The Next Morning…
Greenhaven Forest felt different that morning—colder somehow, though summer still gripped the land. Ethan followed Ling and Lily deeper into the wilderness than they had ventured before. Here, the trees grew closer together, their massive trunks covered in thick moss, branches intertwining overhead to block much of the sunlight.
"Stay alert," Ling cautioned, his voice barely above a whisper. "We're entering territory where rank D monsters roam freely." His hands hovered near the katana at his belt, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.
Ethan tensed, remembering Garrick's lessons on monster classification. Rank E creatures were dangerous but predictable; Rank D possessed rudimentary intelligence and hunting strategies.
Lily moved ahead, her steps silent on the forest floor. "Look here," she called softly, pointing to a set of tracks impressed in the soft earth. "Wolf-spider. Fresh from this morning."
Ethan studied the strange markings—part paw print, part the distinctive pattern of arachnid movement. "How do you defend against something like that?"
"You don't, not alone," Ling replied grimly. "That's why we travel in groups and why you need to master basic defensive techniques before anything else." His fingers tapped the hilts of his katana—a nervous habit Ethan had noticed emerged only when the boy was truly concerned.
The training session that followed was grueling. They practiced detection methods first—how to spot disturbances in vegetation, listen for unnatural silences, sense changes in air currents that might indicate movement. Then came evasion techniques and, finally, basic defensive strikes.
Ethan struggled to keep pace with the lessons. His reflexes, though improving, still lagged behind what was needed in real combat situations. Sweat dripped into his eyes as he repeated the movements Ling demonstrated, his muscles burning with exertion.
"Your form is better," Lily encouraged, demonstrating a blocking technique with her forearms, "but your timing needs work. In a real fight, hesitation means death."
As they continued, Ethan became increasingly aware of his limitations. The teenagers moved with innate grace, their bodies responsive to years of training. In comparison, he felt clumsy, his movements telegraphed and predictable.
Suddenly, during a practice sequence, the forest fell silent. The ambient sounds—birds calling, insects buzzing, leaves rustling—ceased all at once, creating an eerie vacuum of noise that raised the hairs on Ethan's arms.
The three of them froze, exchanging alarmed glances. Even the air seemed to still, as if the entire Greenhaven Forest held its breath in anticipation.
"Something's coming," Lily whispered, shifting into a fighting stance.
Ling's posture changed instantly, his katana appearing in his hands as if by magic. His eyes scanned their surroundings with heightened focus. "Stay close, both of you."
Ethan's heart hammered against his ribs as he tried to recall everything they had taught him. In this moment of true danger, would his training be enough? Or would he become a liability to the very people he wished to protect?
The silence stretched, taut as a drawn bowstring, waiting to snap.
Then, a deep rumbling sound echoed from the north—like thunder rolling across the sky. The ground beneath their feet trembled slightly. Something massive was approaching.
Ling pressed a finger to his lips and motioned for them to move quietly. His eyes were wide with concern as he pointed toward a dense patch of trees in Greenhaven Forest. Using his abilities, Ethan gently lifted the dry leaves and twigs from the forest floor, creating a silent path for them. Each step they took was careful and measured as they moved through the shadowy forest, searching for whatever was making that terrible sound.
The air grew heavier, filled with a strange smell—like wet earth and something rotting. Birds had stopped singing, and even the insects fell silent.
Before they could spot anything, a massive monster burst through the trees with a deafening roar. It was enormous—taller than three men standing on each other's shoulders, with thick, leathery skin covered in jagged scales that gleamed like black armor. Its eyes glowed red in the dim forest light, and massive claws tore up the earth as it charged forward, smashing smaller trees like they were twigs. Thick saliva dripped from its maw, revealing rows of teeth like broken glass.
Ling and Lily sprang into action immediately, their training kicking in without hesitation. They moved like seasoned warriors, perfectly coordinated as they flanked the creature from both sides. Ling's katana sang through the air in precise, calculated strikes while Lily launched herself forward with devastating combinations aimed at the beast's joints.
CLANG! THUD!
Their attacks connected with expert precision, but the results were frustrating. Ling's blade, sharp enough to cut through steel, could only manage shallow cuts between the scales. Lily's powerful strikes, each one perfectly placed, barely penetrated the creature's natural armor.
"The hide is too thick," Ling observed calmly, his analytical mind already working on the problem as he gracefully evaded the monster's retaliatory swipe. "We need a different approach."
The creature was deceptively fast for its size. It pivoted with surprising agility, but Ling was ready—he had been studying its movement patterns. As massive claws swept toward him, he ducked low and rolled beneath the attack, his katana flashing upward to strike at the softer skin under the creature's arm.
This time his blade bit deeper, drawing a thin line of dark blood. The monster roared in pain and surprise—clearly, it hadn't expected such tactical precision from its opponents.
"Nice!" Lily called out, using the distraction to land a series of devastating strikes to the creature's leg joint. Her punches were perfectly timed, each one building on the last to create maximum impact.
But the monster was learning too. It feinted toward Ling, then suddenly whipped its tail around in a wide arc. Both fighters saw it coming—Lily leaped high to avoid it while Ling dropped into a slide. They were experienced enough to handle such tactics.
What they didn't expect was for the creature to follow up immediately with a double-clawed strike, using its momentum from the tail sweep. The attack was perfectly timed to catch them both as they recovered from their evasive maneuvers.
Ling's eyes widened as he realized the trap. He was in mid-recovery from his slide, perfectly positioned to dodge—but Lily was still in the air from her jump, completely vulnerable with no way to change direction.
The massive claws were already in motion, cutting through the air toward her exposed form.
Time seemed to slow as Ling processed the situation. His tactical mind ran through the options in milliseconds: he could complete his evasion and live, but Lily would take the full brunt of the attack. Or...
There was no choice. There never had been.
Ling abandoned his perfect defensive position and threw himself upward, his powerful legs launching him into the path of the creature's claws. He managed to shove Lily clear, but left himself completely open to the monster's attack.
The massive paw struck him with crushing force, catching him across the chest and ribs. The impact was devastating—not because Ling was weak, but because he had no defense, no way to deflect or minimize the blow. He had sacrificed his tactical advantage completely to save his partner.
He crashed against the trunk of a tree with a sickening crack and crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath. Dark spots danced across his vision, and when he tried to move, fire shot through his side. At least two ribs were broken, maybe more.
"Ling!" Lily screamed, her face pale with shock and guilt.
She had seen what happened—how Ling had thrown away his own safety for hers. He was every bit as skilled as she was, could have easily avoided that attack if he hadn't chosen to save her instead.
"I'm... fine," Ling managed to gasp out, though his tactical mind was already calculating that he was far from fine. His mobility was severely compromised, and his ribs made deep breathing nearly impossible. "Keep... fighting smart. Look for patterns..."
But Lily wasn't listening to strategy anymore. Rage and guilt consumed her rational thought as she threw herself at the monster with renewed fury. Without Ling's calm tactical guidance, her fighting became more aggressive but less efficient.
She managed to land several good hits, her raw power and skill keeping her in the fight, but the monster's thick hide absorbed most of the damage. Her fists and feet, deadly as they were against human opponents, simply weren't designed to penetrate this kind of natural armor.
The creature seemed to sense her emotional state and began targeting her specifically, perhaps recognizing that the calmer, more dangerous fighter was now out of the equation. It pressed its advantage, forcing Lily to fight defensively.
As the battle continued, it became clear that while both fighters were incredibly skilled, they were facing a fundamental problem: their weapons and fighting styles, perfect for human opponents, were simply not suited for this particular enemy.
Ethan watched in growing horror as the two warriors—clearly among the most skilled fighters he'd ever seen—were slowly being overwhelmed not by superior skill, but by sheer physical mismatch.
Desperate to help, Ethan focused his telekinetic powers, lifting rocks and debris from the forest floor. He sent them flying toward the monster in calculated strikes, aiming for its eyes and joints just as Ling had taught him to look for weak points.
The improvised missiles struck with surprising accuracy, and while they couldn't seriously wound the creature, they served as an effective distraction. The monster turned its attention toward this new threat, giving Lily a moment to catch her breath.
But Ethan knew his power had limits. He wasn't a fighter—not yet, at least. He was still a newbie, barely figuring out how to throw a proper punch. When the monster began advancing on him, he realized with growing dread that he might have just doomed them all.
The creature reared up, preparing to end this irritating pest once and for all—
WHOOSH!
A powerful strike cut through the air from behind the monster, connecting with enough force to actually stagger the massive beast. For the first time in the entire fight, the creature let out a genuine howl of pain.
Ethan's eyes snapped open in shock as he saw his rescuer.
It was Grey.
The newcomer stood between Ethan and the monster, wielding a massive two-handed sword that seemed perfectly designed for this exact situation. Unlike Ling's precision katana or Lily's martial arts, Grey's weapon was built for breaking through heavy armor and dealing with large opponents.
"What the hell are you guys doing?" Grey said with a half-smile, his bold demeanor shining through as if fighting this terrifying creature was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
"Grey!" Ling and Lily shouted together, relief washing over their faces.
"You couldn't even handle a monster like this, Ling?" Grey teased, the corner of his mouth turning up. Ling managed a weak laugh from where he sat propped against the tree. He knew Grey wasn't being serious—it was just his way of lightening the mood after such a frightening encounter.
The monster turned to face this new threat, and Grey could immediately see why his friends had struggled. It was perfectly adapted to fight against smaller, more agile opponents. Its thick hide was natural armor against slashing and blunt attacks.
But Grey's sword wasn't just large—it was designed as an armor-breaker. The blade was thick and heavy, built to deliver crushing blows that could shatter even the strongest defenses. Where Ling's katana was a precision instrument and Lily's fists were devastating against flesh, Grey's weapon was a sledgehammer designed to break walls.
The monster attacked first, moving with the same speed and cunning it had shown against the others. But Grey's fighting style was fundamentally different. Where Ling relied on speed and precision, and Lily on combinations and agility, Grey used pure overwhelming force.
When the creature's claws swept toward him, Grey didn't dodge—he met the attack head-on. His massive sword intercepted the claws with a shower of sparks, and this time the creature's natural weapons found something they couldn't simply brush aside.
CRACK!
One of the monster's claws snapped under the impact, not because Grey was overwhelmingly powerful, but because his weapon was specifically designed for this kind of work.
The monster staggered back, looking at its damaged claw in surprise. It had never encountered a weapon that could match its natural defenses before.
Grey pressed his advantage, not with flashy techniques or complex strategies, but with straightforward, devastating strikes perfectly suited to the situation. His sword was heavy enough to punch through the creature's hide, broad enough to deliver a crushing impact, and wielded by someone skilled enough to make every blow count.
"You see?" Grey called out to his friends as he delivered another crushing blow that actually penetrated the monster's defenses. "Sometimes you just need the right tool for the job!"
The battle that had seemed impossible for Ling and Lily became manageable for Grey—not because he was vastly superior to them, but because his fighting style and weapon were perfectly matched to this particular opponent. Where they had been trying to cut through armor with a scalpel, he was smashing it with a warhammer.
The monster, which had seemed unstoppable against slashing and striking attacks, found itself unable to cope with Grey's crushing blows. Its thick hide, impervious to cuts, cracked and split under the massive sword's impact.
SHOOSH!
Grey's final strike found the soft spot beneath the monster's jaw, his heavy blade punching through with the force of a falling tree. The creature let out a final, gurgling roar before collapsing to the ground.
"Woah..." Ethan couldn't help but gasp, finally understanding what he'd witnessed. It wasn't that Grey was overwhelmingly more powerful than the others—it was that he'd happened to be perfectly equipped for this specific fight. In different circumstances, against different opponents, the outcome might have been very different indeed.
When the battle was over, Grey turned to look at Ethan. His expression hardened, the warmth of victory fading from his eyes.
"You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous for someone like you," he said coldly. Despite having just saved Ethan's life, he showed no signs of accepting him as part of their group at Rivermoor.
Lily quickly stepped between them. "Grey, don't be like that. Uncle Ethan helped us with his powers. Without him, I might not have been able to save Ling in time."
Grey simply nodded once, his face unreadable. Without another word, he turned and walked away, his oversized sword slung casually over his shoulder as he disappeared among the trees as quickly as he had arrived.
Ling looked at Ethan and offered a gentle smile. "Don't worry, Grey is always like that. But he'll come when we need him."
Ethan nodded in response, but inside, his thoughts were churning. He knew that being accepted here meant more than just cooking good meals. He needed to prove his worth in other ways—ways that mattered in this dangerous world.
With Ling injured and leaning on their shoulders, they made their way back to Rivermoor orphanage. The journey was quiet, filled only with the sounds of their footsteps and Ling's occasional wince when they crossed rough ground. But even in this silence, Ethan could feel that something fundamental had changed.
When they finally reached the orphanage entrance, Ethan helped Ling to a wooden bench in the yard. The other children quickly gathered around, bringing clean clothes and bowls of water to tend to his wounds. Anna approached with particular concern, her usual shyness momentarily forgotten as she used her power to help heal Ling's injuries. Ethan stepped back, watching them work together with practiced efficiency. His heart weighed heavy with guilt—when the battle had mattered most, he had been nearly useless.
"Thank you for saving us!" Ling said suddenly, looking up at Ethan with bright eyes.
His words caught Ethan off guard. "Huh? Saving you two?" He shook his head and looked down at his hands. "I didn't do anything!" The disappointment in his voice was clear to everyone.
Ling shook his head, still smiling despite his injuries. "Even if you didn't fight directly, you managed to distract the monster at a critical moment. Without that, we might not have had the chance to attack. Every effort matters in situations like this."
His words were kind, but they didn't ease the hollow feeling in Ethan's chest. He had watched Grey, a young boy, defeat a monster that had overpowered both Ling and Lily. He had seen how quickly and efficiently they all worked together. And what had he done? Thrown some rocks and prepared to die.
He was just a cook with minor telekinesis abilities—nothing compared to the power these children possessed.
Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed to rest, Ethan sat alone in the kitchen of Rivermoor. The room was dark except for a single candle that cast dancing shadows on the walls. He stared at the familiar pots and pans hanging from hooks, the knives arranged neatly on the cutting board, the jars of spices lined up on the shelf.
In this room, he was confident and capable. Here, he knew exactly what to do.
But out there, in Greenhaven Forest, facing real danger... he felt like nothing more than a burden to the others.
"How can I become stronger?" he whispered to the empty kitchen, his eyes drifting to the window where the dark forest loomed beyond the glass.
The candle flickered, making his shadow stretch and shrink against the wall.
"Can I really save Emberlyn?" The question lingered, heavy and unanswered.