The morning air was sharp and cool, carrying the smell of damp earth and pine.
Alaric stood near the village gate, staff resting across his shoulders, his snow-white hair ruffled messily by the wind. He yawned so wide his jaw cracked, ignoring the sharp looks from the hunters gathered around.
"Didn't know monster patrols started this early," he muttered.
Ryn, standing next to him with his wooden sword strapped at his side, rolled his eyes. "You complain like an old man. It's barely dawn."
"Exactly. Civilized people should be asleep."
Kael's voice cut through the chatter. "Quiet."
The hunters straightened immediately. Kael stood at the front, his scarred face hard, spear in hand. His gaze swept across the group before stopping on Alaric.
"You will come," Kael said flatly. "If you can wield that power, you will use it where it matters."
Alaric tilted his head, unimpressed. "You mean as bait?"
Some of the hunters chuckled under their breath before quickly silencing themselves under Kael's glare.
"You'll stay close to me," Kael continued. "If there is corruption spreading in the forest, I want to see what you can do against it."
Alaric let out a long sigh, dragging his feet toward the line. "Fine, but if I die, I'm haunting you personally."
Ryn stepped forward, chin raised. "I'm going too."
Kael frowned. "You're not ready."
"I won't stay behind," Ryn said firmly. His green eyes burned with stubbornness. "If Alaric's going, I'll go too."
Alaric smirked faintly. "Look at that. My loyal sidekick."
Ryn elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Shut up."
Before Kael could argue further, Ashen moved to stand behind the boys. His pale figure loomed calm and steady, his silver-gray eyes cool as ice.
"They will come," Ashen said simply, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
Kael's jaw tightened, but he gave a short nod. "…So be it."
The gates creaked open.
The forest loomed ahead, tall and ancient, its canopy blocking much of the morning light. The hunters stepped forward cautiously, spears ready, torches in hand despite the day. Shadows pressed thick between the trees, damp earth soft underfoot.
Alaric dragged his boots through the dirt, muttering under his breath. "Lovely. A morning hike through death forest. Just how I wanted to spend my day."
Ryn elbowed him again, whispering, "Stop joking. Stay sharp."
Alaric glanced at him, golden eyes narrowing. For once, he didn't argue.
Because deep inside, he felt it too—
The pull.
The hum of mana threading through the forest like a heartbeat.
Something was waiting for them.
The forest swallowed them whole.
The deeper they went, the darker it became. The canopy above was thick enough to blot out most of the sun, leaving the air cool and damp. Each step sank slightly into the earth, muffled by layers of fallen leaves.
The hunters moved in practiced silence, spears angled forward, eyes sharp. Kael led them steadily, his scarred face unreadable. Ashen drifted near the rear, pale and watchful, his presence like a shadow clinging to the group.
Alaric trudged in the middle, his staff resting against his shoulder, golden eyes scanning the shadows. His snow-white hair stuck out in uneven tufts, brushing against his brow as he frowned.
"…Feels off," he muttered under his breath.
Ryn glanced sideways. "What do you mean?"
Alaric tapped the staff against the ground, the wood thudding softly. "The mana. It's thick here. Like the air's carrying… rot."
Ryn shivered. "You can feel that just by walking?"
Alaric gave him a tired smirk. "Yeah. Perks of being me. Lucky, right?"
Ryn didn't answer.
They soon found the first sign.
A fox lay at the base of a tree, its body twisted unnaturally, fur matted, flesh already gray and sagging as if time had fast-forwarded. The hunters stopped, muttering curses under their breath.
Kael crouched, spear in one hand, his other brushing the soil. His face darkened. "Same as before."
Alaric's nose wrinkled. The mana around the corpse buzzed sharply against his skin, bitter and wrong. He swallowed, his throat dry. This isn't wild decay… it's too precise. Like something drained it on purpose.
Ashen's pale hand rested briefly on Alaric's shoulder, steadying. His silver-gray eyes lingered on the corpse, cool but sharpened. "Not natural."
Kael's gaze flicked toward them, narrowing slightly. "You two seem to know more than you're saying."
Alaric's lips twitched. He forced a grin, though his golden eyes betrayed the unease underneath. "I just have good instincts. Perks of being a prodigy."
The scarred warrior didn't look convinced.
They pressed further.
The trees grew thicker, their trunks warped with strange black veins that pulsed faintly as though alive. Moss clung in unnatural patches, glowing faintly in the dim light.
The hunters shifted uneasily. Torches flared higher, though the air only grew colder.
Ryn tightened his grip on his wooden sword. "Alaric… this feels bad."
"Yeah," Alaric muttered, voice low. His staff hummed faintly in his hands, reacting on its own. His golden eyes narrowed, his usual lazy tone fading into focus. "Something's waiting. Close."
Ashen's hand moved toward his blade. His pale figure seemed sharper in the gloom, as if the shadows themselves bent toward him.
Kael raised his spear. "Form up."
The hunters closed ranks, spears forward, shields lifted. Their breaths came fast and shallow.
The forest held still. Too still.
And then the ground trembled.
The earth shook again, harder this time. Loose dirt rattled down from the roots above, and the hunters shifted their stance, knuckles white against their spears.
Alaric's golden eyes darted around the clearing. His staff pulsed faintly, threads of mana crawling up the wood like veins of light and shadow. His gut twisted.
"…It's not just one."
Ryn swallowed hard beside him. "Not just one what?"
Before Alaric could answer, the trees split open.
From the underbrush burst a boar the size of a horse. Its hide was torn and blackened, patches of flesh rotting while others pulsed with sickly red veins. Its eyes glowed faintly green, not natural, not alive.
Behind it, more followed—two wolves, their ribs half-exposed, jaws dripping with black ichor. They moved wrong, jerky and stiff, but faster than they should have been.
The hunters cursed, spears lowering in unison.
"Hold!" Kael barked, stepping forward, his spear braced. "Do not falter!"
The boar crashed first, tusks slamming against spears with a sickening crack. Men grunted as they held the line, but the beast's sheer weight shoved them back, hooves tearing grooves into the earth.
The wolves darted in from the sides, snapping at legs and arms. One hunter screamed as fangs sank into his shield arm, blood splattering the dirt.
Ryn tightened his grip on his wooden sword, jaw clenched. "I'll cover the flank!" He ran before Alaric could grab him.
"Idiot!" Alaric hissed, but he didn't hesitate. He planted his staff into the dirt, golden eyes flaring as mana pulsed.
Warmth and chill surged together, threads weaving into a burst of light and decay.
"C'mon, c'mon, don't fizzle now—!"
Roots shot up from the soil, glowing faintly green, wrapping around one wolf's legs. But at the same time, the ground beneath it blackened, spreading rot up its body. The beast snarled and thrashed, but its movements slowed, the balance of life and death locking it in place.
Alaric's lips curled into a grin. "Ha! Still got it."
The second wolf lunged at him.
"—Crap."
He stumbled back, barely raising his staff in time. The beast slammed into it, the impact rattling his arms, claws scraping dangerously close to his chest. His small frame shook under the force, boots skidding across the dirt.
Then a blade flashed past him, silver and cold.
Ashen's sword cleaved through the wolf in a single strike, splitting its rotting body in half. The beast fell with a wet thud, twitching before it stilled.
Ashen's pale figure loomed above him, his silver-gray eyes steady, expression unreadable. "Do not let your guard drop."
Alaric's heart pounded. He smirked weakly. "Yeah, yeah. I had it. Totally."
Ashen didn't answer, only turned back toward the boar.
Kael roared, his spear driving deep into its shoulder. Hunters piled in, stabbing and pushing. Blood sprayed black and steaming, coating the ground. The beast thrashed, tossing one man aside, but their line held.
Alaric steadied his staff, sweat dripping down his face. His mana hummed painfully, his body already strained from the earlier spell, but he lifted the weapon anyway.
One more. Just one more.
Life and death surged together. Roots burst from the ground, wrapping the boar's hind legs, glowing bright. Decay crawled up the bindings, eating into flesh. The beast roared in fury, its weight dropping, movements slowing.
"Now!" Kael bellowed.
His spear plunged deep, and Ashen's blade flashed at the same time, slicing across its throat.
The boar gave one final, shuddering roar before crashing to the earth.
Silence followed, broken only by the ragged breaths of the hunters.
Alaric swayed, his staff slipping from his grip. His golden eyes flickered, vision dimming. "…Not bad for a morning hike…"
Then his knees buckled.
Ashen's cold hand caught his shoulder before he hit the dirt, steady and firm. His silver eyes lowered briefly, unreadable, but the faint pressure of his grip lingered longer than necessary.
Kael stood over the carcass, his scarred face shadowed by torchlight. His eyes flicked toward Alaric, sharp and heavy with thought.
The boy's power had turned the tide again.
But Kael's jaw tightened, suspicion darkening his gaze.