The road stretched empty under the burning sun.
Narsh complained about the heat, Malrik muttered prayers under his breath, and I jogged with a boulder on my back.
A normal day.
Until we saw them.
---
Riders.
Six of them.
They wore pale cloaks, not armor, and their symbols weren't holy emblems but strange, shifting runes stitched in silver. Their faces were hidden beneath hoods and masks, their horses silent as shadows.
They moved like wolves—quiet, deliberate, watching us with sharp intent.
The leader dismounted, boots crunching softly against the dirt.
His face was partly veiled, but his eyes glinted like steel.
"We seek the one they call the Boy of Miracles."
---
Narsh stiffened. "Oh sh*t."
Malrik's grip on his staff tightened. "…The Hounds of Purity."
I tilted my head. "Hounds? They don't look like dogs to me."
Narsh smacked the back of my head. "Idiot! They're not dogs—they're scavengers. They want what they want, and they don't care who gets trampled along the way."
---
The leader's gaze fixed on me.
"You. Step forward."
Malrik immediately stepped in front of me, robes swaying.
"This boy is under my care. If you have business, speak to me."
The man tilted his head slightly, studying Malrik.
"A priest? Curious. We are not here for prayers, holy man. We are here for answers."
His voice was calm, but it carried weight, the kind that left no room for lies.
"Did this boy defy the natural order? Did he give life where there was none?"
---
My fists clenched. I hated how they looked at me—not as a person, but as a tool.
Narsh snarled, her demon tongue lashing out.
"Why don't you creepy bastards take your mystery cult act and shove it up your collective a—"
"Narsh!" Malrik barked, cutting her off.
The leader didn't react to her outburst. His gaze stayed on me, unreadable.
Finally, he stepped back, voice low.
"Every miracle comes with a price. If you cannot name it… we will."
With a sharp whistle, the riders wheeled their horses and rode off, pale cloaks snapping in the wind.
---
They hadn't attacked.
They hadn't tried to seize me.
But I could feel it.
We were being watched.
---
As the dust settled, Narsh spat on the ground.
"Creepy, cryptic f*ckers. I hate people who talk like puzzle boxes."
I exhaled slowly. "So… they're not gonna join my training program?"
Narsh groaned. "Ark, I swear—one day I'll strangle you with your own dumb muscles."
Malrik, however, didn't join in the banter. His expression was grim, his voice low.
"The Hounds are not evil. Nor are they good. They follow only their own purpose. And now… that purpose involves you."
---
[Author's Note: The Hounds of Purity have made their entrance—not enemies, not allies, but dangerous seekers of truth.]