“Just how long is this tunnel,” Istraun complains as he runs up to me. “What’s our destination once we leave?”

“The exact same as I said before. If the exit is somewhere near the forest, then we’ll be well on our way. It’s just south from there.”

“By the way Rai, what exactly did Iris’ old man tell you? You know, considering I wasn’t there and all. I feel just a little bit left out,” Axel says.

“She and her friends are supposed to come with me. I told him it’d be safer if they went with my aunt and cousin but he said I gave him a good feeling.”

I don’t know what that meant but it’s not like I could refuse him so easily. He sheltered Millicent, Dylan, and us too. If even after telling him we’d be going around the empire with little to no direction and he still wanted them to come with, then what could I say?

“A good feeling? I don’t really feel anything… Though, I am a bit happier to be traveling with you guys than being stuck at home… It’s one less mouth for them.”

“What was that,” Istraun asks.

“Nothing,” Axel responds.

I throw him a sidelong glance, wondering if I should press the issue but decide not to. He’s probably got a lot more going on.

Aisha squeezes in between Axel and I, “Ummm, isn’t that the exit?”

“Not sure,” I answer, turning to Axel.

He nods, “It’s the exit… fairly sure.”

Reassuring… “Axel, how did you even know about this place?”

“My dad once took me on a walk through here. Not this particular tunnel and we never went this far, but I only know of it because of him. Of course, there’s really nothing dangerous down here but those guards need to patrol here every now and then. Come on, let’s go up.”

What awaits us at the top is a land of ice. The lake, completely frozen, offers a convenient way to land. Axel drops onto the ice and cautiously feels around for weak spots, giving me the okay to follow.

“I think it’s solid,” he says.

“Can you swim?”

Not that swimming is guaranteed to save you, especially not when falling into ice water.

Axel nods, “Just a bit.”

I lend a hand to those exiting the waterways while Axel searches for a solid path. The last to leave is Blue Hair. After helping her down, Axel yells that it’s all clear. I stay back just in case the ice breaks so I can rush to help whoever falls in.

Luckily, the ice proves as sturdy as the ground. Halfway through, Blue Hair slips. I catch her by the arm and pull her to her feet. She whispers a thanks without bothering to even glance at me. Axel, who watched the accident, chuckles. Elis glares at him and he forces down his smile.

Reaching land, I take in my surroundings. Everything looks the exact same, save for a path by the lake. I question both Iris and Axel about their knowledge of the forest. Iris tells me its name and points out where the major paths lead. Axel confirms what she says. I press for more but neither of them knows much more than that.

So, with our limited information, we decide to go on the path with the hope of little monster encounters and a quick exit. However, the further we go, the farther away an exit seems. The snow is taking it’s toll on us as well. I imagine it’s because no one has been here since the start of winter so all the paths are filled with snow.

Istruan and his friends stick close to me, bunching up in a group. Blue Hair and her friends walk side by side looking around quietly.

I guess they haven’t experienced what Istruan and his friends have.

That being said, I start becoming more aware of my surroundings. There’s nothing unusual and also nothing to suggest any animals or monsters are nearby. The footprints we do come across are older, sufficiently covered with snow. There’s not a single sound in the forest except for the close, loud crunch of snow and whistling of the wind.

Once we get out of this place, where am I going to start? The closest town is always an option but I need to predict my master’s movements if I ever want to catch up with him. The problem is that I don’t know what he’s doing. Ever since what happened two years ago it’s much harder for me to understand him.

“Just where are you?”

------------------------------------------------------

As night edges closer, I begin to worry. We’ve taken our fair share of stops along the way during the day and it’s eaten up some of our time. The temperature keeps dropping as the sun falls, and the rest of the group grows more tired and restless at the same time, namely Istruan’s people. It’s possible we’ll have to take shelter in this forest tonight. I’d very much like for that not to be the case. I’ve had my fair share of nature nights but I never had to worry about monsters during those.

Suddenly, Kat jumps and frantically points off the trail, “Wha-What was that? Did anyone hear that? I can’t be alone here, right?”

“I thought I heard something too,” Emile says, “But I didn’t know if I should have said anything. I didn’t want to scare the group in the case of it being just me hearing things.”

“Should we check it out,” Istruan asks.

“No,” I respond, “At least, not personally,” I summon Alastar and point him in the direction where Kat heard the sound.

“I didn’t know you were a spirit summoner,” Istruan says.

“I’m not,” I say as Alistar flies back. I point to my shoulder but he refuses to come. I stick out my arm but he still refuses. Everyone gives me a strange look. “Either there was nothing over there or it went away.”

“You’ve learned to communicate with your spirit,” Axel says, “Glad you're making progress.”

“Not so much. There was no noise from Alastar so there’s probably nothing over there. I’m not as experienced as you are Axel. I can’t quite see through the eyes of my spirit.”

I leave Alastar out as a scout since he decides he doesn’t want to return. I tell him to make noise if he sees anything. Although he doesn’t respond and seems a bit younger than Axel’s spirit, I get the feeling he understands.

With a spirit as our lookout, we move more confidently than before. We pick up the pace with the hopes of leaving the forest and finding a place to stay before night completely takes over. My estimate is that twilight is only another thirty or so minutes away. We’re running low.

We make significant progress, reaching a crossroad with signs. I brush away the snow. “To the right is Kigg Path, and left is Dawn’s Route.”

I once again look to Axel and Iris for advice.

“Don’t ask me,” Axel says.

“I also don’t know,” Iris frowns. “But since we’re headed south, Dawn’s Route should lead us that way.”

As we start down the path, Alastar yelps. Everyone goes on high alert pulling out whatever weapons they may have and readying spells to cast. Alastar continues to make noise while flying around.

“Maybe we were being followed after all.”

Surrounded by trees and greenless shrubs, we can only follow the sound of crunching snow and rustling branches. Monsters encircle us not yet willing to show their faces. Whispers and laughs run chills down my spine.

Are they goblins?

I tell Axel to erect a barrier around us. If they really are goblins, then we have to watch out for arrows.

However, their voices slowly die out and the rustling and crunching of snow grows further and further away. A monster breaks from the shrubs. It’s goblin sized but holds few of their characteristics. With a hunched back, brownish-red skin, and on all fours with long arms, it looks more like a mutated fox than anything.

It looks at us for a moment before dashing through to the other side.

We start to relax but Alastar yelps again. Instead of dozens of soft footsteps, it’s a single source of loud and muffled sounds, like a drum from far away. That source comes closer and closer, soon enough, we hear a roar. Branches crack and Alastar’s yelps become more frequent. A light, different from the setting sun, barrels our way.

“Run,” Axel yells.

The group turns to run for the thousandth time today. I cast a stone wall in hopes of slowing the monster’s pursuit and catch up with everyone else. Eventually, we make it back to the crossroads and are faced with a difficult decision, go back from where we came, which we know is safe, or go down an unknown path and lose less progress.

We choose the latter.

Knowing that they’re tired, I hang in the back. If that monster catches up to us, I’ll act as our first defense. Out of anyone here, I probably have the best chance at beating it.

We cross over a frozen stream and jump over fallen trees. The path leads us closer to a hill in the distance.

The everything passes like blurs but no matter how fast we run, the monster gains ground. We run across a river without slowing down, a mistake. Blue Hair and Aisha trip. Emile, fortunately, pulls my sister along but Blue Hair is down.

Iris and Elis turn to help her but I motion them to run as I pick her up. My balance falters for a second and we slow to a near walking speed as I catch myself.

“Come on,” I say through gritted teeth, “We have to keep moving.”

But it’s too late.

A flaming monster, red as if it bathed itself in blood, leaps out from the shrubbery. It bares its large fangs, and pins its ears back, growling as it stares at us. Even with spines sticking out of its back and a rounder mouth befitting of a stuffed toy, it's bearlike in its overall look. The monster digs its seemingly nimble paws into the frozen river and slowly approaches.

Blue Hair backs away in fear.

“Don’t run,” I tell her just in time. “We won’t beat it in a race.”

“W-What do we do,” she whispers.

I eye its flaming paws, “If it charges us, make a barrier. I’m going to try something,” I walk toward the monster with one hand behind my back, gathering power.

It stares at me, somewhat baffled by my actions.

“Shit,” my vision blurs for a moment and I stumble forward. The monster takes its chance and jumps. “Blue Hair!”

Just as the monster’s about to be on me, it’s blocked by Blue Hair’s barrier. I release my fireball at the ice. It melts on contact.

The ice, now weakened at a point, cracks and breaks underneath the bearlike monster’s weight. It falls into the water, clawing at the ice, holding on with all it has. I try to conjure another fireball and end it once and for all, but I have no energy left. The ice underneath me also begins to break.

I ignore the doomed monster and Blue Hair and I eventually catch up to the group. They lay waiting ahead, their faces filling with relief at the sight of the two of us. Aisha runs up and asks if I’m okay and what kind of monster it was.

I tell them of the monster and the freshly unfrozen river. Everyone seems thankful that the imminent threat is gone.

“Alright then, Ellar, you think you can freeze over that water for us,” Axel asks.

“U-uh, I, I can… I can if we have to…”

“It’s better if we find a place to stay here,” I tell them, “It’s getting late, twilight already. Not long before the sun is completely down.”

“Where are we going to stay,” Sio asks, still checking his surroundings, worried about being watched.

I point toward the hills, “We might find a cave somewhere over there. It’s our best bet,” A roar echoes through the forest. “Let’s hurry.”

----------------------------------------

Once at the cave, Alastar eventually returns after frequent calling and returns to his ethereal form.

We settle down and start preparing for the night. I send Emile and Kat out to search for firewood. It’s a difficult task, especially during winter after some snow, but someone has to do it. I, on the other hand, gather stones and place them around in a circle for the eventual fire.

Kat’s friend, Fia, is the first to drift into sleep, followed by Sio. I tell the others to get some sleep as well, “I’ll take first shift on night watch. In a couple of hours, I’ll wake the next person up to do it. Any volunteers?”

Axel and Aisha both raise their hands.

“Okay, I’ll wake Axel up next,” I say, ignoring Aisha. “Get some shuteye.”

The others, despite shivering, try to sleep. Blue Hair and her friends rest with their backs against the wall. Axel uses his arm as a pillow as he lays on the ground. Without much to do, I wait outside for Kat and Emile to return. Aisha, ignoring my caring advice, comes and sits next to me.

She stares at the full moon, silent as the night.

“Aren’t you going to sleep,” I ask. “You looked pretty tired the entire day. I know you probably don’t have to do this much running.”

She shrugs, “Is that why you ignored me when I raised my hand for the second shift?”

“No, I was just worried you’d fall asleep.”

She punches my arm, “It’s the first day and you’re already worried about me?”

“Better sooner than later, right?”

She nods, “I guess you learned your lesson then?

“Of course. If you were left alone you’d probably start crying for me again. Then what would I do?”

“Uuuu…”

“We’re back,” Emile says while covered in snow from the knee down.

Kat too. It’s no longer snowing but flakes reside in her hair, glittering as she moves under the moonlight.

“That’s good.” I say, checking the dryness of the wood, “Put the wood inside the circle of rocks. I’ll light it up with a spell and keep it going throughout the night. Aisha, you can go get some sleep now.”

She frowns, “I thought they’d be gone longer.”

“Sorry,” Kat replies.

I have the two put the collected wood off to the side and throw in a few as fuel. I use magic as the fire starter by creating a small flame at the tip of my finger and holding it in the pile of wood. The fire starts after about a minute of waiting and I pull my hand out from the fireplace. Normally, things created by magic goes away after the magician stops supplying mana but in the case of fire, so long as there is fuel, it keeps going like a normal fire would.

I stick my left hand into the fire.

Istruan, who hasn’t yet fallen asleep, says, “Ouch, doesn’t that hurt?”

“It’s not like I’m going to let it burn me. Besides, I made the fire with my magic. I’m a bit more resistant to it than others are.”

“So does that mean you can control it?”

“Not exactly,” when it comes to fire magic, the only ways to hurt oneself is to direct the spell at yourself or let it go out of control. Even then, because it was originally created out of magic, the creator has a significantly stronger resistance to it.

“Hey, Emile.”

“Yes?”

“Can I count on you to be on the fourth night shift,” Istruan asks.

“Aye. Just wake me when my time comes.”

I stare at Istruan questioningly, “Who’s the third?”

“I am.”

As I head outside, Istruan follows. We stand side by side, gazing out into the forest illuminated by the moon and reflections of light off the snow. It’s serene yet also terrifyingly familiar to the point where I’m glad I can still hear the crackle of the fire.

“You have some interesting friends,” Istruan says, “The academy must be filled with amazing people.”

“That’s a rather broad generalization,” I respond, glad for his company.

He shrugs, “Magic is amazing. I can use a little bit of it but nowhere to your level nor the level of anyone else in there,” he sits on a rock, “How do I get to the level you guys are. I know there’s the obstacle of pure affinity, however, I’m sure I can do more than I can now.”

“Train,” I answer. “That’s what my master would say. Just train and train until you reach a point where you’re happy.”

He stands and goes into the cave, “I would talk more but I can’t miss my shift later tonight. We can talk another time and when we do, I promise I’ll show some results.”

I nod, sighing. Now it’s just me and good old nature.

Although I like the cold, I’m freezing. I tend the fire every ten to twenty minutes, sure to keep it well and alive. It’s our only source of heat other than each other.

My first few times back into the cave to keep the fire going, I notice others in the group stir awake. They eventually fall back to sleep once they realize it’s only me.

I guess everyone is on edge.

The night goes on with little disturbance. Every now and then, as I lean back against the wall, my head drops. I regain my senses for a moment, bobbing it back up before it drops again. As the third hour nears, I count down the seconds to keep myself awake.

It’s been a long night and I can’t wait for my turn to sleep.

It’s time.

As I move to wake Axel for his shift, an unpleasant feeling grabs ahold of me. My stomach sinks as I scan the woods. They’re much brighter than before as if another fire is burning somewhere. Despite being numb to the cold, I’m not yet numb to fear.

The unmistakable and unbearable feeling of someone’s stare pierces my conscience. I ease a knife into my hand, continuing as normal into the cave. Suddenly, I turn and throw it. It flies into the night. I strain my ears for the slightest noise.

Nothing.

But the feeling still hasn’t left. I walk into the woods and tighten the sword on my back. My first thoughts are to go higher and get a birdseye view, however, I strike the idea down. It’s a full moon but my eyes aren’t best in this low level of light and it’ll be easier for me to be attacked as well.

The deeper into the forest I go from the cave, the brighter the light grows. It’s not just my imagination but I also need to keep an eye on the cave. If something is watching me, it’s very possible it’s trying to lure me away.

Eventually, I reach the source of the light. It’s a group of goblins huddled around one of those little monsters before that bear thing attacked us. Two arrows stick out of its side.

The goblins mutter among themselves, giggling as they nudge the dead monster with their feet. The one holding the torch bends down to shed better light. A small-eared goblin pulls out the two arrows, throwing one away and keeping the other.

Should I get rid of them? It’d be a problem if I give Axel the shift and these guys decide they want to do a little more hunting and choose to go toward our shelter.

With the decision made, I take out a knife and slip closer to them using the trees as cover. As I inch closer, their voice becomes louder, one even speaking in human language.

“I see human today. Do we kill?”

Another goblin responds with a series of grunts and high pitched sounds.

“No kill then. Don’t know where human are. Human still too strong.”

Upon hearing that, I rethink my plan. There’s six of them, and only one of me. I’m confident I can take them but there’s a chance that in my sleep deprived state, I might make a mistake or that nasty cough might act up again.

I’ve also used quite a bit of mana today too. I almost collapsed twice…

I wait for the goblin party to leave before retracting my knife. Once completely out of sight, I make sure our campfire can’t be seen from anywhere near here before heading back. I wake Axel up and tell him to watch carefully for any monsters and to wake me if he spots one.

“That’s what a person on watch is supposed to do,” he says. “Now get some sleep, you look a bit tired.”

A bit tired? I feel more restless than tired. However, after sitting next to Aisha and letting my eyes close for a minute, I fall victim to my dreams.

The next morning, we encounter the mutilated corpses of the goblins torn to shreds by claws sharper than knives. Their weapons lay scattered about, broken and useless.