[Tobias POV]
I shook off the fatigue and stood up, brushing dirt from my clothes. "Alright, enough rest," I said. "We should get you back."
She looked back at me and said, "Are you crazy? Are you looking to die?"
I looked back and questioned, "Well, what else should we do — stay here and die?"
I shook off the fatigue and stood, brushing the dirt from my clothes. "Alright. Enough rest," I said. "We should get you back."
She looked toward me, eyes wide. "Are you crazy? Are you looking to die?"
I met her stare, jaw tight. "What — sit here and wait to die?"
With confidence, I said, "If they drag me off again, so be it. I'd take that a thousand times over if it means you get out of here."
After a moment, she finally calmed and nodded, agreeing to go back with me to the castle.
We needed to find a place to rest. Tired and injured, we had to regain our strength to keep moving.
We stumbled upon the cave where I had killed the wolves that had tried to take my life. The place was grim—filled with the buzz of flies and the stench of rotting corpses. Every step echoed off the damp walls, and the air was thick with the smell of decay, making it hard to breathe.
"It reeks in here," Solfira said, wrinkling her nose.
"I know," I replied, voice tight. "And I'm the one who killed those wolves."
She glared at me for a moment. "Well… I can kind of tell from the scratches and injuries on you."
She decided to drag the bodies outside one by one, and I helped, of course. We left a few behind, carefully setting them aside so we could use them as fuel for a campfire.
I gave her some of my apples, noticing how grumbly her stomach had been. She ate them with visible relief, finally no longer hungry, and I was left with three apples for myself.
We slept on the hard cave floor, but I couldn't complain—I had slept far worse over the past few days.
It was finally the next day, and we had to be on our way. We were still tired and stiff, but that didn't stop us from moving forward.
We kept walking, but after a while I realised we weren't getting anywhere. We were lost. Stumbling onto a spring deep in the forest felt like luck, but it didn't change the fact—we had no idea where we were.
Covered in soot and dirt, we decided to take a dip in the warm spring. But there was one problem—we couldn't exactly go in at the same time. I'm a boy, she's a girl… obviously.
"So, what do we do now? Who goes first?" I asked.
She just shrugged. "We could go at the same time. No point in waiting."
She said it so casually, like she was completely used to this.
"Whattt?!" I screamed, my face burning.
"Well, it's inappropriate, Solfira..." I said, blushing, "although if this is normalised for Drago it's not for humans"
"Oh no, this is definitely not normal," she laughed. "I just thought we shouldn't waste time."
Whoa… I thought. I'm about to see things at my age?!
"Of course… ha," I laughed awkwardly, my face burning even more.
"But… so what? Now we need a bath," I said.
She smirked. "Well, you're really strong. Think you could take that tree down in, say, three to five swings of your blade and carry it to the middle of the hot spring? That way we could both have some privacy."
"Great idea, Solfira! I'll do that," I said happily, grinning.
I felt powerful and got to work, swinging my long sword at the tree. On my first attempt… nothing. The blade barely scratched the bark.
"Okay, maybe that was just a warm-up," I muttered, wiping sweat from my brow.
By the third swing, I managed to chip a small chunk off the trunk. Progress? I thought hopefully.
After what felt like forever—more like ten swings, fifty, maybe a hundred—the tree finally toppled with a loud crash, sending a cloud of dirt and leaves flying everywhere.
I stumbled back, coughing, my arms shaking like noodles. "Who knew one tree could be this heavy?!"
Solfira leaned against a rock, laughing so hard she nearly fell into the spring. "Looks like you're not as invincible as I thought, Tobi!"
I gave her a mock glare, dripping with exhaustion. "Oh, you just wait… next tree, I'll crush it in two swings!"
I grabbed the tree, but the moment I lifted it, it felt like I was holding a mountain. My arms were burning, and I wobbled like I might fall any second.
"Tobi… a little to the left," Solfira called from the spring, trying not to laugh.
"Left?!" I gasped. "It's heavy enough to crush me!"
I took a few careful steps, but the tree tilted, and I stumbled into a puddle of mud. Solfira laughed so hard she nearly fell in herself.
"Careful! Don't fall on me!" she cried.
I gritted my teeth, adjusting my grip. "Almost there… just a few more steps!" My legs were shaking, my back screaming, but I refused to let this tree—or her laughter—win.
Finally, with a heave, I dropped the tree in the middle of the spring. Water splashed everywhere, and I collapsed on the bank, panting.
Solfira wiped tears from her eyes, still chuckling. "Tobi… that was impressive. You really are strong, but maybe warn me next time before you wrestle a tree."
I groaned, pretending to glare. "Next time? No way."
I let out a long sigh, sinking into the warm water. Every ache in my body seemed to melt away.
I could hear the gentle splash of water on the other side of the log, and I knew Solfira was there, though I couldn't see her. The giant trunk kept us completely separated, giving us privacy while we both relaxed.
"Man… this is exactly what I needed," I murmured to myself, stretching my arms in the water.
From the other side, I caught the faint sound of her chuckle. "Tobi… you sound way too happy for someone who wrestled a tree," her voice called over the log.
"Hey! That tree was heavy, okay? You try carrying it!" I shouted back, grinning despite the barrier.
We soaked in silence after that, the forest peaceful, the log keeping our worlds apart—but somehow, it still felt like we were sharing this quiet moment.
After a while, I finally let myself climb out of the spring, muscles warm and relaxed. I could hear faint splashes from Solfira's side, a quiet reminder that she was there, even if we couldn't see each other.
"Alright… that's enough for today," I muttered, reluctant to leave the comfort of the water behind.
Stepping onto the soft forest floor, I took a deep breath. The warmth of the spring lingered in my body, and for a moment, everything else—the chaos, the danger—felt far away.
We had gone quite a distance from the spring, and Solfira was practically radiating energy.
"Tobi! I'm ready," she said, her eyes bright with excitement. "I can fly now—I've fully regained my strength!"
I nodded, tightening my grip. "Alright, let's do this."
"Hold on tight," she warned, grinning. "I'm about to burst into the sky!"
I braced myself, feeling the anticipation build as she prepared to take off.
As soon as we took off into the sky, the wind rushing past my face, Solfira beside me, a sudden shadow appeared below.
The Drago man stood in the clearing, wings gone, eyes blazing with fury. He clenched his fists and let out a deafening roar.
"INFERNO FLARE!" he screamed, hurling a massive ball of fire straight at us.
I unsheathed my sword just in time and swung through the blazing sphere. For a moment, it split—but instead of vanishing, it exploded violently. The shockwave threw us downward, slamming us into the forest floor with a jarring thud. Dirt and leaves flew in every direction, and the heat from the fireball washed over us.
I barely held onto Solfira, who had landed more gracefully, though her wings twitched from the impact. The Drago man stood a short distance away, eyes still blazing, ready to strike again.
He let out a powerful roar, "Haaaaaaa!" The ground trembled beneath us as his enormous aura surged outward, warping the air around him. Trees shook violently, and leaves scattered like a storm in every direction.
With a roar, he dashed toward me, heat radiating off his body, fists clenched and ready to strike. My heart pounded as I braced myself…
To be continued...