He blinked, looking away.
The heat shouldn't be pressing in anymore, but somehow he felt like it was.
Then his eyes narrowed, the subtle blush that had formed receding.
Above the canopy, the thin trail of smoke threading the sky weakened.
"…They're putting it out."
Yue Lin followed his gaze. Her expression sharpened.
"We should move. Before we lose track."
Riven agreed.
They laced their boots quickly and set off, sticking to the quieter paths, weaving through twisted roots and pale brush. The forest was fairly similar to the previous one.
But every now and then, they glimpsed movement.
Stags.
Bigger ones.
They definetely weren't as simple as the ones on the other side of the desert.
Their pale hides rippled between the branches, antlers tall as spears. Neither Riven nor Yue Lin made a move toward them. There was no point. Too risky, too draining. And besides — they didn't want to lose the smoke trail.
Eventually, the trees thinned slightly ahead.
The forest grew quieter as they approached, the hush almost unnatural — like the trees themselves were holding their breath.
A small clearing.
Riven raised his hand, slowing their steps. The two moved low, quiet, until they reached the edge and saw it for what it was.
A camp.
Or what had been one.
The fire was out now — the embers cold, but still faintly charred in the ring of blackened stone. Beside it, two crude sticks jutted upward, each angled carefully above where flames would've been. Skewered on them were fish, dried and singed. They'd been left in a hurry. One was still half raw.
But that wasn't all.
The ground nearby was torn in places — grooves dragged across the dirt, some deep, some shallow. Patches of broken branches. A smear of something darker streaked across a flat stone at the edge of the clearing.
Riven's eyes narrowed. He stepped carefully around the fire pit, eyes scanning the marks more closely.
A gash in the bark nearby. Split low. Something sharp — or heavy — had struck it.
Yue Lin crouched a short distance away, fingers brushing faint indentations in the dirt. Her brows drew together.
"There was a fight," she said quietly.
Riven nodded.
But his eyes had flicked to the skewered fish again — half-burned, half-raw, now cold and useless.
If only they'd finished cooking, he thought. I wouldn't mind some fish right now.
His stomach ached with the thought, a low burn of hunger waking now that thirst had been answered.
But that was luxury.
And this wasn't the time.
He stepped away from the fire pit, his boots crunching softly on charred ash. "The trail continues that way," he muttered, eyes tracking the disrupted path that veered off through the brush, away from the clearing. "Looks fresh."
Yue Lin stood. "We follow?"
He nodded once.
They moved carefully, staying low — Yue Lin had her knife in hand now, steps light, breath measured. There were no corpses. So whatever happened here clearly hadn't ended yet.
The signs of struggle continued: deep scuffs along roots, broken foliage, the faintest smears of blood.
No sign of who won.
No sign of who — or what — had started it.
Until—
Sound.
Far ahead.
Not words. Just the harsh rhythm of shouts and impact.
Yue Lin's eyes met his — sharp now, fully focused.
They pressed forward.
Every step was cautious, the tension thick in the air. Whatever they were walking into, it wasn't over yet.
The sounds sharpened as they closed the distance.
Grunts. Blades clashing. The heavy thud of hooves striking earth.
Then — a flash through the trees.
They slowed.
Yue Lin ducked behind a pale trunk, Riven mirroring her motion on the opposite side of the path. The forest opened slightly ahead — another clearing, smaller than the last.
And in it, chaos.
A stag — tall like the ones they'd seen on the way — stood its ground near the center. Its antlers twisted wide like bladed branches, crystalline tips catching fractured sunlight. Part of its side was streaked red, shallow wounds painting its pale coat. Its breath steamed, hooves shifting, fury still alive in its eyes.
Opposite it — two girls.
Young. About their age.
One stood in front of the other — sword raised, knees slightly bent, bracing for the next strike.
The girl in front had a practical, fitted cut to her uniform. A maid's garb, unmistakable even in battle. Her dark hair was tied back in a tight knot, jaw set hard, eyes fixed forward with unflinching focus.
The girl behind her looked paler — not from fear, but from complexion. Her features were delicate, almost refined. Chin high, though her breaths were shaky. Her robes were looser, more decorative, a faint shimmer of silver trimming the edges. But both had the same emblem stitched across their chest: a single glowing sword, stylized and sharp, embroidered in faintly radiant thread.
And between them —
A spectral chain shimmered in the air. Pale and taut, just like the one that bound Riven and Yue Lin.
Riven's breath caught.
Yue Lin saw it too. Her hand tightened around her blade, her stance sharpening without a word.
The stag in the clearing let out a huffing breath, blood dark against its flank now, hooves scarring the dirt with every step. It paced for only a second before lunging again — crystalline antlers crashing down in a violent arc.
The maid moved without hesitation. Her blade met the beast's antlers mid-swing — the force shoving her back two full paces, but she didn't fall.
Behind her, the other girl lifted her sword, but didn't move forward. Her gaze flicked along the beast's form — tracking. Calculating. Looking for an opportunity.
They were good — clearly trained. Sharp movements, strong footwork.
But Riven could tell.
They weren't quite at their level.
Or rather — they weren't at the level he and Yue Lin were now.
If anything, they were about as strong as he and Yue Lin had been before their breakthrough on the island.
The stag, though…
It was different.
There was both intelligence and power in the way it moved — not just instinct. Each attack came with precision. It was way stronger than the stags they'd fought before.
A Greater Feral, easily. Probably the equivalent of a mid-stage cultivator in the inner condensation realm.
But it was wounded.
Not enough though.
The two girls were holding their ground — barely. The longer the fight dragged on, the worse their chances looked.
Riven stepped forward. "We should hel—"
Yue Lin's arm shot out, catching his shoulder.
"Stop."
He froze.
Her gaze wasn't on the stag anymore. It was fixed on the crest on their robes — that faintly glowing sword, embroidered with careful threads. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "They're from the Knights Order."
Riven's eyes widened slightly.
The Knights Order.
One of the largest orthodox sects in the region. Strict hierarchy, countless disciples, strong backing from major clans. Righteous. Respected.
And famously aggressive toward "unauthorized" sects.
Their word for the less upright sects like theirs.
To be fair. We do call ourselves demonic sects.
If they found out who he and Yue Lin were — where they'd come from…
There wouldn't be a thank you.
There'd be a fight.
Riven halted.
But his eyes stayed on the clearing.
On the two girls.
The maid was breathing hard now, blade dragging just slightly with each parry. Her robes were torn at the sleeve. The other girl wasn't standing back anymore, already embroiled in the fight herself by now.
"They're in the same situation as us," Riven muttered. "We can't just watch them die."
Yue Lin didn't answer immediately. She followed the stag's motion, its antlers gleaming red where blood had dried along the edges. Then she glanced toward the noble girl's sword insignia again, jaw clenched.
A beat.
Then a slow nod. "Alright."
They prepared to move—
But in the clearing, the fight had already shifted.
The fair faced girl dashed forward again, fast, feinting low. The stag reared up, stepping awkwardly on a root. Her blade cut shallowly across its leg — enough to anger, not enough to damage.
It twisted.
Fast.
Too fast.
Its antlers swept wide, and as the maid tried to pivot back, her foot skidded on wet soil — her balance broke for half a breath.
Just enough.
The stag surged forward with a brutal downward arc, aiming straight for her chest.
She couldn't dodge in time.
"Shit," Riven hissed, already moving.
Yue Lin was right behind him, chain catching light.
The girls's eyes widened.
And the antlers came crashing down.