Morning settled quietly over the forest.

The small camp that had sheltered them for the past week was nearly gone.

The tent had already been folded away.

The campfire had been buried beneath fresh earth, leaving behind only a faint trace of warmth.

One by one, bundles of medicinal herbs disappeared into Lyric’s pack.

Soon…

Nothing remained except flattened grass swaying gently in the morning breeze.

Ashen stood silently, watching.

“…We’re leaving?”

Lyric tightened the leather straps across her pack before lifting her sword onto her back.

“We’ve stayed here long enough.”

Ashen slowly looked around the clearing one last time.

For the first time since waking…

He felt something strange.

This place wasn’t home.

It never could be.

But it was the last place connected to the village.

Leaving it somehow felt like leaving behind the final piece of everyone he’d lost.

His eyes lowered.

“…What if she comes back?”

Lyric understood immediately.

“Your sister.”

Ashen nodded.

“What if she comes here… looking for me?”

For a brief moment, Lyric’s expression softened.

“If she’s alive…”

She paused.

“…then your job is to stay alive too.”

She turned toward the narrow forest trail ahead.

“If you remain here forever…”

“…you’ll never find her.”

Ashen stared at the path.

Then, without another word…

He followed.

⸻

The morning passed in silence.

Towering trees stretched high above them, their branches weaving together like an endless green ceiling.

Sunlight slipped through the leaves in scattered beams, dancing across the forest floor with each passing breeze.

Crunch… Crunch…

Their footsteps echoed softly over fallen leaves and broken twigs.

Every now and then, Ashen found himself glancing toward Lyric.

He still didn’t trust her.

Not completely.

But…

He wasn’t trying to walk away anymore.

⸻

“…Where are we going?”

“The nearest town.”

“…Is it far?”

“Another day’s walk.”

Ashen nodded quietly.

After a few moments, curiosity got the better of him.

“…Have you always traveled alone?”

Lyric didn’t answer immediately.

For several long seconds, only the wind replied.

“…No.”

The answer caught Ashen off guard.

He wanted to ask another question.

Who?

What happened?

Why are you alone now?

But something in her voice told him the conversation was already over.

So he stayed quiet.

⸻

Hours drifted by.

The forest slowly began to change.

The trees grew older.

Thicker.

The undergrowth became dense enough to hide nearly everything beyond a few yards.

Even the birds had grown quieter.

Suddenly—

Lyric stopped walking.

Ashen nearly bumped into her.

“…What?”

She slowly raised one hand.

“Listen.”

Ashen held his breath.

At first…

Nothing.

Then—

Crunch…

A single footstep.

Heavy.

Slow.

Not human.

Another.

Crunch…

A low growl rolled through the trees.

“Grrrrrr…”

Ashen instinctively tensed.

“…What was that?”

Lyric rested one hand on the hilt of her sword.

“A mana beast.”

Ashen swallowed.

“…A real one?”

She nodded once.

“They’re common outside protected settlements.”

Ashen kept his eyes fixed on the bushes ahead.

“I’ve read about them…”

“There are different kinds of mana beasts. Some are small… others are massive. Every species is different.”

His heartbeat quickened.

“…But this is my first time seeing one.”

The bushes suddenly shook violently.

RUSTLE!

Branches snapped apart.

A wolf-like creature slowly emerged from the undergrowth.

Its body was nearly twice the size of an ordinary wolf.

Dark gray fur covered its lean frame.

Its emerald eyes glowed with a faint, eerie light.

Thin streams of mana drifted from its claws like pale mist.

The beast lowered its body.

Its lips curled back.

Grrrrrr…

Ashen instinctively stepped behind Lyric.

She noticed.

But said nothing.

“It isn’t very strong.”

Ashen stared at the creature in disbelief.

“…It doesn’t look weak.”

“That’s because you’ve never seen one before.”

Without warning—

The beast lunged.

WHOOSH!

Its claws tore through the air.

In the same instant—

SHING!

Lyric’s blade left its sheath.

A flash of silver split the forest.

SLASH!!

The wolf landed several feet behind her.

Still standing.

For one heartbeat…

Then…

A thin crimson line appeared across its neck.

The beast’s head slowly slid from its body.

THUD.

The lifeless corpse collapsed into the leaves.

Silence reclaimed the forest.

Ashen’s mouth slowly fell open.

“…I…”

His eyes moved from the dead mana beast…

Back to Lyric.

“…I didn’t even see you move.”

With practiced ease, Lyric wiped the blood from her blade before sliding it back into its sheath.

Click.

“One day…”

She spoke without looking at him.

“…you will.”

Ashen continued staring at the fallen beast.

Then he noticed Lyric kneeling beside it.

She drew a small knife from her belt.

“…What are you doing?”

Without stopping her work, she answered,

“Money doesn’t grow on trees.”

She carefully removed the beast’s claws before beginning to harvest its pelt.

“We can sell the raw materials once we reach town.”

Ashen watched closely, committing every movement to memory.

Another lesson.

Another piece of the outside world he had never known.

He gave a quiet nod.

“…I didn’t know that.”

Lyric glanced at him briefly.

“There’s still a lot you don’t know.”

Ashen couldn’t argue with that.

It had only been a week since the village was destroyed.

Yet every day…

The world proved larger than the books Granny Ana used to read with him.

Far more dangerous.

Far more unforgiving.

He looked ahead toward the endless road.

Then toward the woman walking in front of him.

She wasn’t just a skilled swordswoman.

She was someone who understood this world.

And perhaps…

The only person capable of guiding him through it.

Without another word…

The two continued walking down the forest road.

Toward the town Ashen had only ever read about.