The trail seemed simple enough, but with every step I understood just how vast the distances were in this world. Everything looked so close from a distance. There's the forest, the river beyond it, then a couple of villages and the capital. In reality though, every tree seemed to deliberately retreat backward, extending our journey.

  Gart walked confidently and unhurriedly. Sometimes he'd stop to adjust his backpack or examine some herbs by the roadside. Ellionora moved lightly, her thin legs seemingly immune to fatigue. Watching her, I couldn't help but wonder how a child, especially one from aristocracy, could walk with such calm and confidence.

  I decided to break the silence.

  "Do you often have to travel this long?"

  The old man shrugged, smirking.

  "When you don't have a choice, you get used to it."

  Ellionora threw an attentive glance at Gart.

  "But you're clearly no stranger to this path."

  "Lots of roads, but not many directions. One way or another, they lead somewhere."

  It was obvious Gart wasn't one to talk about his routes and intentions. Well, that was his right. I was more interested in something else.

  "What other towns are there on the way to the capital? I'm not too familiar with these parts."

  Gart pondered, as if mentally recalling a map.

  "Before the capital, there's at least three villages and a couple of towns. The largest is Elsbein, where we can rest and resupply."

  Ellionora sighed with relief.

  "So we'll be able to rest properly soon. I already miss a soft bed."

  Gart laughed quietly.

  "Not used to life outdoors, I see, girl. That's a shame. Nature is sometimes safer than people."

  I listened to their conversation, trying to catch shades of hidden meaning. For some reason, Gart's words sounded strange. Maybe it was fatigue, maybe my distrust. Or maybe it just seemed that way.

  Gart tensed immediately and stopped, raising his hand for us to freeze too. Silence suddenly pressed down on us like a heavy weight. The forest seemed frozen, even the wind stopped rustling the leaves.

  "Hear that?"

  Ellionora slowly approached the old man, hiding behind his back. I carefully looked around, trying to see what had made Gart wary. Everything around us was empty, but my spine went cold.

  Suddenly I heard a quiet, barely distinguishable scraping that was becoming more distinct. It seemed like someone was slowly dragging sharp claws across tree bark, making my skin break out in cold goosebumps. Unpleasant associations with something dangerous and unfamiliar surfaced in my mind.

  "Into the bushes, quick!"

  Gart jumped aside, pushing Ellionora along. I dove after them, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

  The three of us hid behind wide bushes, trying not to make noise even with our breathing. The old man slowly pulled a small knife from his backpack and froze with a tense face. I caught myself instinctively trying to gather power inside and use magic.

  Then the creature slowly emerged from behind the trees. It moved uncertainly, but with some kind of sickeningly painful grace. The first thing that caught my eye were enormous horns, resembling a ram's. They twitched slightly, as if alive. One of the thing's eyes hung on bloody tendons, the other burned with an unnatural purple light. Its nostrils were stretched almost to its chin, and instead of a mouth there was a strange cavity hidden under folds of skin.

  Ellionora squeezed my hand so hard I involuntarily flinched.

  "Did it notice us?"

  The creature froze and slowly turned its head. The eye glowing with purple light stopped directly on our hiding spot. I felt everything go cold inside.

  "Now it definitely has."

  The next moment the thing lurched forward and, making a horrible rasping sound, charged straight at us.

  I instinctively threw myself toward Ellionora to protect her and the old man. Everything happened so fast my brain couldn't keep up with my body. I took a defensive stance, shifting my weight forward and preparing to catch the attack.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  Only a moment later did I see Gart step aside. There wasn't a trace of emotion on his face. He radiated indifference and cold blood. The old man took a couple steps to the side and prepared to strike.

  I reached with my left hand toward Ellionora's shoulder, ready to push her away when the beast got close. Touching her, I felt how tense her arm was. The girl was ready to stand up for herself, and that reassured me.

  "Luten, now!"

  The old man watched me carefully from the corner of his eye. But I couldn't be distracted by him. When the animal got within striking distance, I grabbed its horns and pulled down. Inertia carried us backward, and the animal fell on its stomach.

  I managed to push Ellionora away, but the horns threw me against a tree with a light movement. The impact was strong, but strangely, I barely felt any pain.

  Coming to my senses, I lifted my head. Gart was already climbing onto the rising quasi-ram with unexpected agility for his age. With smooth movements he stood on its back and threw the knife straight into its neck. Blood gushed like a fountain from the wound, staining everything around in violet.

  After checking that everyone was alright, we continued on. It was getting dark, and we'd just reached a small lake. The old man washed up first, then me, to give the girl more time.

  I sat by the fire, watching the flames eagerly eat up the dry branches. Adrenaline slowly left my body, and I felt a growing heaviness throughout. Tangled, anxious thoughts spun in my head.

  Gart sat across from me, studying me with a heavy gaze through the flames.

  "You reacted well, Luten. Like it's not your first time grappling with creatures. Experience?"

  I shrugged, feeling the tension of his intense stare.

  "Just instinct. My subconscious knows what to do."

  The old man smirked, tossing a branch into the fire.

  "Instinct is only good as long as you understand what you're surviving for. Do you know?"

  I frowned, feeling his words touch some sore spot inside.

  "Isn't that enough? Just to survive."

  "For a beast, maybe. But for a person... I'm not sure. You think the capital will solve your problems? That you'll find yourself there?"

  I didn't answer right away. The question sounded simple, but the more I thought about it, the fewer answers I had.

  "Maybe I won't find anything. But it's easier to disappear there. Sometimes that's all you want."

  Gart sighed deeply, as if weighing every word.

  "Disappearing is easy. Only then you can't find yourself again. You can run from everything except yourself. You say you're just surviving. But I have a feeling you're afraid to look deeper. Afraid you'll find emptiness there."

  "How would you know what I'm afraid of?"

  I raised my voice involuntarily. It irritated me how close he'd come to the truth. Gart smiled, but without warmth, more sadly.

  "Because I've seen many like you. I was like that myself. Without purpose, you're just a puppet on someone's strings."

  His words sounded harsh, painful, but I couldn't argue. Something pricked inside unpleasantly.

  "So what do you suggest? Just make up a purpose to make life easier?"

  "No. You can't find purpose if you're just hiding from life."

  He looked me straight in the eyes.

  "It'll come when you stop running. When you start acting on your own, not just reacting to others' moves."

  I stayed silent, staring into the fire. My thoughts tangled, and I felt uneasy inside. For the first time I felt completely exposed before this strange old man.

  Ellionora quietly approached the fire and carefully sat down nearby, slightly wrapping herself in her clothes. She looked at us thoughtfully for several seconds, as if deciding whether she should join the conversation at all.

  "What were you talking about without me?"

  She spoke softly, clearly trying to make her voice sound carefree. I shrugged and smiled slightly, not wanting to give the old man away.

  "Just discussing what to do next when we reach the capital. What about you, Ellionora? What are you planning to do there?"

  She thought for a moment, then shrugged slightly.

  "Return to my family. They must be worried sick. But I'm curious..."

  She hesitated, not daring to finish the thought. Gart, without taking his eyes off the fire, prompted.

  "What's curious?"

  She looked at me, studying my face with feigned casualness in the firelight.

  "Luten, you once said that sometimes you have to do things you don't want to. But is that justification? Isn't it hard to live with afterward?"

  Her question was strange, and somehow not quite childlike, but I couldn't think about it too deeply right now. I frowned and slowly answered.

  "Of course it's hard. But sometimes it's the only way out. The main thing is understanding why you did it. Then it's easier to accept the consequences."

  She looked intently into my eyes, as if trying to read my thoughts. Then she said quietly.

  "And if there are more consequences than you expected? Have you ever thought about how your actions affected others?"

  Her gaze was too serious for a child. It made me internally wary. I shifted my gaze to Gart, but he was silent, as if deliberately allowing her to speak.

  "I've thought about it, of course... But there isn't always time to think about it when making decisions. Sometimes you don't get to choose, even with a strong desire to go against the current."

  She nodded slightly, gazing thoughtfully into the fire, then asked quietly.

  "Would you want to change anything about your actions?"

  The question seemed to hang in the air. I fell silent, feeling the weight of my own thoughts. The girl was clearly waiting for an answer, and there was something strange in her gaze, almost expectation. I slowly nodded.

  "Probably, yes. But you can't change the past, you can only move forward."

  Gart smiled, throwing a brief glance at both of us.

  "Exactly, Luten. You can only accept and move forward. Or remain a prisoner of the past forever."

  Ellionora lowered her gaze and smiled, as if she'd gotten what she wanted to hear.

  "Thank you, Luten. You helped me understand something important."

  She fell silent again, continuing to watch the fire. And suddenly that anxious feeling washed over me again. I didn't fully understand what exactly I'd helped her with. But I instinctively felt this conversation was much more important to her than it seemed to me.