As the wind swept through the mountains and valleys, it moved with nature's will — both as an eye and as an ear.
A faint chirp echoed from a bird perched high upon a tree, deep within the vast forest.
The canopy was so thick that even the moonlight could barely pierce through the leaves, its light scattered in soft fragments.
The bird suddenly fell silent.
It had spotted a group of humans moving through the undergrowth — a four-man reconnaissance squad.
They advanced cautiously through the dense forest.
The man in front was the oldest, his face worn and steady — a natural leader, though his expression showed no joy.
Behind him, the younger scouts whispered among themselves, earning his sharp rebuke.
"Mark! Coni! This will be the last time I warn you — or it'll be your last mission!"
The red-haired young man chuckled, unfazed.
"We've been scouting for three hours! We haven't even seen a single animal!"
The leader sighed, turning his gaze to the quietest among them — the shy, observant boy who rarely spoke.
That boy gave a weary sigh before explaining, his tone calm but firm. Kayden.
"The animals we saw aren't edible targets. Even if we saw one, they we're trying to avoid something deep inside. But for a forest this dense to be so quiet—"
The leader cut him off.
"—Then the only reason left is either a beast… or a camp deep within."
Coni's grin widened, his excitement barely contained.
"Finally, some action!"
Mark smirked beside him.
"About time!"
Their leader, Luke, gave them a cold stare.
"You idiots. We're a reconnaissance squad — not the suicide squad."
A rustle broke their argument.
Voices — close, approaching. The squad scattered into cover among trees and bushes.
Luke gestured for silence. Two men were patrolling nearby.
Bows were drawn. Blades half-unsheathed.
But instead of attacking, they listened.
"I wonder why the noble hired us here," one mercenary said.
"Must be for the runes," replied the other.
"Yeah, I heard something about that. But sending this many men for a single rune? I bet there's a spirit in this forest!"
Luke saw a glimpse of his badge, an unwanted colonies
Luke gave sign within the shadows subtle but just enough for them to notice.
Silence followed.
The man turned, puzzled.
"Carl—?"
His words never finished.
An arrow pierced through his head.
A badge drops from his clothes, Luke then picked it up slowly confirming his suspicion with the symbols carved on the wooden badge.
He store the badge in his pockets, while ordering them to retreat.
"Good shot," Luke whispered. "Now, retreat."
But Coni protested.
"Retreat? Didn't you hear what they said? There might be a rune — or a spirit! If we find it, we could earn some time off!"
Mark nodded eagerly.
"We were lucky he was off guard, he could easily call for back up and we will be doomed! You guys also recognized the symbols on their badge don't you?"
They glare at the other man's death body spotting another badge carved with the same symbols.
"We'd still get bonuses for gathering intel, Captain Luke we don't need to fight!"
The other supports his statement
"I'll promise I won't mess around no more!"
The silent boy said nothing, checking the string of his bow.
Luke sighed again.
> "Fine. But I won't take responsibility for your safety — and you'll answer for it when we get back."
They pressed onward, tracking signs of the enemy's camp. Bones, footprints, ashes they follow the trails as if they were trying to fish something big, but the deeperr they went the bigger the fish they saw.
As the sun began to set, faint smoke rose from the southern forest.
Coni squinted.
"Isn't that Ron? I thought he was discharged yesterday!"
he whispered
"This just confirms more that there's something off inside this forest, Ron probably saw them and they needed to silents him, but instead they tried to also grab a few information by torturing him"
Luke's shared his deduction
"But doesn't he have the level of a knight?"
Luke remembered something unpleasant by then. Last night he was on duty as a guard, before finishing his part he saw a man drunken walking and swaying left to right trying not to lose to earth's gravity.
He sighs "something must have happened, still we couldn't ignore the possibilities that there's someone on par with him"
Luke observed carefully.
Ron was indeed there — bound to a tree.
An alcoholic but loyal warrior who'd rather die than be captured. Even the commanders respected his dedication.
"We need to save him while he is unconcious, who knows what they might do with him the longer he tried to remain silent!" Says Mark as he knew that Ron would rather die there instead of giving burden to other for his safety.
Luke considered many possibilities and outcomes. Going inside the camp blatantly is definitely a bad idea and no enough tricks can be played to ignore fatal outcome, atleast with the available option they had.
Luke gave them a simple order:
"You have two options. Save him and retreat within three minutes — or kill him, and end his suffering."
When the patrol shifted, they struck.
Coni charged in recklessly, his sword flashing through the air. His technique was sharp — but his temper was sharper.
Kayden, the quiet archer, provided cover, while Mark followed with unsteady determination.
Meanwhile at the same time, Luke circled the camp, setting fires to create chaos. He purposely set the biggest one near their food supplies. Though the fire source was limited, there was many vines near their camp for the fire to eat and grow.
Flames licked the trees. Both the fire and panic spread fast through the enemy lines. As the enemies troop began to scatter in confusion.
Luke tried to regroup with the rest, until a squad of crossbowmen spotted him.
He sprinted into the forest, meeting his exhausted men near the edge — only to see that beyond the treeline lay an open field, flat and bare.
No rocks. No trees. No cover.
The sky darkened — storm clouds gathering like an omen.
Casualties were inevitable. The mud from the upcoming rain will make it harder for them to escape. And if they are still in the enemies sight they could track the location of their camp. The situation is performed like a deck of card, except all your card in your hand when played will lead to their own losses and inevitable outcome.
Luke's decision came swiftly. His instincts, honed by countless battles, spoke before his heart could stop him.
"Run back to the camp. Don't stop until you're clear of their sight."
He tore the cloth he had prepared in his bag and handed them strips.
"Tie these to your boots. Leave no proper trail. They won't track you, I will make sure they are unable to leave this forest with their full limb attached"
Coni's voice trembled.
"You're not planning to sacrifice yourself for our decision, are you?"
Luke met his eyes.
"This isn't a request. It's an order. I don't plan to die… but surviving is nothing but a miracle."
He glanced down at his sword, his reflection dim in the steel.
"So don't regret this. Perform your final duty as this is my last order— and run flawlessly."
Coni wanted to protest again, but the looks on Mark and Kayden's faces stopped him.
Guilt. Determination. Acceptance.
The sky began to shed it tears as they fled. The first drops of rain starts to fall — soft, then steady.
The forest wept for him.
Luke stood alone beneath the storm.
"Right before my discharge."
He took a deep breath before letting the air and burden out of his body.
"Is this my legacy — to remain mediocre? Or was it the wrong path I chose long ago?"
He looked to the sky, as he hold the hilt of his sword as there was no hope he could hold on to.
Footsteps splashed through the puddles nearby.
He raised his blade — calm, resolute.
There was no doubt that he will die tonight. But his heart did not tremble.
Only his shoulders tensed… ready for the final storm.