— I can’t get it out of my head… Shouldn’t we be worried?

— Man, stop being crazy. Come on already, — he replied, dragging him away.

— Hey! Where are you going, Beta? — Jonathan asked, worried. — Don’t you see it’s already dark? Don’t go training now!

— Tate asked me to help with a sword technique, — he said, without stopping.

— At night? Philipe, cover for me for now! Stay safe— BETA, WAIT FOR ME! — he shouted, running after him. — I don’t want you getting so close to these adventurers, got it? — he said harshly, grabbing his arm.

— What’s this about now? What’s wrong with you? You’re hurting me! — he protested, trying to break free.

— Go back to the village! — Jonathan ordered.

— Hey! What’s going on here? Why are you holding the kid like that? — Dereck asked, arriving on the scene.

— Your partner asked this kid to train at night! Is he insane? He’s going to get him killed! — Jonathan shouted.

— Well, I was actually on my way to help him. If you're that scared, why not come along with us? — Dereck offered with a sly smile.

— I will.

— Settled then. Come on, Beta, — he said, pulling the boy away from Jonathan.

The training took place at their usual spot, now lit with torches as a precaution against monsters.

— So, what do you want to learn first, kid? — Dereck asked, putting a cigarette in his mouth.

— I think… the sword technique, — Beta replied, unsure.

— Tate, — he called, snapping his fingers.

— All right, Beta. The technique I’m going to teach you is called "Surprise Attack." Ready? — he asked, raising a wooden sword.

— I think so, — Beta replied, lifting his own wooden sword, still hesitant.

— The most important things are to stay confident, keep your grip steady, stay alert, and move freely — but cautiously.

— I think I understood about two-thirds of that…

— Here I go.

Within seconds, the adventurer — who was at the dark orange stage — charged with such murderous intent that the boy collapsed to his knees. Jonathan tried to intervene but was held back by Dereck.

The pressure was too overwhelming for a ten-year-old. But suddenly, all that murderous energy vanished. Beta stood up and took a combat stance but couldn’t see his opponent anymore. He looked around, alert — until he felt a huge weight on top of him and gave up.

It was Tate. He had suppressed all his fury in a leap, surprising the boy and pinning him down as he landed on him. And just like that, the training ended — with a lesson in awareness, courage, and limits.

— In a real fight, you’d be dead. You know that, right? — Tate mocked as he got up off the boy.

— Let me go, dammit! — Jonathan shouted, still restrained.

— Easy there, buddy. How do you expect the kid to learn anything if he has no idea what kind of enemies he might face? — Dereck said, finally releasing the knight.

— H-how did you do that? Was it magic? I… I couldn’t stand up. I could barely breathe. It felt like something massive was crushing me even before you jumped, — Beta said, completely pale.

— I think that was a bit much for the kid, Tate, — Dereck laughed.

— “I think,” huh? — Jonathan snapped.

— Maybe we should save the rest for tomorrow. What do you say, kid? Then I’ll explain how I did that “magic,” okay? — Tate offered.

— I-I think so… — Beta replied, still trembling and shaken.

— I told you not to go with them, didn’t I!? — Jonathan yelled, pulling him by the arm.

— Forget it, Tate. The kid probably wasn’t born for this anyway, — Dereck said, walking after them.

— No, he was. He just hasn’t had the chance to prove it yet. You’ll see tomorrow. I believe in that kid. He’ll awaken his core, — Tate said with conviction.

— All right then. But let’s go. We need to eat and rest so we can wake up early and train. At least until the kid wakes up — if he manages to sleep at all.

— Fair enough.

★

Elven Village

— Clara? — Adolf knocked on the bedroom door.

— What do you want? — she asked, clearly furious.

— I… could you please open the door so I can talk to you face to face? Or at least let me in? — he asked, turning the doorknob and noticing it was locked.

— My father sent you here, didn’t he?

— Well, technically yes. I won’t lie to you. But you’ve been locked in this room for a whole day, and I figured you might want to talk to someone you trust.

— The moment I step out of this room, you’ll tell my parents everything.

— I won’t. I promise.

Tick!

— Come in, — she said, lowering her gaze as the door opened slightly. — And lock the door! — she added, jumping onto her bed.

— Okay… — he replied, stepping in and locking the door. — So? Want to talk about what’s bothering you? — he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

— I don’t know… — she replied with a muffled voice, her face buried in the pillow.

— I don’t remember the last time I stepped foot in this room… Wait, are you still in pajamas? Did you even shower during all this time you’ve been locked in here?

— Of course I did, you idiot! Did you forget there’s a bathroom in my room? — she snapped, glaring at him.

— Good to know, — he said, as a tense silence settled between them again. — About the scienti—

— You don’t have to say anything about that. Everyone knows it was my father’s fault that happened, — she interrupted, getting angry again.

— Your father didn’t mean for it to happen, Clara. He couldn’t have known that abomination would survive without organs.

— What kind of creature was that? I didn’t even know something like that could live without organs.

— Neither did the scientists. They didn’t find anything in the books about creatures like it.

— Are you serious?

— Yes. That monster must be a new species or it’s been hiding for decades. Not even your father knows what it is. What worries me are the circumstances in which these creatures are born… What if there are more monsters like it out there we don’t know about?

— Probably not. It would be impossible for no hunter to have ever come across something like that.

— But that’s exactly the problem, Clara. We elves are excluded from the world. We live isolated from humans and even from our own forest. We only discovered that monster because of the water shortage in the village. What if it had been around for a long time and the humans already had a name for it? — he stared into her eyes. — What if a whole new wave of creatures has been appearing in recent years, and we’re at a disadvantage because we lack access to knowledge? I understand that the scientists’ deaths weren’t your father’s fault. But if he keeps up this ridiculous culture of isolation, how many more elves will have to die before another unknown monster shows up here?

— I want to sleep. Can you leave?

— I’m sorry, Clara, I didn’t—

— Adolf, please, — she said firmly.

— All right, — he sighed, getting up from the bed and unlocking the door.

— Clueless boy… has the Core of Awareness and still doesn’t know when to shut up, — she muttered, going to lock the door again. — What I really need is a good night’s sleep to clear my head.

Tick!

‡