Kyro and Tharic had been trekking through the dense, shadow-drenched forest toward Ashcrest for several days. The journey was mostly quiet, broken only by brief bursts of conversation. Though Tharic had agreed to accompany Kyro, he often glanced at him with an ambition that felt too foolish to be hidden—and too dangerous to ignore. Kyro, for his part, remained quietly unsettled by Tharic's sudden willingness to join him. Something didn't sit right.
One afternoon, as they navigated a winding trail flanked by gnarled roots and thick underbrush, Kyro broke the silence.
"So… why did you really come with me?" he asked, voice calm but direct.
Tharic turned, flashing a smirk. "Hmm? That curiosity kicking in again?"
"Yeah. Why not?"
"You worry too much, hero. I'm here, aren't I? If it was a problem, you should've said something before we left," Tharic said with a teasing edge.
Kyro frowned. "Why won't you just be honest with me?"
Tharic sighed dramatically. "If I knew you'd be this annoying about it, I might've stayed back in the village."
Kyro clenched his jaw but stayed quiet, refusing to fuel Tharic's taunts.
Noticing his silence, Tharic chuckled. "What? The great hero giving me the cold shoulder now?"
Kyro kept walking, eyes ahead.
"Oh, come on," Tharic pressed, clearly enjoying himself. "You've been grilling me nonstop. Let me ask you something for once. Why are you so obsessed with this whole 'saving our people' thing?"
Kyro didn't look back. "Because why not?"
Tharic raised an eyebrow. "That's it? That's all you've got?"
"I know what he has said, but I want to hear it from him directly," thought Tharic, referring back to the conversation he overheard Kyro having to himself.
Tharic grinned. "Well then, until you tell me your reason, I'm keeping mine."
He laughed again, this time with genuine amusement, as if enjoying the rare chance to see Kyro squirm.
"I wish I could use Aether," Kyro muttered, his mind drifting back to the fight against his clone.
Tharic's smirk faded. "Aether?"
"Yeah. Then it would make life so much easier."
Tharic's tone turned serious. "Don't get me wrong, using aether is nice, but it's not as glamorous as you think. Anyone can wield Aether, but it's how you wield it that counts. Skill, discipline, that's what makes someone dangerous."
"If you rely solely on Aether, you'll crumble the moment it fails you. You have been training for a while without aether, so when you can use it, it will be much easier for you to develop stronger techniques that you can seemingly weave with your physical skills."
Kyro nodded slowly. "I get it…"
Tharic's voice softened. "Focus on what you can do. Worry about the rest once it's within reach."
Kyro started to reply, but his foot snagged a hidden tripwire. In an instant, he was yanked into the air, tangled in a net.
"What the—?!" he yelled, thrashing as the net swung above the ground.
Tharic casually drew his spear, chuckling as he went to joking. "Well, well. The mighty hero falls into a trap."
Kyro glared. "Can you focus for once and cut me down?"
"Oh, but it would be my honor, O' Chosen One," Tharic said with a mock bow.
Suddenly, a fireball exploded from the right side of the trail. Tharic snapped to attention, deflecting it mid-air with a swift spear swipe. His playful demeanor vanished. He slashed through the net, dropping Kyro to the ground, and crouched into a defensive stance.
"Show yourselves!" he shouted into the trees.
Leaves rustled, branches shifted, but whoever had attacked was already retreating deeper into the forest.
"Tch. Cowards," Tharic muttered, lowering his weapon.
Kyro stood, brushing leaves off himself. "More Aether Hunters…"
"Seems like it," Tharic replied, scanning the forest. "But this far north? That's... troubling. No one comes this way anymore."
Kyro crouched by the tripwire, inspecting it. "They knew we'd pass through here."
Tharic joined him, eyes narrowing as he noticed faint dagger marks etched into the surrounding trees. Neither spoke, but the tension between them tightened.
"Not much to go on," Tharic finally said. "Stay sharp."
They moved on in silence. High above, nestled in the trees, two shadowy figures observed them.
"Well, well," one figure whispered. "Wonder what they're doing this deep."
"I recognize them," the other said, pulling back his hood to reveal three deep scars crossing his right eye. "The spear-wielding brat… He's the one who stole Kyro from us. This is our chance—"
"Not yet," the first interrupted sharply. "If he's as strong as you claim, charging in recklessly will only end like last time."
The scarred one—Yusef—gritted his teeth. "Fine. We'll report back. But next time… he's mine."
They disappeared into the canopy, leaving only the rustle of disturbed leaves. Kyro glanced up instinctively, sensing something, but saw nothing.
Tharic narrowed his eyes. "Spies."
He looked ahead at Kyro.
"I hope this idiot realizes soon enough… this world isn't something you can save."
Days later, they finally arrived at Ashcrest.
"All the trees are so…" Kyro began.
"Dead?" Tharic finished. "Yeah. That's how it got its name. My father said it used to be a thriving place."
The village was a graveyard of stone and rot. Broken buildings leaned on each other like dying men. The air felt heavy with sorrow. In the center stood a tall, blue crystal, eerily similar to the one in Pinehollow.
"That crystal…" Kyro pointed.
"Same type," Tharic confirmed. "It's meant to restore Aether to dead land. But if this is what restoration looks like…"
He turned to Kyro. "So, what's next, hero?"
Kyro squared his shoulders. "We find Rena. Deliver the package. Then figure out what to do next."
They wandered the abandoned village, silence clinging to the streets. Tharic trailed behind, his gaze sharp.
"You know where Rena lives?" Kyro asked.
Tharic shook his head. "I grew up near here, but I never came into Ashcrest. First time."
As they walked, Kyro spotted a snapped wire on the ground—identical to the one that had trapped him.
"These traps… the villagers might've been targeted too."
Near the edge of the village, an old man sat hunched on a curb, head bowed. Kyro approached cautiously.
"Sir? Are you alright?"
No response. Kyro drew closer, noticing the shallow rise and fall of breath.
"Can you hear me?"
The man slowly raised his head, eyes dull with pain. "So… you finally found me…"
Kyro blinked. "Found you?"
Before he could finish, a sudden wave of frost locked his arm in place. The old man drove a dagger into his own chest and collapsed. His soul crystal blinked once before vanishing into the air.
Tharic didn't flinch.
Kyro turned to him, shaken. "Did you see—?"
"Everything," Tharic replied, expression grim. "Welcome to our country, a land that knows nothing but suffering…hero."
Kyro clutched his chest. "This… this isn't how it was supposed to be…"
Before Tharic could speak, a piercing shriek rang from the village entrance. They rushed toward it.
A young woman sobbed at the base of a dead tree, clutching a tie to her chest. Kyro approached gently.
"Miss? Are you alright?"
She didn't answer, just wept harder.
"I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help."
She looked up, eyes swollen with grief and suspicion. "And how am I supposed to believe that?"
Kyro met her gaze. "Because I've made it my mission to help this country… no matter how broken it is."
She studied him for a moment, then nodded faintly. "Alright… Just this once."
Tharic stood back, watching. Skepticism clouded his face about Kyro's righteous behavior.
"This won't last…it just can't," he thought. "Even the purest hopes crumble in a world like this. He is yet to understand"
"My husband and I were returning to the village when a band of Aether Hunters ambushed us," the woman said through trembling sobs. "He fought bravely… but there were too many. They overwhelmed him. I—I couldn't do anything to help. If only I'd been stronger…"
Kyro knelt beside her, his voice gentle. "I'm truly sorry. I promise, I'll do everything I can to bring him back."
"Do you know which direction they went?" he asked urgently. "We might still have time to catch them."
She raised a shaking hand and pointed toward the northern ridge. "They took him that way. I just hope… they haven't gone far."
"Don't worry. I'll find him and bring him home," Kyro vowed with conviction.
But before they could leave, Tharic stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "One last question."
He studied the woman closely, his gaze narrowing. "Why didn't they take you?"
She hesitated, then answered, her voice barely a whisper. "They said I wasn't worth the trouble. They were injured from fighting him… and left me behind to recover."
Tharic's expression softened slightly. "I see. Apologies for the suspicion."
The woman nodded. "It's alright. I understand."
She reached into her satchel and pulled out a worn, black tie, frayed at the ends. "Here. This belonged to him. Take it with you for good luck so you can find him sooner."
Kyro took it gently, holding it like something sacred before slipping it into his back pocket. "Thank you. We won't let you down."
Tharic exhaled. "Well, hero, looks like our first side quest found us. Shall we?"
Kyro stood, nodding. "Let's move fast. Stay safe, ma'am. We'll be back soon."
She gave a faint smile and watched them disappear into the northern trail. Not far behind, hidden behind a gnarled tree trunk, Yusef crouched silently, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
As they ran through the forest, dodging roots and pushing past branches, Tharic muttered under his breath, "I can't believe I've been roped into this mess…"
Kyro glanced over, undeterred. "You'll see. This world isn't beyond saving, you just haven't looked at it the right way."
Tharic scoffed. "Touching. But I'm more surprised at how easily that woman trusted you."
"Maybe because she saw someone who cared," Kyro replied calmly.
"Oh? And what made you think her story wasn't just a lie?"
"The way she spoke about her husband. The grief in her voice. You can't fake that."
Tharic barked out a dry laugh. "Words are cheap. I almost hope this mission fails, so you can finally see how little that sentiment gets you."
Kyro didn't answer. But inside, the frustration simmered. Still, he held his tongue.
Soon, they came to a halt. Another tripwire lay across the forest floor.
"Another one?" Tharic murmured, crouching to examine it.
"We have to tread carefully," Kyro warned. "This could be the same group that set the last one."
Suddenly, a crackling sound split the air.
A storm of lightning-charged arrows rained down from above.
"Huh?!" Tharic shouted, barely glancing up in time.
BOOM!
The arrows struck hard, igniting the treetops and blasting the forest floor with searing force. Shockwaves rippled through the ground as branches shattered and sparks flew.
Smoke curled through the air. Kyro coughed, forcing himself to his feet, his limbs trembling. Tharic rose beside him, gripping his spear tightly, his expression hardening.
"Looks like we have company now," Tharic said grimly.
*****