lythriel waved enthusiastically.
"We will!"
John smiled.
"We probably will."
The road stretched ahead.
For the first few hours, nothing unusual happened.
And that was exactly what John wanted.
The group walked at a comfortable pace.
No monsters.
No ruins.
No emergencies.
Just the sound of footsteps and the occasional conversation.
Sylvara eventually walked beside John.
"You seem happier."
John looked at her.
"Do I?"
"Mhm."
She smiled.
"Yesterday helped."
"Yeah."
John looked toward the road ahead.
"It did."
Sylvara was quiet for a moment.
"Sometimes I think you forget that you don’t always have to be strong."
John glanced at her.
She continued.
"You don’t have to solve everything."
"You don’t have to protect everyone."
"And you don’t always have to be the one walking in front."
John smiled.
"Are you all having a meeting about me behind my back?"
"Maybe."
He laughed.
"Good to know."
---
The Soul Raven suddenly flew ahead.
John watched it disappear into the trees.
A few minutes later, it returned.
Nothing unusual.
No monsters.
No danger.
Just the road ahead.
John smiled.
Even the raven seemed to be enjoying the peaceful journey.
Then something caught his attention.
A small movement in the forest.
John stopped.
Everyone else stopped with him.
Lythriel immediately reached for her weapon.
"What is it?"
John stared between the trees.
"I don’t know."
A small creature slowly stepped out.
Everyone relaxed.
It was a fox.
A very ordinary fox.
It looked at them.
Then ran across the road.
Lythriel lowered her hand.
"...Seriously?"
John laughed.
"I think we’re getting paranoid."
Darius nodded.
"After everything we’ve encountered, that’s understandable."
The group continued.
---
By afternoon, they reached a small stream.
They stopped for lunch.
John sat beneath a tree while Lythriel prepared food.
Aerion was checking the map.
Sylvara collected a few edible plants nearby.
Darius was reading.
It was peaceful.
John leaned against the tree and closed his eyes.
He didn’t sleep.
He simply listened.
Water.
Wind.
Birds.
His companions talking.
For a moment, he wondered how long this peace would last.
Probably not forever.
It never did.
But that didn’t matter.
He didn’t need forever.
A few peaceful days were enough.
---
After lunch, they continued.
The road gradually became wider.
More wagon tracks appeared.
That meant they were getting closer to Ravencross.
John looked at the horizon.
"So that’s our next destination."
Aerion nodded.
"Assuming nothing happens."
Lythriel looked at him.
"Don’t say that."
John laughed.
"Why?"
"Every time someone says that, something happens."
Darius closed his book.
"She’s right."
John looked between them.
"You people are superstitious."
The Soul Raven made a strange sound.
John looked at it.
"Don’t encourage them."
---
As evening approached, they found a suitable campsite.
Nothing fancy.
Just a flat area beside the road.
They gathered firewood.
Set up tents.
Prepared dinner.
John watched the sunset.
The sky slowly turned orange before fading into purple.
Lythriel sat beside him.
"You know..."
"What?"
"I liked Greenhollow."
John nodded.
"Me too."
"I hope Ravencross isn’t too chaotic."
"It probably will be."
"Probably."
She smiled.
"But that’s okay."
John looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because we’re traveling."
She looked toward the road.
"That’s what we wanted, right?"
John smiled.
"Yeah."
They sat quietly.
No ancient prophecy.
No hidden temple.
No mysterious voice.
Just two friends watching the sun disappear.
And for now...
That was enough.
---
Later that night, after everyone had gone to sleep, John remained awake beside the dying fire.
He looked at his hand.
There was no strange mark.
No glowing symbol.
Nothing unusual.
Whatever mysteries surrounded his blood could wait.
He had spent enough time worrying about things he couldn’t understand.
There was a whole world ahead of him.
New cities.
New monsters.
New people.
New adventures.
And perhaps...
A few stronger opponents.
John smiled at the thought.
"Ravencross."
He looked toward the road.
"Let’s see what you’ve got."
The fire crackled softly.
Behind him, the Soul Raven opened one eye.
Then closed it again.
For tonight, there was nothing to worry about.
Tomorrow would be another day.
And for the first time in a while, John was looking forward to it without expecting something terrible to happen.
---
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