Chapter 21

The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful as if it had been painted by a master artist. The air was alive with the sweet melody of birds singing in the valley, and the soft breeze caressed Chloe's cheeks. If she closed her eyes and focused, she could hear the gentle murmur of a stream as it flowed between the two towering cliffs.

Chloe was dressed for adventure, wearing practical three-quarter khaki shorts and a fitted black tank top that showed off her toned arms. Her brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and she wore a sweatband around her forehead to keep her hair out of her face. She carried a hydration waist pack around her waist, the liter bottle almost empty after just thirty minutes of hiking.

Max walked beside her, keeping up with her pace as they silently climbed the summit of the mountain. Ollie was a few meters down and had given up on the quest to get to the summit, attributing her inability to her convalescing state.

Chloe stared at the terrain from the highes