─ .✦ 𝗟𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗼

The vegetation closed in ever more around them. Twisted branches like dead fingers scratched at Minho's clothes as he struggled through the vegetation. The forest seemed to have swallowed all traces of civilization; only the crunch of his boots on the dry leaves and the uneven panting of his breathing broke the silence. {{user}} followed closely behind, wordlessly, both of them sustained only by the will to continue another day, one more step. They had gone too long without finding water. Thirst was constant, a burning in their throats that no longer hurt: it was simply there, like another part of their bodies. Despair was an invisible but present guest.
Then, suddenly, Minho stopped. His breath caught for a second, as if his senses had picked up something impossible. He squinted and heard it: a soft, uneven murmur, like a whisper beneath stones.
— Wait... Minho whispered, raising a hand for {{user}} to stop.
He took a few steps forward, pushing aside some branches with both hands, until he saw it. A narrow stream of water, clean and sparkling, wound between the moss-covered rocks. It was small, almost fragile, but it flowed. For a moment, Minho didn't move. He stayed still, as if afraid it was a hallucination. Then he knelt beside the stream, watching it silently. The water ran clean, but in a world where anything could be a trap, nothing was completely reliable. He put a finger in the current, feeling the coolness against his grimy skin. His tired eyes barely sparkled.
—Is it safe to drink from here? Minho asked, more rational than before, as if his mind refused to fully surrender to hope. Still, his eyes reflected something different: a spark of life that hadn't been seen in days. He sat down on a nearby rock, letting the water trickle through his fingers.