Walking toward danger is an activity that, according to books, should be full of adrenaline and glory. In my case, it just felt like one more stupid entry on my homeless résumé.
As I headed toward the forest, I ran into four villagers. They were on their way home, walking with the hurried pace of people who know the world is falling apart outside. Curiously, the sound of the explosions inside the wooden walls felt faint, almost nonexistent; some kind of acoustic trick of the village that explained why there wasn't a horde of people screaming in the middle of a nervous breakdown.
They stopped me. Their faces were an ugly mix of suspicion and terror, as if they expected me to have answers—or better yet, to be the one responsible for ruining their quiet night.
—Don't worry, I'll go check what's happening. I'll be right back. I don't think it's anything bad —I said with a smile that cost me every gram of dignity.
At that moment, I decided it was the perfect time for my final great performance: the hero pose.
I stood there, firm, trying to let my "savior" aura hide the fact that my knees were shaking. The villagers' eyes widened, shining with an intensity that made me puff out my chest for a second. But reality is a treacherous bitch. That shine wasn't because of my charisma—it was the reflection of something rising right behind my neck.
A flash. No—a celestial wildfire.
It was a light so insultingly colossal that it turned the night into a violent artificial noon. Imagine an action movie scene where the protagonist fills the entire screen while the world explodes behind him. Well, the scene was exactly like that, except that flash was the size of an entire forest. A column of energy so tall it was probably burning the face of the moon itself.
When I noticed the pure panic in their eyes, the little courage I had left evaporated. I turned around.
There it was. An explosion that defied all logic. It was beautiful in a ridiculous, obscene way. It was so outrageous, so loaded with a power that shouldn't exist, that simply continuing to look at such absurdity filled me with a fear that reached straight into my bones.
«Where the hell are Renii and Alele when you actually need them?» was the only thing I managed to form in the chaos of my mind as I stared at that gigantic beam. It had the color of an angry sun, a column of solar fire that seemed to be holding up the weight of the sky.
Suddenly, the light stopped dead. It vanished.
The silence that followed lasted barely a millisecond, shattered by a blast that wasn't just heard—it was felt in the lungs. An invisible shockwave swept through the street, striking with the force of a sledgehammer. The four villagers beside me were thrown backward, rolling across the ground like rag dolls.
I ran toward them, still feeling the air burning against my skin.
—Easy, Furan... —one of them said while trying to regain his balance.
«I hate being called that», I thought with automatic contempt, even in the middle of the disaster.
While helping them up, my gaze inevitably drifted toward the forest. Terror clenched my throat. I had said I would go, but... what exactly am I supposed to do? I don't have powers. I don't have abilities. I have nothing but a wooden spear and a wrinkled blazer. I stood there trembling, frozen by a fear that came straight from my marrow.
—I'm scared —I admitted out loud, unable to stop myself.
—That's normal —a villager replied, brushing dirt off his face—. We're terrified too. That kind of power could wipe this village off the map in the blink of an eye.
Seconds later, the entire village started vomiting people out of their houses. They poured out in fear, shouting questions about whether they had heard that, what that massive flash of light was. Panic is contagious, and I was patient zero.
«What do I do?», the doubt gnawed at me. If I didn't go, I'd be the official coward of the village. But if I went without Renii or Alele, my adventure would most likely end as a footnote in the local obituary.
I turned toward the crowd, clenched my fists, and was about to say, "Hey, maybe we should wait—" when someone interrupted me.
He was an imposing man. A few millimeters short of two meters tall, around thirty-five years old, but with an appearance that screamed neglect. He had dark circles under his eyes that looked like abysses, long unkempt hair, and a smell of alcohol that arrived before his words did. But when he spoke, his voice wasn't that of a drunk—it was that of a general.
—My people, let's remain calm —he declared with an authority that silenced the murmurs—. Whatever is happening in the forest, for the moment it doesn't affect us. Besides, I'm sure the new adventurers staying here will solve the problem.
He said it with such conviction that for a moment I forgot the man looked like he hadn't bathed in a week. Did he say "my people"? And how did he know about us? The alcohol must've given him delusions of grandeur… or maybe he knew more than he let on.
At that moment, a stupid determination took hold of me. I filled myself with courage that didn't belong to me and shouted:
—Don't worry! Leave it to us. It's a piece of cake!
I stretched out my arm, pointing at the crowd with a slight, cocky smile, trying to win their trust—or maybe just searching for a glorious way to die. On the outside, I looked like the savior the world needed; on the inside, I was dying of embarrassment, terror, and a deep disgust toward my own recklessness.
I turned toward the forest. I started walking step by step, carrying a fake determination heavier than my spear. I farmed so much "hero aura" during that walk that the villagers, staring at my back, probably thought it would be the last time they'd ever see me alive.
«How the hell am I supposed to defeat someone with power like that?», the thought hammered against my skull as the darkness of the trees swallowed me. I grabbed my head with both hands, burying my fingers in my black hair, trapped in a hysteria that made me move erratically. «That thing is going to disintegrate me. I'm a piece of meat in front of a sun».
—It doesn't matter. I'll figure it out —I muttered, even though my own voice sounded like a lie.
As I crossed the threshold of the forest, I tightened my grip on the wooden spear. I tried to activate some kind of magic, something that would make me feel less like a victim, but… I don't even know how to use magic. How pathetic. Walking into this green hell with nothing but a stick. My only hope was that whoever caused the explosions was someone you could talk to.
Or at least that's what I wished, until reality punched me in the face.
Renii and Alele were lying on the ground. Defeated.
Their bodies released thin strands of smoke and were covered in burns that turned my stomach. I froze. «Wait… isn't Alele a spirit? How the hell does he get physical burns?». Seeing Renii so weak confirmed that he hadn't caused the explosion; someone else was there. Someone who had shuffled them aside like trash.
I slipped between the bushes, trying not to snap a single branch. Just when I was about to step out to drag Renii away from there, a female voice cut through the air.
—Stop.
Panic seeped down my spine like icy water. The tension in the air became so dense it felt as if the oxygen had been replaced by lead. I froze, not because of a spell, but because instinct told me any movement meant death. The spear vibrated in my hands, feeling like a plastic toy—a mockery against the graveyard silence of the forest.
I knew that if I moved, my head would roll across the grass. It wasn't a hunch; it was certainty.
A second later, I felt hands wrap around my neck.
I was stuck in that ridiculous half-sitting, half-standing pose, paralyzed. Her hands were soft, but they tightened slowly enough that I could feel every pore of her skin. She wasn't squeezing, just reminding me that my life belonged to her. I felt her body position itself against my back, pressing into me with a pressure that stole my breath.
Her head was right behind mine. I could hear her breathing, feel her smelling me as if I were interesting prey. Her breasts pressed against my back, brushing the fabric of my blazer with a warmth that felt insulting in the middle of so much terror. Her legs wrapped around my waist; she was practically sitting on me, enveloping me in an embrace that smelled like danger and something sweet I couldn't identify.
The forest was silent. Not a cricket, not a leaf moving. Only the sound of my heart trying to escape my chest and the friction of her body against mine.
And then the worst thing happened. Despite the fear, despite seeing my friends dying a few meters away, I felt a spark of pleasure. The warmth of her chest, the way her legs trapped me… I liked it. It was a disgusting sensation, a betrayal by my own body that made me want to stay there while death caressed my neck.
—What is a weakling doing in this forest, alone? —she whispered in my ear. Her voice was a cold caress that made the hair on my arms stand up—. Don't you feel afraid?
«Of course I'm afraid, terribly afraid», I answered in the silent screams of my mind. I was being touched in a way that clouded my judgment, physical contact that made me feel vulnerable and, at the same time, stupidly alive.
—You're not from here, right? —she continued, pressing her face deeper into the back of my neck. She inhaled deeply—. I smell something different on you. Something I don't smell on the other adventurers.
She paused, letting the weight of her body settle more comfortably against mine.
—Maybe you have some questions, but your friends aren't dead. I just put them to sleep. They were ruining my nap time. I don't know what strange game they were playing… something about catching a ball with a fireball. That animal kept swallowing flames over and over. How the hell it didn't die is something I can't explain.
«First time you've seen those two idiots?», I thought with a look of absolute nervousness and an awkward smile that, thankfully, she couldn't see from behind. The relief of knowing Renii and the creature were still breathing mixed with the embarrassment of someone witnessing their nonsense.
—It doesn't matter —she concluded, slowly loosening her grip on my neck, though without fully moving away—. Anyway, I'm leaving. Maybe we'll see each other again.
Can I ask your name?
I swallowed. My throat was dry, but I managed to force the syllables out.
—It's… it's… Furanchesoku.
—Furanchesoku… I see. Thank you.
I felt one last brush, a sigh against my skin, and then the pressure vanished. The warmth that had wrapped around me evaporated, leaving me alone with the cold of the forest and the echo of a name that suddenly felt heavier than before.
From one moment to the next, the pressure at the back of my neck disappeared. The warmth of her body, that embrace that felt like a silk trap, simply ceased to exist. I remained there, frozen in that ridiculous pose, waiting for the finishing blow, the cut across my throat or a mocking laugh. But only the graveyard silence of the forest returned.
She was gone. Vanished as if she had never been more than a feverish hallucination caused by panic.
—Seriously…? —my voice came out like a frayed thread—. Is it over?
I dropped the wooden spear, which fell onto the grass with a dull sound. I felt strangely disappointed, a stupid emptiness in my chest that reminded me how pathetic my body was for reacting with pleasure to its own death. But it didn't matter. What mattered—the only thing that counted in this insane world—was that I had survived one more day.
I forced myself to move. My legs trembled like jelly as I walked toward the bodies of Renii and Alele. There they were, snoring peacefully in a way that felt insulting.
—You two useless idiots… —I muttered while inspecting them.
Despite the burns and the smoke still rising from them, their breathing was deep and rhythmic. They had simply let themselves lose. I had no proof, but no doubt either: the moment things got ugly, these two had decided a nap was better than fighting.
With a sigh full of resignation, I hoisted Renii over one shoulder—the guy weighed like a sack of rocks—and grabbed Alele, wrapping him around my neck like a warm, furry scarf. Both of them kept snoring in my ear, a constant reminder of my misfortune.
I walked slowly back toward the village, feeling each step sink deeper into the mud. I didn't expect a welcome. In fact, I expected everyone to be hiding under their beds. But I was wrong.
When I reached the first houses, a sea of torches blinded me. The guards rushed toward me, but not to arrest me—rather to take the weight of Renii and Alele off my shoulders. They hurried them away to treat their injuries, while the rest of the villagers surrounded me in a storm of shouts and questions.
—Are you okay? —Tell us what happened! —How do you feel? —Didn't you get hurt?! —they shouted, their faces lit by fire and morbid curiosity.
In the middle of that chaos, the drunk old man—the same one who had given that incoherent speech earlier and who turned out to be the village leader—pushed his way forward. He stopped in front of me and, to my complete disbelief, gave me a deep bow. A gesture of absolute respect that left me stunned.
«They feel grateful? Seriously?», I thought, feeling like a fraud. I hadn't done anything except get groped by a stranger and pick two idiots up off the ground.
—You don't have to do that —I said, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly—. I didn't really do much anyway…
—It's not about whether you did something or not —the old man interrupted, lifting his gaze. His eyes, once clouded by alcohol, now shone with piercing seriousness—. You went into the forest alone. You entered with fear and worry, and still you returned safe and sound. You did it when no one else wanted to. You're incredible, Furanchesoku. You have my respect.
I felt sudden warmth rise to my cheeks. For the first time since arriving in this place, I felt that my effort—or my misfortune—hadn't been in vain. The knot in my throat tightened and a treacherous tear slipped out.
—Thanks, you old drunk —I said with a genuine smile—. You made me feel better.
The silence that followed was so sudden it hurt. The atmosphere of gratitude and warmth transformed into electric tension, charged with a dread that made me step back. The man's smile twisted, becoming something sharp, something… murderous.
—What did you just call me, excuse me…? —his voice dropped several octaves.
I realized my mistake instantly. The adrenaline surged again, but this time for a much more mundane reason.
—I'M SORRY! SOMEBODY HELP ME! —I shouted as I spun around and ran like a soul chased by the devil—. Forgive me!
—Boy, you just earned yourself life in confinement! —the old man roared, chasing after me with agility someone his age shouldn't have.
—NOOOO! PLEASE, NOT AGAIN! —I cried while running through the village streets, with the shadow of imprisonment snapping at my heels once more…