Remnants

Chapter 15 - Ali

Ali sat cross-legged on her sleeping mat. The weight of the events of the day felt heavy on her shoulders. The cool air wafted through the trees in the clearing, but even the peaceful sounds of the forest couldn't shake the unease that settled in her chest. She glanced over at the others, who were still gathering themselves after the intense fight with the Crawlers and what happened with Gin.

Each time her eyes fell upon the wrapped stump where Gin's hand had been, a new wave of anxiety surged within her. It reminded her of the chaos and dangers of the world they lived in. Their latest victory felt hollow, overshadowed by the grievous injury that one of them had taken.

Mira was deep in conversation with Shin, who still looked shaken by what had happened, her expression flickering between determination and disbelief. Eri was leaning against a nearby tree, her usual bravado muted, her gaze hard as she stared into the distance. Ali couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt; they had all fought hard, and yet here they were, broken down and tired of fighting.

Ali's mind drifted back to the moment she had shot the Blighter. The shock of her success had been exhilarating, but the immediate joy had quickly faded when she saw Gin's injury. Could I have done something more? If only I had been faster, all of this could have been avoided. The questions gnawed at her, filling her with frustration.

"Ali?" Mira's soft voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Ali turned and saw Mira approaching with a soft smile, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah – just thinking," Ali replied, attempting to return the smile.

Mira sat down beside her, "You did great today,"

Ali sighed deeply and looked at Gin's direction, "It doesn't feel that way,"

Mira followed her gaze, "Things like these happen. We do our best to survive, but we can't control everything. What happened wasn't your fault."

"If I didn't freeze, if only I'd been faster –"

"Don't," Mira stopped her, "don't blame yourself. You did your best. If you hadn't killed that Blighter, things could've gotten worse."

"But if I had been a little bit faster, Gin wouldn't have lost her hand," Ali replied as she felt tears forming in her eyes.

"What happened with Gin was nobody's fault. Except maybe the Blighter, but it's gone now, and that's thanks to you," Mira looked directly into Ali's eyes, "This world doesn't allow for too much second-guessing. We do what we have to do and move on. Sometimes things don't work out too well to our advantage, but we do our best to survive. Gin lost her hand but you and Eri made sure she didn't lose her life as well. Focus on that, Ali."

"I-I will, Mira. Thank you. It's just - it's a lot to process," Ali said softly.

"I know. Everything's gonna be alright, Ali. You'll be fine, hm?" Mira smiled at her again.

"I'll go check on Gin and Shin. Thank you, Mira" Ali said before standing up.

Mira nodded at her and moved to her sleeping mat. Ali turned and walked towards Shin who was still sitting beside an unconscious Gin.

"How is she?" Ali asked as she approached them.

Shin looked up at Ali, pain and sadness evident in her tired eyes, "She's doing better. I think she's stable for now,"

"That's good," Ali sat down beside her, "I'm really sorry, Shin,"

"It's nobody's fault, Ali. We all know how dangerous the wildlands are. I'm just glad she's still here," Shin replied, not taking her eyes off Gin.