"It has been light out for quite some time, so I'd imagine it will be getting dark soon," Saul replied.
But as he spoke, uneasiness in Farah began to set in again. What would Rosalind think if they were gone all night? What would Ben and Andreas – the other members of their battalion – think? "Is there any way you could be ready by tonight?" she asked hesitantly.
"I can try… if we really need to be at the barn by tonight, I can push myself there whenever. Or I can be carried." Aiki shrugged a bit. "I can always rest once we get to Rosalind. I don't really know anything about her, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind. It's not like I really have anywhere else to go, anyway."
Farah and Saul made brief eye contact, and Farah nodded. "We should probably head that way then," she conceded, looking to Aiki. "Are you able to walk?"
Aiki shrugged and sat up again, taking a few seconds before forcing himself to his feet. They staggered and leaned on the tree beside them to stay upright. "Mmnh… alright, l-let's go…"
Farah quickly wrapped her arm around Aiki's shoulders for support, and as usual, Saul followed her lead and supported Aiki's other side. As they began to head out, Farah looked back and used her telekinesis to lift the Burned One and bring it along with them.
Aiki allowed Farah and Saul to support him somewhat as they went along, his breathing still a bit labored. They looked completely drained, but they were doing their best to stay conscious so they wouldn't be an inconvenience. He stumbled a bit and gripped them tighter, his heart pounding in his chest.
"It's alright," Farah murmured to reassure him. "We can take our time. It isn't dark yet."
Saul made sure to keep the barn in sight. His gaze was locked strictly ahead of them.
Aiki exhaled shakily, his legs shaking as he continued onward. They were thankful that Farah and Saul were supporting them, or they would be going down for sure. "S-Sorry… trying to go quick…"
Farah countered with a shake of her head. "We most definitely don't have to go quickly. There is plenty of time left before dark," she reminded. "And it's not much longer we have to walk."
Aiki closed his eyes for a moment, quivering where he stood. His tail dragged behind him, and his ears were drooping. They sighed shakily, gripping Farah and Saul tighter. "Can't breathe real good… mmnh…"
A soft gasp escaped Farah when Aiki tightened his grip.
"Okay, break time," Saul declared, stopping to rest near a tree Aiki could lean on.
Farah sighed heavily and decidedly leaned her back against the rough bark as well. Her eyes fluttered closed, and Saul was quickly by her side. "Farah?"
She didn't open her eyes. "I'm alright. I just needed a break too."
Aiki exhaled shakily and leaned against the tree, sliding down to the ground as their legs started to give out. He kept his eyes closed, drawing his legs up a bit as he trembled on the ground. "Sorry… s-sorry…" They whispered, trying to get themself back up, but failing and falling back to the ground.
Farah's eyes opened, and she knelt down beside Aiki. "Don't rush yourself," she insisted. "It's alright. Take your time. You don't have to be ready immediately. The barn is within eyesight."
Aiki looked up at Farah weakly, his eyelids fluttering with exhaustion. "Nngh… exactly… I-I should… I should be able to make it that far…" They whispered quietly. "Then I can… then I can rest once we get there, right? I-I just need to… push through now…" He coughed a bit and closed his eyes, his breathing shallow and labored.
"No, we can wait for you to recover enough," Farah cut him off from continuing. "My point is that once you're fine, it shouldn't be long until we're there."
"I'm… I'm not really gonna be fine, though… we might as well just go now, right?" Aiki's eyes felt heavy, and they were slowly curling up more. "Mmnh… this Rosalind lady probably has food too right…?"
"Potentially," Farah replied. "But Ben will be there, and he's an Earth fairy, so he could probably grow something for you to eat. Are you sure you want to go now?"
Aiki shrugged a bit. "I-I dunno, I just… I think it might be our best bet. It'll be hard to recover here because there's nothing here that I can use to recover. If they have stuff there, then going there is probably best."
"Alright. I guess it's settled then. Can you walk?" Farah asked, rising back up to a standing position and extending her hand down to help Aiki off the ground.
"Well, we'll see…" Aiki accepted her hand and also used the adjacent tree to try and get up. He managed to get to his feet, but he was wobbling dangerously, and he clearly couldn't walk on his own.
Quickly, both Farah and Saul wrapped their arms around his shoulders to support him. "It's not that much farther, I promise," Farah urged. "Are you ready?"
Aiki nodded tiredly, stumbling along with them in hopes that they would reach the barn soon. "It'll be fine… I'll be fine… just gotta get to the barn so we can rest, right?" He asked, his voice weak.
"Yes, we're almost there," Saul added.
Farah was beginning to feel drained as well from both supporting Aiki and carrying the Burned One behind them telekinetically. The edges of her vision became blurred, but she blinked it away. "Almost there," she repeated.
"Okay…" Aiki kept quiet so he could focus on breathing and staying conscious as he continued onward. They looked up and saw the barn, panting a bit from exhaustion. His ears were drooping and his tail dragged in the dirt behind him.
After a few more moments of struggle, the trio made it to the barn. Farah and Saul eased Aiki down against the wall, and almost instantly afterward, Farah collapsed against Saul. Just as she did, the Burned One dropped to the ground.
Saul grunted in surprise, but he quickly adjusted to catch her and hold her protectively against his chest. "Farah?"