We began our journey from the campsite. The current squad was me, Sera, and Amber. We went north and followed the same steps as last time. We moved through a forested trail, leading toward the mountain foothills. The journey was 2-3 hours on foot. The air was tense; there was no sign of Adrien or any clues. I didn't know Adrien's precise path, but I at least know how he thinks. He'd rather stick to the main roads, but not entirely on them.
There was mainly silence between us. I led, with Sera and Amber staying closely behind. We walked for about an hour before stopping for a quick break. I made a small campfire, and Sera pulled some cups, water, and herbs from her bag. She put the herbs in the cup, then poured water over them, letting them sit near the flames to boil. She looks at me and makes an 'o' shape with her mouth.
"Ah, I'm just making us some herbal tea. These leaves help with stamina."
I nod. "Oh, that makes sense."
Silence returns, and only the cracking of the flames is heard. Amber looks at us and stands up.
"I'm going to scout ahead and see if anything's up, " she says as she walks away.
"Be careful," Sera says to Amber as she walks away.
Ah, Amber, why did you leave? I don't know what to talk about! I slump as I stare at the flames. No matter how much I want to hate it, I can't help but feel safe and calm around fire. The fire crackles softly, not large—just a flickering bundle of warmth cradled by gathering stones. I hold a twig in my hand, absently burning and reforming it, flicker, ash, spark, repeat. I can feel Sera's gaze.
Sera tilts her head. "Can I ask what you're thinking?"
I don't look away from the fire.
"...I'm thinking about how much I hate this," I say quietly as I let the twig fall, scorched and crumbling.
"Fire... I've seen it ruin a lot, practically everything I've had was lost to flames."
I pick up another stick. It catches fire the moment it touches my palm, but I let it burn slowly this time.
"And yet... I feel strangely calm when I look at it. Like it's the only thing that never left."
Sera looks at me solemnly. She seems to want to move closer, but stays at her spot.
"I should hate it. Gaia knows I've tried. But I think I was just trying to hate myself."
The stick crumbles again, curling to cinders in my palm.
Sera watches the flames dance momentarily, then replies, her voice thoughtful.
"Fire destroys, but it can also clear dead brush. Making space for something new."
I glance at her, "You think I'm supposed to grow into something better?"
Sera smiles faintly. "Yeah, and I think you will. Even dead grass can become green again."
I look back at the fire. I slowly close my hands around the last flicker and snuff it out.
"...Thanks."
I meet her gaze with a genuine smile. It might be due to the light of the fire, but I thought I saw her cheeks rosy for a moment. Then, almost as suddenly, a voice calls from the woods beyond the clearing.
"Yo! I found something! You'll want to see this!" Amber's voice called to us.
I stood up immediately and moved. Sera followed. As we approach Amber's voice, I don't glance back at the fire pit. However, the faintest trail of smoke still curls skyward, calm, steady, and warm. The woods breathe with slow wind. Every twig snap makes them tense, but nothing hostile emerges. Amber moves towards us as we jog to her. Amber points to a crooked tree with a nail not pinned by a dull dagger. I yank it free. The paper is damp, but legible.
"North to the stone pass. We move fast. If Adrien's reading this—hurry."
—A small flame symbol was scrawled in the bottom corner.
My breath catches. My thumb traces the flame; it's childish and unrefined. It's a symbol that I know clearly. Adrien used this symbol when we were younger to sign secret messages.
"...This is him, he was here."
"You're positive?" Sera asks gently.
I firmly nod once. Amber takes a step back, scanning the trees again for signs of passage.
"Alright, then, let's go back to the fire to gather our things and then head out."
Amber takes off again, leaving Sera and me once more. We walk back to the fire.
We had some of Sera's tea before continuing. As we walked, the forest seemed heavier now, like it knew we were chasing ghosts. Amber rushed ahead to scout. My expression is probably unreadable. Sera walked beside me, glancing over now and then. She then broke the silence, speaking carefully.
"What's he like?"
I turn my head a bit. My voice was even, but quiet. "Adrien? Smart, stubborn, always an overplanner. He never gave up, not on anyone."
Sera nods, sensing that might be all she gets. We keep walking in silence for a few beats. Then Sera speaks again, softer now.
"You know, you don't have to carry all this alone."
My jaw tenses. I don't stop walking.
I put up my guard. "I'm not."
She offers a light smile. "I didn't mean it like that."
I don't say anything. The wind picks up slightly, leaves dancing across the path.
"...I just meant... if you ever need someone to talk to, I don't mind walking beside you."
I glance at her again. Not annoyed, just uncertain. I'm not the type to open up to just anyone. Sorry girl.
"We should catch up to Amber."
The trail is still and quiet. I walk a few paces ahead of Sera, and the tension from our conversation still hangs in the air. She says nothing now, but I can feel her presence. She's calm and quiet, like she's waiting. I kept my eyes forward, trying to focus on the trail, but my mind wouldn't follow. Why does she keep asking questions like that? Sera's voice echoes faintly in my head. She's kind and patient, like she expected me to open up eventually. Like it was normal, but it wasn't.
I don't do this. I don't talk about things like that. My grip tightens on the recent note. My thumb again brushed Adrien's childish, rough, hopeful flame symbol. Ugh, Adrien would've said something clever and changed the subject without hurting anyone's feelings. He was always better at that. I can mask myself, but once someone tries to get me to open up, I often come out as blunt or cold. People didn't get close unless they forced it, and Sera... was trying. Too hard.
I don't get her. Why is she even here? Why follow someone she met in a forest for hours to find a maybe? I glanced back, just once. Sera's eyes were ahead now, scanning trees. She was calm, focused. Same with Amber. Neither of them owes me anything. They didn't have to come. But they did... That realization hit like a stone to my chest. These two weren't just tagging along. They were risking time, effort, maybe even their safety. All for this search.
I looked forward again. Shoulders stiffen. Firelight flickered faintly along my collarbone, like my pulse didn't know how to settle. I'm not ready to talk. But I should say something. Something real. I go to open my mouth, then shut it. The words didn't come. Not yet. Suddenly, Amber's voice pierced through the quiet.
"Found something! Over here!"
I snap my head over to her direction. Whatever I was going to say was now lost. I break into a jog right after. Hopefully, it's another lead.
Sera and I regroup with Amber, who kneels by a crooked tree. Amber brushes dirt from a small object nestled in the roots. She takes it out and shows us a folded piece of paper, its edges torn and marked by a smear of dried red clay. "Found another one—different handwriting. Might've been dropped in a hurry," she says thoughtfully. I step forward and take the note from her. As I was about to open the note, my body froze. Something flickers. Just at the edge of my vision—near the treeline. A shape, faceless. Shifting like smoke in sunlight. Exactly like the one I saw before.
"Get down!" I shove Sera and Amber instinctively, crouching low, and ignite the flames around my arms.
"Daniel?" Sera startled as she crouched down.
I didn't want to talk; my eyes locked on the treetops. Nothing moves now, but the air is wrong. It felt still with a heavy intensity.
"It's here, same as before," I say aloud. The two girls looked confused, but understood this would not be a social gathering.
Amber draws her short blade, and Sera activates her light, a faint shimmer flickering along her fingertips.
"You sure it's not some animal?" Amber asks.
I shake my head. "It's not an animal."
I step forward, leaves crunch beneath my feet, into the loud silence. The others follow.
The wind snaps sideways, branches groan, and shadows twist. Then the figure appears. This time it's closer. Clinging to the edge of a tall, jagged rock. No face, just a black mask of nothingness and a long, tattered cloak. Its hands flicker with elemental static. Dark gray with streaks of ember red. I stare into its abyss, as if it were a mirror. Eyes furrowed. I was about to speak, but then the figure lunges. Fast, inhuman, a blur of shadows and pressure; behind it, more movement. An ambush.
At least three figures dart from the trees. They were also masked and shared the same level of silence. They had their weapons drawn and glowed faintly with corrupted elemental light.
"Split formation! Amber, back! Daniel—!"
Sera yells my name, but I've already gone to charge the first figure. My arms were lit, and my eyes were burning.
The world narrows, leaves rush past. Branches whip against my face, but I never stop. The figure darts ahead, not running, but I'm not thinking straight. It was pulling me deeper, deeper into isolation. My boots skid in the mud. My fists flow faintly, heat building in my veins like a kettle about to boil over. I thought I put this guy out of commission earlier. I guess it's time for round two.
"Come on then... let's end this," I say, lowering my tone.
The figure lands silently in the clearing below, waiting. It was watching. Its face is a blank void beneath a hood; it has no blade, no name.
"You're not getting away this time," I growl.
I dive in, no stance, no technique, just instinct. My fist swings wide, fire trailing like a comet. The figure dodges effortlessly. I click my teeth. The figure strikes back, an elbow to my ribs. The connection was sharp and controlled. I stumbled back, planting a foot and responding with a backhand wreathed in my flames. It barely landed, but the figure blinks away in a shimmer of dark static. It reappeared behind me. A fist slams into my back, sending me face-first into the dirt.
"You want a brawl?" I say as I surge up. Heat was bursting off my body in a wave. The mud sizzles, my eyes blaze violet. I charge again, low, wild, and furious—left hook, right jab, spinning elbow. Every strike is backed with flickers of fire that burst off my knuckles on contact. The figure blocks till the last attack connects. My punch lands square into its chest, sending it skidding back through the leaves.
I sprint forward again, but this time, the figure throws something. A dart of compressed dark energy. It hits my side, numbing my ribs. I stumbled to collapse onto one knee, coughing. "Ack! So cold... what is this thing?" The figure walks toward me slowly, deliberately. Ready to finish this. My vision flickers, then my mark burns, the ones on my palms covered by my gloves. The eyes. I hear a voice again. "You're not enough, you never were." I catch my breath. Then, the figure strikes.
—Sera—
Just as Daniel breaks away into the trees, several masked ambushers descend from the branches. Amber and I were left alone, back to back. "Daniel—?!" I yell once more, but there is no answer. The woods erupt around us, and two masked attackers drop from above, landing with the grace of trained mercenaries. "Two on two? I like those odds." Amber grins as I narrow my eyes. My fingers curl, and light pulses around my hands, forming a faint shield of radiance.
"I'll blind them. You hit hard."
"Way ahead of you."
The first attacker lunges toward Amber, a spear user with fast jabs. Amber ducks the first thrust, pivots, and punches into the enemy's gut. Her elements of power and metal surge, and a shockwave ripples from her elbow through the enemy's armor, cracking it like porcelain. "Hope you don't mind the spotlight," I say to the second attacker as I raise my palm. A flash of light bursts outward. The light catches the attacker square in the eyes. They stumble, disoriented. I dash forward, my form low and efficient. I then jabbed into them, hitting their pressure points with radiant bursts, disabling their arm.
The first attacker tries to rally and flank Amber, but Amber swings a spinning heel kick, her foot plated with a glimmering metal sheen. The enemy's weapon cracks in half under the force. "That spear? Yeah, no; not on a defenseless maiden like myself." She mocks. The second attacker tried to retreat, but I was already ahead of them. Blocking their path with a broad sweep of light. "You ambushed the wrong team." I thrust forward, and a beam of focused light lances through the trees, blinding the enemy completely. Amber grabs the other by the collar and headbutts them clean into unconsciousness. Both enemies fell hard. While breathing heavily, I looked over to Amber.
"You alright?"
Amber smiles as she pants. "Better than alright. Needed that."
We both looked toward where Daniel ran. The forest is eerily quiet again.
"...He's still out there," I said softly.
Amber cracks her knuckles. "Then let's go get him."
I nod, and we take off running in unison. Then we heard a loud, explosive sound.
—Daniel—
I notice the figure approaching me slowly from the slight fog until he stands right before me. The voice I heard drowned my thoughts. I catch my breath, and the figure strikes. I react in time, exploding in a full-body burst of flames just as the blow lands. The heat sheds through branches. The impact knocks both of them away. I hit a tree, rolling and groaning. The figure... stands again. Though he's damaged, slightly charred, he's unfazed. I struggled to stand, blood on my lips, legs shaking. I wipe my mouth and spit.
"...Still standing," I say, panting.
Silently, the figure tilts its head. Then it vanishes, again. Slipping into the shadows like mist. I sag after silence hits again. I'm alone once more, but not defeated. I leaned against the tree, one hand pressed to my ribs, the other smoldering with dying flame. My breath was ragged, but steady. I heard a voice call my name. It was Sera. I look up, just in time to see her and Amber sprint into the clearing. Amber reaches me first, dropping to her knees.
"You okay? You look like crap." Amber says urgently.
I grunt. "Yep, still breathing."
Sera looks at me worriedly. "That's a relief; we almost lost you there."
"Almost. That thing was fast... but not fast enough." I say with a tired smile, brief, but real.
"We took care of the others, and there was no sign of reinforcement either. I think we're clear," Amber adds as she smiles faintly.
Sera puts a hand on my shoulder. Usually, I'd flinch, but this time, I didn't.
"Let's get you somewhere safe. We'll figure out the next step, together." Sera says softly.
Then, the wind dies, and the leaves stop rustling. Shadows stretch unnaturally. I stiffen.
"...No."
Too late.
A black shape drops behind them, silent, sudden, surgical. The faceless figure grabs Sera from behind. She gasps as she begins to struggle. Its hand already glows with black fire as it nears her throat. "Sera!" Amber yells. She charges, but another figure tackles her from the side. One of the masked attackers they'd taken down earlier. Not dead, just playing opossum. He clamps a blade to her side, twisting her arm. I stagger to my feet, eyes wide with horror and rage. I was helpless.
"LET THEM GO!" I howled out.
The figure tightens its grip. The flames at its fingers grow darker, licking against Sera's neck without burning—yet. The figure finally speaks, its voice low and distorted.
"You still burn... but not enough."
I clench my fists. Flames ignite again, but weakly. I was reaching my point again.
The masked attacker holding Amber speaks. "She moved fast, she hits hard. Let's see how she bleeds..."
I growl. "If you hurt them—"
The figure cuts me off. "You failed once. You'll fail again... Unless you show us what you're 'really' hiding."
A long silence. My fire flickers brightly, but it's unstable. Too close to the edge, too close to slipping.
Sera speaks through gritted teeth. "Danny... don't."
The figure begins to drag her backward, into the shadows of the trees. Amber struggles, snarling, but holds tight. She can't reach her blade.
I fell to the ground. I clutch my head with my hands.
"No. Not again. Not again..."
My shoulders tremble. The flames on my arms crawl higher, blackening at the edges. My irises flicker red-gold. One beat away from slipping into something darker... The wind coils around me, but I don't feel cold—heat pulses with every breath. My voice lowers. "You're not taking them. I don't care what I become." I step forward, the figure tightened its grip on Sera. Dark flames spiral. The eye marks on my palms flash. My hands ignite into searing demon-fire. I move to charge, but I stop.
Footsteps. From behind. Crunching leaves. Steady, fast, and confident. Two stone spikes burst from the ground, impaling the masked attacker holding Amber through the side. He's thrown off her, groaning in pain. The faceless figure stiffens, but doesn't react with fear. It turns just in time to see a stone plate fly at its shoulder, slamming it off balance and forcing it to release Sera. Sera drops to one knee, coughing, glowing embers fading around her neck. I stare with confusion, my fire retreating slightly.
Footsteps approach from the trees. Three silhouettes. One step forward, familiar height, familiar hair, glasses glinting in the light. My eyes widened, and I could feel my eyes wetting slightly. "...Adrien?" The boy stands at the forest's edge, arm extended, a ripple of Earth fading from his outstretched palm. His jaw is tight, and his eyes are sharper than I remember. He smirks.
"Took you long enough to find me... Danny." He says coolly. His hand was on his hip. The other was readjusting his glasses.
Behind him, two more step out: A tall boy with blue hair carrying a blade-guitar. Ryder. Beside him, Jennifer was brushing dirt from her uniform and looking bored.
"Of course, we show up and you're already halfway to setting the forest on fire," she says dryly.
"Some things never change," Ryder adds, grinning.
I don't move. Amber and Sera stared, eyes widened. Amber scrambles to her feet, limping but alert as she moves to Sera.
"Adrien... you're alive."
Adrien walks up to me, lowering his hand and stepping beside me. Our eyes meet, and a moment of stillness is long overdue.
"Of course I am. You shouldn't doubt me. We've been through rougher times." his voice softened.
Behind us, the faceless figure disappears, slipping into the shadow again and retreating. It's finally over. I let my flames burn out.