On the third day, my body no longer responded with the same lightness.
It wasn't pain. It was weight.
Each step seemed to demand a little more effort than usual. My arms still had strength, my legs still obeyed, but there was a hidden slowness in my movements that I couldn't ignore.
And I knew it wasn't just me.
We were walking along a narrow dirt road that connected two smaller villages to the kingdom. The sun had already passed its highest point, and the silence around us did not bring peace. It brought alertness.
"I don't like it when it gets this quiet," Lyannis said.
"No one does," Rai'kanna replied.
Elara walked beside me, holding her staff firmly. Her face showed constant concentration, but her eyes revealed the strain.
Liriel walked a few steps ahead, watching the horizon carefully. Vespera followed just behind her, always attentive to the sides of the road.
No one complained.
But the pace had slowed.
We stopped near a small stream to splash water on our faces and drink. It wasn't rest. It was necessity.
I sat on a rock for a few seconds and took a deep breath. The sound of the running water helped organize my thoughts.
"How many villages has it been?" Elara asked.
"At least five since we left the guild," I replied.
"And none of them were the main target," Vespera said.
"They're all distractions," Liriel added.
Rai'kanna splashed water on her face. "He's spreading us out."
Lyannis looked at me. "And we're running exactly how he wants."
I remained silent.
She was right.
If we stayed still, the villages would be destroyed. If we moved, he controlled the pace.
We stood up shortly after. Staying still too long made the body feel heavier.
We followed the road until we began to see smoke rising in the distance.
Not much.
But recent.
We quickened our pace.
When we arrived, we found a small village partially damaged. There were no monsters there at that moment. Only clear signs that they had passed through.
Broken doors. Fallen fences. Deep marks on the walls.
Some villagers were still there, gathering what they could save.
"You arrived late," a man said, his hands trembling.
"Where did they go?" I asked.
He pointed east.
"They didn't stay. They just passed through destroying and kept going."
Elara looked around. "They don't stop anywhere."
Liriel examined the ground. "They're always moving."
Vespera stepped closer to me. "They don't want to take villages. They want to leave a trail."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms. "To force us to follow."
Lyannis finished. "As if we're being pulled by an invisible rope."
We helped the villagers reinforce some doors and indicated the safest route for them to flee toward the kingdom.
We didn't stay long.
We followed the direction the monsters had taken.
After nearly an hour of walking, we found them again.
This time, they weren't attacking anyone.
They were crossing an open field in scattered groups, heading in the same direction we had seen before.
I stopped for a moment.
"They're not running," I said.
"Nor hunting," Elara replied.
Liriel narrowed her eyes. "They're marching."
Vespera took a deep breath. "Like a disorganized army, but with a clear destination."
Rai'kanna adjusted her stance. "Let's cut them off here."
We advanced.
The fight began in the middle of the field, far from any village, far from any civilians.
And, for the first time since we left the guild, I felt something different.
It wasn't urgency.
It was accumulated exhaustion.
Every movement had to be precise. We couldn't afford to waste energy anymore.
Elara used her magic more carefully. Liriel chose each attack wisely. Vespera avoided unnecessary confrontations. Rai'kanna and Lyannis moved together, without excess.
And I realized we were fighting differently.
More economical.
More calculated.
More tired.
When the last monsters fell, we stood in silence in the middle of the open field.
The wind passed lightly through the tall grass, carrying that same smell of churned earth.
I ran a hand over my face and felt the cold sweat.
"The worst part isn't fighting," Lyannis said.
"It's not knowing when it will stop," Rai'kanna added.
Elara looked toward the horizon. "They're still appearing."
Liriel nodded. "And they will keep appearing."
Vespera stepped closer to me. "You've realized it, haven't you?"
"Yes," I replied.
"This isn't to defeat us."
I looked north, beyond the field.
"It's to exhaust us."
We remained silent for a few seconds.
There were no more monsters in sight.
No more screams.
Just that unsettling feeling that we were always one step behind something that still hadn't shown its face.
We started walking again.
Slower.
Heavier.
And, for the first time since this began, I realized something that truly unsettled me.
We were still at the beginning.