Chapter 31:The First Problem
Peter sat by a small campfire, eating the meal he had prepared moments earlier. His legs were stretched out before him, his posture seemingly relaxed.
But in truth, he was watching the horizon with careful attention, searching for any sign of danger. Even though the fire had burned out, someone might still catch the scent of smoke—and be curious enough to look for its source.
Because they had stopped in a valley, they couldn't be seen unless someone stood on the ridge above them. But the same applied to them—they couldn't see anything except the narrow strip of sky that wasn't blocked by the valley walls.
Fortunately, Peter hadn't noticed anyone nearby so far, so he allowed himself to look around their temporary camp once more.
Earlier, while chasing Peter right after training, Selene had attempted to jump across the stream running through the valley—just as he had. But instead of landing on grass, her foot slipped on a wet stone, sending her backward into the freezing water.
That was why she was now sitting in full sunlight, unlike Peter, who stayed in the shade of a small tree, hoping she would dry off before they set out again. At least her cloak no longer carried traces of dirt.
Overall, the situation had ended well—with both Selene and Peter laughing. It was the first sign of real emotion since their journey began.
What Peter hadn't shown, however, was the brief flash of panic he felt the moment Selene slipped.The fall itself hadn't been dangerous—only the landing spot.
The bottom of the stream was covered in stones, and barely ten centimeters from where Selene's head hit the surface of the water, a larger rock jutted out. She could have been badly hurt… or killed.
Such an outcome would have been catastrophic, whether Selene survived or not. A wound could mean infection, and a head injury… well, that meant death. Or, in the best case, crippling injury.
In either case, Peter would have had to leave her behind. He liked her—but not enough to risk his own life. And caring for an injured companion would force exactly that.
For now, though, he could breathe again.Glancing toward Selene, who was weaving a makeshift bracelet from grass, he doubted she realized how close she had come to disaster.
Peter focused his thoughts elsewhere. They would set out soon, but something bothered him—two things, actually.
First was the fact that he had no proper way to carry his sword. A sheath would let him keep it ready at all times. Summoning it was possible, but it took a few seconds—seconds he wouldn't have during an ambush.
The second worrying detail was that they still hadn't encountered a single Ether creature they needed to fight. That was good in itself… but unsettling. There always had to be a first time.
Speaking of Ether creatures—the raven, or rather the Veilwing, that had been following them since the first day, was perched near the stream, cleaning its feathers about a hundred meters from camp.
Peter was certain that as soon as they left, the bird would search the camp for scraps of food.This time Selene also noticed the creature, and when she mentioned it to Peter, he simply told her they had been watched by it since day one.
That didn't make her feel any calmer, but Peter didn't want to continue that conversation, so the topic died.
After finishing the not-very-tasty but filling meal made from local creature meat, Peter gathered the leftovers in one place and began preparing to leave. Seeing this, Selene finished her own meal and did the same.
A moment later they were both ready.When they reached the ridge of the valley, Peter glanced back and saw the bird already tearing into the scraps he had left by the fire.
Selene shuddered at the sight of the shredded meat and quickly headed toward the path. Peter followed close behind. They still had a long way to go.
This time it was Selene leading with a spring in her step, while Peter walked behind her in a somber mood. Routine was starting to settle in.
Although he didn't show it, Peter had always been eager to chase adventure.But there was one small problem: he hated routine—the monotony of repeating the same events day after day. In this case, hours of walking.
He had to learn to live with it. Unfortunately, contrary to what he imagined as a child, everyday life was extremely dull, with only a handful of moments that broke the pattern.
His inner monologue was interrupted when they climbed one of the taller hills. Beyond it lay new terrain Peter needed to analyze. A quick scan revealed only one suspicious location where an enemy could hide.
A solitary boulder stood about fifteen meters from the path—several meters tall and roughly five meters wide.
Keeping the rock in mind, he returned to his thoughts.It took him a moment to remember what he had been thinking about—then it came back.
When he became an adult, he tried to avoid routine by choosing a career in special forces. After all, what other job promised more excitement and unpredictable events?
But he had been fundamentally wrong.Being a special forces operator was barely more varied than regular office work. Aside from a few foreign trainings and occasional operations, all they did was train and wait.
And both activities, combined with the knowledge that the next call could be their last, strained the nerves even more. Every moment of quiet was really just waiting for the unexpected.
Now it was similar—but instead of waiting idly, he walked through seemingly safe terrain that could be full of enemies waiting for the perfect moment.
Peter looked at Selene. He wondered what she thought about her life so far—how she felt traveling through a world never meant for humans, a world hostile and deadly, a world where humans stood at the very bottom of the food chain.
So far, during this hours-long trek, she seemed carefree and enchanted by the surroundings. Even the unexpected bath in the cold stream hadn't dampened her mood.Peter wondered whether Selene understood how slim their chances of returning home alive truly were.
The surrounding landscape looked like an ocean of grass with small islands of bushes and a few solitary boulders. A sense of calm hung in the air. It was warm, almost windless—conditions that could easily make Selene feel at ease. Peter wanted to feel the same, but he couldn't.
He wanted to ask her about all of it, but it wouldn't fit the mask he had built around himself.
He portrayed himself as quiet, cold, and experienced—a teacher.But in reality, his personality was entirely different.
Selene was the first person he had interacted with in years besides his mentor and the occasional cashier in a store. But he knew that revealing his true self would cause more harm than good.
It would make teaching her swordsmanship harder. Their current dynamic resembled that of student and master—and Peter had no intention of staying around her once they returned to the real world.
He had things to take care of, and he couldn't afford to leave behind a witness who knew he was connected to the outcome of his actions.
That was why he had introduced himself using his mentor's surname instead of his real one.
His thoughts were abruptly broken by a sudden sense of imminent danger.Peter stopped immediately and told Selene to do the same.
He looked back, scanning the terrain for the faint glow carried by beings with magical abilities.
Nothing.The entire horizon consisted of tall, dry grass and scattered shrubs—far too small to hide anything.
He quickly turned forward again, sensing that whatever the threat was, it was getting closer.
First he looked toward a small cluster of trees on the left side of the road, but saw nothing unusual.
Then Selene, nervous from his behavior, spoke quietly.
"Peter? What's wrong? Is something out there?"
There was fear in her voice. He silenced her.
"Be quiet. We're not alone."
Selene paled but obeyed, scanning the surroundings in silence.
Then Peter saw it.And it was the only word that fit what emerged.
From a shallow ravine on the right—hidden until now behind a few small shrubs—an eerie creature crawled into view. Its pale gray skin was smeared with blood, and its two pairs of blind-looking eyes stared straight at him.
Selene let out a quiet gasp of terror at the sight, and Peter cursed inwardly.
'Fuck.'
His mind shifted into overdrive, calculating escape routes, possible battle scenarios, and odds of survival. But even then, he managed to study the creature.
It was roughly three and a half meters tall, moving on four legs—the front pair far longer than the rear, bending at a joint aligned with its gaping maw. Its mouth carried two rows of constantly exposed teeth; stretched skin made closing it impossible.
Beneath the pale skin, every bone was visible, every rib countable—as if the skin didn't belong to such a large body… or as if the creature had been starving for a long time.
But Peter noticed something else—something that might give them an advantage.Its skin was covered in wounds of all kinds: shallow cuts, deep gashes, and bite marks. Fresh ones.
Peter summoned his sword and watched the creature carefully—until something else came to mind. A certain fact about ravens. They sometimes led wolf packs to prey in exchange for scraps.
And when Peter glanced up, he saw the silhouette of a black bird flying low overhead. Of course.The four-legged monster had come here because it had seen that damned bird.
'Traitor.'
Peter pushed the thought aside. He had bigger problems.He needed a plan to deal with the creature—and survive.
Seeing Selene step back and summon her own sword, Peter considered her role. She wasn't trained. She had no experience. There was no clear assignment he could give her.
The only thing that came to mind was using her as a distraction—but that was reckless, and unnecessary for now.
Peter drove his sword into the ground and quickly shrugged off his cloak and bag to free his movement. Then he summoned the black cloak he had recently obtained.
It offered no real armor, but it provided more protection than any man-made cloak—such was the rule with magical items.
Moments later, the cloak of black feathers materialized against his skin, fitting perfectly as if tailored for him. He allowed himself one heartbeat to appreciate the craftsmanship—until Selene spoke.
"So, do you have a plan? Or are you going to leave me here and save your own skin?"
Peter raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"I didn't know you thought like this about me. But even if I did leave you, I doubt I could outrun that thing once it finished with you."
During that brief exchange, the creature suddenly charged—its speed shocking for something with such limb proportions.
Peter instinctively raised his sword to block, then immediately realized his mistake and dodged to the side. He could never hope to stop its full momentum.
A split second later, he felt the rush of air as the creature thundered past, missing both him and Selene.
Seeing an opportunity, Peter swung at its back—but misjudged its speed.His blade cut through empty air.
Moments later, the creature had already turned toward them again.
And Peter understood—the fight for their lives had begun.
He knew he had little chance of defeating the creature with sheer strength—it was too big and too fast. The only thing that came into play was strategy.
Peter activated the ability of his aspect, creating the illusion that time had slowed, although in reality he was simply perceiving it much faster.
Seeing the beast preparing to attack again in the slowed perception, he activated another ability, Seeker's Sight, hoping it would give him more useful information.
But after activating it, he was surprised—the aura surrounding the creature seemed familiar. He realized that it was one of the beings that had passed near their camp the night before their visit to the city.
So somewhere nearby, the remaining two creatures had to be. Aware that at any moment their fight could turn from two against one into two against three—which would mean the end of their journey—Peter had to come up with a way to kill the monster as quickly as possible.
Then he had an idea—not a plan yet, but an idea. He memorized the intensity of the aura surrounding the creature for future reference, deactivated his abilities, and immediately leapt to the side as soon as he regained normal-speed movement.
The monster passed close by again, missing him, but Peter knew this trick wouldn't work forever. He then shouted to Selene.
"We're heading toward that clump of trees, but don't turn your back on that thing under any circumstances. You have to be ready to dodge."
Selene, surprised, asked as she actively moved backward in the direction he indicated.
"Okay, but what's the point of that?"
"I have an idea, but first we need to lure it between the trees!"
He answered, swinging his sword in circles to warm up his wrists, simultaneously preparing for the monster's next attack.
This time, when it charged at him, instead of dodging left or right, he ran toward it and, moments before the collision, slid between its legs, slashing its belly with his sword as it continued forward.
But to his frustration, the creature's skin offered significant resistance to the blade, making the cut shallow and ineffective in influencing the fight.
The creature, surprised and enraged by the pain, roared a guttural sound reminiscent of a seal, then, blinded by anger, tried to grab Peter with its cumbersome front legs. But seeing this, he ran toward the trees, shouting at Selene to do the same.
And after a moment, he prepared for another attack.
Again.