It was bright. Elise covered her eyes, trying to adjust to the sunlight oozing through the trees. Was it already noon? She sat on the ground, her back leaning against a tree.
"Ah, you are awake."
She turned toward the voice. A man in strange white clothing sat on a fallen tree trunk next to her. Right, the man calling himself the Traveler. He was playing with a stick, carving it with his fingernails. A pile of carved wood lay beneath him—he must not have liked what he had created so far.
"What happened to me?" she asked with a wheezy voice, still shading her eyes.
He kept carving the stick before answering, looking at it with displeasure. After a moment, he gave up and stuck it into the ground.
"You overworked yourself quite a bit. Fighting a monster above your skill level, especially after last night, is not an easy feat." He opened both arms, making a grand gesture to congratulate her. "You even emerged victorious!"
He pulled the stick and started digging the ground. "But I think the hit you took at the beginning, and the poisonous smoke on top of that... I am surprised you are still alive." The stick broke as he tried to dig deeper. "Well, I healed you, of course, but still... That sudden, sharp turn you made must have been the final straw."
So that was why she was unable to move a muscle. So much had happened in such a short time. It was a terrifying and exhausting experience. But the feeling of it, the things she felt through those experiences... looking back, this was exactly what she was after: a solid adventure.
"By the way, why did you even do that?" the man asked, pulling her from her thoughts.
"Did what?"
"You turned your back to them quite anxiously."
Oh gods! "What happened to them!?" She tried to get up but was forced to lean against the tree. Her body was not yet fully recovered.
"I didn't know you cared so much about them. I was sure you were going to kill them when you got them." He also got up from the trunk. "Anyways, they waited for their leader to wake up, thanked us, apologized for what they did, promised to reconsider their life decisions, and hit the road toward the nearest settlement."
Elise took a deep, relaxing breath, but his next words stuck in her throat.
"Although one of them was quite interested in you. He kept looking at you with curious eyes. Were you acquainted with any of them?"
"Which one?" This could be bad.
"The one with the longsword."
Oh, this was bad. That was exactly what she was trying to avoid. That symbol... How could she not have recognized him before?
She covered her face with one hand while leaning against the tree with the other. "He is the eldest son and heir of the Landa family, Jacky Landa."
She paused for a moment to think about how she could explain herself, but there seemed to be no way around it.
"Mr. Traveler, can I trust you?" she asked, wanting to try her luck with him.
"No," the man answered almost instantly. "Why should you? You don't even know me."
He was right, but she had already decided.
"I... I am Elise Vandenberg." There, she had said it. She was trying hard to hide her identity, but she had a feeling she could trust this man. She closed her eyes and waited for his reply, hoping he wouldn't make a huge mess out of it.
After a moment, he replied. "...Err, nice to meet you?"
Elise opened her eyes in shock, looking at the man to figure out if he was joking. The Vandenberg family was one of the most prestigious families in the Kingdom. She had never met someone who didn't know who she was.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you a celebrity or something? Sorry, but I don't really follow the gossip of this Realm." He seemed genuine about his reaction.
"A celeb—what? No, no, my family is one of the strongest in this Kingdom, along with the Landas." She took a deep breath before continuing. There was still no change in his expression. "And I happen to be an... escapee. I left my home less than a year ago... without telling anyone."
"Aaah. So, you think he recognized you, and you are afraid he can expose your location."
"Exactly!"
"So, what are you going to do?"
"I..." She had no idea. She could try to catch up to them and convince them, but what could she even offer for their silence? Kill them? No, killing the eldest son of the Landa family would be a terrible idea. But maybe something else. Something bolder.
"Would you..." The thing she was about to ask was something she had kept at the back of her mind ever since they met. Deep down, she knew this was what she wanted, and maybe it was time for it. "Would you accept me as your apprentice?"
"What? What good will this do in this situation?"
"This is not about that. At least not entirely. Even though we did not spend much time together, the things I experienced alongside you—the dragon, the giant lizard monster... These are the kinds of adventures I grew up imagining.
"That is one of the reasons I left home. This is what I want in life: jumping from adventure to adventure, seeing and experiencing all sorts of things." She looked him right in the eye. "I want to learn to travel, just like you."
"And you can also avoid being found." He crossed his arms and remained silent for a while.
Not being found was not her main reason, and she hoped he understood that.
They stood face to face. Elise stood as straight as she could to leave a good impression, quietly waiting for his response.
"Look, girl," he finally spoke. "I don't know what you are running away from, and I don't really care. You chose to start a journey, and I respect that. But I know you have no idea what you are signing up for."
"I don't care! I will do anything necessary. I even have a Blessing; I can learn anything you teach faster than anyone else. This is my calling; I can feel it. Please, give me a chance."
Another moment of silence followed.
"You will do anything, you say." He started caressing his beard. "Don't get me wrong, girl, I think you have potential, but I don't think you fully understand." He continued after a short pause. "Let me ask a question. What exactly do you want to learn from me?"
She didn't need much time to think; she already knew the answer.
"Everything. I want to learn how to find more things to experience and learn from. I want to learn how to travel."
A wicked smile formed on the man's face. "Good, I like your ambition." He put his hands on his waist. "You are lucky you came to the right man. How about this: I will test you first, then decide what to do with you. Is this fine for you?"
"Yes! Yes! This was all I wanted. I won't disappoint you!"
"We'll see about that." He turned his back to her. "Follow me, then." He started walking toward the untouched depths of the Malargo Forest.
Elise did as she was told. Finally, her journey had started to bear fruit.
***
As they walked toward the deepest parts of the Malargo Forest, the trees, bushes, and vines became almost impossible to pass through.
This forest had an uncharted nature, especially its depths, which remained untouched by humans as far as Elise knew, and was home to many undiscovered creatures. These creatures were believed to be touched by the Mana lurking somewhere in the depths, turning them into monsters.
At least, that was what she had read before coming here. Even though the thick layer of leaves made it almost impossible to distinguish day from night, the chilling cold told her the sun had recently set. And yet, there was no trace of those monsters.
At the start of their journey, perhaps because her adrenaline had settled, hunger and thirst showed themselves. She didn't want to bother her soon-to-be master with such a trivial thing, but her rumbling stomach quickly gave her away.
"Ah, my mistake," he said. "It has been a while since I traveled with a companion." He put his hand somewhere between his layered strips of clothing, pulling out a transparent bottle with a strange lid and the package he had taken from the tavern: a whole pumpkin pie.
There was no way all of that could fit under his clothing and come out unscathed, but seeing the strips' unnatural movements, she decided not to question it—at least not at that moment. It took her some time to figure out she had to turn the lid to drink from the bottle. Meanwhile, she noticed the pie was indeed delicious.
After settling her hunger, they continued their walk toward the depths. Elise initially thought he was about to test her by putting her against a stronger monster of the depths, but after hours of walking, they had yet to encounter any.
"Where exactly are we going again?" she asked after a while, trying to match the Traveler's walking pace. How could he even walk in this dense forest without disturbing a single leaf?
But the man only said, "You will see soon."
Here they were, still walking in the dark forest without a single break. Even though she had said she would travel with him anywhere he went, she swallowed her pride and asked, "C-can we at least start a fire, please?"
He stopped and turned toward her. "Again, my fault. It will take a while for me to get used to you."
After those words, the area around Elise started to warm up. She did not see any source of fire, but she felt the warmth in her bones. It was refreshing and numbing at the same time. The cold had kept her awake, but the warmth brought her piled-up exhaustion to the surface.
"I don't know what you did, but thank you."
"I'll keep it up, so get some rest. We'll continue when you are refreshed."
She had a hard time seeing his face in the dark, but his voice was comforting. Before Elise even realized it, she was sitting on the natural blanket of the forest, leaning against a tree and hugging her sword as she slowly fell asleep. She had expected an unpleasant night's sleep after all that had happened, but she slept like a log.
She woke up when something touched her shoulder. She must have fallen on her side while asleep, because she was lying on the ground. At least her sword was still in her arms.
Sleeping this deeply inside a forest known for its dangers, let alone with a stranger, was not something she would have done under normal circumstances. But nothing was normal at this point.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw a bare foot pushing her shoulder to wake her up. His feet were surprisingly clean for someone who walked around barefoot, but still...
"Can you please not? I am already awake."
"I know, but the irritation will wake your brain faster."
So, he was doing it on purpose. Unfortunately, it was working. She quickly got up and tidied herself. She reeked of sweat, but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. It was unpleasant, but she had learned to tolerate it ever since escaping home. Bathing with hot water whenever she wanted was one of the few privileges she wished she hadn't left behind.
"How much further is our destination?"
"Not that far. Maybe half a day if we keep the same pace." He had already started walking mid-sentence.
She checked their surroundings as she ate the rest of the pumpkin pie. During the daytime, the forest did not receive its share of sunlight, but it was at least bright enough to see now. There were still no signs of life. She could hear bugs and birds in the distance that would normally crowd the background with noise, but there was nothing around them. Well, she was more than happy that no bugs or snakes had crawled under her armor as she slept.
"Isn't it strange that we still have not encountered any other monsters?" she asked. "I haven't even seen any other creatures either."
"Oh, it is because of me," he answered without looking back at her. "There are no monsters here stronger than the one you have already defeated. No need to bother ourselves with them."
"Wait. Do you mean you are keeping them away?" Was that even possible in a place like that?
"Exactly!"
If that was the case... "What are you going to test me with then?"
He slightly turned his head, showing a grin. "Keep walking, and you'll see."
He was not a chatty person. Maybe due to the lack of companionship for a long time, Elise thought. He didn't start any small talk or say more than necessary. She would get answers to all her questions eventually, so there was no need to rush him.
After long hours of walking in silence, they reached a small opening. A large tree stood in the middle of it. It had a strange structure; its trunk whirled and grew around a smooth pillar. It seemed to be made of rock, but its surface was so smooth it was almost shiny.
"What is that thing?"
"This, my young pupil candidate, is a Gate. Your test will take place beyond it." He slowly got close to the strange stone, and she followed.
She felt a strange pull to touch its unnaturally smooth surface, but was immediately prevented.
"Uh-uh, don't touch it now. If you don't want to disintegrate into nothing, that is." He looked at the stone pillar as if trying to see something in it. "Tell me now, do you know anything about the magic system of your Realm?"
"Well, I read some about it out of curiosity, but after my Blessing was found out, a magician my father called inspected me and concluded I had no affinity toward it." Even though she loved reading as a child, she was not the type to just sit around and study magic. It was way too boring for her, but she decided to keep that fact to herself.
"They were idiots then, but this works better for me. Filling an empty glass is always easier." He turned toward her. "Okay then. I am going to show you a whole new horizon that you have never imagined before. But I am warning you for one last time."
He looked Elise in the eye and extended his hand with an inviting gesture. "The places I travel to are not safe whatsoever. I cannot guarantee a safe return to your home. There is a high possibility we will never return to this Realm. You could get seriously injured or even die in a horrible way."
He waited for his words to sink in. "But I can guarantee you this will be an exciting journey you'll never want to return from. If you prove yourself in the adventure we are about to get into, I will accept you as my apprentice and make you strong enough to achieve your dreams."
He looked deep into her eyes. His ever-changing eyes glimmered with excitement. "Now choose. This is your last chance to turn back."
There was nothing to think about. She had already decided. At least, that was what she thought before. But now, the possibility of not coming back home meant she could not see her father ever again. Once again, she regretted not saying goodbye to him.
But again, if she could learn to travel anywhere she wanted, she could always come back. She reached for the hand in front of her.
The man reached the obelisk with an approving smile. As he touched the stone, they were no longer in the forest. The first thing she felt was a crushing force, as if it were trying to turn her inside out and take her soul. The first thing she saw was a rocky wasteland erupting with colorful explosions, lighting the darkness caused by thick black clouds housing constant lightning strikes.
The first thing she heard was the joyful voice of the Traveler. "Now, this looks like a fun place to me."
***
In a small Realm shrouded by thick shadows, a figure darker than all the shadows stood tall. Seemingly infinite visions around were the only sources of light.
The tall figure was fixated on one of those visions. A vision containing the scenery of a wasteland—an abandoned or unfinished Realm, most likely. Two unexpected visitors had just entered that Realm: a woman struggling with her life, and a man in strange white clothing.
The tall figure's deep voice filled the Realm of Shadows. "I have found you, at last."