The heavy rain poured mercilessly over the city of Glafelden. The cobbled streets glistened, reflecting the dim light from lanterns swaying on wooden poles. There were no paved roads in this city, so all the streets had turned to mud and muck. Only in certain places, like the city center, were the streets paved with stone. The cold wind seeped through the gaps in clothing, making the citizens huddle together for warmth.
Along the main road, horse-drawn carriages clattered slowly, their wheels splashing through puddles. The horses breathed heavily, their breath rising in steam in the cold air. The drivers, hunched over, tried to shield themselves from the rain with thick cloaks, while passengers inside the carriages sought warmth behind velvet curtains.
Under the roofs of shops and inns, crowds of people crowded together to find shelter. Street vendors scrambled to save their wares from the rain, while children played joyfully in the puddles. An old beggar huddled in a corner by the wall, his body trembling from the cold. His empty bowl lay before him, without even a single coin. His eyes stared blankly at the rain, as if hoping for a miracle to come and end his suffering.
The rain soaked every corner of the city, including the headquarters of Kelam Malam. In this nearly lawless area, many of the residents preferred to stay inside their warm homes rather than endure the cold outside. There were a few who passed through the streets, but they could be counted on one hand. There was nothing else to do here except sleep and pass the time with pleasant dreams—unless you were a criminal like a thief or a hunter who worked when night fell.
Dimas and I were among those few criminals. We headed out through the city gates toward the forest, but not to hunt. Rather, we were escaping as quickly as possible from Glafelden.
An elite cavalry force was after me. I didn't know what they wanted, but I was sure it wasn't anything good. If someone from the capital wanted to meet me peacefully, they should have come with a carriage and greeted me warmly, not sent an entire trained battalion after me.
According to the letter sent by Kak Indra, they had left four days ago. The distance between Glafelden and Lurich was about 1,200 kilometers, and it would take them more than a week to arrive. This meant they would reach the city in a few days. That's why I had to leave now to put some distance between us. Grussel was worried that the agreements between the two nations wouldn't stop an elite battalion from chasing me.
Who knows? They might slip into Elvian territory to capture me.
Erik, who was part of that force, hadn't told us the full extent of their strength. Whether he didn't have time or was forbidden from revealing military secrets, I had no way of knowing the full details of my enemies.
Our destination was the city of Arnest, located to the west of the Northern Star Mountains, where the first Soul Crystal was said to be. Whether this was true or not, we had no other choice but to go.
"Anggi, let's go!" Dimas called, snapping me out of my thoughts.
To reach Elvian territory, we had to cross the wide and deep Kelan River. We had to walk north for about an hour to find a calm section of the river that we could safely cross. This was the usual starting point for the Kelam Malam hunting groups.
Dimas pulled out a small raft hidden near the roots of a giant tree. With this raft, my companions and I had crossed the river before and infiltrated Elvian territory.
Dimas had already climbed onto the raft at the riverbank, extending his hand to help me up. I hesitated for a moment, reluctant to accept his hand. It felt unreal that extending my hand would mean embarking on the dangerous journey for the Soul Crystal. I let out a long breath. The decision had already been made, and there was no turning back. My hand instinctively reached out and accepted Dimas's assistance.
When we both climbed onto the raft and were ready to cross, suddenly my sharp hearing caught the sound of broken leaves being stepped on. Dimas asked me what was happening, but I ignored him. My gaze sharpened, focusing on the source of the sound.
Before long, I heard the sound of running footsteps, and a girl emerged from behind the trees. She arrived at the riverbank, gasping for breath, a large leather bag on her back, which made her movements sluggish. She held a small lantern to light her way.
"K-Shella!?" I called, Dimas and I speaking almost in unison.
"A-Aku... ingin ikut dengan kalian," she stammered, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
The statement she made was so unbelievable that both Dimas and I stood frozen in place.
"Wait a second! What did you just say? This journey is not some school trip. It's full of danger, do you understand?" Dimas tried to persuade her.
"Of course I know. But I want to do something. I don't want to stay at home while you all face danger. I know about herbal plants, so I can take care of you if you get injured. Besides, I'm a Taekwondo practitioner. I can defend myself."
"That's not the issue!" Dimas responded gently. "I'm not sure everything will go smoothly. If something happens to you, I'll feel guilty. So it's better if you stay in the city."
"Why can't I join while Anggi can? Is it because I'm not the preferred race? Because I'm too weak compared to you? Is that how you see it, Dimas?"
They both stared at each other for a while. The intense gaze and determination in Shella's eyes clashed with Dimas's worried expression. Although they appeared to be looking at each other, they were actually arguing silently. I couldn't let them continue like this.
"Alright, you can come, Kak Shella! It seems we could use your help with the herbal treatments!"
Both of them simultaneously turned their gaze to me. One was filled with joy, while the other with disbelief. Shella immediately climbed onto the raft and hugged me, making the raft sway on the surface of the river.
"Thank you, Anggi! You always understand how others feel!" she exclaimed.
"Good grief! Do as you like!" Dimas slapped his forehead and sighed. It seemed that he had lost the argument this time.
It took a while for Dimas to fully accept this decision. I didn't make this choice without reason. Besides needing someone with knowledge of herbal plants, I didn't want to turn away someone who was eager to fight. It felt like seeing myself when I was determined to find a way back home.
So, the three of us boarded the raft, risking everything to reach the same goal. I was curious to see how far this small group's adventure would take us. Hopefully, we would really be able to obtain what we sought.
After a few minutes, the raft reached the opposite bank. The river here wasn't too deep, and the current was calm enough for us to cross easily. We only needed to paddle leisurely without worrying about being swept away.
From this moment on, we would enter Elvian territory, a place where humans were forbidden. I told Shella to put out her lantern to keep our position hidden. The light from Rubiel in the sky seemed faint with a thin layer of mist drifting between the trees. It was the perfect atmosphere, I thought.
I led the way into the Elvian forest. My eyes could see just as well as during the day in the darkness of the night. This was one of the advantages I had after becoming a Haier-Elvian. I chose a path without many tree roots to make it easier for my companions to follow. The atmosphere in the forest was eerily quiet, only the sound of the wind occasionally brushing the back of my neck. The sound of insects could be heard briefly, then silence again.
The city of Arnest was located to the west of the Northern Star Mountains, which meant we had to climb the mountains to get there. For that reason, I intended to skirt around the city of Ruvia to avoid Elvian soldiers. The closer we got to the city, the more soldiers were patrolling. It didn't matter if we had to take a longer route, as safety was the priority. We headed north and then toward the mountains from there.
After several hours of walking through the forest, we decided to rest for a moment beside the roots of a giant tree. The further we ventured, the larger the trees grew. They were similar to the ones in Ruvia, towering high and immense. The difference was that this area wasn't inhabited or managed by Elvians.
The atmosphere here felt tense. The thick foliage blocked Rubiel's light from reaching us. For ordinary humans, this would be complete darkness with no end. Added to that were the occasional howls of beasts, which could make anyone feel truly uneasy.
I allowed Shella to light her small lantern after checking the surroundings with my Super Sense. My visual projection didn't show any immediate threats. Besides the giant trees, all I could see within a 500-meter radius were birds perched on the branches, swarms of insects hiding behind bushes, or dry leaves falling with the gusts of wind.
"I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this place," Dimas said. He sat against the roots of the giant tree.
"This forest has always been a dangerous place," I said, holding my breath as I activated my Super Sense once more.
"I'm not sure this place is safe for resting."
"We've been walking for hours and still haven't found a safe and quiet place to rest. The atmosphere is always like this. No one knows what lies ahead, it could be worse than now. Are you sure we're heading in the right direction?" Dimas asked.
"Wait a moment!" Dimas set his short sword aside and pulled out something from his shabby leather bag. It was a map. He unfolded the map and brought Shella's small lantern closer. After a few moments, Dimas nodded. "We're heading in the right direction. From here, we need to head west and walk for about three more hours to reach the foot of the mountains."
"We'll rest for half an hour, then continue our journey!"
Both Dimas and Shella nodded in agreement. I took out a piece of dry bread from my bag to share among the three of us. Our supplies were limited, and I couldn't waste them carelessly. Although it was small, it was enough to fill our stomachs. For now, we were only eating to survive. If only a deer or
wild goat passed by, I would surely make it a supplementary meal. But unfortunately, no game had passed by us since we arrived.
Along with my short bow and arrow quiver on my back, I also carried a leather bag with food supplies and a few gold coins. Grussel had given them to me when we parted ways. I didn't expect someone as stingy as him to hand me so much money. It really helped. Perhaps Grussel had a generous and kind side, just as Dimas had said.
I also carried the viglet given by Prince Keylan in my cloak pocket. This item had become my lifeline when facing enemies. After training several times with Almira, the viglet seemed to enhance my ability to manifest Esze beyond my usual capacity. I was truly shocked the first time I saw the wind blast effect. Usually, I could only blow a few objects around, but with this viglet, I could uproot trees with ease. The power was incredible, but it was difficult to control. The last time, I nearly blasted the wind too close to Almira.
"Haah..." I sighed deeply.
For some reason, I started thinking about Almira again. I never had the chance to say goodbye to her before leaving. She would probably be angry if she knew I left without informing her. She could be annoying at times, but she was one of my close friends here. Leaving without saying goodbye really hurt. I regretted not being able to bid her farewell.
Hopefully... fate will bring us together again.
As I leaned back against the giant tree roots, suddenly, my hearing caught a distant noise. Dimas and Shella looked at me in surprise as I instantly went on alert. They asked me what was happening, but I ignored them. I closed my eyes to activate my Super Sense. The projection in my mind tried to look far to the north, where the sound was coming from.
I still couldn't see anything up to 300 meters ahead. I then tried further, extending my range to my maximum, which covered about 700 meters. Even at that distance, I saw nothing. The sound was clear, like the fluttering of bird wings. But there were so many of them, perhaps hundreds. After a while of waiting for the sound to become clearer, I could finally see for sure. Dark figures darted between the trees, moving quickly toward us, as if racing against the wind.
"This is bad!!" I shouted, holding back my panic.
"What's wrong?" Dimas asked.
"A swarm of Black Vampire Bats is heading this way!"