The mist receded in slow, curling wisps, peeling back from the clearing like a breath being exhaled. With it went the lingering weight of concealment, leaving the open field bare beneath the pale, dappled light that filtered through the canopy of trees. Shadows stretched long and thin across the uneven ground, shifting as the wind stirred the leaves above.
That was when I saw them.
Three figures resting against the thick trunk of a large tree... weathered bark stretching upward like skeletal fingers toward the gloomy sky. They had been there when we entered, their presence half-swallowed by my mist during our spar, but now, exposed, they seemed more defined.
They weren’t lounging in the way careless wanderers might. Their stances, their measured stillness, the way their eyes flicked toward us with quiet calmness... it told me everything I needed to know..
The one who spoke first was the boy with dark blue hair. His deep brown eyes held steady as he studied us, and then.. slowly but calmly, he moved. A few steps forward, measured yet unthreatening, as if he was just a friendly stranger.
"Oh, sorry to intrude," he said, voice smooth, easy, laced with just enough warmth to lower guards. A decent smile formed on his lips as he extended a hand toward me. "I’m Haran."
A handshake. A simple friendly gesture.
I forced a smiled slightly, mirroring the motion, my fingers brushing against his as I grasped his hand.... not too firm, not too loose. Measured. Controlled. I didn’t like it. The physical contact, the unspoken implications beneath it. But I returned the courtesy.
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"Agon," I said calmly, staring right at his deep brown eyes.
Haran’s eyes flicked over my shoulder to the two behind me, his expression unreadable. Then, his hand slipped from mine as he turned, gesturing toward his companions.
"Guoly."
The first one.. a looming figure with dark blue eyes and coarse black hair. At first glance, he seemed like an overgrown boy, but there was a weight in the way he carried himself. A maturity that sat deep in his stance, in the slight furrow of his brow. The rugged beard framing his jaw only added to the impression.. not a child. A grown man.
"And Hela."
The girl, silent until now, lifted her gaze. Dark green eyes met mine. Long green hair, neatly packed, tucked behind her shoulders. There was something guarded in her posture... arms crossed, weight shifted ever so slightly to one side. Observant. Measuring.
Celia and Jess moved beside me, and I motioned slightly with my hand.
"Celia."
Jess tilted her head slightly . "Jess." I said.
A brief pause came after that... The kind that lingers just long enough to test the waters before the conversation shifts. The introductions were out of the way. The formalities done.
I didn’t waste time.
"What brings you to this part of the woods?" My voice was calm and even, but there was weight behind it. A question that wasn’t just curiosity.. but something more.
Haran smiled again, but there was something behind it this time.. something a little too smooth, a little too placed. He lifted his hand, palm open in a half-gesture.
"We’re waiting." He exhaled, shifting his weight slightly as if settling into the conversation. "Our team leader tagged along with some other Wanderers. They had a sub-mission assigned by the system.. nothing major, just a side task. He said he’d be back around this time, so we’ve been waiting in this open field." He motioned around him, as if to emphasize the point. Then, with a short laugh, he added, "We were hoping that, on your way here, you might have run into them. Seen any Wanderer groups?"
I let the question hang in the air for a moment. Felt the weight of their gazes.
Then, finally, I exhaled.
"Sadly, we haven’t seen anyone on our way here." My voice was steady, apologetic on the surface.. but inside, my thoughts churned differently. The pieces didn’t quite fit. But I gave nothing away. "Apologies that we weren’t of any help."
Haran lifted his hands slightly, a disarming motion. "No, no, no," he said, shaking his head with a light chuckle. "It’s not your fault we haven’t seen him yet. And my apologies as well, for disturbing your sparring."
His words were smooth, polite. But there was a rhythm to them, a careful spacing that felt deliberate. Rehearsed.
I studied him for a fraction longer before responding.
"It’s no problem," I said. A pause. "We were already done for today anyway."
Haran gave a small nod, something knowing behind his expression.
"So, it’s a goodbye then."
A goodbye.
I nodded slightly, mirroring his gesture.
"Yes," I said. A perfect goodbye.
And with that, we left.
The air changed as we walked.. less open, more closed-in, the trees knitting together overhead, branches twisting like gnarled hands. The scent of damp earth filled the air, thick and cloying, mingling with the distant trace of something metallic. Not blood. Not yet. But close.
The loose camp for Wanderers was ahead, just beyond the next stretch of trees. Uvan and Lovia would be waiting.
Celia’s voice broke the quiet.
"Do you trust them?"
The words settled in the space between us, heavy, unspoken thoughts given form.
Jess answered first.
"Not one bit."
I didn’t respond. Not at first. My footsteps slowed slightly, enough that they both noticed, enough that their eyes turned to me.
"The point I missed earlier," I said.
They listened. They always listened.
Up Ahead, through the thinning branches, the silhouette of the loose camp emerged... dark against the overcast sky, shapes moving in the distance, blurred and shifting.
I met their gazes slowly.
"One thing you two should keep in mind."
A pause.
"A dangerous enemy always..."
The wind stirred a little bit more, the faint rustling of leaves filling the quietness of the woods, making my voice resound lightly...
"I mean always..."
A flicker of movement. Just beyond sight.
"Has a Perfect Ambush."
