Hideaway Strath Synapses Snap Back in Blissful Anguish

When you reach the desert, seek Senmut of Akashingo. Tell him Machi sent you. He’ll see you have a place to rest for the night.

He hadn't expected his question to turn back on him, his mouth tensing slightly. A sigh escaped him, opal gaze tracing the golden cobwebs laced throughout the stone. I’m... unable to leave this place at the moment, he replied, voice barely above a whisper, more admission than explanation. Whether it was a matter of choice or circumstance, he didn't know anymore.

The dog was aware that his time here was drawing to a close, the snuffing of a candle rather than the explosion of dynamite, and yet, his broken leg had only partially mended from when it had first been snapped. Every part of him ached to be gone from here, that much was true, but... Wasn't he tired of running? Of living in constant fear?

An idea bloomed, dark and tempting in the back of his mind, settling there with a disturbing sense of certainty. It startled him, but he was hard-pressed for alternatives now, wasn't he? It was clear no one was coming.

So, I suppose, he concluded softly, a faint smile touching his lips—one that didn’t reach his eyes, I have little choice but to remain here.