Rebellion (After the Haunted FF)

Chapter 23

Why was writing this chapter so hard??!! Once again, not a big fan of it, but it's something that pushes the story along, at least.
I could have done so much better ;-;...
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Third person point of view-

The orange glow was rising over the mountain tops, rays of light peeking over onto the cold forest land. They ran hastily, beginning to become sluggish with each step they took. They were exhausted, beaten, and starting to feel ill from the emptiness of their growling stomachs. They tried not to stop to catch any breath, or rest for even just a moment. The blonde ex-commander pushed forward, making sure that everyone followed.
The grey clouds above let out snow in the distance as the wind moved them further north, keeping the group from getting snowed on. Even so, they froze from the weather, their bodies covered in goosebumps. The cave was somewhere up ahead, the trees and the rest of the vegetation blocking the way. The mountain was closing in, their hideout getting closer as they continued with their strides.
Grayson ran in front of them all, pushing branches aside. Unfortunately, those branches moved back into place once his hands were no longer holding, causing them to swing back with force. A branch smacked Luke on his face, causing him to hold his nose in pain.

  "Ow!" He called out, before shaking his head and continuing on, touching underneath his nose to check if it was bleeding.

Finally after what felt like hours, they arrived back to the cave. The ground was still damp, with grass both dark green and brown; dying from the winter temperatures. Endy and Luke collapsed to their knees, the exhaustion taking a hold of them. Luke let go of the unconscious mercenary on his shoulders, letting the teens body fall onto the ground. The injured boy let out a pain filled groan, but had still yet to wake up.

Grayson turned to face them, bending down and putting his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breath and rest for just a moment. "Tie him up... Make sure the knots are tight." He said between breaths.

Luke only nodded, taking off his backpack and digging through it. He pulled out a bit of rope, but it was only enough to tie Nathan's hands together. The lavender haired man hoped that it would be enough for Grayson not to get mad at him. He went to work at tying his wrists together, as the others walked closer to the dark entrance of the cave.
There was an eerie feeling in the atmosphere, making Mia and Endy uncomfortable. They looked at each other, but hen looked at the others as they suddenly stopped in front of the cave. Endy gasped, her gaze locking onto the ground, catching Mia's attention. Grayson stood in Mia's way, blocking her view of what everyone was beholding.

  "What are you guys..?" She trailed off, moving aside so she could see. Her eyes widened, as a gasp left her throat.

On the grass, was a large puddle of dark red soaking into the moist soil. Grayson kneeled down beside the puddle, trying to examine it more, although he was already positive on what it was. The red liquid had to be blood, and it looked to be no more than an hour or so old. There were two wide puddles side by side, one smaller with more clumps then the other.

  "This is recent. Something happened while we were gone." He said, standing up straight again.

Lalea's eyes widen and her back straightened as she suddenly something hit her, but not physically. It was a familiar feeling, but it was faint. Her head turned, looking into the darkness of the cave, that familiar sense that she had yearned to feel again. How was it possible that she'd found him here?

"That life force... Drake!" With that, she dashed to inside of the cave as fast as she could.

Grayson looked at Mia, both of them with wide eyes. They turned, and followed the blue haired Mage into the dark, damp cave. Luke gazed up, tilting his head in wonder in why she had called out the hybrid's name. He grabbed the ropes binding Nathan's wrists, and began dragging his body to the cave.
Within the cavern, the hybrid sat with his back against the wall, still yet to regain consciousness. His chest was rising and falling steadily, but his body was shivering violently. His hot breath was visible in the cold, frigid air. The skin on his human side had a tint of blue and purple over the ghostly pale, with his nose and ears red, and the dark circles still around his closed eyes.
Grayson, Mia, and Endy stood there in shock. How did Drake get here? Grayson's eyes filled with tears, ever come with joy that his best friend was back, no longer under the control of a malevolent demon. His aching knees finally gave out underneath himself as he choked on sobs, his tears slowly leaving his eyes.
Lalea slowly walked closer to the hybrid, her body trembling as her own eyes teared up as well. She fell to her knees directly in front of his limp body, her shaking hand rising up, touching his burning cheeks and moving a strand of his brunette hair away from his face.
Her arms almost immediately wrapped around him, pulling him in and almost crushing him in her embrace. She felt her tears slipping out from underneath her eyelids, wondering how he got to this place. Why did that demon give him back control? Her face pushed itself between his neck and shoulder, crying against his body, with only his rising and falling chest and violent shivering making his body move.