"Panting heavily—"
Several people were gasping for breath, never before had they been so grateful for the narrow passage. If not for its constricted span, they wouldn't have lasted until now. Yet, those stone sculptures seemed tireless, while they were barely hanging on.
Suddenly, several junctions appeared ahead. Before Black Snake could decide which one to take, he saw two Awakeners emerge from a side path in a panic.
He recognized them, weren't they the fellow travelers they had bumped into outside the garden at the beginning?
With one exchange of glances, they understood each other's predicament.
—With pursuers behind them, they could only take the other paths.
However, before Black Snake could take a step, a series of dense footsteps reached his ears. Upon a closer look, several Awakeners were sprinting along the remaining paths—some alone, others in groups of four or five.
Were there really so many companions?
At the crossroads.
