Veldra and Lucien walked side by side through the forest, their path unmarked, their destination unknown, wanderers without purpose, yet untroubled by it. Their cloaks brushed softly against the earth as they moved barefoot across the forest floor, the fabric trailing behind them like flowing shadows. Though hidden beneath robes three times their size, each step felt deliberate, unhurried, as if the world itself had slowed to match their pace.
Lucien remained silent beside Veldra, his presence steady and unobtrusive. The forest supplied all the sound they needed: leaves lifted and carried away by the wandering air, the distant flutter of wings, the gentle music of birds weaving through the canopy above. It was beautiful in its simplicity, and Veldra found himself drawn into it, appreciating the quiet harmony. He liked this, truly liked it.
"How long have you lived in this forest?" Veldra asked at last, his voice breaking the silence without disturbing it.
"I have lived here for many years, my Lord," Lucien replied. "More than a century, perhaps. There are no clocks in this place. Time is measured by the sun that gazes upon us, and by the seasons it chooses to pass."
Veldra released a small smile, a warm, genuine one. They continued walking, still without a destination or direction, guided only by uncertainty. Yet it never troubled him. Even on Earth, he had adored nature, spending long hours basking in sunlight, breathing deeply, letting fresh air fill his lungs and quiet his thoughts.
"Truly," Veldra said softly, eyes fixed ahead, "freedom is something worth dying for."
"Indeed it is, my Lord," Lucien answered without hesitation.
"Are there others like you?" Veldra asked, his gaze never leaving the pathless forest before them.
"There are many," Lucien replied. "In this forest, anything that creeps, breathes, and speaks may be considered living. Those who possess only one… or two… are incomplete. To be whole is to hold all three."
"Hm," Veldra murmured, a spark of interest flickering in his eyes. "Quite interesting."
After a while, subtle sounds began to surface, and distant voices carried softly through the forest. At first, they were little more than murmurs, indistinct and scattered, but with each step Veldra and Lucien took, the voices grew clearer, closer. They were not playful or careless; they carried structure, cadence, and conversations shaped by hierarchy and familiarity.
Soon, figures emerged between the trees.
At the front of the group walked a woman who commanded attention without effort. She was Korean, her blonde hair catching the light as it fell over her shoulders, her blue eyes sharp and observant. She was tall, well-built, undeniably striking; her presence alone exerted a quiet pressure on the air around her. She moved with confidence, the kind that came not from vanity, but from knowing others would look regardless. Six people followed behind her, their appearances more ordinary, dark hair, dark eyes, but all armed. Swords, a staff, a dagger. Adventurers, or something close to it.
Veldra recognised her instantly.
What is they doing here? He wondered. I thought we were separated.
His expression, however, remained indifferent, calm, unbothered, as though the encounter meant nothing at all.
The group came to a halt.
Veldra and Lucien did not.
They continued walking forward, their pace unchanged, robes brushing the forest floor as they passed straight through the space between them. The sudden disregard startled the group, forcing them to step aside instinctively, creating an opening as the two figures moved past without so much as a glance.
"Oi, stop right there!" the woman shouted.
Veldra and Lucien halted in unison and turned.
The woman stepped forward, her gaze sharp as it moved between them. "Who are you?" she demanded.
"Veldra," he replied simply.
Her eyes widened. "Wait… Veldra? Is that you?"
"Yes," he said. "It's me."
"That response…" she muttered under her breath. Her eyes flickered as she studied him more closely. Since when was he that tall? she thought. And… he looks different. Better.
Her gaze shifted past him. "And who's the one behind you?"
Veldra didn't hesitate.
"None of your business."
"How dare you," one of them snarled, eyes narrowed, hand tightening around the hilt of his weapon.
Sarah stepped forward, lips curling into a knowing smile. "What's wrong, Veldra?" she said lightly, her tone edged with provocation. "Still hurt over our breakup?" She watched him closely, searching for even the smallest crack of anger, regret, embarrassment. Anything.
She found nothing.
Veldra had known her once.
Three years, quiet, earnest years, had been reduced to nothing because of her choice. Three years of shared mornings, passing dreams, and unspoken promises, all erased in a single moment of betrayal. It had happened on the very day he planned to propose. A restaurant filled with light and voices, too many eyes, too much hope. He had carried a future in his chest that night; marriage, a home, a family built slowly and carefully. He had believed in it with the kind of conviction only dreamers possessed.
And she had shattered it without hesitation.
There was no excuse. No tears. No regret softening the blow.
"You would only drag me down," she had said, her voice flat, detached. "I can't depend on someone who isn't reliable."
The words had struck deeper than anger ever could. They weren't shouted. They weren't cruel in tone. They were simply final.
Veldra hadn't argued. He hadn't begged. He hadn't raised his voice or demanded an explanation. He had stood there, listening, as something inside him quietly broke. He had turned and walked away. No drama. No closure. Just silence and the slow collapse of a future that would never exist.
And now, standing in this forest, hearing her voice again, she had unknowingly dragged him back to that day. To the moment she called it a breakup, when in truth, it had been betrayal.
Yet Veldra felt no rage.
Veldra's expression remained unmoved, his gaze steady and distant, as if her words had never reached him at all.
"If that is all you came here for," he said calmly, his voice cutting through the air like cold steel, "then leave this forest. It does not need your dirty boots or your stench."
A brief silence followed.
Then laughter.
"Hah! Listen to him," one of the others scoffed. "Talking like you're the ruler of this forest-"
"I am," Veldra replied, without raising his voice.
The words landed heavier than any shout.
"That's impossible," another said, grinning as if he'd just caught a child in a lie. "If that's true, then prove it."
Veldra did not argue.
Instead, he tested his Aspect.
With a simple wave of his hand, almost careless, as though brushing dust from the air, his will descended upon one of them. The man froze mid-breath. His body began to wither, flesh collapsing inward as if time itself had been turned violently against him. Fine, grey particles peeled away from his form, drifting upward like dying ash.
He didn't scream.
He didn't have time.
In seconds, there was nothing left. No body. No blood. No trace, only fading motes dissolving into the forest light.
The group staggered back in horror, weapons slipping from trembling hands. Even Sarah's confidence was shattered, her breath hitching as the weight of what she had just witnessed crushed down on her.
"I am the ruler of this forest," Veldra said, his voice low, absolute, resonating through the trees themselves. "Do not test me."