Date: Day Seven of the Journey to Narshia
Location: Northward Path, Forested Slope Trail
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Morning came with laughter and warm tea.
Anna challenged Leander to a tree-climbing race. Elric gave quiet thanks to the mountain breeze. Riya braided her hair with little petals she found along the road. Gideon kept checking his shield, as always. Lily smiled.
Cerene walked beside me, humming softly. Another question formed on her lips.
> "Do you think… strength should be seen or hidden?"
I didn't answer right away.
Instead, I watched the shadows ahead.
Something was wrong.
Too quiet. No birds. No wind in the trees. No echoes in the forest around us.
> "Hold."
I raised a hand.
Everyone stopped.
Alice emerged from the rear flank, already holding a dagger laced with silver light.
> "Movement. Eight. No—ten."
They weren't bandits.
Too clean. Too well-equipped. Matching gear, tight formation. Not shouting. Not rushing.
Mercenaries.
Paid to be precise.
They stepped out of the trees like wolves in armor. Eyes sharp. Weapons drawn.
> "We'll take the girl," their leader said. "No one else needs to die."
---
I looked at Cerene.
She didn't flinch.
Didn't move.
Didn't even blink.
But the way her fingers curled into her cloak told me: she expected this. Maybe not today. But eventually.
> "Who sent you?" I asked, already adjusting our formation with subtle hand signs.
The merc leader just smiled.
> "Does it matter?"
It did. But I had no time to ask again.
Alice vanished.
So did Leander.
Anna whispered, "Oh finally," and pulled three illusion threads in a single breath.
> "Shields up," I said.
> "Line hold," said Gideon, stepping forward.
> "First volley ready," said Riya, sparks glowing at her fingertips.
The mercenaries moved. So did we.
---
The Clash
They attacked in a V-formation, aiming for our center.
They thought we'd guard Cerene.
We didn't.
We moved with her.
Gideon blocked the first blow—his shield ringing like thunder.
Leander blinked from tree to tree, cutting tendon, dodging arrows.
Riya summoned wind and earth—binding their legs, hurling stone shards with pinpoint force.
Anna unleashed the second wave—blinding illusions of exploding fire and crackling noise. Half the enemies staggered, swinging at ghosts.
Alice took the rear.
Three fell before anyone noticed she was behind them.
Elric placed a ward on Cerene—not because she was weak. But because even brave minds bleed when blades pierce truth.
Cerene stood still.
Her eyes glowed faint violet.
Then she whispered a spell.
One of the mercenaries screamed and dropped his sword. His veins had frozen mid-swing.
> "That's not mana," Lily muttered beside me. "That's… something else."
> "Technique," I said quietly. "Precise. Low-output. Lethal."
And then I joined the fight.
---
Aftermath
Nine mercenaries down. One unconscious. We took him alive.
Elric patched the wounds. Anna looted their leader. Leander stood over the last one, sword resting on his shoulder.
> "Want to tell us who paid you? Or do we let Alice ask nicely?"
The merc didn't talk.
But Cerene walked forward.
Still calm. Still smiling.
> "You were trained in the Third Fang School of Lowlands Execution," she said.
His eyes widened.
> "Your dagger grip. The breathing. The second step hesitation."
> "I wonder who else they sent?"
That was when he broke.
> "The Count's brother," he muttered. "Said you were too dangerous."
Cerene didn't reply.
She just turned and walked away.
---
Campfire, That Night
We set camp earlier than usual.
No one joked. Not even Leander.
I wrote in my journal.
Then I looked up—and Cerene was there. Sitting beside me. Her eyes not sharp tonight. Just… tired.
> "I didn't run away for freedom," she said. "I ran away to stay me."
I didn't answer.
I didn't need to.
Alice and Lily sat across the fire.
Both watching. Not with suspicion now.
But with… caution.
Jealousy? Maybe.
But more than that: calculation. Trust weighed in silence.
Cerene turned to me, quietly.
> "What would you do if the world told you your truth was too dangerous to be allowed?"
> "I'd whisper it louder," I said.
She smiled.
This time, for real.
---
Tomorrow, we walk again.
And the road will burn if it must.