After two weeks of scouring to the deepest sea and the highest mountain, we conceded that we've failed. We've failed to look after Ayden, failed to protect him from the bandits, and failed to retrieve any clue as to where he may be.

It is time that we accept the harsh, bitter truth. Nobody has every come back after two weeks of absence.

The Socenian Prince is dead.

Excerpt from "The Diary of Chancellery Damlum"

Eugene De Lavet

We walk down the maple mountain, pass the open field, and head to a lofty and bleak pine forest. It's crazy how there are so many different groups of trees in different parts of the forest that don't seem to blend together. If the sky was any brighter, I would've been able to spot the "border" where the conifer trees just simply replace the maple trees.

The sun has long disappeared behind the mountain, and the surrounding was dark and fuzzy enough for me to only see the outlines and shadows of the actual forest. Melodi assured me that there will be some sort of 'light' near the barrier (apart from the faint glow from the barrier itself), but that makes me question how many times she'd been here to know that.

She wasn't wrong. We arrive near a small pond where the fireflies glide and swoop over the water, and the rows of trees split just wide enough for the moonlight from the crescent to shine through. The foot of the Soul Barrier dabs on the water near the other side, inking its mysterious violet tinge on the pond surface. The trees on the other side are an uncharacteristic shade of charcoal. They've wilted for so long it looks like they've fossilized themselves. A few bison are grazing near the pond, but none of them stands past the barrier.

A firefly touches on Melodi's nose as she takes off her backpack and sits on the pond edge full of pebbles. I sit down next to her, pick up a pebble, and fling it into the water. It bounces a few times.

Melodi picks one up too, and we just keep throwing in silence. Her pebbles usually bounce further than mine, but I don't really put any effort into making mine go further. If I do, she'll get competitive about throwing some rocks, and I don't want to go there.

I break the silence, "Hey Mel. Why are we even here? We can't pass the pond even if you want to fight, and I've been in so many unnecessarily tough battles for no good reason the last couple of days."

The Forbidden Wood isn't regulatorily banned; more precisely, it's physically impossible to enter for anyone below Level 100. Someone probably had too much free time and thought it was a cool idea to set up a Soul Barrier around the woods, so anyone trying to enter when they're not ready will feel a wave of sickness so ruthless they faint on the spot. The barrier surrounding the Bolthound me and Captain Azra defeated earlier shared the same property, and the only reason I was able to get through was that Azra had torn the barrier open beforehand.

I haven't tried to get through this barrier, but a certain somebody has. A certain somebody with an oversized flail and an occasional sadistic kick.

"Relax. We're not fighting anything today," she pulls out an apple and a banana and hands me the banana. When I try to reach for the apple, she hits on my wrist.

"Then why are we here?"

"Because it's the safest place. Nobody is allowed near the Forbidden Woods, so nobody is going to be here to hassle me. As long as I stay on the other side of the barrier, I can be alone with my thoughts."

Well, if you put it that way, it's hard to argue. I mean, if you climb on the back of an aligator, it can't rip you in half with its jaws. Same logic.

"You're not really alone, are you? I think you would've been more alone if, I don't know, you didn't ask me to come?"

"Don't be a whiner all the time, Eugene. You know I need a partner in these secluded parts of the forest. You're an asshole, but I do trust you with a sword. And I don't want to spend another day plowing in the field because I broke some dumb law."

"Fair."

I unseathe my sword and play around with it. I haven't gotten the knack of Bloodweep yet, having only spent a day using it, but it feels really good to the touch so far. It's heavier, hits harder, and it sucks blood, which is kind of creepy but I'll make do.

"Hey, Eugene. Have you ever felt bored?" Picking up another pebble, Melodi asks without looking at me.

"Of what?"

"Of being here. Father told me that the best years of our lives are our youth, but youth is wasted on the young. I feel like we really are wasting our youth inside this forest."

"You're not the only one. But I'm not foolish enough to try sneak out of the wood just to drop to the ground unconscious near Likimi Protective Barrier." The General did say that there's no safer place than Likimi, so I assume there must be a big war going on outside or something. I'm sure we can fend for ourselves fine, though. Both the General and Captain Azra are Craftmasters, and I'm probably faster than 99% of people out there.

"I just want to see the world, you know." Melodi sighs. "There's more to Loktharma than trees. Whenever I hear Captain Azra talks about the pastry shops in the Kingdom of Argabah or the magic merchants passing through the gates of Oscen, I'm jealous that he has stories to tell and I don't."

"You can always tell them about the time you almost slayed three Ogres in a row. . . Ow, ow, ow!"

"You're such an idiot!" She grits her teeth as she pinches on my ear. I swear the Baggardos has an ear fetish AND a sadistic fetish, and they're not a pleasant combination.

While Melodi's busy torturing me, crisp footsteps ring out from the woods. Only a specific pair of boots make that noise—General Rizeni's.

"It's Father! Cover me!" Melodi jolts from her spot, grabs her backpack before disappearing into the woods.

I turn back and see the smoldering light of a torch as the General paces towards me. I get on my feet, brushing the dust off my armor as I speak, "Good evening, General! Nice day to unsuspiciously sit right next to the Forbidden Wood and take in the beautiful Soul Barrier scenery, isn't it?"

"What are you doing here? You should be back for dinner by now."

"We're having trouts today. Not a fan." I scrunch my nose.

"You need to be back by nine and have some rest. Your exam is coming next month, and I won't have you fail theory again. And don't even think about setting foot across the barrier."

"I would never, General! I am a man of value and virtue. I would never disobey a written rule."

The General scans the area and walks over to the part of the wood where Melodi just ran off to. "Do you know where Melod is? Lady Tanaka told me she was accompanying you."

"We parted ways near the mountain. She headed to the Rockies."

"This stubborn girl. . ." The General sighs. "She has a Promotion Exam tomorrow, and I need her to be in good shape, well-informed, and doesn't accidentally forget to show up again."

Rizeni preaches a few more moral lessons and I nod until he's convinced I actually listen and leave. When he's finally left, I signal for Melodi to come out, the say to her when she's crawling from behind the bushes. "Why are you eluding the exam?" Melodi took on three Cragfist Ogres all by himself and was pissed that I SAVED her. It doesn't make sense that she'd be afraid of some inconsequential test.

"My father will be watching. I'm just a bit nervous and I don't know if I'll do well."

"Don't worry. You have a brain the size of a boob. You'll do all right."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment or an obnoxious attempt at a stab?"

"Wow, I'm hurt. What kind of person do you think I am?" I run my fingers through my hair. "You must've picked a partner for the Teamwork Exam, right? The General doesn't allow Captain Azra to aid us anymore, but I think Leviathan is more than capable. Dude's as good with his shield as he is with his inventions."

"Actually, I've been wanting to ask you this." She grips on the hem of her shirt, her eyes evade mine instead of staring at me head-on like she usually does.

"What is it?" I raise my eyebrows.

"Do you want to be my partner?"