Fumbling their way through the half-light left Asher’s eyes tingling as they struggled to adjust to the strange light of the woods. Calling it light felt wrong since it was so dark. The Forest itself seemed to somehow block out all light from the sun above yet they could still see, if just barely.

Altogether the unnatural light, the uncomfortable stillness of the air, and the hard to forget fact that he had almost lost his mind a few minutes ago, were all extremely unsettling. It left Asher feeling both exhausted from the stress and on edge at the same time.

All this, and they couldn’t have travelled more than half an hour, he was beginning to see why this place was basically a black hole in the local maps.

Ashers thoughts were interrupted as Edmund, at the head of the group as always, slowly came to a halt. He stood there, with his brows furrowed, looking at nothing in particular.

“What’s going on?” Asher asked, not seeing any reason for the pause.

Edmund closed his eyes and lifted his head slightly. “I feel something, a hint of mana.”

“Great, so we just follow that then, right?” Hazel asked, stepping up to stand next to Edmund. She looked upwards and scrunched her face up, apparently trying to feel whatever Edmund was feeling. 

Edmund shook his head. “No, we will be heading in the opposite direction from whatever it is.” He said, he turned and began picking a path in the other direction once again. 

“But aren't we here basically here looking for monsters?” Asher asked. 

“I wouldn't call goblins monsters exactly; they are a people. Just a very strange people. Besides, goblins typically cannot use magic, instead their mana is constantly being resorbed in order to reinforce the strength of their bodies. Which is all irrelevant because whatever is over there, it isn't a goblin.” 

“So, what then? What’s it coming from” Hazel asked, now she was looking into the dark in the direction Edmund was now avoiding, as if staring hard enough may allow her to penetrate the dark and see whatever hid beyond. 

“Honestly, do you think I know everything? I mean it’s flattering, but….” Edmund replied, his cheery voice slipping for a moment. “Whatever it is, let us hope it doesn’t set its sights on us. I don't know that I could protect you two in the worst-case scenario.”

Asher felt a shiver trail down his spine. He had to admit a part of him had just assumed Edmund knew everything, after all he was much more knowledgeable than they were. The part that unnerved Asher the most was seeing Edmund nervous. The guy had seen above regular concerns up until this point. 

“The flow of mana from our guest is powerful but smooth, like a peaceful stream. In other words, it doesn’t seem like an intentional show of force, more like it is just not bothering to hide.”  Edmund also continued to stare into the dark, a puzzled look on his face. 

“Left it is then.” Hazel replied quickly. 

Edmund nodded silently, still staring into the distance. “Right. Let’s go. Left, I mean. Let's go left.” He said. 

They moved on, making their way in the opposite direction from the mysterious source of power. Asher noticed that Edmund remained quieter than usual after sensing whatever it had been. 

It wasn't much longer before he began to feel his stomach grumble, he tried to figure how long they had been travelling through these grim woods, but he struggled to even make a guess. The gloom was ever present, and the ancient trees surrounding them so uniform that it made tracking time incredibly difficult.

“How will we know when it’s time to stop for camp?” Asher asked, looking to the canopy above as he did, seeking out any hint of light peeking through.

“Day or night, doesn't really matter in this place...” Edmund explained. “The night here will have this same strange light to it.” He gestured around in all directions. “Frustrating, isn't it? Just dark enough that your eye’s can't really adjust, just bright enough for your mind to play tricks on you.” He shook his head as he spoke.  “That same energy which illuminates the woods is what nearly left the two of you in comas.”

Asher stopped in his tracks. “That was possible?!” He demanded, in utter shock. 

“Well… Almost is a relative term, isn't it? I was here so you were in no real danger. I suppose if I weren't here then maybe you could have lasted another ten seconds before you succumbed?”

“Well, thank you...” Asher said. “I guess?” At this point Asher was too tired and confused to stay mad.

“Anyway, if you're concerned about the time, I can find out for you.” Edmund suggested. 

“You can?” Asher asked in surprise. 

“Sure, hang out here for a moment.” Edmund said, as he suddenly disappeared. Asher was only able to track where he had gone from the sound of his landing in the branches of the trees above. 

A few moments later and Edmund came falling from above, a flurry of leaves drifting down after him. He landed smoothly next to Asher, looking perfectly put together despite the fact that he had just fallen from what should certainly have been a fatal height. 

“Some time in the late afternoon I would say, the sun was beginning to set.” Edmund announced cheerfully. “And I think I saw some evidence of nearby goblin’s while I was up there. That was a great idea Asher!” 

Asher and Hazel, for their part, just stared at Edmund, mouths agape. 

“What is it?” He asked. “Do I have a spider on me?” He whipped his hands at his clothes and threw his hat to the ground in alarm.  

Asher tried not to laugh. This man was brave enough to throw in his lot with a pair of random strangers, he was powerful enough to shoot up to the top of these massive trees in a single jump, but he was still terrified of spiders? Unable to hold back, Asher finally burst into uproarious laughter. 

“How in the world did you do that?” Hazel asked, ignoring Asher. 

“Do what? Oh! Climb the tree? Sorry, I take a basic understanding of magic so for granted that I forget you two are completely uneducated. Anyway, I perhaps got a bit ahead of myself when I tested your alignments, it may have swayed how you think about magic. While we each have our own unique blend of mana, for many basic applications that fact is irrelevant... Increasing your quantity and quality of mana, regardless of its alignment, will allow you to reinforce your body's strength, speed, and resilience.” 

“And you didn't tell us this earlier because?” Hazel asked. 

“Well like I said, some things are so basic that I forget they need explaining. Plus, you would have noticed it yourself naturally eventually.” Edmund replied. 

Asher’s mind raced with the implications. He had been beginning to worry that his mana would be useless in battle, only helpful in the aftermath, but if he could strengthen his body maybe even, he could make an impact. 

He pushed down on his excitement and forced it back. He could think more about this and what it meant for his magic later, right now he needed to keep on track.

“Can we focus please?” Asher suddenly broke into the conversation. “What did you see that made you think there were goblins nearby?” 

“I saw goblins, obviously.”  came his reply.

Edmund, once again, sent Asher’s thoughts reeling.