A faint tick–tick–tick sounded in the dark.

Elara’s bracelet vibrated with a soft warning pulse.

Her eyes snapped open.

“Elara…?” Ashren mumbled beside her.

She shook his shoulder urgently.
“Ashren, wake up. It’s dawn. We can’t stay here any longer.”

Ashren rolled over and whispered,

“Elara… if this is another bobwa situation… I’m surrendering to sleep…”

SMACK.

Elara smacked the sense back into him.

Ashren sat up instantly.
“—I’m awake! I’m awake! What happened?!”

Elara whispered sharply,

“The first watch is starting. The guards are opening the door.
If we don’t blend in with them now—and they notice us missing in the morning—we’re dead.”

Ashren blinked hard, brain finally catching up.

“…Right. Okay. Moving.”

They hurried to the hut’s stone door and slipped out.
Guards were already gathering—stretching, grunting, forming a line for the dawn watch.

The gate began to open with a grinding rumble.

Elara grabbed Ashren’s hand.
“Walk with them. Match their steps.”

A chorus erupted:

“BOBWA!!”

Ashren whispered, “If I have to bobwa one more time—”

“Quiet,” Elara hissed.
“And bobwa.”

So they did.

They slipped into the back of the line, chanting with the giants as they marched out of the mountain. Dawn light washed over the guards as they stepped onto the forest path.

The moment they were far enough, Ashren tugged her sleeve.

“Now.”

They broke away silently, hiding behind boulders until the watch moved on.

Warm morning light finally spread across the forest.

Elara stretched, finally breathing freely.

“We need to find a safe place,” she said quietly.
“Somewhere we can hide from the Night Hunters… at least for a while.”

Ashren nodded slowly, but his gaze stayed on the horizon.

“A safe place, yes… but not just any village.”

Elara looked at him, confused.
“What do you mean?”

Ashren turned to her.

“If we go to just any safe place… sure, we might rest for a day.
But nothing useful will come out of it.
We’ll still be blind.
Still hunted.”

Elara frowned.
“…Then where do we go?”

Ashren stepped closer, lowering his voice.

“We go somewhere tied to your kingdom.
Somewhere under Ardanel’s old territory.”

Elara blinked, surprised.
“But… why precisely there?”

Ashren met her eyes steadily.

“Because I promised you.
And if we’re going to reclaim your kingdom, we need information.
We need to know who controls your lands now… how Enthoria rules… what their strengths and weaknesses are.”

His voice softened, but stayed firm.

“Hiding won’t save us, Elara.
But the right knowledge might.”

Elara’s breath trembled.
“You’re… really serious.”

Ashren smiled faintly.

“We have a mission now, Elara.
And I have a promise to fulfill.
Let’s carve our path—the way we want it.”

Elara hesitated, then looked east.

“…There is a place,” she whispered.
“Twelve kilometers from here.
A small trade outpost called Ardent Cross.
Before the invasion, it belonged to Ardanel.”

Ashren brightened.

“Then that’s where we go.
We’ll reach it by midday if we start now.”

Elara nodded softly, hope flickering in her eyes.

“Okay… Ashren.
Let’s go.”

Side by side, they stepped onto the forest path—
toward Ardent Cross,
toward answers,
toward the beginning of something much bigger than either of them imagined.

Whatever awaited them…

To be continued…

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