The forest seemed different once the battle was over.
Quieter.As if the trees themselves understood that something important had changed.
Selene didn't waste time. She stepped into the ruins again, her expression composed but eyes sharp, scanning each of them with a mix of assessment and something else—responsibility.
"We leave before sunset," she said. "The Outer Circle will regroup, and this place is compromised."
Mara instinctively pulled closer to Lyn.
"And the orphanage?" she asked.
Selene shook her head.
"It's a target now. They won't stop with just the forest. Staying there is a death sentence."
Rafe nodded—he'd already reached the same conclusion.
"We'll need supplies," he said. "Food, water, blankets, anything portable."
Selene smirked faintly.
"I see you think like a survivor."
"I don't have a choice."
"Good," she said. "You'll need that mind."
Mara placed a reassuring hand on Lyn's back.
"You okay to move?" she asked.
Lyn nodded cautiously.
"I'm… tired. But I can walk."
Rafe didn't miss the way she leaned into Mara for support.Or the way Mara didn't hesitate to hold her steady.
A small trio, but a strong one.
Selene lifted her staff.
"Before we leave, I must seal the boundary."
She walked outside, planting the staff firmly into the ground. Runes shimmered along the wood, then spread across the forest floor like rippling threads of light.
Rafe's eyes widened.
"That's… a barrier spell?"
Selene glanced over her shoulder, surprised he recognized it.
"You know magic forms?"
"Only a little."
"More than most children," she murmured.
Mara huffed. "He's not like other children."
Selene raised a brow."I can see that."
When the runes settled, Selene turned back.
"That will delay any scout who tries to follow our trail. Now we move."
They began walking along a narrow path deeper into the forest. Lyn's steps were small, but steady. Mara hovered protectively at her side. Rafe stayed close to Selene—not out of trust, but to learn.
He studied her movements.Her awareness.Her posture.
Selene eventually noticed.
"…You're observing me," she said.
"Learning," Rafe corrected.
She smiled slightly.
"That's even better."
Mara muttered under her breath.
"I don't like the way she looks at you."
Selene heard it clearly but pretended not to.
Rafe whispered back, "Focus, Mara."
"I am focused. I'm focused on keeping you alive."
He couldn't argue with that.
After a few minutes, Lyn suddenly paused.
"Wait… something's here."
Rafe turned sharply.
"What do you feel?"
Lyn's eyes glowed faintly—gold, soft, trembling.
"It's like… light pulling me somewhere."
Selene's expression changed immediately.
"That's impossible. Light Mana doesn't pull, it—"
Lyn stepped forward, guided as if her body weren't entirely her own.
"Lyn!" Mara grabbed her arm.
"I-It's okay," Lyn whispered. "I'm not scared."
Selene stepped up beside Rafe, staff raised.
"Be prepared," she warned. "Awakened children sometimes attract mana remnants."
"Remnants?" Rafe echoed.
"Echoes left behind by old spells. Sometimes from centuries ago."
Lyn stopped in front of an enormous tree—ancient, roots thick like twisted serpents.
She rested her hand against the bark.
The moment she touched it—
Light spilled beneath her palm.
Gold veins spread across the tree trunk.
Rafe and Mara stepped back instinctively.
Selene's eyes widened.
"This is—"
A pulse burst outward, gentle and warm.
Lyn gasped, stumbling back onto Mara, who caught her instantly.
"What was that?" Mara whispered.
Selene approached the tree, placing her fingers on the glowing bark.
"…A hidden locus," she whispered. "A place where mana gathers."
Rafe frowned.
"What kind?"
Selene hesitated—then said the words that made Rafe's stomach flip.
"Light-aligned."
Lyn awakened Light Mana…And stumbled into a Light Mana locus…
The probability was nonexistent.
Unless fate itself was moving pieces around them.
Mara helped Lyn stand.
"Did it hurt?" she asked.
Lyn shook her head.
"No. It felt like… home."
Selene exhaled slowly.
"This forest chose her."
Rafe blinked.
"Forests don't choose people."
"Old ones do," Selene corrected. "This place is older than the kingdom. Whoever planted this tree wasn't human."
Mara shivered.
"Then… what does this mean for Lyn?"
Selene turned to face them fully.
"It means the Outer Circle isn't the only one who wants her. The world wants her too."
Rafe felt a knot tighten in his chest.
"So she's… special."
Selene shook her head.
"No. She's important."
Lyn looked terrified.
"Is that bad?"
Selene crouched, meeting her eyes.
"It means you need protection. Guidance. And strength."
She glanced at Rafe and Mara.
"And it means you two must grow faster than any children I've ever seen."
Rafe didn't hesitate.
"We will."
Mara nodded firmly.
"Together."
Lyn whispered, "…Together."
Selene rose, tapping her staff lightly.
"Good. Then it's decided."
She pointed forward.
"We reach the safe house before nightfall. From there… your real training begins."
Rafe swallowed.
Training.Protection.Light Mana.Old forest secrets.
And the Outer Circle hunting them all.
Everything was moving quickly.
Too quickly.
But for the first time since his second chance began—
Rafe felt like he wasn't marching toward death.
He was marching toward something bigger.