The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean) novel Chapter 1222

Before long, Neera and her group were informed about the situation.

"So it has come to this," Cayden sighed. "The situation has become more complex. Violent conflicts will become more frequent, and the struggle is intensifying."

Neera was filled with worry about Shane and the others.

"I wonder how Shane and the others are doing. Have they also gotten themselves mixed up in this mess?"

Darcel's gaze darkened slightly. "It's possible. At this point, hardly any family can claim to be completely uninvolved."

Cayden comforted her. "Don't worry about all that now. The most pressing matter at hand is to fill our stomachs. We're exhausted from walking uphill all day, and it's already dark out. How about we rest for now? It's too dangerous to traverse through the mountains at night."

The day had turned to night, with the moon hanging in the sky, casting a cool afterglow.

Neera and Darcel exchanged a glance. Both nodded in agreement.

Having fallen off the cliff, they had no other belongings to make them feel secure apart from a bit of food and medicine.

Fortunately, Cayden's people were carrying bags of every size imaginable, stocked with tents and food.

After setting up camp and starting a fire, Neera looked at the exquisite lunch box that was handed to her and couldn't help feeling surprised.

"You're overdoing it. How can you think of bringing all these things while running for your life? Don't you find them cumbersome?"

Cayden lifted his chin proudly. "As the saying goes, food is a basic necessity of life. No matter what we lose, we cannot lose our grub. So, how is it? Tasty, isn't it?"

Neera couldn't help laughing. She nodded. "Mmm, it's delicious. Thank you."

Instinctively, she thought of Caleb and realized with increasing certainty that these two families were very similar. Truly a breath of fresh air.

After dinner, everybody gathered for a chat. After the conversation wound down, they each returned to their tents for some rest, leaving two people on guard duty.

Despite her exhaustion from the day, Neera sat in the tent, never daring to relax, let alone sleep.

The experience of being attacked at night twice had instilled in her a certain fear of the mountainous nights. She was constantly on edge, terrified that someone might emerge from somewhere to harm them.

At that moment, a rustling came suddenly from outside the tent.

Instantly, she tensed up. Edging backward, she kept her gaze firmly fixed on the tent's zipper.

She saw a figure approaching, growing closer and closer until it finally stopped outside her tent. The silhouette seemed somewhat familiar.

"Is that you, Darcel?" she asked cautiously after taking a deep breath.

Darcel's voice responded from the outside. "Mmm. It's me."

Neera's heart settled down at the sound of his voice. She let out a deep sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, I thought it was..."

Darcel paused for a moment. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Neera shook her head, then remembering he could not see, she said, "It's all right. It's rather late. Is there something you need?"

As she spoke, she leaned over to unzip the entrance.

No sooner had she reached out than she saw Darcel sitting outside her tent.

"It's all right. You go to sleep. There's no need to come out. I'll keep watch here, you just rest easy."

Neera was momentarily stunned. Gazing at his reflection projected onto her tent, she found her tightly wound nerves began to relax.

Her lips curled upward. She felt an inexplicable sense of peace. "Thank you, Darcel."

"No need to thank me," he responded gently. "You've had a long day, rest easy and sleep. I won't go anywhere."

Neera gave a soft hum in response.

Initially, she was fighting against her exhaustion, not daring to sleep. Now, however, with her mind at ease, drowsiness crept in. She lay down in her sleeping bag by the door, and as soon as she closed her eyes, she fell promptly asleep.

...

She was awakened by the chirping of birds the following day.

The vast forest, home to countless birds, was filled with the essence of nature everywhere one looked.

Neera stretched lazily, and when she turned her head, she saw that the figure outside the tent was still there.

He actually didn't leave all night...

A surge of indescribable gratitude welled up within her. She rose, tidied herself up, and exited.

At that moment, Darcel was leaning against the tent, resting with his eyes closed.

Upon hearing the noise, he immediately opened his eyes, his gaze alert. However, upon seeing that it was Neera, he quickly regained his composure.

"Are you awake? Did you sleep well last night?"

Neera nodded gently, deeply moved. "I slept very well, thanks to you, Darcel. I don't even know how to express my gratitude. You must have been tired from last night."

Darcel raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine. Thankfully, last night was peaceful. I even managed to get some sleep."

At this moment, Cayden walked over, yawning.

"Good morning, Ms. Neera, Darcel... Wait, what are you doing here?"

He was halfway through a yawn when he realized something was amiss, and his gaze darted between Darcel and Neera several times.

"You two..." His expression suddenly turned peculiar and, for some reason, a little nervous. "Are you sure you're not in that kind of relationship? You didn't possibly sleep in the same tent last night, did you?"