It was already night. The village had gone quiet, only the faint crackle of torches and the distant hoot of owls breaking the silence. Shirou lay on the floor bed staring at the ceiling for a while before turning his head toward the window. Beyond the frame, the sky stretched vast and dark, lit by two massive moons that hung over the village like silent watchers.
After a few more minutes of stillness, Shirou slowly sat up. His body felt restless, his mind unable to find peace. He walked toward the window, each step soundless. Placing a hand against the wooden frame, he muttered under his breath, "Hope they're asleep by now."
He pushed the window open. Cool night air brushed against his face. Without hesitation, Shirou climbed onto the frame and leapt down silently to the ground below. He pulled the hood lower over his face, letting the shadows swallow his features. His movements were calculated, slipping between the narrow gaps of houses, avoiding the faint light of torches so that no villager would notice him.
Once he reached the outer edges of the settlement, his steps grew faster. By the time his boots touched the grass at the border of the forest, his pace had turned into a sprint.
The thick wall of trees loomed before him, but Shirou did not hesitate. He stepped into the darkness of the forest, and the moment he did, a surge of lightning sparked faintly across his legs. He activated his mana detection, pushing his senses outward, stretching into the dense woodland.
"Since the beasts have abilities, maybe… maybe I can get it too if I kill one." His eyes narrowed under the hood. "If that's possible… only one way to find out."
With lightning coursing through his feet, Shirou blurred forward. His figure flickered through the trees, weaving around trunks and leaping over roots with ease. The night swallowed him whole, but his senses spread far and wide.
Two thoughts filled his mind as he ran: find the beast… and don't get lost again.
For hours, the hunt continued.
Four hours later, Shirou came to a stop on a thick branch high above the ground. His breaths were steady, but his expression was hard. He looked around, scanning the forest.
"I hate this damn forest," he muttered. "There's no way I'll come across any mutated beasts at this rate. All I've run into are normal ones." His eyes lifted toward the twin moons above the trees. "Maybe I should just kill the normal ones and see if I can gain their ability…if they have one."
For a moment, he actually considered it. "I would love that," he muttered, almost to himself, before shaking his head. "Nah. Maybe I should just get back. Don't want to raise suspicion."
Deactivating his mana detection, he opened his status window. A faint glow lit up his face as his eyes ran across the numbers.
"Not even half left… mana detection really drains a lot."
Lightning sparked faintly around his legs once again, and the next moment he disappeared from the branch.
Shirou ran swiftly along the path he had come from earlier, using the small marks he had carved into the bark of certain trees as his guide. He had learned his lesson about wandering blindly in this forest. His feet skimmed over branches, his movements sharp and controlled.
Then—
His body froze mid-step. A sharp chill ran up his spine.
From the right.
Shirou's instincts screamed. He immediately pushed off the branch, leaping backwards with all his strength. The wood beneath his feet cracked violently from the force of his jump.
A split second later, something sharp tore through the air, passing just in front of his face. The attack slammed into the tree he had been standing on, tearing through its trunk and continuing forward, destroying several more trees in its path before finally stopping. Splinters and dust exploded into the air.
Landing lightly on the ground, Shirou's hand already drew Ashbringer. The blade ignited with flames in his grip, bathing the dark forest in a faint orange glow.
"What the hell was that?" His eyes narrowed, scanning the shadows. "Was that… the beast?"
He tightened his grip, ready to activate mana detection again.
But before he could, he caught sight of something else.
A spear made entirely of earth came whistling straight toward him at incredible speed.
"—Ashbringer, Flame Edge!"
Shirou swung his sword in a wide arc. Flames roared as the edge of the blade struck the incoming spear, deflecting it off its course. The redirected attack smashed violently into the nearby trees, tearing through them and leaving behind a deep massive crater in the ground.
The moment the dust began to settle, a figure emerged from the side. He was holding another spear formed from the earth itself.
Shirou's eyes widened slightly as recognition struck. "Oswyn…"
The two weapons collided in a shower of sparks, earth meeting flame. The impact rattled through the forest.
Oswyn's gaze sharpened. "You know me?" he asked, tone calm but curious.
Shirou tilted his head slightly, the hood falling back down to his neck, revealing his face. "Yes. We spoke before… back in the village." His sword lowered slightly, the flames dimming.
Oswyn studied him for a moment, then lowered his spear as well. "What are you doing here, kid? Don't tell me you're out here hunting the beast."
Shirou didn't flinch. "It would be a lie to say no." His voice was calm, almost casual.
Oswyn's eyes narrowed. "You lied about your strength. You're no early Adept. An early Adept wouldn't have been able to deflect that attack of mine."
Shirou met his gaze evenly. "I'm late Adept. I can take care of myself."
Oswyn's steps pressed forward, his presence growing heavier. "It's not a matter of whether you can handle yourself or not. This is a mission assigned by the officials. You are not supposed to get yourself involved. I could report you for interfering, and you'd spend the rest of your life in prison." His tone hardened as he looked straight into Shirou's eyes. "So go back. Now. Understood?"
For a moment, silence hung between them. Then Shirou nodded once.
"Good."
The earthen spear in Oswyn's hand began to crumble, chunks of rock falling away piece by piece until all that remained was a thin metallic spear beneath it. He spun the weapon smoothly before sliding it back onto the massive spear strapped to his back. The thin spear seemed to merge with it, the weapon's size thickening slightly.
Without another word, he walked past Shirou, heading toward the direction his earlier attack had come from. He stopped briefly, crouching to retrieve the other spear he had thrown. Again, the earthen covering stripped away, revealing the same thin metallic core. It too merged with the large spear behind him.
Shirou's eyes followed the motion carefully, curiosity flickering across his face.
Oswyn glanced back. "Do you know the way back, kid?"
"Yes. I made marks along the way." Shirou sheathed Ashbringer back into the scabbard.
"Good. Then get back to the village."
Shirou gave a short nod.
And with that, Oswyn vanished into the forest, running toward the depths where danger lurked.
Shirou stood still for a while, staring in the direction Oswyn had gone. "Is that a rare artefact… or a man-made one?" he muttered under his breath. "I've heard about rare artefacts created decades, even centuries ago, each one taking years of effort. And some… their origins are completely unknown."
His eyes narrowed as he thought back to the spear. "The size of that weapon grows with each thin spear it absorbs. From the way it looked, there must be five or maybe six spears in total. And… he's an earth elemental user. Stoneheart clan, maybe? No… he's not shaping the earth itself like Kael does. He's using it to cover his weapon instead, enhancing its destructive power. That means… some other clan."
Shirou let out a slow breath, finally turning toward the marked path that would lead him back. "So that's it for hunting tonight. Can he really track those beasts down alone?"
His steps grew faster as he began running back toward the village, the forest swallowing his figure once more.