Chapter 304:Just trying to save memories for later.

Chapter 304: 304:Just trying to save memories for later.

Their next destination was considerably quieter than the arcade.

After nearly two hours of simulated beasts, competitive scores, and Ravenna repeatedly insisting that she needed one more attempt, Mallory decided that something peaceful was necessary before Ravenna discovered another attraction she could turn into a competition.

Antony agreed immediately, although Ravenna suspected his agreement had more to do with the fact that she had beaten him during one of the simulations and he wanted to escape before she could challenge him again.

"You lost," Ravenna reminded him as they walked toward the car.

Antony opened the driver’s door.

"Once."

"You still lost."

"And then I won."

Ravenna opened the passenger door.

"Because the simulation gave me a terrible weapon."

"You chose the weapon."

"I didn’t know the balance was that bad."

"You chose it just accept that you lost. I never knew you were such a sore looser"

Ravenna narrowed her eyes while glaring at him. Antony smiled. Mallory climbed into the back seat and sighed.

"Are you two going to argue about this for the rest of the day?"

"Probably," Antony answered.

"No," Ravenna said at the same time.

Mallory looked between them.

"Wonderful."

Antony started the car.

The entertainment district slowly disappeared behind them as they joined one of Alpha Three’s enormous roads. Traffic was heavy, but unlike yesterday, Ravenna wasn’t impatient. She sat back and watched the city pass beyond the window, occasionally noticing places she hadn’t seen on their way into the district.

Alpha Three seemed determined to remind her how small Delta sanctuaries were in comparison.

They passed shopping districts that stretched across entire blocks, enormous hospitals connected by elevated walkways, research facilities with security checkpoints at every entrance, Contractor centers, training halls, hotels, residential towers, markets, and buildings Ravenna couldn’t even guess the purpose of.

There were places where the architecture looked almost completely Old World, while other districts had clearly been built after the Awakening and incorporated materials harvested from beasts.

Everywhere she looked, there was something new. Eventually, Ravenna glanced toward Mallory through the mirror.

"Where are we going?"

"A park."

Ravenna stared at her.

"A park?"

"Yes."

"We came all the way to here to look at trees?"

Antony chuckled to himself. Mallory ignored him.

"We spent weeks looking at trees outside."

"Exactly."

"Those trees were trying to kill you."

"The trees weren’t."

"Things inside them were."

Ravenna couldn’t argue with that.

"Besides," Mallory continued, "this isn’t some small neighborhood park."

Ravenna sighed.

"Of course it isn’t."

"This is Alpha Three."

"There it is again, I feel like you’re soft bragging or something."

Mallory smiled.

"You’ll understand when we get there."

She did because the park was enormous.

Antony had to circle twice before finding parking near one of the entrances, and even after they got out of the car, Ravenna initially couldn’t see where the park ended.

Trees stretched into the distance, but unlike the wilderness outside the sanctuary, everything here had been carefully maintained. Stone paths curved through landscaped gardens, small artificial streams flowed beneath bridges, and enormous patches of grass were occupied by families, couples, children, and Contractors taking advantage of the peaceful afternoon.

Ravenna stopped just beyond the entrance.

"Fine."

Mallory looked at her.

"Fine what? I didn’t hear you."

"It’s impressive."

Mallory smiled triumphantly.

"I told you."

"Don’t make it annoying."

"I’m not saying anything."

"Your face is."

Antony laughed and walked ahead of them. They followed one of the paths deeper into the park. For once, nobody was in a hurry.

That was strange for Ravenna. She had become accustomed to moving with a purpose to reach the next checkpoint or find shelter before nightfall.

Even when she and Silver had taken breaks during their journey, some part of her had always remained conscious of the wilderness around them.

Here, there was nothing to watch for; no beast suddenly charging from the trees, no unfamiliar Contractor group approaching their camp and no need to constantly check where her sword was.

Ravenna still carried it.

But for the first time in a while, it simply felt like something hanging from her waist rather than something she might need at any moment.

They eventually found an empty bench overlooking a large lake. Ravenna sat down and Mallory sat beside her. Antony disappeared toward a nearby stall after announcing that he was thirsty.

Ravenna watched him leave.

"He eats too much."

Mallory laughed.

"You’ve said that several times."

"Because it’s true."

"He probably says the same thing about you."

"He’d be lying."

Mallory smiled.

For a while, they simply watched the lake. There were small boats on the water. Children ran along the edge while their parents shouted at them not to get too close.

A group of young Contractors sat beneath a tree nearby, comparing weapons and talking loudly about some hunt they had completed.

Farther away, an elderly couple walked slowly along the path. Everything felt strangely normal.

Ravenna looked down at her hands.

"Silver would like this."

Mallory glanced at her.

"You think so?"

"He likes quiet places."

"Then remember it."

Ravenna looked at her. Mallory nodded toward the lake.

"When he comes, bring him here."

Ravenna stared at the water again.

"When he comes..."

The words felt easier now.

Mallory smiled but didn’t say anything else. Antony returned carrying three drinks and something wrapped in paper. Ravenna stared at the package.

"You said you were getting drinks."

"I saw food on the way."

"We just ate breakfast."

"That was hours ago."

Ravenna accepted the drink he offered her.

"You’re unbelievable."

"Thank you."

"That wasn’t a compliment."

"I chose to accept it as one."

Mallory laughed.

They stayed in the park longer than Ravenna expected. They talked about nothing important.

Antony complained about Ravenna’s behavior during the simulations. Ravenna explained in considerable detail why his victory didn’t count.

Mallory sided with Antony purely because it irritated Ravenna.

At one point, Ravenna actually forgot to check the tracker.

It lasted almost forty minutes. When she finally realized it, her hand instinctively moved toward her pocket.

She stopped.

The device wouldn’t suddenly give her a different answer simply because she checked it again. She slowly removed her hand and looked across the lake.

’You’d better be alive.’

The thought came without the crushing panic that usually followed.

’Because apparently I have a lot of places to show you.’

They left the park sometime after midday. From there, Mallory became their unofficial guide.

She had only been in Alpha Three for a week herself, but she had spent enough time researching the area while arranging their accommodation that she already had a list of places she wanted to visit.

Some were impressive while others were ridiculous.

They visited an elevated observation platform built into one of the taller commercial structures in the district. From there, Ravenna could see so much of Alpha Three that she finally understood why travelling across the sanctuary could take hours.

Buildings stretched toward the horizon. Roads looked like thin lines from their height. Aircraft moved between designated flight corridors.

Far in the distance, enormous walls surrounded the sanctuary, but even those seemed impossibly far away. She walked closer to the glass.

"How many people live here?"

"A lot," Antony answered helpfully.

Ravenna looked at him.

"Thank you, that was helpful."

"Anytime."

Mallory laughed.

Ravenna looked north. Somewhere in that direction was the academy.

She immediately thought about asking them to leave, then she remembered what Mallory had told her. She checked the time and there was still several hours.

Ravenna sighed.

"Stop checking."

Mallory had noticed.

"I’m not."

"You are."

"I’m checking the time."

"Because of Shawn."

"Obviously."

Mallory stepped beside her.

"We’ll go."

Ravenna nodded.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

That was enough for her. They continued their activities. The next few hours passed faster than Ravenna expected.

They visited a large public plaza filled with performers and small businesses. They walked through a market where Contractors sold materials harvested from beasts alongside merchants selling ordinary clothing, jewelry, electronics, and food.

The food became a problem, mostly because Antony wanted to try everything.

"This."

Antony pointed toward a stall.

"No," Ravenna said.

"You haven’t even looked."

"We just ate like a few minutes ago."

"That was twenty minutes ago."

"Exactly."

Mallory looked toward the stall.

"What is it?"

"I don’t know." Antony smiled. "And that’s why we should try it."

Ravenna stared at him.

"That’s terrible reasoning, what if you’re allergic to it."

Ten minutes later, all three of them were eating it. Ravenna hated that it was good.

The dish consisted of thin slices of meat cooked with spices none of them recognized, wrapped inside soft bread with vegetables and a sauce that was slightly sweet before becoming unexpectedly spicy.

Ravenna took another bite. Antony watched her without hiding his smugness.

"You were saying?"

"Be quiet."

Mallory laughed.

They found another stall later selling something frozen and sweet. Then another selling grilled meat harvested from a low-ranked beast Ravenna had never eaten before, then a bakery.

Ravenna stopped outside it.

Mallory noticed.

"What?"