The forest stopped breathing.
Leaves that had been rustling a second ago now hung perfectly still, as if frozen mid-air. Even the air felt thinner.
A soft click echoed above them — like claws tapping against hollow bark.
Pine didn't look up. "Three of them," he muttered. "Fast."
The girl shifted her stance slightly, one foot sliding back, shoulders lowering. Not scared. Alert. Controlled.
Something pale flickered between the branches.
Then another.
Then—
A shape dropped silently behind them. Volow felt the ground depress.
He spun.
A scout stood only a few meters away.
They were not fully human. Not fully anything. Their bodies were thin, almost too thin, with limbs slightly longer than normal. Their masks — smooth, white, eyeless — had a single black slit where a mouth should be.
The slit curved upward.
Smiling.
The scout tilted its head at volow, curious… almost gentle.
Then its fingers stretched — long and jointed — reaching out.
The girl snapped forward, stepping between Volow and the creature.
"I said stay back," she hissed at him. Then, louder:
"Mask-Bearer. You do not belong here."
The scout didn't speak. They never did.
But the mask's smile widened.
Two more scouts dropped down beside the first, silent as falling ash.
Pine struck his cane against the earth once.
THOOM.
A ripple of dark Veil energy spread out in a circle, pushing dust and leaves outward. The scouts twitched at the pulse, their heads jerking unnaturally.
The first one stepped forward again.
"They're not leaving," Pine muttered. "They've found him."
Volow felt the ring on his chest grow warm — painfully warm.
Like something inside it was straining.
Trying to wake up.
"Pine," Volow whispered. "It's… glowing again."
"Don't use it!" Pine snapped. "If the seal cracks now—"
He didn't finish.
One scout blurred forward.
So fast Volow didn't even see the movement — only felt the shockwave as the girl met the scout head-on, dragging its arm and flipping it sideways with practiced precision. The scout landed soundlessly and rose without reaction, bones bending as if made of rope.
Volow stumbled back.
"They're not attacking Pine?" he whispered.
Pine gave a bitter smile. "No. They were ordered to take you. I'm just an inconvenience."
The scouts moved at the same instant — one toward the girl, one toward Pine, and one darting straight at Volow.
Volow braced, lifting his arms.
A black blur cut across his vision.
Pine.
He appeared in front of Volow, cane sweeping in an arc. Veil energy burst outward, slamming into the scout and sending it sliding back across the ground.
"Do not touch him!" Pine roared.
His voice shook the branches overhead.
The scouts paused, evaluating.
Then — they shifted tactics.
All three sprinted at Volow at once.
The world blurred.
Claws reached for Volow—
But the girl slid in front of him, faster than his eyes could track.
Her heel slammed into the ground, arms crossing as she blocked the first scout's strike. The impact sent a shock through the trees. She twisted, grabbed its mask, and slammed it sideways into another trunk.
But the other two didn't hesitate.
One slipped behind her, striking her ribs with a sharp jab that forced the air from her lungs. The third grabbed her shoulder and hurled her across the clearing. She hit the ground hard, skidding through leaves.
"Stay—back—" she wheezed, trying to rise.
The second scout was already raising its hand toward Pine.
A shimmer of cold light spiraled around its arm.
Pine's eyes widened. "Oh no. Volow—!"
The cold light snapped into place.
Pine froze.
Literally froze — not ice, but a binding Veil lock, trapping every muscle. He stood still, eyes alive but body dead-still.
"Pine!!" Volow shouted.
The scout walked toward Pine like it was approaching captured prey.
Its hand rose.
Ready to strike.
But all of it snapped cleanly into something else.
Something quiet.
Something cold.
Volow stepped forward.
He exhaled softly.
"I'm done being hunted."
The scout paused mid-strike.
He lifted his eyes.
"Your hunt ends here, little monster"
The word cracked the air like thunder.
The scout turned toward him.
The girl blinked in shock. That wasn't Volow's voice. That wasn't Volow's presence.
Pine's eyes widened, terrified.
"Volow… don't—!"
He didn't finish.
Because Volow vanished.
Not blinked.
Not dashed.
Vanished.
And reappeared in front of the scout.
A single strike — fast and clean — hit the scout's mask. No sound followed, only the soft thud of a collapsing body.
The one holding Pine in the freeze turned sharply.
Too late.
Volow appeared behind it, hand already lowered.
It fell.
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
Only one scout remained — the one pinning the girl as she struggled upright, breath ragged. Its arm rose, aiming for her throat.
Volow tilted his head, a small smile crossing his lips.
"Oops," he said lightly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to fight."
He gave a small laugh.
"And yeah… can you please stop trying to kill the girl?"
The scout drove its arm down.
In that instant—
Volow was there.
The strike never landed.
The scout collapsed gently, like a puppet whose strings were cut.
Silence.
The breeze returned.
Leaves drifted down.
The girl, bruised but alive, stared up at him—unable to speak.
Pine stumbled as the Veil freeze on him shattered. He grabbed his cane, face red with fury.
"VOL—OW!! What did I say? Who told you to fight?" he barked.
Volow didn't turn.
"Shut up, old man," he said, wiping dust off his hands. "You would've been dead meat if I didn't jump in. You're welcome, you thankless old geezer."
Pine sputtered. "I—I—That's not the point!"
"Sure," Volow shrugged. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
The girl leaned against a tree, clutching her side, exhausted. She looked at Pine, then at Volow, then closed her eyes for a moment, overwhelmed.
Pine jabbed his cane at Volow. "You unleashed something you don't understand! Your power—your speed—that wasn't normal! If the King sensed even a fragment of that activation—"
Volow cut him off with a glare.
"I don't care."
Pine's face drained of color.
"Volow… you don't understand what you just did."
"I don't want to understand right now," Volow said. "I saved both of you. End of story."
"No," Pine said, voice shaking. "Not end of story. Not even close."
The girl slowly opened her eyes.
"He's right," she whispered. "If the King felt that surge… he'll send something worse than scouts."
Volow stared at them both.
"I don't care," he repeated, quieter this time.
Pine took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing as he studied Volow.
"Yes," he said finally, voice low, but steady. "You're strong. Stronger than I expected. The past months of training… all your grind, all your effort—it shows. But I told you to hold back, Volow. Not because I doubted you… but because I care. Because if the Solum King senses even a fraction of your true strength now… he'll come for you. And not yet. Not until you're ready."
Volow's lips curled slightly, a glint of steel in his gaze. "Then let him come. I want to see for myself what all this is about—what you've been hiding from me."
Pine's eyes widened just a fraction, then he exhaled, a tight smile breaking through his tension. "Fine. Do what you must… but listen to me. There's something you must know about that ring."
He knelt beside Volow, carefully holding the glowing band on his finger. The center flickered faintly.
"The seal inside it," Pine whispered, "is delicate. If it senses constant danger, if you're attacked repeatedly… it might break. You're not ready for that power to awaken uncontrolled."
Volow frowned. "Then what do I do?"
Pine's hand moved with practiced precision. A small, dark covering enveloped the ring — a protective layer forged from Veil energy. "I've covered it. The ring will stay dormant… but when the moment comes—when you are at the edge, when there's no other way—remove the cover. Only then. Only when your life is truly at stake."
Volow looked down at his ring, then back at Pine. His jaw tightened, eyes burning. "Got it."
Pine squared his shoulders, gripping his cane.
"Volow, the scouts aren't finished, and there's something you need to learn on your own. I'll meet you later at the ridge. Until then, trust your instincts—and that ring."
Volow's lips pressed into a firm line. "I can handle myself."
The girl stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder and said, "I am coming with you". Suki yipped softly, circling around his feet.
Pine nodded once, almost proud. "Good. Then move. We will meet again. And till then i will be waiting for you"
Volow turned, feeling the weight of both freedom and responsibility. He glanced back at Pine.
"Thank you… for everything," he said sincerely.
Pine's eyes softened, a small, rare smile forming. "You'll make me proud, Volow. Remember, we will meet again."
As Volow, the girl, and Suki disappeared into the forest, Pine stayed rooted, watching them go. His chest tightened. For a moment, a single, unbidden tear slid down his cheek.
"It was my good fortune that I met you… and got a chance to train you," he murmured, voice catching.
"You have great responsibilities that you are not aware of… but you can do this. I trust you."
The forest swallowed Volow's figure, but the weight of purpose settled on his shoulders. His journey had only just begun.
He needed to know who he really was. Why the ring had chosen him. What his mother had hidden. And what had truly happened to his town, Cardbill.
Every step forward would bring him closer to the truth—and to the destiny waiting for him beneath the layers of the world.