We arrived at the village when the sun was almost above our heads.
I looked at Pritha. Her face was very pale, and her steps were slow, but she was still walking by herself. That made my chest feel lighter. Pritha looked small and fragile, but she didn't like people helping her too much.
If someone tried, she would shake her head and try harder. Two weeks ago, she kept falling during training. Now she could keep walking beside us, step by step.
We sat under a big tree near a tavern while Spiro went inside.
The tree gave us shade, and the ground felt cool when I leaned my back against it. My legs were sore from walking, but the rest felt good.
Spiro usually came back quickly. He never stayed inside for long.
But this time he did not come back.
At first, nobody cared. More rest meant we didn't have to move, and that was nice.
Theo stretched his arms and laughed.
"Maybe he found good ale."
Margaretha rolled her eyes. "Spiro doesn't drink during training."
Theo shrugged. "Still possible."
Time kept passing.
The sun moved a little. The shadow of the tree slowly shifted across the dirt.
Pritha hugged her knees and sat quietly. Agni leaned against the trunk with his eyes half closed. Robert stood nearby like a statue, watching the road.
I tried not to think about it, but the waiting started to make my stomach feel strange.
Waiting was bad.
Waiting meant something might happen.
Waiting meant something might go wrong.
Just when the feeling started crawling up my chest, the tavern door opened.
Spiro walked out.
My shoulders loosened without me noticing.
He walked toward us like nothing was wrong.
"Good," he said. "You should have had plenty of rest by now, right?"
We all nodded.
"Then this time, we're going to have field training."
Before anyone could ask what that meant, he continued calmly.
"We're going somewhere else. It's good for survival training. Two days of walking. And yes, we walk."
Theo groaned loudly.
"Two days?"
Spiro ignored him and simply started walking.
We followed.
The road slowly turned into a forest path. Trees grew thicker around us, and the air smelled damp and green.
As we walked, Spiro kept talking.
He pointed at plants and mushrooms along the path.
"This one will make you sick."
"That fruit is edible."
"If you see claw marks like that, a beast passed recently."
Most of it sounded familiar to me. My village had forests too. My father used to teach me which berries were safe.
For a moment, I almost heard his voice again.
I blinked hard and looked back at the path.
Spiro, Theo, and Margaretha kept talking as they walked. Their voices rose and fell like they were having fun. Agni and Pritha stayed quiet, and Robert walked silently like always.
I didn't talk much either.
I just listened and kept moving.
When night came, Spiro showed us how to set up tents. Agni made fire easily, snapping his fingers and burning dry wood like it was nothing.
The warm firelight danced on the trees.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
Still, when I lay down inside the tent, my body was very tired. My arms and legs ached from walking.
The others looked tired too.
We all fell asleep quickly.
***
The next morning felt strange.
My body felt light.
I had slept deeply, deeper than usual. The forest was quiet, and the morning air was cool.
For a moment, it felt safe.
But it didn't stay that way.
On the second day, the monsters came.
The first ones were small groups.
Goblins.
Orcs.
Once, a giant spider dropped from a branch.
We killed them easily. Spiro even made us take turns fighting.
"Your turn," he said once, pointing at Theo.
Theo grinned and stepped forward.
At another time, a few bandits tried to stop us on the road.
"Leave your bags," one of them started to say.
Robert's sword moved before the man finished speaking.
The bandits fell into the dirt.
After that, the forest became quieter again.
But the deeper we went, the more monsters appeared.
Soon, there were too many for one person.
"Group formation," Spiro ordered.
His voice changed during battle. It became sharper. Harder.
"Robert, front."
"Agni, left side."
"Move!"
We followed without thinking.
Under his command, the monsters slowly fell one by one.
When the last one dropped, the forest became silent again.
That night, we made camp.
This time, we took turns watching while the others slept.
Nothing happened.
***
The next morning, we kept walking.
The sun had barely risen when Spiro suddenly stopped.
He turned toward us and crossed his arms.
"Alright," he said. "Before we go further, I need to explain something."
His serious face made everyone quiet.
I thought it would take a long time.
But it didn't.
He pulled out a rough map and spread it on the ground.
"This is the Wrock bandits' hideout," he said, tapping a spot with his finger. "We attack at midnight."
That was all the introduction he gave.
Then he began assigning positions.
"Spiro, Robert, Agni, and Pritha will attack from the front."
He pointed to the side.
"Margaretha and Rick from the flank. Theo from behind."
He looked at each of us carefully.
"My group draws attention. Robert leads the front. Agni and Pritha burn the buildings."
His finger moved across the map.
"When smoke rises, that is your signal."
He looked directly at me.
"If there is no smoke, you retreat immediately. No hesitation."
Then he rolled up the map.
"That's all."
I blinked.
…That really was all.
We followed him closer to the hideout until we reached a hill. Carefully, we crawled upward and looked down.
Below us was a small clearing in the forest.
Wooden buildings stood close together. Smoke from cooking fires drifted into the air.
To see better, we climbed the tallest tree on the hill.
The branches creaked quietly under our weight.
From up there, everything became clearer.
I focused my Avenir Eyes.
Blue lights appeared in the darkness below, flickering softly.
I counted.
Then I whispered, "Around ten people inside."
Spiro shook his head slightly.
"Not all of them. Some are outside. Patrols. If we attack now, the rest will escape."
So we waited.
We made a small camp under the tree, but we didn't light a fire. Our bags were hidden under leaves and branches.
"Rest," Spiro told us.
I lay down on the ground.
At first, my mind wouldn't stop moving.
I kept thinking about the hideout.
About the attack.
About the fire, we would start.
Fire.
The word made something twist inside my chest.
For a moment, I smelled smoke again.
Not the campfire.
Another fire.
A bigger one.
I squeezed my eyes shut until the feeling faded.
The night breeze moved softly through the trees.
Little by little, the thoughts became slower.
Sleep came quietly.
***
Something touched my shoulder.
I woke up instantly.
My hand moved before I even thought.
Then I saw Spiro standing above me in the dark.
"It's time," he said softly.
The forest was silent.
My chest felt tight, but my body was already moving.
One by one, we gathered our weapons and slipped into the shadows.
The forest watched quietly as midnight came closer.
But I still woke up several times during the night.
Every time the wind moved the leaves, I opened my eyes.