As we prepped for the climb, a mix of anticipation and unease hung in the air. The mountain loomed before us, its jagged cliffs casting long, ominous shadows under the dual suns, sewing doubt into all of us. Sighing, I let out a long breath… It's been too long since I’ve done any real rock climbing. Come on, muscle memory, I'll be relying on you…

Letting out a low whistle, I scanned the path ahead. From what I could tell, we had a relatively manageable hike for now, though it was only a matter of time before we'd have to scale some steep sections.

“Hey, Henry, ever been rock climbing before?” I asked, curious about his experience.

He shook his head, already breathing heavily from the incline we’d been tackling. Sweat glistened on his forehead, his jaw tight with determination. “Not since I was a kid,” he admitted, his voice slightly strained.

I adjusted my pace to match his, making sure he didn’t fall too far behind as we approached the first real challenge – a steep rock face dotted with enough natural ledges to make the climb possible. It wasn’t the worst climb I’d seen, but exhaustion would make it feel twice as difficult.

“It’s pretty steep,” I observed, eyeing the rugged terrain ahead. “But there are a lot of spots to rest if we pace ourselves. Think we can handle it?” I turned to Amelia, looking for her judgment.

She studied the path for a few seconds before nodding. “We’ll have to. I don’t see a better way up.”

“Can we take a break before we start climbing?” Henry asked between heavy breaths.

I glanced around, gauging the state of the group. Everyone looked winded, and pushing too hard now could make the climb more dangerous. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I agreed.

“Thank god,” Ella muttered, finding a stable rock to lean against as she took a sip from her water bottle.

Owen handed out strips of dried bug meat, the same ones we’d prepared earlier. I chewed on mine slowly, realizing just how hungry I was. It was a stark reminder of how much energy this trek was draining from us. As I swallowed, I glanced back down the path we’d already traveled, surprised by how much ground we'd covered…

Midway through explaining the best handholds to Henry, Amelia pushed herself to her feet, signaling the end of our rest. “Alright, break’s over. Time to get moving. We need to cover as much ground as we can before nightfall.”

“Oh, come on, just a little longer,” Henry groaned, his voice tight with unease.

“We can’t afford to waste time,” Amelia said, her voice firm but encouraging. “It’ll feel easier once we get moving.”

With a reluctant sigh, Henry got to his feet, stretching his arms before giving me a nod. “Alright, let’s do this,” he muttered, bracing himself for the climb ahead.

“Remember, always test your handholds before putting your full weight on them,” I reminded him, scanning the rocky surface. “The last thing we need is someone falling because a rock decided to give out.”

Benjamin, to everyone’s surprise, took to climbing like a natural, moving with an almost effortless fluidity that put the rest of us to shame. Meanwhile, my attention drifted to Ella and Henry, who were struggling to keep steady. Ella’s hands trembled slightly as she reached for her next hold, and Henry’s breathing was shallow and erratic.

“Try to stay calm,” I called out, hoping to ground them. “Overthinking is only going to make it worse. Deep breaths.”

“Yeah, easy for you to say,” Henry shot back.

I bit back a smile. “Just focus on your footing. If you can rest some of your weight on your legs, your arms won’t tire out so fast.”

The sky deepened into shades of orange and red, the twin suns dipping lower as they cast eerie shadows across the desert we had fought so hard to escape. The towering cliffs stretched endlessly above us, jagged and unwelcoming. As I climbed, my movements were clumsy at first.

But with each stretch, each grasp of stone, the muscle memory slowly returned. My hands began to find the holds more naturally, my footing steadied as my instincts resurfaced. The rhythm of the climb became familiar again, my body gradually remembering how to move and trust the rock beneath my fingers. What had first felt stiff and awkward soon became smoother and more controlled.

For most of the group, however, this was a different kind of struggle. Every movement was a battle against hesitation and fatigue, the unfamiliarity of climbing making their ascent even more difficult. I could hear the occasional grunt of frustration, the sharp intake of breath as someone nearly lost their grip.

Step by step, we ascended, hands and feet searching for every crack, every protrusion that could bear our weight. I moved with ease, relying on muscle memory even as fatigue gnawed at the edges of my strength. Amelia climbed beside me, her determination unwavering despite her occasional misstep. Behind her, Owen was already drenched in sweat, his nerves apparent in the way he hesitated before each movement.

“Take it slow,” I advised, sparing him a glance. “Find your balance first, and then breathe.”

But as the climb grew steeper, fear began to seep in. Ella’s breathing turned shallow, panic edging into her wide eyes.

 “I can’t do this,” she whispered, her voice barely cutting through the wind whipping against the rock face.

 “You can,” I said firmly. “Don’t look down. Just focus on the next step.”

Henry wasn’t doing much better. His fingers scrabbled for a grip, his jaw clenched in concentration. Then his boot slipped.

A startled cry broke from his throat as his weight lurched away from the rock.

 “Ah—!” I reached out on instinct, fingers closing around his wrist. The sudden pull yanked me forward, my boots grinding for purchase. The weight tore at my shoulder, dragging me off balance—

 And then my own foothold gave.

For a split second, both of us were falling. My stomach lurched as we dropped a foot or two, but then my free hand grasped around a narrow ledge by sheer luck. My fingers bit into the stone, pain shooting up my arm. Henry’s weight dragged hard against me, every muscle screaming as I clung there, barely hanging on.

“Hold—hold still,” I hissed through clenched teeth.

The rock dug into my palm as I hauled him just high enough for his boot to catch the ledge beside me. The strain ebbed the moment he took some of his own weight, and I sucked in a breath, chest burning.

“Got you,” I muttered, though it felt more like the rock had gotten both of us.

Henry’s face was pale, breath coming fast. “I… thought that was it.”

 “Yeah. Me too,” I admitted, forcing a thin smile. “Let’s… not do that again.”

We inched toward a stable patch, the wind still clawing at us. Amelia’s voice drifted down from above, urgent but with a thread of concern. “You two good down there?”

 Henry gave a jerky nod. “Yeah… thanks to Atlas.”

She studied him a moment longer, suspicion in her tone. “Sure about that? Looked close.”

 Henry let out a shaky laugh that wasn’t fooling anyone. “Yeah. Let’s just keep going.”

Amelia nodded, still wary. “Alright. Slow and steady—we’re almost there.”

I fell in behind Henry, acting as his shadow on the climb. My arms still trembled from the strain, but I kept close enough to grab him again if needed. The desert sprawled endlessly behind us, but none of us dared look back. Not yet.

When we finally reached the top, Henry collapsed onto the rocky ground, his breath coming in heavy gasps before breaking into a nervous laugh. “I thought I was going to die,” he admitted, holding up his trembling hands. “That was terrifying… and kinda fun. Although I don’t think I’ll be doing that anytime soon.”

I rolled my shoulder, a sharp ache flaring where his weight had yanked me earlier. Every pulse of pain reminded me just how close I’d come to losing my grip—not just on him, but on the ledge too. It would fade, I told myself. Already, it was dulling from a burning throb to something I could grit my teeth through. Still, I kept moving it in small circles, making sure it worked.

Amelia, perched on a nearby rock, took a sip from her canteen before speaking. “I’m glad we all made it,” she said, her voice carrying an unspoken relief. “But don’t get too comfortable, we’ve got a long way to go. You’ve got twenty minutes, then we move again.”

Henry groaned, rolling onto his side with a dramatic sigh. “Twenty minutes? You’re ruthless.”

 “You’ll thank me when we’re not hiking in the middle of the night,” she quipped, though a hint of amusement softened the words.

Henry shut his eyes, still trembling slightly from the adrenaline, and the rest of us settled into our brief reprieve. I leaned back against the uneven stone, letting the cool mountain air settle over me. The rocky ledge wasn’t much of a bed, but exhaustion made it feel almost comfortable. My shoulder still throbbed with every slight shift, but the pain faded with every moment. 

For a while, the only sounds were steady breathing, the quiet shifting of gear, and the distant whistle of the wind threading through the mountains. The desert stretched behind us, endless and suffocating, but from up here the air was cooler, thinner. It carried the faint scent of something unfamiliar… or maybe just a memory I couldn’t place.

Then, as our twenty minutes dwindled, Amelia stirred first, stretching her arms with a sigh. "Alright, time’s up," she said, voice laced with fatigue. “Let’s move.”

Groans of protest rose from Henry and Ella, but no one argued. One by one, we pushed ourselves to our feet, brushing dust from our clothes and readying for the final stretch.

The climb resumed—mercifully, it was only hiking now. I wasn’t sure how much more climbing my shoulder could take; every swing of my arm sent a faint reminder of the strain earlier. If I’d had to haul myself up another wall, I knew it would’ve gone from sore to useless in minutes.

The peak felt close. I could sense it in the wind. Each step brought a stronger gust, closer carrying a scent unlike the dry, lifeless air of the wasteland below. It was fresher, cleaner… almost inviting.

Then a roar split the air. Low, guttural, and raw, like the earth itself was groaning beneath us.

We all froze.

The sound vibrated through the stone beneath our feet, reverberating in our chests like distant thunder. Hands flew to weapons on instinct, every muscle coiled tight in anticipation.

It hadn’t been far off. If I had to guess, just beyond the ridge.

But as the seconds passed with nothing but silence and the wind, we eventually relaxed as Amelia signaled for us to proceed cautiously.

Weapons still in hand, we pressed on, the ridge cresting just a few feet ahead.

My breath hitched as I hauled myself over the final ledge, and for the first time in days, something other than fear took hold of me.

Below us, maybe a couple of hundred feet down, stretched a vast forest. A sea of deep green that seemed to go on forever, rolling into the horizon like waves. Towering trees rose high into the sky, their canopies thick and swaying gently in the breeze. The air smelled different here—rich, damp, and laced with something faintly sweet. 

It was all so alive.