1.3 — Forest of Beasts

I feel like a burden tied to his leg. Useless. Weak. He has saved me so many times that I can’t even count them, and yet, whenever even the slightest harm comes to him… I can’t do anything. Absolutely nothing.
There’s no reason for him to keep traveling with me. And yet… he chose to do it. Why?
Even if he told me to stay behind now… I can’t bring myself to obey him. I want to help him, but… he doesn’t trust me.
Lyttia grips the sword hilt tighter — as if the gesture itself could give her courage — and heads into the forest, following the path her companion disappeared along. She passes more tree trunks and bushes whose leaves scratch against her skin. She walks carefully, as if afraid with every step of making a sound that could reveal her presence.
She isn’t sure which way he went, but after several dozen steps, she spots a familiar figure. He is kneeling — his left hand resting against the ground, his right reaching toward his forehead. He breathes heavily, his entire body sinking under its own weight. Sweaty, hunched over, weakened.
And then she sees her.
The black figure.
Crouching right in front of him.
Lyttia freezes, holding her breath. Her heart pounds like a hammer. She wants to turn around, run away, and pretend she saw nothing… but that would be running away.
Just moments ago, I promised myself I had to be strong. That I couldn’t just stand there and watch.
Who is he? Who… or what? And why does he let it treat him like this?
The boy gasps, trying to say something, fighting for breath.
— L-leave me… — he forces out, almost pleadingly.
The apparition smiles broadly. It moves a hand along his cheek, forcing him to look straight into its dead, white eyes — devoid of soul, light, everything human.
It looks like him. The same hair. The same figure. As if his shadow had grown and become real. Made from the same smoke the black-haired boy controls, yet far more… sinister.
— That’s what happens when you ignore me — it says in a low, contemptuous voice. — If you keep resisting like this, I’ll drain all the energy from you. You’ll be left helpless. Suffering. Alone. And you’ll die.
Drain… all the energy…?
— I will never follow in your footsteps! — he hisses, trying to break free from his weakness.
— Of course you won’t — the apparition replies smoothly. — But I, on the other hand… will never give you your freedom. You’ll carry me inside you until the very end. And you’ll always suffer. Because that’s what you deserve.
He… he’s torturing him.
Lyttia clenches her teeth. Her heart beats faster.
— H-hey! — her voice breaks, but she finally speaks. — Leave him alone! He hasn’t done anything to you!
I think.
The apparition slowly turns around, and the smile disappears from its face. The boy also raises his head and looks toward her — as if he cannot believe what he is seeing.
— You… you’re defending me? — he whispers, his eyes wide open.
Lyttia trembles, but does not step back even once.
— I said something! — she raises her voice, despite the fear tightening her throat. — If you don’t leave him alone… you’ll have to face me!
She grips the sword with both hands, her arms trembling.
What am I doing? I don’t even know how to fight…
The apparition stares at her for several seconds. Silence weighs heavily in the air. Then it begins to laugh — loudly, theatrically, as if it genuinely cannot believe what it is seeing.
— I can’t… I can’t! — it chokes out, wiping its eyes. — Kassius, really? You found yourself a friend? And such a loyal one, too?
— But you? You want to fight me? You?!
Kassius…
Lyttia clenches her teeth so tightly that they ache. Without thinking, driven by emotion, she lunges forward. She raises the sword and swings — but the blade has no balance, too heavy, too unfamiliar. The movement is weak and clumsy.
It cuts through the apparition… but the blade simply passes through the smoke.
The apparition bursts into even louder laughter. It holds its stomach.
— This… this is so damn funny! — it shouts. — It wasn’t even embarrassing, it was… incredibly embarrassing!
Lyttia swings again, once, twice, three times — but every strike passes through empty air.
— Stop — Kassius says, slowly getting to his feet, as if standing up were a battle in itself. — It won’t do anything. You’re only exhausting yourself.
— But… — she begins, but comes to the same conclusion herself. He is right. It makes no sense.
— This is none of your business — he adds coldly.
— Oh, Kassius… — the apparition says. — With that attitude, you won’t get very far. You’re weak, stupid, and selfish. But… I admit it. It’s nice that you have a friend. Even if she doesn’t really know you. — It adds the words with contemptuous tenderness, then its figure dissolves into the air. It disappears as though it had never been there.
Kassius turns his back to Lyttia. He feels humiliated after what just happened.
— I told you not to interfere. When I started feeling sick, I asked you to stay behind.
He says it coldly, almost hurtfully.
Lyttia freezes. Everything inside her tightens. She had tried. She had protected him.
— You’ve saved me so many times… and you still help me — she says, her voice breaking. — I wanted to repay you. I trust you. But whatever I do, it’s always… wrong.
Kassius looks at her over his shoulder. Her gaze is fixed on the ground, on the moss beneath her feet. She does not raise her eyes. She is ashamed of her own courage.
— You… trust me? — he asks quietly. Surprised. As if he doesn’t know what he is supposed to feel.
Lyttia nods.
His eyes widen. Those words shift something inside him. He no longer looks at her, instead staring deep into the forest. Toward the capital.
— You don’t know me — he says after a moment.
Lyttia remains silent. Eventually, she asks, changing the subject:
— That apparition… it was cruel. Does it have some reason for trying to destroy you like that?
— …I don’t know myself — he replies thoughtfully. — We’ll reach the capital tomorrow.
He turns and walks into the forest. Without a word. Without a glance.
Lyttia follows him for several steps so she won’t fall behind. Finally, she speaks quietly:
— So… your name is Kassius?
— Yes — he replies after a short pause. — And you?
— Lyttia — she says with a faint but sincere smile.

The final day of their journey passes surprisingly smoothly. Perhaps it is a matter of atmosphere — after all, time always seems to move faster when you share it with someone you feel safe with. Every moment feels fuller, every conversation more meaningful, and silence — more understandable than a thousand words. The boredom of the journey almost completely disappears beneath the rhythm of their shared footsteps and the trust that is beginning to take root.
— There! I can see the city wall! — Lyttia cries out, her face lighting up with a smile — a mixture of excitement, relief, and hope.
Enthusiastically, she moves ahead of Kassius and stops in front of him, blocking his path. She takes a deep breath, as if only now realizing that they have truly arrived.
— Wait — Kassius says, extending a hand toward her. — One more thing. Something important.
The expression on his face changes. He grows serious.
— Never, under any circumstances, tell anyone where you got my sword. And never give it to anyone. Even if they threaten you. Even if they beg.
Lyttia looks at him attentively, not fully understanding the seriousness of his words. But there is no room for questions in his voice.
— It… draws attention — he adds coldly.
He reaches for the weapon, and in his hand it shrinks to the size of a thin ring. A small black band with a faint glimmer of smoke — it looks like an ornament, and yet it is deadly.
— Hide it. The moment you touch it, it will return to its true form.
Lyttia carefully takes the tiny version of the sword, with almost childlike wonder.
This is incredible… She carefully hides it — between her white hair and the golden clasp holding her ponytails together.
— Done — she announces. — I’m ready. Let’s go.

The walk to the city gates takes only a few minutes, yet somehow feels longer than any of the days they have spent together. When they stand before the wall, the sheer size of the place strikes them — massive stone walls, from within which comes the bustle of a city alive with activity.
They do not wait long. A bearded man rides up with a cart full of wheat. As the gates begin to open, Lyttia does not hesitate for even a second. She slips through the gap like a shadow.
Kassius, however, does not move. He stands before the gate and raises a hand, as if wanting to say goodbye without words. He does not follow her inside.
Why isn’t he coming with me?
So once again, we don’t understand each other…
A chill runs through Lyttia. She has not even entered yet, and already she feels… abandoned. The final glance that never comes. The farewell that never happened.
I can’t turn around. Not now. If I do… I won’t be able to keep moving.
As she walks forward, she does not know whether Kassius is still standing there. Whether he has left. Whether he felt sad. Whether he is even capable of feeling something like that.
She disappears into the crowd.

A different world unfolds before her eyes. Cobblestone streets. Tenement buildings. Stalls. Children laughing, the smell of bread, merchants calling out. A place that lives. Pulses. Shouts.
And amidst all of it, she looks like a shadow.
She stands in the middle of the street, stunned, as if she has just arrived from another planet. Carriages nearly run her over. A passerby grumbles under his breath:
— Hey, don’t stand in the middle of the street!
But she only stares.
Everything is so… different.
— Hey, have you seen her before? — she hears a boy’s voice. — Weird clothes. She’s probably not from here.
Voices come from every direction. Chaos. Noise. Thousands of words she does not understand.
— She… she’s a foreigner. That’s illegal — a woman’s voice says, loud and accusatory.
— You there! — a shout rings out. It is a knight in a white uniform, carrying a spear. — What are you doing here? Looking for trouble?
The second guard whispers something into his ear. The first immediately changes his expression.
— Possessed… From Ephzental. Where else could she have gotten that appearance?
Lyttia does not understand, but her body is already reacting.
Run.
The knight moves toward her.
Lyttia turns and runs, blindly, with all the strength fear can give her.
I can’t let them catch me.