Viator nodded, confirming Akito's words.
"We need to come up with a plan for how we're going to do all this, because they'll try to kill me if I go near the city limits. So you'll do everything, Akito. Your goal is to get into the capital. Say you're from a neighboring town or village."
Akito hesitated a little but agreed; those unpleasant memories had left a mark on his heart.
"Alright, what then?"
"You'll become a resident there and settle in. And when the king goes for his annual speech, or whenever you see him, you have to kill him. I can't help you with that anymore."
"What if the king and the white-haired man aren't the same person?"
"I told you, then we'll kill both, and I'll help you with everything I can."
"I... I trust you, Viator. By the way, where are we?"
Viator, at this moment, seemed almost ready to burst out laughing or was simply surprised.
"You really don't know?"
Akito silently nodded in confirmation.
"And what am I supposed to do with you? Do you even know where you're from?"
"From Rivera village... Well, that's where I was born."
"Rivera? Never heard of it. Alright, let's not waste time. I'll take you to the city limits, and on the way, you can tell me everything, okay?"
Viator asked, putting a mask on Akito.
Getting up, both stood and walked. Viator led, and Akito followed. He felt like Viator could be trusted.
"As you already know, my name is Akito. I'm from Rivera village. I had a few friends; some I'd known since childhood. Their names are Ray and Andy."
"And what were they like?"
Akito smiled softly, remembering his friends, family, and all their adventures. A lone tear rolled down his cheek. There were certain bitter notes of despair in his voice.
"Ray... He was good, strange in some ways, but really great. And Andy was so cool, skilled with a sword and strong, very strong..."
"And your other friends?"
"That's Kai and Eliza. I knew them much less, but they're dear to me too. Kai was fun and wise, and Eliza was kind and good. She was dating Ray... And you, Viator, did you have friends?"
Viator stopped, pondering for a moment, adjusted his torn cloak, and walked straight ahead in silence, but finally said,
"I did... Now they're my enemies."
"What do you mean? Did something happen between you?"
"I told you, because of my abilities, I'm considered cursed. And when I first learned about my powers and showed them to my friends, they were the very first ones to tell the priests. And they didn't waste time; they called me a demon and threw me into a pit... I still remember their gazes and that pit of corpses."
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean for you to remember something so unpleasant..."
"Forget it. The past is in the past. Better to remember the forest and learn to navigate here. I'm not going to lead you around like a small child everywhere. It's roughly two more days to the capital."
"What country are we in?"
"Aria, that's what it's called. I won't even ask, I can see by your face you've never heard of it."
The forest was truly beautiful. Tall green trees surrounded them. There were well-trodden paths everywhere leading in different directions. Akito wondered how he hadn't noticed them before. Birds began to sing, but they were different somehow; Akito had never heard such singing.
"Akito, are you afraid of the dark?"
"No, why?"
"We can't make a fire, so I'll keep watch first, and then you."
"I'm not complaining, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Look at the sky, I think it'll be night soon."
And indeed, it was already getting dark. The world seemed to be falling asleep and was wrapped in a dark layer. The yellow-orange sun was already hiding behind the horizon, and darkness prevailed.
"Akito, go to sleep. I'll keep watch. I'll wake you up later."
Nodding, Akito took off his mask and lay on the ground. Mentally, he was exhausted, so sleep didn't take long to come.
A usual morning in the academy. Akito woke up and roused Kai, who was muttering something unclear under his breath. He, Kai, Andy, Ray, and Eliza were sitting in class. An owl flew in through the window; its eyes were amethyst, and it seemed to be watching Akito. He started to feel uncomfortable, looking around, but everyone else ignored the owl that had flown into the classroom. It seemed as if this class shouldn't even exist; there were no other students besides Akito and his friends, and they were silent.
Suddenly, the teacher turned around, a slight smile on his lips, and his empty emerald eyes looked straight into Akito's soul. Suddenly, they were all standing at a fair, the white-haired man had finished killing everyone, and just as he made a lunge forward... Akito screamed at the top of his lungs, making Viator jump back.
"What an alarm you have! You probably woke up all the beasts."
But Akito didn't care about Viator's words. He was breathing heavily, his head ached, and tears streamed from his eyes. Akito felt like he could have done something then, but he couldn't.
"Viator... Go to sleep... I'll keep watch."
"You sure? I can still hold on."
"I won't be able to sleep anymore today... I think..."
Akito put on his mask and stood up. In it, Akito felt calmer and stronger. Viator didn't argue much; after all, any rest is beneficial. Now Akito was alone. His vision seemed to improve with the mask, or so he thought.
Suddenly, in the bushes, he saw glowing eyes. The bushes rustled. Akito quickly woke Viator, who, fortunately, wasn't asleep but just lying down. They pressed their backs against each other. And from the bushes, three wolf-like creatures jumped out. They had dark, shiny fur and glowing eyes. They were significantly larger than a wolf but slightly smaller than a bear.
The beasts bared their fangs and rushed at them. Viator created a spike from under the ground that killed the slowest wolf. Another wolf attacked Akito, but he was incredibly fast. The wolf couldn't catch Akito, so it switched to Viator. He created a few more spikes and killed that wolf too. Only one remained, but the creature tucked its tail and fled. Akito ran to Viator.
"You're so cool!"
"Maybe... But these spikes take a lot of energy, not physical... but they're strangely exhausting..."
"Can you create spikes around us? Like, for defense when we sleep."
"That's an idea, of course, but it's not as simple as you think. If I could, I probably would have done it already."
"You're right..."
Viator walked up to the spikes and broke one with a kick. Akito was surprised; the spikes seemed solid, yet Viator broke them so easily. He picked up one of the sharp fragments and gave it to Akito.
"This will be for your defense."
Akito picked up the black fragment with purple lines inside. When Viator fell asleep, Akito tried to break a spike too. Hitting it with all his might, Akito felt a wild pain, as if his leg had been hit with a blunt object.
'Strange... How did Viator do it?'
The rest of the night was calm. The sun appeared from behind the horizon, and Akito woke Viator. He got up and started stretching.
"Akito, we'll be in the capital around tomorrow, so let's think about what you'll do next."
"I'm all for it... But... I'm a little hungry."
Viator blinked a few times and sighed heavily.
"We'll find food along the way. I know everything here. There are plants you can eat raw, and mushrooms. You don't have to worry about anything. In the capital, I'd advise you to find some kind of work; it'll be important for you."
Akito nodded resolutely.
"I don't mind, but will we still see each other?"
"Of course. Let's discuss the plan details. We can meet every evening near the gates, or something like that. We have a year to kill the king, but it won't be easy."
"Why a year?"
"It could be more time, but I think the sooner, the better."
"Got it."
Akito had many questions, but now he had a goal: to avenge his friends. For now, Viator was his only friend and ally. But the most important question now was where to find food.
"Viator, are you sure you know where all the edible things are here?"
"Yes, I know. There are special wild boars in this area."
"But we don't have fire to..."
"We won't cook them. They have mushrooms growing on them. You can eat them. They're usually used for medicine, but they're edible and nutritious just as they are. It feels like you just fell here from the sky."
Akito remained silent. They pushed through the thicket. The sun was already high in the sky, warming them. Suddenly, Viator stopped and pointed to a clearing. Wild boars were basking there, and indeed, instead of fur, they had moss, and mushrooms grew on the moss. Viator brought a finger to his lips, then whispered.
"Here's your long-awaited snack..."