Chapter 104

Anthony’s povI swung my legs under the bench in the library alcove, kicking the air softly while I waited.Mama had let me help sort books this morning, but I’d only lasted maybe thirty minutes before I couldn’t focus anymore. My brain felt like scrambled eggs. Not the good kind either—like the runny kind Daddy makes when he’s trying to talk and cook at the same time.It was weird. I didn’t feel sick. I just felt…off.Scattered.Like my thoughts were floating around above my head instead of staying where they belonged.I rubbed the back of my neck and spotted Mama and Daddy coming through the door, both carrying mugs and walking close together like they always did when they were deep in a grown-up talk.Daddy smiled the moment he saw me. “There you are, bud. You vanish faster than Loria when the council calls.”“I wasn’t hiding,” I said with a shrug. “I just wanted quiet.”Mama sat beside me, setting her tea down on the ledge by the window. “You okay?”“I think so,” I said. “Just weir

Last Updated : 2025-07-18

Chapter 105

Loria’s POVThe next morning…The smell of cinnamon and something sweet filled the air, but I couldn’t taste anything. I pushed a bite of waffle around my plate, pretending I was hungry enough to finish it. Across the table, the kids were laughing and squabbling over syrup, but I was elsewhere—still stuck in the corners of last night’s conversation with Anthony.I hadn’t slept. Not even for a minute.I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, hearing his words on repeat: "I want to go into the mountains. Our old pack ground. The place we were forced out of after the massacre."It wasn’t just the words. It was the way he said them. Quiet. Firm. Like he already knew something we didn’t.And maybe he did.He’s always known things.Even as a toddler, when the only things that came out of his mouth were facts about dinosaurs and the moon phases, his eyes always looked like they saw more than what was in front of him. It used to unnerve Simon, how wise he seemed. Now we just accept it for what it

Last Updated : 2025-07-19

Chapter 106

Anthony’s POVMama’s hand was warm in my left, Daddy’s in my right, and Moon clung to my shoulder like always when she was excited and trying to act like she wasn’t. We stood close with all our bags and gear at our feet. The enchanted tent was rolled up tight, tied with rope. Everything was ready.Mama took a deep breath. I felt the shift in the air before I even saw it.It shimmered—like the space around us was breathing. A ripple swept through the clearing and then—We were somewhere else.The castle was gone. The courtyard. The fountain. All of it. Replaced by forest. Massive trees surrounded us, thick trunks and twisting roots and the scent of pine, moss, and something colder… something ancient. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt the mountain under my feet. Like it remembered us.I didn’t say anything. Just dropped my pack at the base of the biggest tree and crouched low, eyeing the limbs above me. Strong branches, good angle, easy grip points.Perfect.I leapt and caught the first

Last Updated : 2025-07-19

Chapter 107

Anthony’s POVThe second I stepped past the line of trees, it got quieter.Not like everything stopped—there were still birds calling out overhead and the occasional rustle of leaves—but it felt different. Like the mountain was holding its breath. Like it knew I was coming.I let my fingers skim the bark of the nearest tree as I walked, my juice bottle dangling from the other hand. The coolness of the shade soaked into my skin, and the buzzing under the surface of me—it grew stronger. Not louder exactly, but clearer. Like static turning into a signal.I didn’t go far. Just wandered in a wide arc, staying where I could still see the edge of the picnic blanket if I looked back through the trees. But I didn’t want to look back.I wanted to look forward.Up.Around.The forest here was older than the land around the castle. The trees had a way of standing still that felt intentional, not lazy. Moss covered their roots like velvet cloaks, and lichen clung to their trunks like secrets.And

Last Updated : 2025-07-20

Chapter 108

Anthony’s POVAfter lunch, we packed everything up and started hiking again.I kept my map tucked into my pocket, but my eyes stayed sharp. The longer we walked, the more I started noticing something—markings. They weren’t all the same, not exactly, but they followed a pattern. Little slashes in the bark, subtle etchings that you wouldn’t notice unless you were looking for them.And I was.I didn’t say anything.Just made sure we always took the trail closest to the marked tree. I kept it casual, acting like I was just picking whichever path looked the most interesting, or scenic. But in my head, I was stringing them together like a puzzle.Mama and Daddy didn’t question it. They were too busy talking in low voices, probably about safety or terrain—or maybe just enjoying being outside again. Moon skipped a little ahead, humming something and twirling a long blade of grass between her fingers.But then the air changed.I didn’t smell it at first. I felt it. Like a pressure drop. Like t

Last Updated : 2025-07-23

All Chapters of What Survived The Burn: Chapter 161 - Chapter 165

Chapter 104

Chapter 105

Chapter 106

Chapter 107

Chapter 108