Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 163: Difficult Journey

The seven-day journey that was supposed to be sightseeing turned into an expedition that threatened to take their life before they made it to the Verdant Maw. Visha constantly had to use the Rite of Vitality. She was constantly tired.

Although she would eventually get the power back, being constantly tense and throwing away life force like it didn’t exist was taking its toll on Visha. It wasn’t until a section of her hair started turning white that she truly understood how serious the matter was.

That day, it was Uri who saw it. Because of the constantly tense environment, they had not had time to take care of Visha the way they would want to. This led to them neglecting her and only noticing the problem when it was too late. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Finding another patch of land with only rock was hard to do. Most of the spaces around them were completely green. Even now, choosing a place to stay is dependent on whether the trio will be able to run quickly enough.

Finally able to rest briefly, Uri asked, "Sha’mīn, your hair?"

He lifted a section of Visha’s hair and smelled it.

"What’s wrong?" Visha asked, panting.

He played with the section of hair in his fingers. "Your hair is white."

Visha felt her heart tremble. Her hand trembled as well. The ever observant Uri noticed the tremble. His eyes went sharp, a sign he knew she was hiding something.

"Is there something you need to tell us?" Even though he phrased it as a question, Visha knew it wasn’t.

She had hoped they would not notice for a while longer. But she should have known better. The only reason Uri had not known before was because of the constant running. Xeno, though not as obervant would have noticed soon at some point as well. Now, they have a moment of peace; of course, he will check up on her.

She was stupid to believe she could hide it for long.

The tension could be felt through the bond. Uri and Xeno knew something was happening that Visha did not want them know.

"Tell us," Xeno said, jaw clenched. She felt his nervousness.

"It’s nothing," she sighed. Bending down, she picked up a branch and started drawing shapes. Neither of them spoke, waiting for her to admit there was a problem.

The silence dragged on. Visha wasn’t sure how long it had been going, but it felt endless. She wasn’t sure what to say to either of them. How would she tell them she was burning her lifespan to keep them all alive? They would blame themselves; that is not what she wants.

Daring to take a peek at both men, she saw them staring at her intently. She quickly put her gaze back on the ground. She knew she could not avoid this conversation; they would need to have it at some point. So she took a deep breath, hoping it would make her brave. It didn’t.

"The Rite of Vitality," she whispered. "It’s using my lifespan to keep it going for so long without resting."

The silence that followed made Visha wish the ground would swallow her whole. She did not need to look up to know what was happening; she could feel it. The self-blame, the anger, the sorrow. She felt it all. This is what she was running away from.

"You knew, and you did it anyway," Xeno said, voice low.

"I’m doing what I need to do for us," Visha responded defiantly. "Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same. Both of you." She raised her head, stepping back to meet both their eyes.

Her gaze was defiant, daring them to say they would not do the same. Xeno’s jaw clenched, and he pursed his lips. Uri ran his hand through his hair. He took a deep breath.

"You know we would do the same for you. We cannot argue that. But you should have told us. Why let us find out like this?" Uri reached for the section of white hair again. The heartache in his eyes made Visha’s heart clench.

Bowing her head again, Visha said, "I won’t do it again." Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head, "But I won’t stop. We need to do this, or we won’t be able to get there. We still have one day. If I can stop when I get there, I will. But if our lives are at stake, I have no intention of holding back."

"Shasha, can’t you-," Xeno said.

"No," Visha interjected. "I won’t hide behind you. I can’t stay weak while you get stronger. I need to stand on my own. I will not hide behind you." She turned to Uri, "either of you."

"We should get some rest," Xeno said.

Arguing now would not yield any result. They could only wait until there was an issue and deal with it at that time. Each of them knew the argument would go on forever; in the end, they would each do what they thought was good for the other person.

That night, they did not spend the night talking around the fire. Each of them was stuck in their own thoughts. This did not stop them from sleeping huddled together. On the contrary, the need to be close was overwhelming that night.

Unfortunately, it was the wrong time and place. They could only settle for cuddling together between patrols.

The next morning, they took their time getting ready. They wanted to enjoy the moment of peace they had before going back to the battlefield. Uri and Xeno wanted to give Visha as much time to rest as possible.

Since they will not be able to stop her from using the rite, the least they can do is give her more time to recover. The grey hair was a reminder to them of how much she was losing.

Vish might not mind, but the two beastmen were not willing to have her continue to use her lifespan. Sadly, after arriving at the Verdant Maw, they would not have a choice.