Date: August 21, 542 After the Fall of Zanra the Dishonorable
The silence that settled over the clearing after the Bezuki fled was heavy, almost tangible. The birds, frightened by the skirmish, had not yet returned, and only the wind rustled in the leaves.
Kazai stood motionless, gazing at the forest where the pack had disappeared. His face was calm, impassive, and only a faint smirk played at the corners of his lips—not contempt, no. Rather, the cold satisfaction of a predator who hadn't even deemed it necessary to pounce on such miserable prey. He didn't turn at the man's voice, didn't answer right away. He let them have time to realize they were alive.
"Who… who are you?" the man repeated, his hoarse, faltering voice louder in the ensuing silence.
Kazai turned slowly. His pale, almost transparent eyes slid over the speaker's face, over his wounded body, over the teenagers huddled against the boulder, and in that gaze there was neither interest nor sympathy. Only a mild, barely noticeable curiosity—and even that, more out of boredom.
"A traveler," he said. His voice was level, devoid of emotion. "I heard a noise. Decided to look."
The answer was so simple and yet so impenetrable that the man was momentarily confused. A traveler. In these forests, where even the locals feared to venture without an armed escort, some traveler single-handedly scattered a pack of Bezuki? It sounded improbable. But arguing with someone who had just saved their lives was not wise.
"My name is Garrett," the man introduced himself, and in his voice was an attempt to give the conversation some form. "I'm an instructor at the 'Silver Spring' Academy. These are my students."
He nodded toward the teenagers, who still hadn't dared to come closer. Some of them, the youngest, were still sniffling, pressing close to one another. The older ones tried to maintain their composure, but their trembling hands and the white knuckles betrayed their true state.
"Practical exercises," Garrett continued, wiping his bloodied face with his sleeve. "Were supposed to be safe. We only went a few miles from the city, along a familiar trail. But these creatures… they came out of nowhere. Too many. Too fast."
Kazai listened with half an ear, studying the teenagers. Their pale faces, twisted with fear, spoke volumes. And the longer he looked at them, the more clearly he understood that here, in this green, flourishing world, people were no different from those who huddled in the bogs of the Dead Swamp. The same fear of the unknown. The same helplessness in the face of danger.
Some of the students—the younger, more foolish ones—had begun whispering. Kazai caught fragments of phrases.
— …he just said "get out," and they ran…
— …maybe we could try that too…
— …nah, it was probably just a coincidence…
They didn't understand. They thought Kazai had simply shouted loudly and the creatures got scared. Anything could scare Bezuki if you yelled at them loudly enough. Their limited, childish minds couldn't grasp the truth—that standing before them was someone whose aura had forced the predators to flee, without even a thought of resistance.
But two of them—Kazai had noticed them immediately—were silent. A boy with short dark hair and a sharp, studying gaze. And a girl, red-haired, with freckles and eyes that seemed to see more than they should. They looked at Kazai differently. Not with the relief of the saved—but with bewilderment. Shock. Because they could feel it. They understood that this "traveler" was on a level they could scarcely dream of.
Garrett noticed it too. Being a Pillar, he perceived auras better than his students, and what he sensed made his heart beat faster. He couldn't pinpoint Kazai's exact rank—his energy was too dense, too deep—but he knew for certain: this man was more dangerous than any creature roaming these forests.
"We are in your debt beyond words," Garrett said, his voice growing firmer. "If not for you…" he didn't finish, but everyone understood.
He paused, gathering his thoughts.
"I realize this is little compensation, but allow me to invite you to the academy. As a guest. We can't simply let the man who saved the lives of twenty people walk away. At the very least, a hot meal, a warm bath, a chance to rest in a proper bed."
Kazai was silent. He looked at Garrett, at the teenagers, at the clearing, and thoughts churned in his head.
*Six months,* he thought. *At least six months before I can learn anything about the runes. I can't just sit in the forest, living off roots and game. I need a place. An opportunity to study this world, its people, its ways. The academy isn't just a roof over my head. It's a source of information. Knowledge of how these lands are arranged, what powers rule here, and whether I can obtain what I need without waiting for spring.*
Besides, his curiosity drove him. That same curiosity he couldn't suppress. What was this city? This academy? How did people live who had never known the filth of the Dead Swamp, never breathed its swampy stench, never seen death every day? Was it worth it? Worth looking?
"Very well," Kazai said, and his voice rang out quietly but distinctly. "I accept your invitation."
Garrett exhaled—with relief, with a mix of weariness and joy. The teenagers whispered louder, and now there was not only relief in their voices but excitement. A hero had turned up, saved them, and now he was coming with them to the academy. This was a story they would tell.
But those two—the boy and the girl—remained silent. They watched Kazai, and in their eyes was frozen a question that neither of them dared to ask aloud.
Kazai paid them no mind. Tomorrow, in a week, in a month—he would remember where the cave was and would return there. But for now…
"Lead the way," he said to Garrett.
The man nodded and called his students over. Still flinching at every noise, they began to gather themselves, helping the wounded. The journey ahead was not short.
Kazai walked behind them, keeping a slight distance. He looked at their backs, at their uncertain steps, at their fear, which would not let go of these children for a long time yet. And in his head, a single thought circled:
*Let's see what sort of place I've landed in. Let's see who rules here and who fights. And then… then I'll decide how to use that knowledge.*
The sun was sinking toward the horizon, and the shadows of the trees grew long. The birds returned, and their singing, joyful and carefree, accompanied the little group on the long road to the city, to the academy, to answers that Kazai did not yet have.