Remnants

Chapter 10 - Eri

Eri sat quietly at their small camp in the clearing, absent-mindedly chewing on a slice of bread as she reflected on their first day out. It had been far more eventful than she had anticipated, but despite all that, Eri knew that this was just the beginning.

She glanced over at Ali, who was sitting nearby, fidgeting with a loose thread on her sleeve. The silence between them was comfortable but tinged with tension from the day's events.

"Do you think Mira's okay?" Ali asked suddenly, breaking the silence. "She's been gone for a while."

Eri looked at her and paused for a moment.

"Mira can handle herself," she replied, trying her best to sound reassuring, "She knows what she's doing."

Ali bit her lip, clearly unconvinced. "I know, but it's dark out there and you know, anything could happen,"

Eri sighed softly, recognizing Ali's concern. "It's safer if we stay here and wait," Eri said firmly, "I'm sure she'll be back soon."

Ali nodded reluctantly, worry still evident on her face. Eri offered her a small smile before standing up, deciding it might be better to check on Mira rather than let Ali's concern grow.

"Stay here, alright? I'll go check on her if that'll make you feel better," Eri instructed before walking away.

"Thank you, Eri!" Ali called out to her as she left.

Eri stepped into the dark woods, her eyes adjusting to the limited light. The forest was quiet, the only sounds she could hear were the rustling of leaves and the soft crunch of her boots on the earth. She followed the direction Mira headed, letting her instincts guide her.

As Eri moved past a particularly large tree trunk, she finally spotted Mira. Eri's body went into full alert when she realized that Mira was not alone; she was in what appeared to be a standoff with a girl who had short orange hair. Mira's blade was drawn, poised at the girl's throat, but the girl also had her knife drawn and pressed against Mira's abdomen.

"Mira!" Eri shouted as she quickly drew her blade and ran towards Mira. But before she could take more than a few steps, something zipped past her face. The arrow sliced through the air and embedded itself in the trunk behind her with a solid thunk.

Eri halted, her heart racing as she spun around to see where the arrow had come from. A girl with long braided hair stood beside one of the trees. She held a crossbow in her hands. Her expression was calm but her eyes sent a warning as she pointed the weapon at Eri.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the girl with the crossbow advised.

Where'd she come from?

Eri froze, assessing the situation. She looked between Mira and the short-haired girl and the newly arrived girl with the crossbow. Her grip on her sword tightened and she gritted her teeth as frustration built up within her.

This doesn't look good

"Who are you?" Eri shouted, trying to initiate a conversation.

"I'm Shin." the girl with the crossbow replied, then she gestured to the girl against Mira, "That's Gin. Can we all play nicely now?"

"I'm Eri and that's Mira. Why don't we all take a step back and we can sort this all out?" Eri held her hands up.

Mira and the other girl stayed silent, both unwilling to lower their guard.

"Gin!" the girl called Shin shouted at her friend.

The girl called Gin withdrew her knife but refused to take her eyes off Mira. Mira lowered her weapon as well. Eri sighed in relief and lowered her hands.