Yuffie brushed dirt from her torn clothes and looked around the clearing with lingering tension. The Thornbeast's corpse was already attracting smaller scavengers from the forest, insects buzzing around the massive body.
"I should get you home," Shinichi said, scanning the tree line. "The elven settlement is on the other side of the forest, right? I'll walk you there."
Yuffie's eyes widened slightly. "You don't have to do that. The forest is dangerous, and I've already caused you enough trouble."
"Which is exactly why I'm coming with you. Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I healed you just to let you walk through monster territory alone?" Shinichi was already starting toward the path that led deeper into the woods.
She hesitated for a moment, then jogged to catch up, that smile returning to her face. "You're serious about this friend thing, aren't you?"
"Completely serious."
...
...
They walked in comfortable silence for the first ten minutes, following a barely visible trail through the undergrowth. Yuffie moved with the natural grace of someone who'd spent her entire life in forests, her steps quiet despite the debris covering the ground. Shinichi kept his light-sense extended, monitoring their surroundings for any signs of danger.
"Can I ask you something?" Yuffie said eventually, glancing at him.
"How did you learn to use Light magic like that? I've met Light mages before, and they could barely create orbs bright enough to read by. What you did back there was completely different."
Shinichi considered how much to tell her. Mynd's presence stirred in the back of his mind but remained quiet, letting him make his own decision. "Most people see Light magic as just illumination because that's all they expect it to be."
"But light is so much more than that—it's energy, it's speed, it's the foundation of how we perceive the world. Once you understand what light actually is, the possibilities become endless."
"That sounds like something a scholar would say," Yuffie observed with a small laugh. "Are you some kind of genius from the Sunvolt family?"
Before Shinichi could answer, his light-sense picked up movement ahead. Multiple sources, moving fast through the trees. He held up his hand, and Yuffie immediately went silent.
Three creatures burst from the undergrowth thirty feet ahead. They looked like wolves, but their fur was mottled gray and green, providing perfect camouflage in the forest.
Their eyes glowed yellow in the shadows, and their teeth were far too long to fit properly in their mouths. They are Direwolves known as a dangerous monster, especially in a pack.
"Stay behind me," Shinichi said, but Yuffie was already moving to his side.
"I'm not useless," she replied, and green light began to glow around her hands. "I have my own magic to use."
The direwolves didn't give them time to prepare. The largest one howled and charged while the other two split off to flank them from different angles, displaying pack hunting tactics that would overwhelm most travelers.
Shinichi created a wall of solidified light between them and the alpha, forcing the creature to veer off to the side. At the same time, he generated a dozen fist-sized orbs of concentrated light that orbited around him and Yuffie like protective satellites.
One of the flanking direwolves leaped at Yuffie's exposed side, but she thrust her hands toward the ground and thick vines erupted from the forest floor. The plants wrapped around the wolf's legs mid-leap, yanking it down hard enough that Shinichi heard bones crack.
"Plant magic," Yuffie explained quickly, maintaining her concentration as more vines sprouted to completely immobilize the struggling wolf. "One of my affinities."
The alpha direwolf recovered from its detour and came at Shinichi from a different angle, moving with intelligent caution. Shinichi sent three of his orbiting light spheres directly at the creature's face.
The orbs detonated on impact with controlled explosions of radiance that weren't meant to cause damage but to blind. The alpha yelped and stumbled, its vision overwhelmed by the intense flashes.
That gave Shinichi the opening he needed. He formed Lightbringer again and closed the distance in two quick steps. The blade swept through the air in a clean arc and struck the direwolf's neck. The creature dropped without making another sound.
The third wolf, seeing its packmates defeated so quickly, tried to retreat. Shinichi raised his free hand and fired a concentrated beam that struck the fleeing animal's hind leg.
The wolf went down howling, unable to run. Before it could recover, thick roots burst from the ground and wrapped around its entire body, holding it completely immobile.
"That one's not dead," Yuffie said, breathing a bit harder from the exertion. "I thought we could let it go with a warning to stay away from travelers."
Shinichi nodded and dismissed Lightbringer. The whole fight had lasted maybe twenty seconds. "That works. Your Plant magic is impressive."
"Thanks," Yuffie said, a hint of pride in her voice. "I actually have three affinities—Plant, Water, and Light."
"My Light affinity is pretty weak though, barely Grade C. I mostly use it for basic illumination and minor healing." She paused, studying him with renewed curiosity.
"What grade is your Light affinity? It has to be at least A-rank to do what you've been doing, right?"
"Grade F," Shinichi said simply.
Yuffie stopped walking and stared at him. "That's not funny."
"I'm not joking. My affinity test when I was born showed Grade F. Lowest ever recorded in my family's history." He kept walking, and after a moment, she hurried to catch up.
"But that's impossible. Grade F can barely sustain a candle flame, let alone create objects or those explosion things you did with the direwolf." She shook her head in disbelief. "Are you sure the test wasn't wrong?"
"The test was accurate. I just learned to use what I have in ways no one else thought possible. Affinity grade measures natural talent and power reserves, but it doesn't measure understanding of creativity and willpower. Those factors matter just as much, maybe more."
Before Yuffie could respond, the forest erupted with movement again. This time at least a dozen creatures emerged from the trees around them, surrounding them in a loose circle.
These were different from the direwolves. They looked smaller, more reptilian, with scales that shifted colors to blend with their surroundings. Chameleon drakes, and their poison bites could kill a human in minutes.
"This is bad," Yuffie whispered, her hands already glowing green. "I can handle maybe four or five with my plants, but there are too many."
Shinichi assessed the situation quickly. The drakes were smart enough to maintain their distance, not rushing in immediately. They were testing their prey, looking for weaknesses.
"Get ready to run when I tell you," he said quietly.
"What are you going to do?"
Instead of answering, Shinichi raised both hands and pulled light from every source around them. The light condensed into a sphere above his head that grew brighter until it rivaled the sun itself.
The chameleon drakes hissed and recoiled from the intensity, their camouflage abilities useless against such overwhelming illumination. Then Shinichi released the sphere, but instead of firing it as a beam, he let it explode outward in all directions. The burst of light filled the entire area, turning the twilight forest into blazing daylight for three full seconds.
When the light faded, every single drake was lying on the ground, alive but completely disoriented. Their sensitive eyes couldn't handle the sudden overwhelming brightness, leaving them temporarily blind and confused.
"Now," Shinichi said, and they ran.
They covered fifty yards before the drakes would recover enough to pursue, and by then, Shinichi had already created a barrier of light behind them shaped like a wall that stretched between the trees. It wouldn't stop the creatures permanently, but it would slow them down long enough to gain more distance.
Yuffie looked at him as they ran, her expression somewhere between awe and disbelief. "You just blinded an entire pack of chameleon drakes without killing them. How much magic do you have?"
"More than most people would expect from Grade F affinity. The grade measures capacity, but training can expand that capacity over time. I've been practicing for seven years straight."
They ran for another ten minutes before Yuffie finally slowed, confidence returning to her posture. "We're close to the settlement now. The monsters don't usually come this far because the elven scouts patrol regularly."
As if summoned by her words, two figures dropped from the trees ahead. Both were elven adults dressed in leather armor and carrying bows. Their hands moved to their weapons when they saw Shinichi, but Yuffie quickly stepped forward.
"It's okay! He's my friend. He saved me from a Thornbeast and helped me get home safely."
The male scout's eyes narrowed. "A human child helped you fight a Thornbeast?"
"He's not just any human. His name is Shinichi Sunvolt, and he's the strongest Light mage I've ever seen."
The scouts exchanged glances, clearly skeptical, but they lowered their weapons. The female scout looked at Shinichi with barely concealed doubt. "The Sunvolt family? We've heard of them. Powerful nobles with Fire and Lightning affinities mostly."
"Not this one," Yuffie interjected before Shinichi could speak. "He has Light magic, and he's amazing at it."
The scouts didn't look convinced, but they didn't argue either. The male one gestured toward a path that led through a natural archway of intertwined trees. "The settlement is just ahead. Yuffie's parents will want to know she's safe."
As they walked, Yuffie leaned closer to Shinichi and whispered, "Thank you. For everything today. You really did save my life."
Shinichi smiled. "That's what friends do, right?"
"Yeah," she agreed, her own smile bright and genuine. "That's exactly what friends do."