"Five wolves?" Elyana asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Are you sure?"
"Unfortunately, yes. And all of them are stronger than the one we faced."
She looked around in panic. "Okay, any more brilliant ideas? Because 'Flying Lightning Fist' won't work against five beasts at once."
She was absolutely right. My spiritual energy hadn't fully recovered from the previous attack, and the "Dragon's Tear" ability needed time to recharge. We were in serious trouble.
"Running?" I suggested.
"Brilliant idea!" she agreed enthusiastically.
We began sprinting through the dense trees as fast as we could, leaping over roots and dodging low branches. Behind us, the howling grew louder and louder.
"Lian!" Elyana gasped between breaths. "I have a crazy idea!"
"I'm open to crazy ideas!"
"There's a river in this direction! If we reach it, maybe we can cross it. Wolves hate water!"
"That's not true! Wolves can swim pretty well!"
"Really? Oh, why do I know nothing useful about surviving in the wild?!"
Suddenly, one of the wolves burst from behind the trees to our right, trying to cut us off. It was huge, with gray fur and terrifying yellow eyes. It growled and bared its long fangs.
"Left!" I shouted, pushing Elyana away from the wolf's path.
But that made us stumble into thick bushes, slowing us down. Behind us, the rest of the pack was closing in fast.
"Lian, I don't think we're going to make it," Elyana said, trying to free herself from the thorns clinging to her clothes.
I looked around desperately, then noticed something strange. There was a thin trail of smoke rising from beyond the trees in the distance. Smoke meant fire, and fire meant...
"Elyana, there's someone else in this area!"
"How do you know?"
"The smoke! Look!"
She followed my gaze. "Oh! Someone else! Maybe they can help us!"
Or maybe it was a bandit or a runaway criminal, but at that moment, even a bandit seemed better than becoming wolf food.
We ran toward the smoke, the wolves hot on our heels. I could hear their heavy breathing and the sound of claws scraping against the ground right behind us.
We reached a small clearing in the forest, and in the center stood a carefully arranged campsite. A small fire burned, beside it a neat tent and military-style equipment. Sitting next to the fire was a young man in his early twenties, wearing black leather armor and sharpening a long sword.
"Help!" Elyana screamed. "We're surrounded by wolves!"
The young man looked at us calmly, then at the wolves emerging from the trees behind us. He didn't seem scared or worried at all.
"Shadow wolves," he said in a calm, deep voice. "Annoying."
He slowly rose, holding his sword in one hand. He was tall and lean, with short black hair and cold green eyes. There was something familiar about his face...
"Draken?" I whispered.
He turned to me in surprise. "How do you know my name?"
Draken Ironfist! This was one of the major characters in the game—a powerful magic warrior who would become one of my closest friends in the academy. But what was he doing here?
I didn't have time to answer, because the wolves decided to stop chattering and start attacking.
The first wolf lunged at Elyana, but Draken moved with incredible speed. His sword glowed with a fiery red light, and with a single strike, he sliced the wolf in half.
"Stay behind me," he said calmly.
The remaining four wolves circled us, snarling and showing their teeth. But Draken didn't look worried at all.
"Fire Magic: Wall of Flames!" He raised his left hand, and suddenly a wall of fire appeared around us, shielding us from three sides.
The wolves backed off, frightened by the flames. But one of them was smarter than the rest—it jumped high over the wall, attempting to attack from above.
"Lian!" Elyana screamed.
Without thinking, I focused the last of my spiritual energy into my hands. It wasn't enough for a strong attack, but maybe...
"Elyana, Light Sphere! Now!"
Elyana created a bright sphere of light, and I channeled my energy into it, turning the light into a focused beam. The beam hit the wolf directly in the eyes, temporarily blinding it.
The blinded wolf fell awkwardly, and Draken's sword was already waiting for it.
"A decent team effort," Draken said, cleaning blood off his blade. "Didn't expect that from beginners."
The remaining three wolves decided that prey wasn't worth the effort anymore, especially with a powerful warrior protecting us. They fled into the trees.
"Thank you so much!" Elyana said gratefully. "Without you, we'd be wolf food by now!"
"No thanks needed," Draken replied, though he was looking at me curiously. "Now, I want to know how you knew my name, kid."
That was a tough question. I couldn't tell him I knew him from a video game in a past life.
"Good intuition with names?" I tried the same excuse I used with Elyana.
"That's a ridiculous excuse," Draken said coolly. "Try again."
"Oh, let me guess!" Elyana suddenly said. "Maybe he heard of you! You look like a famous warrior!"
Draken gave her an unreadable expression. "Famous? That... seems unlikely."
"Why?" she asked, though I already knew the answer from the game.
Draken hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell us. "Because I've been disowned by my family. No one should know my name."
That was true. In the game, Draken was the second son of the noble Ironfist family, but his older brother falsely accused him of betraying the family. Draken was cast out and no longer had the right to use the family name or possessions.
"A false accusation?" I asked.
He stared at me in shock. "How... how do you know that?"
"Um..." I searched my mind for a logical excuse. "You don't look like a traitor?"
"That... isn't logical evidence."
"Sometimes instinct is better than logic," Elyana said with surprising wisdom. "You saved us without hesitation, even though you don't know us. That doesn't sound like something a bad person would do."
Draken looked at her in surprise, as if no one had ever defended him before. "That... thank you."
"You're welcome! I'm Elyana, and this is Lian. We're on an important mission!"
"A mission?" Draken raised an eyebrow.
"I'm searching for the Silver Moonflower to cure my sick mother. And Lian is looking for... what exactly are you looking for, Lian?"
"Something that will help me become stronger," I said vaguely.
"In this forest?" Draken asked skeptically. "This place is far too dangerous for beginners."
"We're not total beginners!" Elyana protested. "Lian has secret combat techniques!"
"Secret techniques?" Draken sounded interested.
"Not *that* secret," I quickly added, not wanting more difficult questions. "Just... family techniques."
"And what is your family name?"
"Shadowind."
Draken stopped moving completely. "Shadowind? As in Count Mark Shadowind?"
"My father," I said cautiously.
"But... but the entire Shadowind family was killed in a conspiracy three years ago!"
"All except one," I said bitterly.
Draken stared at me in silence for a long moment, then suddenly knelt on one knee.
"Lord Lian, I apologize. I did not know who you were."
"What are you doing?" I asked uncomfortably. "Please stand up!"
"My father once owed your father his life. The Ironfist family is in debt to the Shadowinds."
That was new. It wasn't mentioned in the game.
"Draken, please stand. I don't want any formal respect. I just want us to be friends."
He looked at me in surprise, then smiled faintly. "Friends? That… sounds good."
"Great!" Elyana clapped her hands. "Now we have a powerful warrior on our team! This will make our journey much easier!"
"Team?" Draken asked.
"Of course! We're all looking for things in this forest, so why not work together?"
"I'm not looking for anything," Draken said. "I live here."
"You live in the forest?" Elyana asked in shock.
"For three months. After being cast out by my family, I had nowhere else to go."
It was sad. In the game, Draken was a powerful and influential character, but here he was—just a lonely, rejected young man living in the wilderness.
"Well, now you have friends!" Elyana said excitedly. "And you can help us with our missions!"
"I'm not sure…" Draken hesitated.
"Please," I said sincerely. "We really need your help. And maybe… maybe you need some company too."
Draken looked at me with a complex expression, then nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll help you two. But be warned, this forest is more dangerous than you think."
"How dangerous exactly?" Elyana asked.
Draken gave a worrying smile. "Shadow wolves are the least dangerous creatures here."
"Oh great," Elyana muttered. "Exactly what I wanted to hear."
But despite the danger, I felt excitement. Now I had two of the game's most important characters as companions. With Draken and Elyana by my side, our chances of survival—and finding Ember—had increased greatly.
"So," Draken said, gathering his gear. "Where exactly do you two want to go in this forest?"
"The Silver Moonflower grows near the magical spring deep in the forest," Elyana said.
"And what I'm looking for is close to the same place," I added.
"The magical spring?" Draken rubbed his chin. "That's a very dangerous place. Powerful monsters guard the area."
"What kind of monsters?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"A baby dragon."
Elyana stood frozen. "A dragon? A real dragon?"
"Just a small one," Draken said, as if that made it better. "About the size of a large horse."
"It's still a dragon!" Elyana shouted.
"Yes, but it can be defeated if we have a good strategy," I said, recalling how I'd beaten this dragon in the game.
Draken and Elyana looked at me in surprise.
"A strategy?" Draken asked. "Have you fought a dragon before?"
"No, but I've read a lot about them," I lied. "Young dragons have specific weaknesses."
"Really?" Draken seemed genuinely interested.
"Yes. First, they're very arrogant, so they can be tricked. Second, their scales are weak under the throat and at the joints. Third, they tire quickly if they breathe fire too often."
These were direct quotes from the game guide, but they sounded like expert knowledge.
"This… is surprisingly useful," Draken said, and even Elyana looked impressed.
"So you two have a plan to defeat a dragon?" Elyana asked.
"A starting plan," I corrected. "We'll need to refine it when we get there."
"Great!" Elyana said with sudden enthusiasm. "An exciting adventure to fight a dragon! This will be better than the adventure stories I read!"
Draken and I exchanged concerned looks.
"Elyana," I said carefully. "This isn't a storybook. The dragon is real and it can kill us."
"I know, I know!" She waved her hand. "But how many times in life do you get the chance to go on a real adventure? Usually I spend my days helping Dad count profits and losses at his shop!"
She had a point. And honestly, her enthusiasm was contagious.
"So," Draken said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "When do we begin?"
"Now?" Elyana suggested.
"Now? The sun will set in a few hours," Draken objected.
"That gives us plenty of time to reach a safe spot to camp near the spring," I said. "And tomorrow morning, we face the dragon."
"That makes sense," Draken agreed.
And so, we began our journey deep into the Dark Witch Forest, three new friends on a dangerous mission to face a dragon.
It was the beginning of a partnership that would change all of our lives forever—though we didn't know it yet.
As we walked, I couldn't help but smile. Things were unfolding differently from the game, but maybe, just maybe, this change was for the better.