The forest did not welcome them.
It watched.
Tall, ancient trees stretched endlessly in every direction, their canopies woven so tightly that even daylight struggled to reach the ground. What little light slipped through came in thin, broken strands never enough to fully reveal what lay ahead.
The air was damp.
Heavy.
Every step carried the sound of leaves shifting underfoot, of branches creaking somewhere unseen, of distant movements that could have been wind…
or something else.
Riven walked near the center of the group.
Not leading.
Not following.
Watching.
Always watching.
His breathing was steady now, his movements controlled, but inside
There was still pressure.
The kind that didn't disappear.
The kind that settled.
His core felt… quieter.
Too quiet.
Like a storm that had gone still not because it was gone
But because it was gathering again.
Ahead of them, Eryx moved with purpose.
He did not hesitate.
Did not second-guess direction.
Even without a visible path, he navigated the wilderness like it belonged to him.
Which, in a way
It did.
Behind Riven, the others struggled to keep pace.
Months of imprisonment had not been kind to them.
Roran's steps were heavy, his strength returning slowly but not fully.
Soren kept glancing over his shoulder, instincts refusing to settle.
Marlis leaned slightly on Lyra, both of them still weak, but pushing forward regardless.
And Nyss
Nyss walked beside Riven.
Closer than before.
Not out of fear.
Not entirely.
But because distance no longer made sense.
Not after everything.
For a while
No one spoke.
Only movement.
Only breathing.
Only the forest.
Then Nyss broke the silence.
"…Where are we going?"
Her voice was soft.
But in the stillness, it carried.
Eryx didn't stop walking.
Didn't turn.
But he answered.
"To the land of the Third."
The words settled instantly.
Nyss slowed slightly.
"…The Third?"
There was surprise in her voice.
Not fear.
Not yet.
But something close.
She glanced at Riven.
Then back toward Eryx.
"You're serious?"
Eryx finally stopped.
Turned halfway.
Just enough for his voice to carry clearly.
"I don't joke about routes."
Nyss exhaled slowly.
Her brows tightened.
"You know I'm from the Fourth."
A statement.
But also a warning.
Eryx's expression didn't change.
"Of course I do."
He turned fully now.
Golden eyes calm.
Unshaken.
"The ruler of the Third is… enduring."
The word choice was deliberate.
Not kind.
Not reassuring.
But not hostile either.
Nyss didn't look convinced.
"Enduring doesn't sound comforting."
Eryx gave the faintest smirk.
"It's not meant to."
Then he turned again and resumed walking.
"Keep moving."
The group followed.
Because they had no better option.
Riven glanced at Nyss.
She was still thinking.
Still weighing it.
Still calculating risks.
So he spoke.
Calm.
Certain.
"And if anything goes wrong…"
He met her eyes.
"…I'll protect you."
A pause.
Then softer
"All of you."
Nyss held his gaze.
For a moment, something in her expression shifted.
Not doubt.
Not fear.
Something deeper.
Concern.
"That's what I'm worried about."
Her voice dropped.
Lower now.
More honest.
Riven blinked slightly.
"…What?"
Nyss looked ahead again.
Not at him.
At the forest.
At the unknown.
"They won't come after me first."
A pause.
"They'll come after you."
That landed.
Harder than expected.
"You're a fugitive now."
She continued quietly.
"In the Fourth…"
"…and after what just happened…"
She didn't finish.
She didn't need to
Riven exhaled slowly.
Then gave a small, almost amused breath.
"Lieutenant Eryx here…"
He nodded forward slightly.
"…is a Nocturne."
A beat.
"…and so am I."
Nyss turned sharply.
"What?"
Riven shrugged lightly.
"At least… from my mother's side."
That changed things.
Completely.
From ahead, Eryx's ear twitched slightly.
He heard.
Of course he did.
But he didn't interrupt.
Riven continued.
"From what I understand…"
"…that makes me half Third Order."
He looked forward now.
Voice steady.
"Orders don't hurt their own."
A pause.
Then
"…right?"
Eryx finally spoke again.
Without turning.
"Depends."
That wasn't comforting.
Riven smirked slightly anyway.
"Still better odds than running blind out here."
He looked back at Nyss.
Eyes calmer now.
More grounded.
"And besides…"
"…the Queen of the Third wants to see me."
Nyss narrowed her eyes.
"That doesn't sound safe."
Riven tilted his head slightly.
"Maybe not."
A pause.
"But it sounds… controlled."
He gestured faintly toward the forest around them.
"This?"
"…this isn't."
That…
She couldn't argue with.
Silence returned.
But it wasn't the same silence as before.
Now it carried thought.
Weight.
Unspoken fears.
Then
Eryx's voice cut through again.
Sharply.
From ahead.
"Over here."
Everyone looked up.
The terrain had shifted.
Subtly.
But clearly.
The trees were thinner here.
The ground sloped slightly downward.
And ahead
Partially hidden between stone and roots
Was a narrow passage.
Natural.
But deliberate.
A path.
Eryx stood at its entrance.
Waiting.
"This leads out of the outer wilderness," he said.
"Faster route."
Roran frowned slightly.
"…Looks like a choke point."
Eryx nodded once.
"It is."
Soren muttered under his breath.
"…Great."
Eryx stepped into the passage.
Without hesitation.
"Then don't fall behind."
The group exchanged brief glances.
Then followed.
Because again
They had no better option.
As Riven stepped into the narrow path, something shifted again.
Subtle.
But real.
The forest behind them felt…
Further away.
And ahead
The air changed.
Cooler.
Sharper.
Different.
Riven's eyes narrowed slightly.
Because for the first time since they escaped
He didn't just feel danger behind them.
He felt something waiting ahead.
Not hunting.
Not chasing.
Waiting.
And for reasons he couldn't explain
That felt worse.
Beside him, Nyss slowed slightly.
Just for a second.
"…Riven."
He glanced at her.
"…Yeah?"
She hesitated.
Then
"…when we get there…"
A pause.
"…everything changes, doesn't it?"
Riven didn't answer immediately.
Because she was right.
Then finally
Quietly
"…Yeah."
Ahead of them
Eryx didn't stop.
Didn't turn.
But his voice carried anyway.
"Good."
A beat.
"Because it needs to."
The path narrowed further.
Darkness closed in.
And step by step
They walked toward it.
Not knowing
They were no longer just escaping.
They were entering something else entirely.