Chapter 27: Chapter 26 - Quiet in the Chaos

Orla:

By the time we reached the clearing, the last traces of daylight had vanished, swallowed by the thickening night. The sky stretched above us, vast and black, with only the faint sliver of a waxing crescent offering the weakest glow. Darkness settled heavily around us, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. Every shadow felt deeper, stretching unnervingly through the trees. My eyes strained to adjust, but the world had dissolved into an endless void of black shapes and shifting outlines.

Sang-min stopped his cart near a few trees, just off the main trail where the ground sloped sharply upward. The incline was steep enough to keep us hidden from sight, making it a decent place to rest—at least for now.

“Not great, but it’ll do,” he said, his voice too steady for someone who had just fought off bandits. He glanced around, scanning the thick cover of trees above us, as if assessing just how concealed we really were.

I walked over to Raven, tying him to a sturdy tree and started to remove his saddle. As I unbuckled the straps, I noticed something strange—the saddle was nothing like the one we used on set. It’s leather was sturdier, heavier, built for endurance rather than comfort. The padding was thick, reinforced in a way that made it seem designed for battle. Even Raven, with his strong frame, seemed different, like he had been outfitted for a warhorse in this world. My hand stroked his neck absently as I tried to ground myself, wondering just how deep this strange reality went.

“I’ll grab some firewood,” I said, forcing my voice to stay even. Inside, I was crumbling. The fear, the panic that had been clawing at me since the moment we woke here was suffocating. After that fight, I needed something to keep myself together, something to focus on.

Milo started to say something, but Sang-min cut him off. “No fire tonight. We don’t need to light up a beacon for anyone else out there.”

I frowned. “But what if we need it?”

I didn’t even know what I meant. Did I mean the fire? Or did I mean control? Because that’s what it felt like—everything around me was slipping away, spiraling out of my grasp. Gathering firewood, lighting a flame—it was something tangible, something real. Something I could hold onto when nothing else made sense.

Milo stepped up behind me, his hand closing gently around my wrist. “You okay?”

I swallowed hard. “Yeah. I… I just wonder if the cold will keep us up.”

Milo studied me for a second, like he saw right through my excuse. But he just nodded. “Okay. Just don’t go far. Keep us in sight.”

I nodded and turned toward the trees, pretending I was fine. But I wasn’t. Not even close.

As I stumbled through the darkness, searching for firewood, I caught bits of an argument behind me.

"We don't need a fire—" Sang-min started.

"Just leave her be," Milo interrupted. Like he understood exactly why I needed this.

I exhaled sharply, frustration mixing with something else—something I couldn’t quite name.

Milo. Who the hell was he, anyway?

I couldn’t get the image out of my head—him, standing there, firing arrows with that terrifying precision, taking down one target after another without a second thought. He hadn't hesitated. He hadn’t flinched. It was like instinct, like something ingrained in him.

How?

Was this really the same guy who had comforted me on the flight to Korea? The one who had been so gentle while tending to my wounds just this morning? That Milo had felt safe, familiar. But this Milo? This Milo had killed tonight. And yesterday. Or was it the day before? God, how long had we even been here? My sense of time was slipping through my fingers, along with everything else I thought I knew about him.

Everything about this place was warping my mind. I could feel the panic creeping in, my chest tightening, breath coming too fast. No. Not now. I forced deep breaths in and out, trying to keep it together.

I bent down, picking up dry branches to keep my hands busy. Focus, Orla. Focus. But my thoughts kept spiraling.

What if I’m stuck here forever?

My breath hitched. My chest clenched tighter. The longer I stayed, the more real this was becoming. This wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t some bizarre hallucination. It was real. And what if there was no way out?

I had convinced myself that after the concussion, I’d wake up in Nara’s apartment—safe, hearing her typing away at her computer, the sounds of the city buzzing outside. I had clung to that thought like a lifeline. But instead, I woke up in a dimly lit shack, a stranger stirring herbs over a fire, still wearing this ridiculous hanbok.

How? How had I ended up here? And more importantly—how the hell was I going to get out?

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shake it off, but it was useless. The more I tried to push the fear down, the more it surged back. My head spun. My legs wobbled. I stumbled to a low-hanging tree and sank to the ground, wrapping my arms around my knees.

I don’t know if I can do this.

This can’t be my new reality.

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I buried my face in my arms, trying to hold back the sobs threatening to spill over. The fear, the exhaustion, the sheer uncertainty of everything—weighing down on me like a boulder. There was no escaping it now.

With Logan, it had been easy—I ran. When things got hard, I left. I had an out. But here? There was nowhere to go. No way to escape. We were trapped in a world we didn’t understand, with danger lurking in every shadow.

I thought about the bandits, how close we had come to dying. The sobs finally broke free. What if next time, we didn’t make it? What if this was it—my new, terrifying reality, with no way out?

I didn’t hear Milo approach until his voice cut through the haze.

“Orla.”

I kept my head down, unwilling to meet his gaze. I didn’t want him to see me like this—weak, unraveling—especially after he had been so steady, so strong. "S-sorry," I muttered, my voice shaking. "I didn’t mean to disappear."

Milo crouched beside me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I sniffled and shook my head. “No. I’m not.”

For the first time, I let myself say it out loud. I wasn’t okay. None of this was okay. Pretending wouldn’t make it better.

“What’s wrong?” he asked gently, though I knew he already had an idea.

“I… I don’t know what to do,” I whispered. “This world. This… place. Everything’s different. And those bandits… I thought we were going to die.”

I lifted my head slightly and wiped at my face, but the tears kept coming. "What if we never get out of here? I don’t know how to survive in a place like this."

Milo was quiet for a moment, just sitting there with me. Then he said, “Hey, I get it. This whole thing… it’s insane. But we’ve made it this far. We’ll figure it out.”

“Figure out what? I don’t even know what we’re dealing with.” I glanced at him, swallowing hard. “You don’t even look scared. If anything, you’re too calm. And the way you handled those thieves… Your reactions, your fighting skills. What was that? Where did you even learn to do all that?”

He shrugged. "Thirteen years of taekwondo, for one. It’s actually what got me into ADRIIFT, actually. And I got into archery in high school, joined the team before I became a trainee. Figured if the whole idol thing didn’t pan out, I’d have something else to fall back on—maybe even take a shot at the Olympics."

I blinked at him. "Right, no big deal, just casually mastering martial arts and weaponry like you were prepping for a survival situation just like this," I scoffed.

He chuckled. “That’s not how I meant it.”

I shook my head, still trying to process it. “I know. But thirteen years…” The realization settled over me. He had spent over a decade training, developing skills that had just saved our lives. And me? What had I been doing?

Logan’s face flashed through my mind. I’d spent so much time trying to hold onto something that was already gone. I had let parts of myself slip away, piece by piece, for a relationship that had only drained me.

I swallowed hard. “I wish I had skills like that. I wish I could fight like you.”

Milo’s expression softened. “Don’t sell yourself short. I’ve seen you with Raven on set. You’re incredible on horseback. That’s a skill I don’t have.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s not the same.”

“Hey, if you needed to get out of here fast, you’d be on Raven’s back before I could blink.”

I let out a small laugh despite myself. “Yeah, as long as he’s alive and capable. I depend on him… and on you.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. I hated how much truth was in them. How much I was right back to relying on someone else to protect me.

Milo met my gaze. “Orla, I don’t know any more about this place than you do. I need you just as much as you need me.”

Those words… I need you just as much. The way he said it, steady and sure, made my chest tighten.

I shook my head, pushing the thought away. “Seriously, though, how are you taking this so well?”

Milo looked up at the dark trees, then back at me, a wry smile on his lips. “I’m not taking it as well as you think. I’m just good at faking it.”

I frowned, not entirely convinced. “No, really. We’re in some strange, ancient world. People are after us. We almost died. You should be freaking out.”

Milo leaned back against the tree. “I guess… I just don’t see the point in panicking.”

I sighed. “God, I wish I could be like that.”

He turned to me. “You’re doing fine, Orla. Better than most would in a situation like this.”

I let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, because this is such a common situation.”

He laughed, too. A real, genuine laugh.

We sat in silence for a while, just the two of us beneath the vast night sky. For the first time since this nightmare began, I felt something close to calm. It wasn’t just the quiet or the way the forest seemed to still around us—it was Milo. Somehow, just by being here, he made things feel less impossible, like maybe we weren’t completely lost.

I had felt this before—on the flight when we first met. That same sense of steadiness, like he could ground me when everything else spun out of control. But now, there was something more. He had shown a side of himself I hadn’t expected—strong, decisive, unshaken. The way he had taken down those thieves without hesitation, without fear. It should have unsettled me, but now... now I felt safer with him than I had with anyone in a long time.

“Come on,” Milo said eventually, standing up and offering me his hand. “Let’s get back to Sang-min. We need to stick together.”

I took his hand, but as he pulled me up, I lost my footing and stumbled forward. For a split second, I was pressed against him, his arms steadying me before I could fall. Something shifted. His arms tightened just slightly, his breath warm against my temple. My heart fluttered again, and suddenly, the rest of the world disappeared. It was just us, caught in this moment that stretched longer than it should have.

“You okay?” he murmured.

I nodded, but my voice refused to work. His eyes searched mine, lingering in a way that made my breath catch. Then, the wind picked up, rustling the leaves, snapping the world back into place. I stepped away, clearing my throat.

“I, um… didn’t get any wood,” I said, my voice uneven.

Milo smirked. “Doesn’t matter. We don’t need it.”

I nodded quickly, turning away, grateful that the darkness hid the color creeping up my face.

When we got back, Sang-min was already sitting by the cart, twirling one of his daggers between his fingers, the faint gleam of moonlight catching on the blade. He glanced up, a sly smirk tugging at his lips.

"Took you guys long enough," he said, like he was insinuating more than he was letting on. Then, leaning back, he added, “I’ll take first watch. You two get some rest. You’re going to need it.”

Milo leaned against a tree, arms crossed. "After the day we’ve had, I don’t know if I can sleep. Besides, we might wake up and find you gone."

Sang-min shrugged, twirling his dagger again. "Up to you. But after that fight, I think I’ve earned some trust. We’re better off in numbers, and with your skills, I’d rather stay put."

It was true—Sang-min had been nothing but helpful through all of this. I settled next to Milo and nudged him lightly. "Let him take first watch. You barely slept last night, remember? I think you need it."

His jaw tightened. I reached for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as I guided him to sit beside me. He hesitated, but I held his gaze. "Even if he leaves, Raven and I will still be here." I wanted it to sound reassuring, but I wasn’t sure it was enough to convince him.

Milo exhaled slowly before finally lowering himself to the ground with a reluctant sigh. "Fine."

As we sat in silence, exhaustion finally took over. I let my head rest against his shoulder, lulled by the steady rhythm of his breath. The weight of fear, uncertainty, and everything we’d been through still lingered, but for now, it was quiet. And for the first time since this nightmare began, I let myself believe—just for a moment—that we were going to be okay.

©Sky Mincharo