The morning air was thick with a silver mist. It clung to the moss and turned the blue trees into ghostly pillars. Leon was the first to move. He felt the cold dampness on his skin. He pushed the heavy wolf hide away and sat up. His muscles were stiff. Every joint felt like it needed oiling. Beside him, Bai was still snoring softly. The sound was comforting in the quiet forest.
Leon stepped out of the shelter. He gripped his blue-wood spear. The sharpened point felt solid. He looked at the remains of their fire. It was just white ash now. He started to gather their things. He wrapped the leftover fish in a clean patch of the wolf skin.
"Time to move, Bai," Leon said. He gave the shelter a light kick.
Bai groaned and rubbed his eyes. He sat up and blinked at the mist. "Is it morning already? It feels like I just closed my eyes."
"The light is changing," Leon said. "We need to make the most of the day. We have food for now. We need to hurry and find civilization."
Bai stood up. He shook out the wolf hide. "You think we'll find a town today? Or just more of these blue trees?"
"I don't know," Leon replied. "But we're following the river's general direction. Water usually leads to people."
They started walking. The forest began to change. The trees were no longer as dense. The ground became firmer. There was less of the spongy moss. Instead, there were patches of grey dirt and flat rocks. Leon kept his eyes on the ground. He was looking for any sign of a trail.
"Do you miss it?" Bai asked after an hour of walking.
"Miss what?" Leon asked. He stepped over a fallen branch.
"Everything. The internet. Pizza. My couch," Bai said. He let out a dry laugh. "I was complaining about my boss last week. Now I'd give anything to be back in that office."
Leon stayed quiet for a moment. He thought about his apartment. It was small and lonely. He thought about the long shifts at the warehouse.
"I miss the safety," Leon said. "I miss knowing that I wouldn't be eaten by a giant snake. But my life wasn't exactly a dream back there."
"Fair point," Bai said. "But at least we knew the rules. Here, we're just... talentless. That guy's words still bug me. One in billions. What does that even mean?"
"It means we're at the bottom," Leon said. "But the bottom is a good place to start. Nobody expects anything from you."
They continued north. The silver mist began to burn off. The sun was high now. It cast long, sharp shadows across the path. Suddenly, Leon stopped. He knelt down and brushed away a layer of blue leaves.
"What is it?" Bai asked. He gripped his spear tighter.
"Look at this," Leon said.
Under the leaves, there was a flat, grey stone. It wasn't a natural formation. It was rectangular. The edges were straight. Leon cleared more leaves away. Another stone appeared. Then another. They were laid side by side. It was a road.
"A path," Bai whispered. He stepped onto the stones. "It's a real road, Leon. Someone built this."
The stones were weathered. Some were cracked. Tiny glowing weeds grew in the gaps. But it was clearly man-made. It stretched out through the trees. It was about ten feet wide.
"This is it," Leon said. He felt a surge of energy. "This leads somewhere."
They followed the road. It felt different under their feet. It was stable. They could walk faster now. The forest on either side of the road seemed to pull back. The trees were smaller here. They looked more like orchards than a wild jungle.
"Leon, look at the trees," Bai said. He pointed to the right.
The trees were lined up in neat rows. They weren't blue anymore. They had dark brown bark. Small red fruits hung from the branches. They looked like cherries but were as big as apples.
"An orchard," Leon said. "We must be close."
"Should we take some?" Bai asked. His hand reached out.
"No," Leon said firmly. "If someone owns this, we don't want to start by stealing. We have the fish. Let's stay focused."
They walked for another two miles. The road began to slope downward. The air started to smell different. It wasn't just moss and pine anymore. There was a hint of woodsmoke. There was a faint scent of cooked grain.
"I smell fire," Bai said. He started to jog. "Leon! I smell a kitchen!"
"Slow down!" Leon called out. He didn't run. He kept his pace steady. He gripped his spear.
They rounded a final bend in the road. The trees vanished. A wide valley opened up before them. In the center of the valley sat a small town. It wasn't like anything from Earth. The buildings were made of the same blue wood from the forest. They had high, slanting roofs covered in silver tiles. Stone chimneys puffed out thin trails of grey smoke.
A wall made of sharpened logs surrounded the town. At the front, there was a large gate made of iron and wood. Two men stood at the gate. They wore leather armor. They held long spears that glowed with a faint blue light at the tips.
"Is that it?" Bai asked. He was panting.
"That's it," Leon said. He looked at his dirty clothes. He looked at his crude wooden spear. He felt a bit nervous.
"What do we say?" Bai asked. "We don't even know if they speak English. We don't know if they like strangers."
"We tell the truth," Leon said. "We're travelers. We got lost in the woods. We're looking for work and a place to stay."
They walked toward the gate. The guards watched them. Their eyes were sharp. One guard had a scar across his nose. The other was younger with blonde hair. They lowered their spears as Leon and Bai got closer.
"Halt," the scarred guard said.
The language was strange. It sounded like a mix of flowing vowels and sharp clicks. But Leon understood it. It was as if the meaning was being pressed into his mind.
"We mean no harm," Leon said. He held his hands out. He kept his spear pointed at the ground. "We are lost. We came from the forest."
The guards looked at each other. The younger one looked at the wolf hide over Bai's shoulder. He looked at the blue-wood spears.
"You survived the Deep Woods with those sticks?" the younger guard asked. He sounded surprised.
"We did our best," Leon replied.
The scarred guard stepped forward. He sniffed the air then he looked at Leon's eyes. "You have no mana. No talent. How did you kill a forest wolf?"
"We tell the truth," Leon said. "We're travelers. We got lost in the woods. We're looking for work and a place to stay."
They walked toward the gate. The guards watched them. Their eyes were sharp. One guard had a scar across his nose. The other was younger with blonde hair. They lowered their spears as Leon and Bai got closer.
"Halt," the scarred guard said.
The language was strange. It sounded like a mix of flowing vowels and sharp clicks. But Leon understood it. It was as if the meaning was being pressed into his mind.
"We mean no harm," Leon said. He held his hands out. He kept his spear pointed at the ground. "We are lost. We came from the forest."
The guards looked at each other. The younger one looked at the wolf hide over Bai's shoulder. He looked at the blue-wood spears.
"You survived the Deep Woods with those sticks?" the younger guard asked. He sounded surprised.
"We did our best," Leon replied.
The scarred guard stepped forward. He sniffed the air. He looked at Leon's eyes. "You have no mana. No talent. How did you kill a forest wolf?"
"It was already wounded," Leon said. He didn't want to sound like a hero. "We finished it off. We needed the meat."
The guard nodded slowly. He stepped back and signaled to the gate. "Enter. But stay away from the inner district. The academy students are arriving today. They don't like 'muddies' getting in their way."
"Muddies?" Bai whispered.
"People without talent," Leon guessed.
The heavy iron gate groaned as it swung open. Leon and Bai stepped through. The town was bustling. The streets were made of packed dirt. People were moving back and forth. Some carried baskets of fruit. Others led strange, six-legged pack animals. The buildings were close together. It felt crowded and loud.
"We made it," Bai said. He looked around in awe. "A real town."
Leon looked at the people. They looked human. But some had strange features. Some had pointed ears. Others had skin that shimmered slightly in the sun. He felt the weight of his "talentless" status again. But he also felt a spark of hope.
"Let's find a place to trade this hide," Leon said. "We need real clothes and a map."