The rumors began quietly.
At first, they were nothing more than small whispers between traveling merchants and wandering adventurers.
Two young fighters.
One wielding a sword with reckless confidence.
The other controlling water with frightening precision.
Some said they were mercenaries.
Others said they were thieves.
But the story was always the same.
They fought soldiers.
And they never stayed in one place for long.
---
Several weeks after the fight in the town, Sora and Johan were already far away.
They walked along a narrow path through a forest where sunlight struggled to reach the ground.
Birds scattered when Sora kicked a loose stone down the trail.
"So…"
Johan already knew what was coming.
"What."
Sora stretched his arms behind his head.
"How big do you think the bounty is now?"
Johan kept walking.
"Bigger."
"That doesn't answer the question."
"It doesn't matter."
Sora frowned.
"It matters to me."
Johan finally glanced at him.
"You shouldn't be proud of being hunted."
Sora grinned.
"I'm not proud."
He paused.
"I'm curious."
Johan shook his head.
"You are impossible."
Sora suddenly stopped walking.
Johan took two more steps before noticing.
"What now?"
Sora pointed ahead.
"Smoke."
Johan followed his gaze.
Thin gray smoke rose above the trees in the distance.
Not the kind from a chimney.
Too much of it.
Too dark.
Sora tilted his head.
"Looks like trouble."
Johan sighed.
"Of course it does."
Sora started walking again.
Johan muttered quietly.
"...This is going to become a habit."
---
The village appeared soon after they exited the forest.
Or what remained of it.
Several buildings were damaged.
Wooden carts had been overturned.
Villagers gathered in small groups, speaking in frightened voices.
A group of armored soldiers stood in the center of the road.
They wore different armor from the guards Sora and Johan had fought before.
Their armor was darker.
Sharper.
And their expressions carried no patience.
One soldier was shouting.
"You people were warned!"
A villager knelt on the ground.
"We paid the taxes already!"
The soldier kicked over a wooden crate beside him.
"Not enough."
Sora watched silently.
Johan crossed his arms.
"You are thinking about it again."
Sora looked at him.
"Thinking about what?"
Johan gestured toward the soldiers.
"Interfering."
Sora scratched the back of his head.
"They look mean."
"They are soldiers."
"Same thing."
Johan exhaled slowly.
"You realize this will make the bounty worse."
Sora smiled.
"You're worried?"
Johan replied flatly.
"No."
Sora stepped forward.
"Good."
---
The soldier in the center turned when he heard footsteps.
He saw the two approaching figures.
"Who are you?"
Sora stopped several meters away.
"Travelers."
The soldier looked annoyed.
"Then travel somewhere else."
Sora nodded thoughtfully.
"That's what the last soldiers said too."
The man frowned.
"...What?"
Johan spoke quietly.
"...Sora."
But Sora was already pulling his sword from its sheath.
The metal gleamed under the cloudy sky.
The soldiers immediately reacted.
Weapons were drawn.
One of them suddenly froze.
His eyes widened as he looked closer at Sora's face.
"...Wait."
He pointed.
"It's them."
Another soldier looked.
Then another.
Recognition spread quickly.
"The rebels!"
Sora sighed.
"Yeah, we're going to need new disguises."
Johan raised his hand calmly.
Water from a nearby barrel lifted into the air.
The soldiers stepped back.
One of them shouted.
"MAGIC!"
Sora rolled his shoulders.
"Same plan?"
Johan answered calmly.
"Unfortunately."
Sora grinned.
"Good."
---
The fight was faster than the last one.
These soldiers were stronger.
More disciplined.
But they still underestimated their opponents.
Sora moved through them like a storm.
His sword struck fast and unpredictable.
Meanwhile, Johan's magic filled the battlefield.
Water surged through the road, slamming into armor and sweeping soldiers off their feet.
One soldier attempted to strike Johan from behind.
The water reacted instantly.
It wrapped around the man and threw him across the street.
Within minutes—
the soldiers were defeated.
Silence returned once again.
The villagers stared in shock.
Sora sheathed his sword.
"See?"
He looked at Johan.
"That went pretty well."
Johan lowered the water slowly.
"...We are definitely criminals now."
Sora smiled at the villagers.
"You should be okay now."
One old man stepped forward.
"Who are you boys?"
Sora thought for a moment.
Then he answered honestly.
"Nobody important."
Johan turned away.
"We should leave."
Sora nodded.
As they walked away from the village, the whispers began again.
This time louder.
Stories would travel faster now.
Across towns.
Across kingdoms.
About the two rebels who fought soldiers and vanished before anyone could stop them.
The boy with the sword.
And the prodigy of water.
And somewhere far away—
in the halls of a royal palace—
someone had already begun reading the reports.