Morning light filtered through the mist onto the forest path, dew still clinging to the tips of leaves. Three figures walked along the dirt road.
At the front was Luna. She carried a small pack, her steps light, as if she were out for a picnic. Her long aqua-blue hair swayed under the sun with every step.
"Wow—the air feels so much fresher. Way better than the guild's stuffy hall."
She inhaled deeply, a natural smile curving her lips.
In the middle, Jorin staggered under the weight of his huge herb sack. Every few steps, he glanced nervously at the trees, sweat dripping down his forehead.
"C-can you really handle this…?" he muttered.
"You worry too much."
At the back, Sera walked with arms crossed, her sharp eyes never lowering their guard—like a mother panther ready to pounce.
"If not for her, half the guild would've had their faces rubbed into the floor yesterday."
She snorted, fire sparking in her gaze.
"I want to see if you can make dire wolves kneel, too."
Luna turned back, her sweet smile hiding a mischievous gleam.
"Why do you always want to see me fight?"
She dragged out the last words in mock-complaint, almost like a child pouting.
Sera blinked, then burst into laughter.
"Because watching you fight is a damn thrill."
---
Birdsong thinned, shadows of trees grew long. A subtle shift in the wind pressed the grasses all in one direction.
Luna halted, tilting her head to listen. Her eyes sharpened.
"Jorin, stay close to me."
Before Jorin could react, Sera had already shifted, half-shielding him with her body.
The next instant—
A low growl seeped from the underbrush, and three gray forms burst forth, fangs glinting cold in the daylight.
"D-dire wolves!" Jorin paled, throat going dry.
Sera's knuckles cracked. "Perfect timing."
Luna tilted her chin slightly, her voice calm.
"Three of them. Perfect for my first adventurer's battle."
---
The burly alpha wolf lunged first, muscles tensed, but his eyes held something more than instinct.
(This little human… carries a cold scent. Not prey.)
Even so, he sprang, claws tearing dirt.
"Stand back. I'll handle this."
Luna's tone was quiet, yet brooked no refusal.
Frost spread outward from her feet, white mist blooming. At her fingertip, ice crystals whirled into tiny blades.
"Don't move," she said softly, as if greeting an animal.
The alpha's eyes flickered.
(Is she… speaking to me?)
The shards met his claws with a metallic ring, scattering frost. The alpha faltered, surprise flashing across his eyes.
---
From the side, a she-wolf crouched low, eyes fixed firmly on Luna.
(Why… isn't this child afraid? Her eyes—too calm. It's like she's playing a game.)
With a snarl, she lunged at Luna's waist.
"Frost Wheel."
Luna whispered, and three circular ice shields bloomed, petals closing around her.
The she-wolf slammed into them. Her claws screeched, but the force was absorbed, redirected.
(This cold… heavier than the deepest snows of the valley!)
Meanwhile, the youngest gray wolf circled from behind, growling words more than sounds.
"Human! Hand them over! They're our prey!"
His voice carried youthful anger, yet also hesitation.
Sera sneered, her fists tightening. Luna, however, flicked her gaze sideways. A chain of frost shot from the ground, coiling around the pup's foreleg.
"Ah—!" the young wolf yelped, tumbling face-first into the dirt.
---
The alpha wolf seized the opening, lunging again, jaws snapping for Luna's leg.
Her left hand pressed down—an ice spike jutted upward, knocking his muzzle aside.
Her right hand flipped, shards fanned outward, striking his nose and eye-corner with pinpoint precision.
"Argh!" The alpha staggered back, frost clinging to his snout, a muffled whine slipping out.
(Why… she strikes where it hurts, yet spares my life?)
At the rear, Sera's eyes gleamed.
(This brat isn't thrashing wildly—she's controlling rhythm, treating them as opponents, not prey.)
---
The she-wolf stalked toward Jorin, indecision flickering in her eyes.
(The herbs in his pack… enough to feed the pack. But this girl… if we force it, we'll lose everything.)
Her hesitation lasted a breath too long.
Luna's finger flicked. Frost dusted the soil under her paws, turning it slick.
The she-wolf's hind leg skidded.
"Seal."
A low ice wall surged upward, shoving her back—straight into the alpha, the two crashing down together with furious snarls.
The young wolf tore free of his chain and charged again.
This time, Sera stepped forward. Her fist slammed straight into his shoulder.
Thud!
The pup yelped, rolling through the undergrowth.
"Keep them alive," Luna reminded.
Sera grinned, shaking her fist. "Relax, I've got control."
---
The three dire wolves staggered upright, sides heaving, eyes full of conflict.
The alpha growled low, voice rough yet coherent.
"Human… your hand is quick, your power colder than fangs of ice. But why not kill us?"
His gaze burned with confusion, tinged with humiliation.
"We live by kill or be killed. Yet you only suppress us… is this mockery? Or a trial?"
The she-wolf's ears flattened, her eyes wary.
"Your eyes… they don't lie. But why stop us? We just want to live."
The young wolf panted, frost still clinging to his nose. His voice trembled, yet rang sincere.
"I don't understand… you're stronger, yet you spare us."
---
Luna listened quietly, her palm lowering, frost fading.
"I stopped you because you stood in my way."
Her voice was calm, resolute.
"I spared you because dead opponents don't grow."
Her lips curled into a sly smile, eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Next time we meet… if you're still this weak, that would be boring."
The wolves fell silent.
At last, the alpha clenched his fangs, then lowered his head, turning away.
"…I'll remember this, human. Next time, I'll prove with my teeth—we're no joke."
The she-wolf lingered a moment longer, eyes glimmering with something complex.
The young wolf's tail drooped, but his voice carried stubborn fire.
"Next time, I'll be faster!"
One by one, the three wolves slipped back into the forest, their growls fading into silence.
---
Sera exhaled, laughing boldly.
"You're wicked—treating enemies like students, sending them off burning with shame."
Luna turned, blinking playfully.
"Because sparing them is way more fun."
Jorin stood frozen, legs trembling.
(This child… not only terrifying in battle, but she can even talk to wolves…)
---
He stammered, pointing at the ice that had just melted away.
"Th-that just now was…"
Luna dusted her hands as if brushing off dirt, and winked.
"Greeting Technique, Second Form."
Sera snorted, laughing aloud.
"You're naming those on the spot."
"Made-up names are cuter," Luna replied earnestly.
This time, Jorin chuckled despite himself, his shoulders finally loosening.
(She really is a child… yet her calm, her restraint—maybe, just maybe, I'm safe with her.)
---
The road widened, wagon ruts marking the dirt. Broken bark littered the path's edge.
Sera suddenly raised her hand to halt. She crouched, pointing at the ground.
"Look."
Luna crouched beside her. A faint scratch ran across the road, partly hidden by grass. Nearby, half-buried stakes peeked from the brush.
Jorin stiffened. "That's…"
"A tripwire," Sera said coldly. "Step on it, and the trees rain arrows."
Luna glanced up. Indeed, unnatural shadows lurked beneath leaves. She flicked her finger, dusting frost into the air. The hidden wire shimmered into view.
"Someone's doing business here," she said.
"What business?" Jorin asked nervously.
Sera sneered. "The robbing kind."
Luna tilted her head, then smiled.
"Then let's do some business of our own."
She spread thin frost over the wire, camouflaging it, then adjusted the leaves. She lifted a tuft of grass, revealing a second hidden line beneath.
Sera grinned wickedly. "A chain trap. First wire warns, second kills."
"We'll step on neither," Luna said.
She flicked a frozen pellet. Snap! The first wire snapped, triggering the trap.
Thrum—!
Arrows rained down, missing the road by half a step, thudding harmlessly into dirt.
"Someone's here!" a voice shouted from the trees.
Sera leapt like a cannonball, slamming a bandit from a branch. Another two rushed Jorin—only to trip over Luna's frost lines, face-planting into mud.
"Don't move." Luna conjured a dagger of ice, the cold edge brushing their necks.
Another figure stepped out, hooded, crossbow drawn.
"Pay the toll, or stay here. That's the rule."
He looked at Luna, recognition dawning.
"You… yesterday's uproar. Good. Leave your name and your hands—we'll feast in the city on that alone."
Luna blinked innocently, then smiled.
"Names? Go check at the guild registry. As for hands—without them, how could I drink fruit juice?"
"Pfft—" Sera almost laughed, but the hooded man's arrow loosed with a snap.
Luna raised her wrist. A frost-shield snapped into being. The arrow deflected, whistling past her shoulder.
"Attack!" the man barked.
Chaos followed—but Sera's fists and Luna's frost crushed them swiftly. One by one, the bandits fell, tied in icy shackles.
Luna searched their belongings, finding two copper tokens marked with strange wing-like patterns. She pocketed them silently.
(Black Wing…)
"Be glad," Sera said coldly. "Next time, we won't leave you breathing."
The bandits trembled, nodding frantically.
---
As they walked again, Luna glanced toward the treetops. The shadow of a crow-like figure flickered, then vanished.
"Nothing," Luna said lightly when Sera asked. "Just feels like the wind's enjoying the show."
Sera studied her, then said directly:
"Luna. Team up with me. I like your strikes—but more than that, I like your mind. You think before you fight. With you, I'll fight better."
Luna paused, crunching a leaf underfoot.
(With Sera… noisy, but fun. She'll push me forward, show me more.)
She smiled.
"After this escort ends, we'll sit down and talk."
Sera grinned. "Deal. I'll wait."
Behind them, Jorin followed in bewilderment, yet strangely reassured.
(These two girls… they talk like it's casual, yet brush danger aside like pebbles on the road.)
---
By midday, they crossed a stream. Luna scooped water, froze it into a glittering chain of beads, and tossed it to Jorin.
"For you. Cool down, drink when it melts."
Jorin gawked, then laughed like a child. "This works?!"
"She can make anything work," Sera muttered.
Luna stuck her tongue out.
---
Meanwhile, deeper in the forest shadows, Shadowfiend Sharic Norn leaned against a tree, observing.
"Not bloodthirsty. Controls rhythm. Protects first, strikes second. Even turns traps against foes… good habits."
He flicked his fingers. A black "shadow crow" fluttered silently into the canopy.
"Keep watching. Don't interfere."
A faint voice whispered back through the dark. Sharic's lips curved, but his smile carried no warmth.
"It's not whether to strike… but when."
The wind carried away his words. His form melted into shadow.
---
By noon, rooftops of a village peeked beyond the trees. Smoke rose straight into the blue sky.
"There!" Jorin's eyes lit up, his steps quickening.
Luna shielded her eyes from the sun, grinning.
"Lunch time."
She flashed Sera a hand sign. "Check in, then feast."
"Who's paying?" Sera asked.
Luna answered without hesitation. "The client."
"…I'll pay, I'll pay!" Jorin laughed heartily, his burden suddenly lighter.
(Not just an escort… they cleared every danger along the way. Worth it.)
The three quickened their pace.
Far above, a single leaf shivered without wind, a faint sigil etching across its back, sending a report into the distance:
Target stable. Evaluation updated. Awaiting next order.
At the front, Luna skipped ahead, her boots tapping rhythm on the dirt road like a cheerful beat.