The forest remained quiet long after the spar ended.
Too quiet.
Even the wind seemed slower here.
Anya stood near the center of the clearing, still holding the wooden sword loosely at her side. Sweat clung lightly to her forehead, but her breathing remained steady. Calm.
That alone felt wrong.
Layron sat against a nearby tree, one hand pressed against his ribs where she'd struck him earlier. The pain still lingered beneath his bandages.
But that wasn't what bothered him.
It was the way everyone kept looking at her.
Shion wasn't smirking anymore.
Falkren's mechanical eye flickered constantly, analyzing her over and over again.
And Anya noticed.
Of course she did.
"...Okay," she finally muttered, lowering the wooden sword slowly. "Can someone explain why all of you suddenly look like I grew a second head?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Which somehow made it worse.
Anya's eyes narrowed.
"Seriously. What was that?"
Layron pushed himself upright carefully.
"It was just a spar."
"Bullshit."
Direct.
Instant.
"You were reacting to attacks before I even moved properly." She stared at him now. "And they were reacting to me."
Shion finally spoke.
"You're observant."
"Not blind."
Falkren folded his arms calmly.
"Your movements were abnormal."
Anya frowned harder.
"...Abnormal how?"
No answer.
That silence again.
Layron hated it.
Anya looked between all three of them before letting out a frustrated laugh.
"Wow. Okay. Cool. Love whatever this creepy secret thing is supposed to be."
She tossed the wooden sword into the dirt.
"I'm going home."
She turned immediately.
"Anya wait."
She stopped walking but didn't turn around.
Layron exhaled slowly.
"I'll explain what I can."
Shion glanced toward him briefly.
Falkren said nothing.
After several seconds, Anya finally looked back over her shoulder.
"...Fine."
The walk through the forest felt strangely distant after that.
Shion and Falkren stayed behind near the clearing while Layron walked beside Anya through the narrow trails deeper into the woods.
Branches shifted softly overhead as sunlight flickered through the trees.
Neither spoke for a while.
Anya kicked a loose rock ahead of her.
"You've been acting weird lately."
Layron looked ahead quietly.
"That's not new."
"I'm serious."
Her voice softened slightly.
"You disappeared for days. Then suddenly Gramps starts acting secretive. Now some random guy shows up talking about tests and strength and whatever this whole thing is."
Layron rubbed the back of his neck slowly.
"...It's complicated."
"Then uncomplicate it."
He almost laughed.
If only it were that easy.
Anya stopped walking suddenly.
Layron stopped too.
She turned toward him fully now.
"...Did I really hit you that hard?"
He blinked.
"What?"
"Back there."
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"I don't know why but..." She hesitated. "Something felt wrong during that fight."
Layron stayed quiet.
Anya looked down at her own hand slowly.
"My body just moved."
The wind shifted softly through the trees.
"I wasn't thinking anymore after the first few swings." Her voice lowered. "It felt like I already knew what you were going to do."
Layron's chest tightened slightly.
That sentence again.
Too familiar.
Anya continued quietly.
"And the weirdest part is..." She looked genuinely unsettled now. "I wasn't scared."
That bothered her.
Layron could tell immediately.
Not the strength.
Not the speed.
The calmness.
Anya had always panicked under pressure before. Not completely but enough to hesitate.
Today there was none of that.
No fear.
No uncertainty.
Only instinct.
Layron looked away toward the trees.
"...Maybe the academy training helped."
"No."
Her answer came instantly.
"It wasn't training."
Silence settled between them again.
Then Anya laughed nervously.
"...This is gonna sound stupid."
Layron looked back toward her.
"During the fight..." She frowned slightly. "For a second i felt something."
The forest suddenly felt colder.
Anya looked down at her hands again.
"And it wasn't just instinct." Her voice grew quieter. "I feel like... I already know how to fight."
Layron stayed silent.
Anya shook her head slowly, frustrated at herself.
"I know that sounds insane, but... when I moved back there, it didn't feel unfamiliar." Her fingers tightened slightly. "It felt practiced."
The wind shifted softly through the trees.
"I feel like I've trained for years without actually training that much."
Layron's instincts flared immediately.
Not danger.
Recognition.
Something deep inside him stirred faintly.
Layron's instincts flared immediately.
Not danger.
Recognition.
Something deep inside him stirred faintly.
A slow pulse.
Then silence again.
Anya didn't notice.
She kept staring at her own hands.
"I know how crazy that sounds."
Layron forced himself to stay calm.
"...What do you mean exactly?"
"I don't know."
Frustration crept into her voice now.
"It's hard to explain. My body just... knew things."
She stepped forward slightly.
"When you moved left, I already knew where you'd go next."
Another step.
"And when you jumped..." Her eyes narrowed slightly as if replaying the fight. "It felt obvious where you'd land."
Layron's heartbeat slowed uneasily.
Not prediction.
Instinct.
Pure instinct.
Anya suddenly looked up at him again.
"...What aren't you telling me?"
The question hit harder this time.
Because she deserved answers.
And he had none he could safely give.
Layron opened his mouth slowly.
Nothing came out.
Anya stared at him for several long seconds before exhaling sharply through her nose.
"Right." She folded her arms tightly. "More secrets."
"It's not that simple."
"Then make it simple."
Her voice cracked slightly there.
Not anger.
Fear.
That realization hit Layron immediately.
She wasn't upset because they hid things from her.
She was scared something was wrong with her.
The tension in her shoulders.
The uncertainty in her eyes.
The way her fingers kept tightening unconsciously.
Layron stepped closer carefully.
"Anya."
She looked away immediately.
"...What if they're right?"
Layron frowned.
"About what?"
Her voice became quieter.
"What if something actually is wrong with me?"
The words landed heavily between them.
Layron stared at her silently.
And for the first time since this all started...
he realized she was terrified.
Not of monsters.
Not of training.
Not of battle.
Herself.
Anya swallowed hard.
"I liked it."
Layron froze slightly.
"The fight."
She looked disgusted admitting it.
"I should've been nervous but..." Her fingers curled tightly against her sleeves. "I wasn't. I just kept wanting to push harder."
The forest went completely still around them.
No birds.
No wind.
Nothing.
Then...
something moved.
Not physically.
Something else.
Behind Anya.
Layron's eyes narrowed slightly.
The shadows beneath the trees shifted unnaturally for a brief second.
Six thin distortions stretched quietly across the ground behind her.
Gone instantly.
Like they were never there.
Layron stiffened.
Anya noticed his expression immediately.
"...What?"
He forced his face still.
"Nothing."
But his pulse hadn't slowed.
Not even close.
Anya looked unsettled again.
"...Layron."
He looked back toward her.
And suddenly...
he remembered what Shion said.
Your sister's growth isn't normal.
Layron exhaled slowly.
Then carefully placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Listen to me."
Anya stayed silent.
"Nothing's wrong with you."
The words came out firmer than he expected.
"If you're getting stronger..." He forced a small smile. "Then that's not something to be scared of."
Anya searched his face carefully.
"But what if I hurt someone?"
Layron's expression softened slightly.
"Then I'll stop you."
That finally made her laugh weakly.
"You say that like you actually can."
"...Okay rude."
Anya smiled faintly despite herself.
The tension eased slightly after that.
Not fully.
But enough.
Layron looked toward the dark forest surrounding them.
Something still felt wrong here.
Not dangerous.
Watching.
Waiting.
And somewhere deep inside him...
that faint pulse returned again.
Slow.
Heavy.
Interested.
Then silence.
Far behind them, hidden beyond the trees, Falkren's mechanical eye flickered sharply.
Shion stood beside him quietly.
"...You saw it too, right?" Shion muttered.
Falkren didn't answer immediately.
His gaze remained fixed toward the distant shadows behind Anya.
Then finally:
[[Yes.]]
Shion's smirk was completely gone now.
"...That's bad."
Falkren's eye dimmed slightly.
[[No.]]
The wind rolled softly through the forest.
[[It's much worse than that.]]
---
To be Continued...
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