The deeper they traveled into Dhulmir Forest, the quieter the world became.
Razan followed several steps behind Zailthar, his wooden sword strapped across his back. The familiar sounds of the outer forest had long disappeared.
No birds.
No insects.
Even the wind seemed reluctant to enter this part of the forest.
They had been walking for nearly an hour.
Zailthar hadn't explained where they were going.
He simply continued forward, his black cloak moving silently between the trees.
Razan, however, was beginning to feel something strange.
The surroundings seemed familiar.
At first, he couldn't understand why.
A massive tree stood to his left, its trunk twisted unnaturally, with three enormous roots rising from the ground.
Razan slowed.
His eyes narrowed.
I've seen that tree before.
He continued walking.
A few minutes later, they passed a large stone covered in pale moss.
Razan stopped.
His heart skipped.
That stone.
He remembered it.
Not clearly at first, but enough.
The cold night.
The moonlight filtering through the trees.
His own footsteps echoing through the darkness.
He had walked past this exact stone on the night he left Zafrir City.
Razan looked around.
The realization slowly settled over him.
"This place..."
Zailthar continued walking.
Razan hurried after him.
"Wait."
Zailthar stopped.
Razan looked toward the surrounding trees.
He remembered.
He hadn't been running.
He hadn't even known he was in danger.
He had simply been walking deeper into the forest, trying to escape the life he hated.
Then—
A growl.
He had stopped.
One pair of red eyes had appeared between the trees.
Then another.
Then another.
Within moments, he had realized the truth.
He was surrounded.
There had been nowhere to run.
Nowhere to hide.
He had been standing in the middle of their territory without even knowing it.
And then the largest Kazgar Wolf had lunged.
Razan's expression became serious.
"I know this place."
Zailthar looked at him.
Razan pointed toward the twisted tree.
"That tree..."
Then toward the moss-covered stone.
"That stone..."
His gaze moved farther ahead.
"And beyond those trees..."
He swallowed.
"That's where I first encountered the Kazgar Wolves."
Zailthar's golden eyes remained fixed on him.
"You remember."
"How could I forget?"
Razan's voice became quieter.
"I thought I was going to die."
Zailthar turned away.
"You almost did."
Razan looked at him sharply.
"You knew?"
"I know this forest."
"Then you knew you were bringing me back to their territory."
"Yes."
Razan stared at him.
"Why?"
Zailthar didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he continued walking.
Razan followed.
"Zailthar."
Nothing.
"You deliberately brought me here."
"Yes."
"Why?"
This time Zailthar stopped.
He looked back at Razan.
"Because you remember this place as the place where you were helpless."
Razan remained silent.
Zailthar's golden eyes hardened.
"I want you to see it again."
Razan frowned.
"See what?"
"The difference."
Zailthar turned toward the forest.
"On that night, you didn't know the wolves were there until they surrounded you."
He paused.
"You couldn't sense them."
Another step.
"You couldn't understand their movements."
Another.
"And when they attacked, you had no idea what to do."
Razan's hands slowly tightened.
Zailthar looked over his shoulder.
"But you've spent weeks training."
His voice became colder.
"So now I want to know..."
He pointed toward the forest ahead.
"...how much of that helpless boy is still left."
Razan stared into the darkness.
The forest seemed different now.
It was still dangerous.
Still filled with monsters.
But he was different.
He had learned to fight.
He had learned to watch.
He had learned to endure.
Yet deep down, a small part of him still remembered the terror of that night.
Zailthar walked ahead.
"Come."
Razan followed.
They moved deeper into the territory.
The trees gradually opened into a familiar clearing.
Razan stopped.
His breath caught.
This was it.
The exact place.
The same clearing where he had once stood surrounded by blood-red eyes.
The same place where he had thought his miserable life was about to end.
Razan slowly looked around.
Nothing had changed.
Even the broken tree where the Kazgar Wolf had been thrown remained there.
His memory returned in fragments.
The growl.
The wolves emerging from the darkness.
His trembling legs.
His inability to move.
And then—
A blur of black.
A crashing body.
Golden eyes.
Zailthar.
Razan looked at the man standing beside him.
"You saved me here."
"Yes."
"You were the reason I survived."
"Yes."
Razan looked down at his hands.
"And now you're bringing me back."
Zailthar's expression didn't change.
"Because this time..."
His golden eyes shifted toward the surrounding forest.
"...I won't save you."
Razan's heartbeat quickened.
A low growl suddenly echoed through the trees.
Razan froze.
Another growl answered.
Then another.
His eyes slowly widened.
Red eyes appeared between the trees.
One pair.
Then three.
Five.
Seven.
More began appearing in the darkness.
Kazgar Wolves.
Razan's body instinctively tensed.
But this time, something was different.
He didn't freeze.
He didn't lose control of his breathing.
He didn't stumble backward.
He watched.
He counted.
He listened.
His eyes moved from one wolf to another.
"Fourteen," he whispered.
Zailthar glanced at him.
"Good."
Without another word, Zailthar reached beneath his cloak and pulled out a short dagger.
The blade was dark, almost black, with a simple leather-wrapped handle. Despite its plain appearance, something about it made Razan's instincts tense.
Zailthar held it out.
Razan stared at the dagger.
"For me?"
"Take it."
Razan accepted it.
The moment his fingers closed around the handle, he felt its weight.
It was much smaller than a sword.
Much lighter.
But somehow, it felt more dangerous.
Razan looked at Zailthar.
"What am I supposed to do with this?"
Zailthar turned toward the surrounding wolves.
"Survive."
Razan's eyes widened slightly.
"You said you wouldn't save me."
"I won't."
Zailthar stepped backward.
Then another step.
He was deliberately putting distance between them.
Razan suddenly understood.
This wasn't a normal training session.
Zailthar was going to leave him alone.
"Wait."
Zailthar stopped.
Razan looked at the wolves surrounding the clearing.
"How long do I have to survive?"
Zailthar glanced at the sky.
"Until dawn."
Razan's expression stiffened.
"Until dawn?"
"Yes."
"And if I can't?"
Zailthar looked directly into his eyes.
"Then you die."
Razan swallowed.
The wolves slowly moved closer.
Their claws scraped against the earth.
Their red eyes never left him.
Zailthar turned away.
Razan watched him begin walking toward the edge of the clearing.
"Zailthar!"
The Black Dragon Tyrant stopped.
For a moment, Razan thought he might turn around.
Instead, Zailthar looked over his shoulder.
A faint smirk appeared beneath his hood.
"Good luck, Razan."
Then he disappeared into the forest.
Razan stood alone.
Fourteen Kazgar Wolves surrounded him.
His wooden sword rested against his back.
A dagger rested in his right hand.
The forest grew silent.
Razan slowly exhaled.
He looked at the wolves.
The largest one stepped forward.
Its lips curled back, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
Razan tightened his grip on the dagger.
"Alright..."
His eyes hardened.
"Let's see how much I've changed."
The wolf growled.
Then—
It lunged.