Darek and Seraphis moved at the exact same moment it truly sank in what kind of danger Votaria and Ursula had to be in. The thought alone left no room for further words. Their bodies reacted on instinct. Their footsteps echoed sharply across the stone floor of the cave as they headed straight for the exit without hesitation.
Iris and Pow-Pow followed close behind.
When they finally stepped out of the cave, it felt as if they hadn't just left a tunnel, but an entirely different dream.
Only minutes ago, the city had felt alive. Voices had drifted across the marketplace, merchants had been calling out their goods, and between the stalls there had been a lively, almost carefree atmosphere.
Now, nothing of that remained.
The city suddenly felt like a military base.
Conversations had nearly died out completely, and when people did speak, it was only in low, focused tones. Short exchanges were made to coordinate preparations for the coming attack. No one wasted time on unnecessary questions or discussions.
People moved through the streets at a steady pace. No one ran. No one stumbled around in panic. Instead, they walked with calm, determined steps from one point to the next, as if following a routine long ingrained in their minds.
Some citizens were sealing their shops.
Heavy wooden beams were pushed in front of doors, windows were shut with metal shutters. Market stalls weren't dismantled in chaos, but with efficiency. Goods disappeared into crates, tarps were rolled up, and within minutes, almost nothing remained of the once vibrant market.
Everything felt as though they had rehearsed this countless times.
Despite the obvious state of emergency, there was no panic in the air.
Only focus and routine.
Moving among the citizens were members of the scouting unit. They carried small containers filled with a thick, dark substance, which they carefully applied to the tips of the barricades. The liquid glimmered faintly in the light and slowly dripped down the wooden spikes. Darek couldn't tell exactly what it was, but the sharp smell suggested some kind of poison or deterrent.
As they worked, the scouts gave short instructions. A hand signal here, a brief command there. They helped the citizens carry out their tasks faster and more efficiently, without ever losing control of the overall flow.
There was no sign of the Hunter Order or the Vanquisher Order.
Not even a trace.
Darek assumed they had already taken position beyond the gates. Their organization was said to be so efficient that they were likely already in formation long before the rest of the city had fully understood what was approaching from outside.
The entire city moved like a single, well-coordinated organism.
Everyone knew where they needed to be.
Everyone knew what they had to do.
And everyone pursued their task with a determination that left no room for doubt.
Where is she…
Darek came to a stop and closed his eyes for a moment. The compass wasn't in his hand, not even in his immediate surroundings. It lay deeper than that, embedded in his soul, where his power and his Soulbound were connected.
Slowly, he gathered energy at that inner point.
He focused.
"Votaria."
His voice was calm, but tense.
At first, nothing happened.
The compass remained still for a moment, and only the faint glow of energy pulsed within him. For a brief instant, it seemed as though the artifact wouldn't react at all.
Then something changed.
Suddenly, two red, illusory lines extended from the center of the compass, crawling through the air like glowing threads, as if following invisible paths.
One of the lines led straight into the forest.
The other stretched in the opposite direction, deeper into the city.
Darek blinked.
Confusion crossed his face as his brow slowly furrowed.
"Is this thing broken?"
He stared at the two diverging lines, as if expecting one of them to disappear any second.
"Of all times…"
His teeth ground softly.
"Fuck."
Iris' voice echoed thoughtfully in his mind.
That doesn't make sense…
A brief pause followed as she, too, observed the strange reaction of the compass.
Hm…
Suddenly, a member of the scouting order noticed Darek and his group. The man paused for a moment, then his eyes widened.
"Medic! Quickly! Someone here is injured!"
His voice cut sharply through the otherwise orderly activity of the street.
Darek stopped briefly and glanced down at himself in confusion. Only after a few seconds did he realize the call had been meant for him.
The hole in his chest was still there.
The wound had already closed to a good extent, perhaps halfway, but that didn't make it any less horrifying. A torn crater of flesh and tissue stretched across his upper body, as if something massive had pierced straight through him and ripped a piece out in the process.
Before Darek could even react, the medics were already at his side.
They moved quickly, but without any trace of panic. Practiced hands reached for bandages and small containers, while one of them was already leaning over the wound.
"No, no, I'm fine," Darek said, raising a hand to calm them. "I can handle it. Don't worry about me."
The medics cast only a brief glance at the injury.
And that was enough.
They immediately noticed that something about the healing process was unusual. The red dust was visibly working on the wound, gathering along the edges and beginning to pull the destroyed tissue back together. It wasn't a normal injury, but it also wasn't one that still required their help.
Besides, they were far too busy in this situation.
One of the medics gave a short nod.
Then they disappeared back into the flow of preparations.
No sooner had they left earshot than something unexpected happened.
Seraphis suddenly lunged forward.
His body snapped ahead with lightning speed, and in the next moment his fangs sank into Darek's ribs.
The bite was firm.
But Darek barely reacted.
By now, his body had grown so accustomed to pain that the attack didn't even make him cry out. Only his expression tightened slightly as he tilted his head to the side.
Seraphis released him again.
Darek looked down at his wound.
Slowly, the tissue began to close a bit faster.
"Not as strong as the pillow," he muttered thoughtfully as he observed the change, "but it definitely supports my healing."
He lifted his gaze toward the snake.
"Thanks, Seraphis."
For a moment, his thoughts drifted.
Too bad I can't just borrow Seraphis' abilities.
Then he straightened.
His gaze shifted toward the large road leading to the city gate.
"We need to keep moving. To the gate!"
His voice was loud enough for Iris, Seraphis, and Pow-Pow to hear immediately.
This time, the entire group picked up speed.
Their footsteps echoed across the stone ground as they moved together. Without needing to coordinate, it was clear to all of them that there was no time left to waste.
Darek, Seraphis, Pow-Pow, and Iris ran close together.
The closer they got to the city gate, the more apparent it became just how many people had already gathered there.
Even from a distance, they could see the crowd.
But these weren't ordinary citizens.
Almost the entire assembly seemed to consist of members of the Hunter Order.
Among them stood the silvaric bears.
The sight was overwhelming.
Massive figures rose everywhere between the rows of hunters. The bears stood calmly beside their partners, their huge bodies tense, their eyes fixed vigilantly on the landscape beyond the gates. Even at rest, they radiated a raw, natural force that was impossible to ignore.
Together with the hunters, they formed a formation that resembled a living wall in front of Silvara's gates.
With such a display of strength, they could likely withstand most armies.
"DAREK!"
The voice suddenly cut through the murmur of the crowd.
The third leader of the Hunter Order had spotted him among the masses and immediately waved him over.
As Darek approached, the man placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I've already cleared up that incident. Don't worry, they know you'd never say something like that."
Then he turned to the surrounding hunters.
"Let me introduce him. For those who don't know him yet, this is Darek."
A slight grin crossed his face.
"As of today, he's our brother."
He paused briefly, then laughed.
"What am I saying—he's even a fully grown Silvare. Hahaha. Looks like this will be a bit of a trial by fire for him."
A quiet murmur went through the ranks of the hunters.
Many eyes immediately turned toward Darek.
New members were rare enough.
But a grown Silvare among the hunters was something entirely different. Normally, that rank belonged only to the first leader himself.
The men and women studied him.
Their gazes were appraising, some slightly skeptical, but in most of them there was something else: a curious, almost familial sense of connection, and the shared fighting spirit of the Silvarae who were ready to stand side by side against whatever was approaching beyond the gate.
"I need to leave the city," Darek said at last. "Somewhere out there, near the city, there's someone I know. She's the one who brought me here in the first place, and she might still be out there."
The third leader frowned thoughtfully and fell silent for a moment as he weighed the situation.
"Hm," he murmured finally. "You could join one of the squads outside the gate. The forces have been divided into ten groups."
He gestured toward the assembled ranks.
"Three large Vanquisher squads are hunting the elders. Three more warrior squads are dealing with the fully grown ones. Then there are two hunter squads in front of the gate, and two more behind it, forming the last line of defense."
His expression grew more serious.
"Going out there alone would be suicide."
He looked directly at Darek.
"So pick a squad and join them. As soon as you say you're a grown Silvare, it shouldn't be a problem. Passing the Trial of Courage is more than enough to prove you're worthy to fight alongside them."
Darek gave a short nod.
Then he turned his head toward Iris.
"Try to locate them," he said calmly but firmly. "Fly along the bear path and contact me immediately if you see anything. Seraphis, Pow-Pow, and I will check the spot where we parted ways first."
Iris gave a brief nod.
Without another word, she pushed off the ground and shot into the air. Her gaze was already scanning the surroundings as she quickly gained altitude and flew toward the path.
Darek turned once more to the third leader of the Hunter Order.
With a short, respectful bow, he took his leave.
Then he moved.
His steps quickened until he broke into a run, heading straight for the massive gate of the city.
As he passed through, an impressive sight unfolded before him.
To the left and right of the gate stood two large squads in formation. Each consisted of around six hunters, and beside every single one stood a silvaric bear. The massive beasts appeared calm, yet their bodies were tense, their heads slightly lowered as their eyes remained fixed on the wilderness beyond the city.
None of the fighters looked inexperienced.
Their posture, their equipment, and the quiet focus in their expressions made it clear that they knew exactly what awaited them.
Darek didn't stop for even a second.
He simply ran straight between them and continued onward, directly onto the bear path.
His destination was the place where he had last seen Votaria.
Maybe she was still there.
Maybe she had left a trace.
Maybe there was some kind of clue as to where she had gone.
"HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE!"
One of the hunters shouted after him.
"Going out there alone is too dangerous!"
Darek didn't react.
He didn't even slow down.
He just kept running.
"Up ahead… right there was the spot," Darek murmured quietly to himself as his gaze swept over the place where he had last seen Votaria.
He stopped for a moment and searched the ground and the surroundings, but it was as if the forest had swallowed every trace. No imprint in the soft soil, no shifted branch suggested that anyone had been here recently. There was no sign of Votaria, and Ursula seemed to have vanished as well.
Darek was just about to take another step when Seraphis suddenly hissed sharply.
The snake raised its head, its body tensing slightly as its tongue flicked through the air, probing the surroundings.
Darek immediately understood what that meant.
Seraphis' perception had long surpassed his own, and after spending time with Ursula, the snake knew her presence and scent better than anyone else. If there was any trace left in this forest, Seraphis would find it.
Slowly, the snake's head turned in a specific direction.
Darek followed the movement with his gaze.
That settled it.
"This way, then."
Strange… why would they leave the bear path?
The thought made Darek slow down as his gaze drifted once more over the forest floor. The longer he considered it, the less it made sense. Votaria knew the path well enough to understand that it was the safest route to the city, especially now, with everything outside in motion. To abandon such a clear and protected path voluntarily and instead move into the dense forest would have been unlike her.
Darek felt an uneasy knot tighten in his stomach.
That doesn't make sense.
His expression hardened.
They're most likely in trouble.
Without hesitation, Darek, Seraphis, and Pow-Pow moved again. They left the path and pushed deeper into the forest, staying close to the bear trail as the trees closed in above them and the light of the city slowly faded behind.
The ground beneath their feet was soft with needles and leaves, and the dense undergrowth rustled quietly as they moved between the trunks.
Then the silence changed.
At first, it was just a rustle. Barely more than a restless trembling in the leaves of the trees, so faint it could have been mistaken for the wind.
But within a heartbeat, it grew into something deeper. Heavier.
As if something massive was forcing its way through the forest, crushing everything in its path.
Darek felt the ground beneath his feet vibrate.
In the next moment, a massive shadow shot between the trees.
A gigantic body was hurled through the forest at brutal speed, so immense that even the air in front of it seemed to tear apart. The monstrous mass tore through the rows of trees, slamming into trunks, ripping them from the ground, and hurling splinters and earth in all directions as the undergrowth was simply shredded by its force.
WUSHH.
The sound of its passage filled the entire forest.
As if someone had launched a giant monster like a projectile through the landscape, it tore through the trees, leaving behind a wide trail of destruction.
Broken trunks lay scattered everywhere. Uprooted roots jutted from the ground. Shattered branches were strewn across the forest floor. Fresh wood still creaked under the movement as dust, needles, and soil slowly settled back down.
The smell of torn earth and freshly split wood hung heavy in the air.
Darek and the others stood only a few steps away.
But that wasn't all.
Behind the destructive projectile, something else charged through the clearing.
A monstrous bear.
Its massive body plowed through the chaos of broken wood as if it were nothing more than loose brush. Vines had wrapped themselves around its body like a living armor, twisted and hardened into a shell of thorns and wood.
On its back sat a Vanquisher.
A colossal man.
His white, wood-like armor was already stained dark red along the protruding thorns at his joints. The blood had gathered at the tips and slowly dripped down, a silent testimony to the battle that had clearly already taken place.
Darek felt his throat go dry.
One of the Vanquisher Order…
If a Vanquisher was fighting out here, there was only one conclusion.
Then one of their squads must be nearby.
Darek swallowed.
The sight alone was enough to make it clear that this was no longer an ordinary fight.
This was a battle on an entirely different level.
And it was definitely not something he should get in