Edward went in front of the inn right at sunrise the next morning. As he was going as a carrier he didn’t take his lance with him because it would be too bothersome and he wasn’t that good at using it yet. However, he still took his knife with him. Marc Vega and his mercenaries were already here alongside some of the villagers and guards who had accepted his offer. After a few minutes the rest of the villagers arrived, Adrien had actually taken this offer too, he was there as a guard for the expedition. Most of the villagers who accepted this offer were still quite young, they were all below forty years old, and hadn't given up their dreams of adventure.

Marc Vega spoke up. “All of you are gathered today for an expedition in the Vipin forest. This expedition shouldn’t take more than a week if all goes well. We will probably have to fend off some beasts. I won’t accept any desertion and cowardice with the price I’m paying you. Is that clear?”

The silence was the only answer he got.

He is so rude, what kind of opening speech is that? Edward thought.

“Now that this point is clear we can continue. The aim of this expedition is to explore an ancient ruin in the forest. It won't be too far from the path so we should be able to avoid spending a night in the middle of the forest outside of the beaten path. I am the only one with the map for safety reasons. All objects found in this ruin will belong to me, no stealing will be allowed, and you will be searched at the end of the expedition to verify that you are not hiding anything”.

“Any questions? No, then let’s go.” He added before anyone had the time to ask a question.

What a jerk Edward thought.

Edward picked up one of the backpacks for the carriers and departed with the rest of the villagers.

The carriers were working in the center and the guards were walking around them to protect them. Marc was walking in the front of the group with two of his guards. As an awaken he was in fact the most powerful man in this group.

Once the doors of the village were crossed, Edward felt a sense of relief and liberty instead of being afraid. He was on the move again, he wasn’t stuck anywhere, not in his previous world, nor in this village. He was feeling alive, being able to see a horizon and not another building in front of him, the fresh air of the morning waking him up.

It’s crazy thinking that all those flats and buildings manage to rob us of the sky. In our modern life, where are you able to see the whole sky without a building in view? In this world even if there is danger at least I’m free, I’m alive and I can move on.

There is the beasts' blood too. Can you simply become a superhuman if you consume enough of it? If you become stronger by being exposed to it, it means you can make real progress. I mean you can become stronger on Earth too with sports, but the feeling is not the same. Even if you are strong on earth it doesn’t mean anything, you can die to a random group of vandals with some knives. I wonder which level you can reach here, can you become strong enough to beat an army on your own?

If I have the occasion I should try to kill a beast or two. I need to become stronger to survive in the wild. And only once I reach this level will I become truly free. Otherwise, I will just end up stuck in a village like this one. The people are nice, but this life is just not for me, I don’t think many of the villagers even went to another town.

While Edward was lost in his thoughts the group finally reached the forest. The trees, imposing and steadfast, were dominating the company and marking the frontier between the plains and the forest. Edward could now sense a faint aura coming from the forest, it was wild, untamed, and unending. It was just like standing alone in front of the ocean. One felt insignificant in front of the immensity of nature.

The people stopped talking together, a silence fell on the expedition and the group stopped for a moment. Marc broke it “What are you waiting for? You never went into a forest or what?” he then proceeds on the path towards the forest. The group followed him. The discussions began again but in a hushed tone.

Wow, so that’s what an aura is. It’s intimidating; there is a feeling of pressure, just like a weight but intangible at the same time. I didn’t feel that before when I was in the forest. I guess the blood of the wolf really had an effect. Edward thought.

The light decreased in intensity when they entered the forest. You could hear the noise of the leaves getting trampled on the ground.

Adrien was walking not far from Edward.

–“Don’t be afraid, we are on the path and it’s still day, so it’s relatively safe. And we are here if there is a problem.” He said with a light smile.

-“Thanks. How do you think it will go at night?” Edward asked.

-“We will have to stop on the path and some of the guards will have to keep a lookout.” Adrien answered with a wince. “You know the path is a lot more secure than the forest. The beasts don’t like to roam on it, I don’t know why. It’s probably because groups of people like us travel on it from time to time. The beasts must consider it as an awaken territory or something. However, I wouldn’t recommend traveling alone on it. If you look appetizing enough they will still come to eat you, even if they don’t like the path that much.” He added.

-“I’m glad to know that. When I came into this world I was alone in this forest and it was still night, even though the sun was beginning to rise. I wouldn’t try that again, I was lucky to come back alive. Although I guess Marc Vega knows what he is doing, he already crossed the forest to come to the village after all.”

-“Yeah, he must know what he is doing even though he is behaving like an asshole,” he said whispering the last part.

-“Agreed” Edward answered.

Marc turned toward them with a frown.

Adrien and Edward froze and answered with a half-smile half grimace.

Marc did a sight of disdain and continued on his way.

Awaken were enhanced compared to other humans and that also included their earing. Even though Adrien and Edward were whispering there was no way that Marc wouldn’t hear them, as he was only ten meters away.

Okay, it's noted, don’t bitched about an awaken if they are nearby. Still, that’s impressive that he heard us whispering from where he is. If the beasts have the same acuity of hearing there is no way that they won’t notice us. I do hope that Adrian is right and that they don’t dare roam on this path. Edward thought.

After several hours of walking and a quick break for lunch, the night was starting to fall. It wasn’t the night yet, but the luminosity was decreasing faster under the shade of the trees. Just as Adrien predicted, Marc stopped the group. It was too dangerous to tread in the forest at night.

-“Everyone we will make an encampment here. Josh, Guerard go and gather some thick branches. We will need to make a bonfire. Don’t stray too far from the path and stay together. Sylvain, and you, you are standing watch for the first part of the night.” He said pointing at one of the guards coming from the village. “I will stand guard for the second part of the night. Luke and you, you are responsible for the third part of the night” he added, once again pairing one of his guards with one of the villager guards.

Clearly, he didn’t trust the villagers’ guards enough to let them keep watch alone for the night. At the same time, he didn’t want to exhaust his guards by depriving them of sleep. So he chose the middle ground pairing one of his guards with a villager. However, he didn't bother learning the name of the villagers and only called them by 'you'.

The people who weren’t on guard duty sat down and started to install themselves for the night. There was a blanket in the backpack as the night was quite cold, especially outdoors. It wasn’t as good as a sleeping bag but it was better than nothing. Edward sat up beside a tree near the path. His back would be against the tree to protect his rear.

The dinner wasn’t much and consisted of some dried ham and some bread. Edward was watching the branches of the trees moving slowly above him with the wind.

Josh and Guerard finally came back with thick branches, they prepared the bonfire. It was starting to get really dark now. The trees were hiding the stars and the two moons.

Edward closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep to be rested for the next day. He was hearing the rustling leaves and the cracks from the bonfire.

It’s not the worst evening I had. It’s just incredible. Two weeks ago I would have been stuck in my apartment and repeating the same tasks as every day. And now I’m in the middle of nowhere in another world. How long has it been since I went camping or sat near a fire? It’s so refreshing to at least have changes in my life.

Edward fell asleep with such thoughts while the guards were keeping watch.