The dawn light filtered through the treetops when something poked me.

  Not gently.

  A foot. Kicking my leg.

  "Oi, brat. Get up. We've already wasted too much time."

  I opened my eyes. Feitan was standing, everything already packed. The campfire was out, backpack on his shoulders.

  As if he hadn't slept.

  "Five minutes," I muttered.

  "No." He pulled me by the arm. Not hard. But firm. "You slept ten hours. That's good enough. Get up."

  I tried to stand.

  My legs trembled.

  Everything hurt. Every muscle protested. Ribs throbbed where Vhorkan had hit.

  "Shit." I fell to my knees.

  Feitan sighed. Loud. Dramatic.

  "Knew it was gonna be like this." He grabbed my backpack, when had he made that?, and threw it over his shoulder along with his. "Well, no help for it. We'll go at your snail's pace then."

  He extended his hand.

  I looked at it. Then at him.

  "I'm not gonna carry you the whole time," he said. Softer tone. "But if you need help to start, that's fine."

  I took his hand.

  He pulled me up. Firm. Steady.

  And for the first time since I woke up, I managed to stand without falling.

  First Day — Morning

  Walking was torture.

  Every step sent waves of pain through my legs. Breathing deep hurt my ribs.

  But I kept going.

  Feitan went ahead. Not too fast. But not slow either.

  He looked back from time to time. Checking if I was still there.

  "Can you keep up?" He asked after twenty minutes.

  "Yes."

  Obvious lie.

  He laughed. Short. Dry.

  "You're a terrible liar, you know that?"

  I didn't answer. Just kept walking.

  I tripped on a root. Almost fell.

  Feitan's hand caught me before I hit the ground.

  "Careful." He helped me balance. "The forest won't take pity on you just because you're hurt."

  He let go as soon as I had balance.

  We continued.

  Midday

  We stopped near a stream.

  Clean water. Gentle current. Relaxing sound.

  Feitan threw the backpacks on the ground and dropped onto a flat rock.

  "Rest. Fifteen minutes."

  I sat down. Slowly. Carefully.

  Every movement was a negotiation with my body.

  I cupped water in my hands. Drank. Cold. Good.

  Feitan was chewing something. Looked like dried meat again.

  We stayed silent for a while.

  Then, without knowing why, I asked:

  "What's Axoland like?"

  He stopped chewing. Looked at me.

  "Why do you want to know?"

  "I'm going to live there. Better to know something."

  He considered. Then shrugged.

  "Different from Kitsumi." He chewed more. "There's none of that shit about only men or only women being able to govern. Whoever's born first inherits. Simple as that. Less idiotic politics."

  "And who governs now?"

  "King Harven." The way he said the name was different. Without sarcasm. Almost respectful. "Decent guy. Diplomatic. Knows how to talk to anyone without making enemies. That's rare."

  He drank water from his canteen.

  "I met him when I was still a kid. Before he became king. He saw me stealing food at the market and instead of calling the knights, he sat beside me and shared his lunch with me."

  Feitan looked at the sky for a moment.

  "After that, I became a magic knight. Climbed the ranks. And he never threw that in my face. Not once. He's a good man. Good friend too."

  There was something there. Not just respect. Gratitude maybe. Genuine loyalty.

  "Does he fight?"

  "No. The man's hopeless with a sword." Feitan laughed. "But he doesn't need to. He has the Kyusei for that."

  "Kyusei?"

  "The nine highest-ranking magic knights. They command the kingdom's military squads." There was no pride in his voice. Just fact. "Each one has a different specialty. I handle let's say complicated threats."

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  He looked at me. Meaningfully.

  "Like demons in neighboring territories."

  Ah.

  "And the rest of the royal family?"

  "Queen Caliope." Feitan smiled. For real this time. "Total opposite of Harven. Playful. Charismatic. Makes everyone laugh. But don't be fooled, she's strong as hell. Magic and sword. One of the best I've seen."

  He grabbed more meat.

  "And there's Princess Mabel."

  The way he said the name.

  Like he'd just bitten a sour lemon.

  "What's the problem with her?"

  "Everything." He shuddered. Visibly. "Girl's eleven years old. ELEVEN. And she can knock down adult soldiers without breaking a sweat. Absurd strength. Monstrous type."

  He looked at the sky as if asking for divine patience.

  "And she's unbearable. Too playful. Arrogant. Keeps challenging me to duels. An eleven-year-old kid. Challenging me. ME."

  Despite everything, something inside me almost smiled.

  Almost.

  "She scares you."

  "Of course she scares me!" He didn't deny it. "When she was younger, like six, seven years old, she had this dead look. Threatening. Like she was calculating the best way to stab you in your sleep."

  He shook his head.

  "She's improved. Now she's just annoying. But still gives me chills. And the worst part? She doesn't control her affinity properly yet. Not even enchantments. Imagine when she learns."

  Silence.

  Then I asked, quieter:

  "And you? Your family?"

  His expression closed off.

  "Shitty noble family. Not worth talking about."

  Final tone. Subject closed.

  I understood the message.

  Afternoon

  We went back to walking.

  Feitan started talking. Not about family. About survival.

  "Look there." He pointed to a plant with red leaves. "Poison. Touch it, you'll have a rash for a week."

  Then he pointed to white mushrooms.

  "These are good. You can eat them. But there are similar ones with black spots that'll kill you in hours."

  He continued. Tree by tree. Plant by plant.

  "See those marks on the trees? Claws. Bear passed through here. Yesterday, maybe. If you see fresh shit, you run. Got it? Run."

  "And if there's no time?"

  "Then you die." He said it so casually. "But at least you die quick. Bear's not sadistic. Just hungry."

  How comforting.

  "Sound of running water means stream. Good for drinking. But also means predators go there. So be careful."

  "Silent birds mean predator nearby. Noisy birds mean everything's calm."

  "Wind changing direction? Storm coming. Look for shelter."

  It was a lesson. Improvised. Raw. But a lesson.

  And I paid attention to every word.

  Because he was right.

  The forest wasn't going to take pity on me.

  Encounter

  We were crossing a clearing when I heard it.

  Growl.

  Low. Guttural.

  I froze.

  Feitan didn't.

  He just turned his head. Slowly.

  "Stay behind me."

  I obeyed. Immediately.

  From the forest edge, something emerged.

  Wolf. No.

  Bigger than a wolf. Black fur. Red eyes. Drool dripping from fangs too long.

  "Beast," Feitan murmured. "Small one. Probably a cub."

  Cub?

  That thing was the size of a horse.

  The creature growled louder.

  Then it attacked.

  Fast. Direct.

  Feitan didn't move until the last second.

  Then he simply dodged.

  Minimum movement. Maximum efficiency.

  The beast passed by him.

  And he cut.

  Once. Clean movement. Precise.

  The creature's head separated from its body.

  Both fell. Apart.

  Blood gushed.

  Everything happened in three seconds.

  Feitan cleaned his sword on the grass.

  "See? Small. If it were an adult, it would've been annoying."

  I looked at the body. At the head.

  At the ease with which he'd killed it.

  "You're strong."

  "I'm a Kyusei. It'd be embarrassing if I wasn't." He sheathed his sword. "But strength isn't just raw power. It's knowing when to use it."

  He walked to the body. Started cutting specific parts.

  "Beast meat is good. Tough, but nutritious. We'll take some."

  He wrapped pieces in cloth.

  Then looked at me.

  "Someday you'll need to do this too."

  "Kill?"

  "Survive." He corrected. "Killing is just part of it."

  Night — Camp

  Feitan made a new fire. Bigger than the previous one.

  "We have fresh meat. Better cook it properly."

  He skewered pieces on branches. Placed them over the fire.

  The smell was surprisingly good.

  I sat near the fire. Watching the flames.

  "Feitan."

  "Hm?"

  "Teach me magic."

  He stopped. Looked at me.

  "Now?"

  "Yes."

  He considered. Then shrugged.

  "Alright. But just the basics. I'm not becoming your official teacher."

  He sat on the other side of the fire.

  "First thing. That stone test they did on you? Trash. Complete trash."

  I blinked.

  "It only detects elemental affinities. Fire, water, lightning, earth, wind. The basic ones. The common ones."

  "And the rest?"

  "There are dozens of affinities. Hundreds maybe. Ice. Metal. Shadow. Light. Blood. Bone. Sound. Space." He made a broad gesture. "The list is almost infinite. But the stone only picks up the five elemental ones."

  He stirred the meat on the fire.

  "That's why you didn't light it up. Your affinity isn't elemental."

  "Transmutation," I murmured.

  He raised an eyebrow.

  "Figured it out yourself?"

  "In the dungeon. I transformed stone into something else."

  "Huh." He seemed impressed. "That's rare. And useful as hell."

  He picked up a stick and started drawing in the dirt.

  "Now. Mana. You know what it is?"

  "Magical energy."

  "More or less. Mana is the energy that flows through everything. Air. Earth. Water. You. Me. That dead beast. Everything has mana."

  He drew a circle.

  "Inside you, there's the core. That's where your mana is stored. The bigger and more developed the core, the more mana you have."

  "How do you develop it?"

  "Use. Training. Time." He added lines coming out of the circle. "When you use magic, mana flows from the core, through your internal pathways, and comes out."

  "And enchantments?"

  "Ah yes. Enchantments." He threw the stick away. "Those are structures you consciously build. It's not just releasing mana. It's weaving it into specific patterns to create effects."

  He raised his hand. Mana started to glow. Pale green.

  But it wasn't just light.

  It had form. Layers. Like complex webs intertwining.

  "See? Structure. Purpose. Intention."

  The mana dispersed.

  "The more complex the enchantment, the harder to maintain. The more mana it consumes. But also more powerful."

  He turned the meat on the fire.

  "Some enchantments are so complicated they take minutes to build. Others are simple. Quick. Depends on what you want to do."

  I stayed quiet. Processing.

  "Can I try?"

  "Try what?"

  "Feel mana. Make an enchantment."

  Feitan looked at me. Then at the sky. Sighed.

  "Fine. But don't complain if it hurts. First time always hurts."

  First Attempt

  I sat cross-legged. Like I'd seen in some old anime.

  I closed my eyes.

  I searched for that presence. In the center of my chest.

  The core.

  It took a while. Longer than in the dungeon.

  But I found it.

  Small. Dormant. But there.

  I tried to pull.

  Slowly. Carefully.

  The presence moved.

  Flowed to my arms.

  But different from before.

  This time, I tried to give it form.

  Structure.

  Like Feitan had shown.

  Weave patterns.

  The mana trembled. Reluctant.

  I tried again. More intention.

  Form. Purpose. Structure.

  The mana started to respond.

  Slow. Very slow.

  But it was responding.

  And then something happened.

  The mana came out.

  Not an explosion like in the dungeon.

  But controlled flow.

  Small. Weak.

  But controlled.

  I opened my eyes.

  My hand glowed. Faintly. Almost imperceptible.

  But it was there.

  I looked at Feitan.

  He was watching. Neutral expression.

  Then he nodded.

  Once.

  "Wasn't horrible. For a real first time."

  Coming from him, that was praise.

  Three Days Later — Border

  Three days passed.

  Walking. Survival lessons. Magic attempts.

  My body still hurt. But less.

  I could walk without stumbling every five minutes.

  And then, on the afternoon of the third day, we arrived.

  The border.

  There was no wall. No gate.

  Just a stone marker. Simple. With an engraved symbol.

  A lion with wings.

  "Axoland," Feitan said. "Welcome."

  We passed the marker.

  And everything changed.

  Not dramatically. Not magically.

  But there was a difference.

  The road was better. Not just packed dirt. But fitted stones. Leveled.

  The trees were more spaced. More organized.

  And then I saw it.

  In the distance.

  A village.

  Small. Maybe fifty houses.

  But real houses.

  Not collapsing shacks. Not patched roofs.

  But solid structures. Cared for.

  Gardens with flowers. Not just subsistence vegetables.

  Children playing in the street. Laughing. Without fear.

  People talking. Calmly. Without that glassy look of devotees.

  Without that fear of skeptics.

  Just people.

  Living.

  I stopped.

  I looked at the village.

  Then at Feitan.

  "Is this normal here?"

  "Is what normal?"

  "The people. The houses. Everything."

  He looked at the village. Then back at me.

  And understood.

  "Yes. This is normal."

  My throat tightened.

  Because that.

  That was a hundred times better than anything in Kitsumi.

  And it was just a commoner village.

  Common.

  Normal.

  "Sekire."

  I looked at him.

  "It's still a day and a half to the capital. But this?" He gestured to the village. "This is the standard. Not the exception."

  Something inside me trembled.

  Not hope yet.

  But possibility.

  Maybe.

  Just maybe.

  I could start over here.

  For real.