The night was quiet in the arabisel forest, and the light breeze moved the campfire flame in the camp as if making it dance slowly. Ryo was sitting, leaning against a tree trunk, his shoulder wrapped in a simple bandage, his eyes half-closed from exhaustion.
But suddenly, he heard the sound of stumbling footsteps coming from between the trees, followed by intermittent groaning. He slowly raised his head, then caught sight of a silhouette swaying toward the light—it was shimoro.
shimoro approached with heavy steps, his hair damp with sweat mixed with dirt, and his body covered in many, but minor, scratches. He threw himself onto the ground beside the fire as if it were his first home in centuries.
Ryo smiled lightly, and said in his usual calm voice, but with a clear sarcastic tone:
"Oh, you finally returned... without a single corpse. It seems you ran through the forest like an idiot chasing his own shadow."
shimoro slowly lifted his head, his features tired, but his voice came out sharp, with an irritatingly childish tone:
"I didn't run like an idiot! I was fighting until the last moment, and then... then I was forced to withdraw! You don't know how hard it was!"
Ryo chuckled softly while lighting a small branch with the fire:
"A tactical withdrawal, then?"
Then he added with calm sarcasm:
"Next time, just try to come back with something that proves you weren't on a picnic."
shimoro frowned and turned his face away, then took out the items he had brought:
"But I brought things better than corpses... mushrooms, herbs... and carrots! Maybe we can make something to eat tonight, but I don't know if they are safe."
Ryo approached and took everything from him, examining the contents with astonishing speed, as if he knew every type of herb just by its scent.
He pointed to some and said:
"This is safe, this is poisonous, and this one just tastes horrible... As for these mushrooms, they are excellent for cooking. It seems you survived poisoning by sheer luck."
shimoro opened his mouth in slight astonishment, then said:
"Perhaps luck loves me this time."
Ryo laughed quietly:
"Or perhaps luck just doesn't want the Ice Boy to die before he masters his techniques."
The two sat near the fire while Ryo began sorting the herbs and mushrooms to prepare a simple meal. While cooking, shimoro began recounting what happened to him in the forest, his voice hesitant at first, then gaining clarity, telling about the three monsters, and the roar of the last creature when it lost its family.
Ryo's face was serious, but he didn't interrupt; he just listened.
When shimoro finished, Ryo said in a low voice:
"I understand now... those beast weren't just targets. They are like us, they have a family. But you did the right thing by running away... there is no glory in meaningless death."
shimoro was silent for a moment, his eyes reflecting the firelight, then he muttered:
"I didn't want to kill it... I couldn't."
Ryo nodded slowly, then raised his head toward the sky, which looked like it might rain:
"Tomorrow we leave here. I found a cave an hour away from this place. We will spend some time there until we recover."
shimoro looked at him with interest:
"A cave? Is it safe?"
Ryo smiled:
"Safe enough. But that's not all, I have a second objective there."
His tone changed slightly, becoming more serious as he cooked the stew:
"If we find any metal inside the cave, you will carve it. Even if it's just a simple Katana. I must have a sword until we reach the Sea of Fireflies."
He pointed his hand toward the flames, saying:
"There, we will face the Red Scale Fish... and I won't have a choice but to fight with a weapon made by you."
shimoro remained silent for a moment, looking at the dancing fire in front of him, then said with a small, faint smile:
"A Katana made of ice and metal... that sounds awesome."
Ryo replied, closing his eyes and leaning against the tree trunk:
"What's awesome isn't its shape, but the way it will be used... and the blood it will first touch."
The two fell silent after that, the fire between them lighting up the cold night. They both began eating voraciously, and luckily there was no monster roar nearby—as if the entire forest was listening to a new promise being forged beneath it.
The morning of the next day was colder than usual.
Fog covered the edges of the arabisel forest, and the sound of birds seemed distant, as if they were afraid to approach.
Ryo sat near the fading fire, securely tying his bandage on his shoulder, while shimoro gathered the few tools they owned into Ryo's small bag.
Neither of them spoke for a moment, but the silence was comforting... the silence of warriors who know that peace does not last long.
"Are you ready?"
Ryo asked quietly as he stood up.
"Ready," shimoro replied, tightening the bag on his back, then added with a slight smile,
"Today, I'll be the one protecting you."
Ryo chuckled lightly, that very bold laugh:
"Be careful not to turn from protector into a burden first."
But that peaceful moment didn't last long—
Suddenly, the ground shook beneath their feet, and they heard a sharp roar piercing the fog.
From between the nearby trees emerged a small creature, its body covered in thick gray fur, its long fangs gleaming under the morning light.
Its yellow eyes stared directly at Ryo, as if seeing a weakness in his wounds that must be exploited, but in reality, it was just following the scent of blood.
Ryo slowly raised his arm, ready to defend, but shimoro stepped forward decisively and said:
"Let me handle this; you are still injured."
Ryo hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"Don't be reckless. This isn't like training."
shimoro instantly formed a small ice dagger in his hand, and a faint cold aura began to wrap around him.
"Freeze!"
He took a deep breath, then focused his eyes on the monster.
The creature lunged with tremendous speed, and shimoro suddenly clenched his right hand:
"Ice Wall!"
The air in front of him froze, forming a barrier of thick ice, which the monster struck with a force that caused cracks to spread across its surface.
But before the wall could break, shimoro jumped upward, and attacked from above its head.
The ice dagger plunged into the monster's shoulder, and the latter screamed and violently twisted its body, striking shimoro with its tail, sending him flying a meter and crashing to the ground.
shimoro breathed heavily, but he didn't retreat—he reached his hand toward the ground, and snow began to spread from beneath his feet.
"Ice Orb"
A low ice ball shot out, hitting the monster's legs and freezing them for a few moments.
shimoro seized the opportunity, formed an incomplete ice spear, and threw it with all his might toward the monster's chest.
The spear pierced its body, breaking a moment later, leaving a deep mark.
The creature roared for the last time before falling heavily to the ground, half of its body frozen.
shimoro breathed deeply and knelt down, sweat dripping from his forehead despite the cold.
Ryo approached him with slow steps, a slight smile of pride on his face.
"Not bad... it seems you are starting to understand how to control your ice, you fool."
"Yes," shimoro said, standing up, smiling shyly,
"But I am still far from your level."
Ryo replied with calm seriousness:
"Don't strive to be at my level... just be stronger than your past self."
Then he nodded toward the North:
"Now, to the cave."
They walked together along the path Ryo had memorized the previous night and which was drawn on the small map.
As they approached, the air grew more humid, and dark rocks appeared among the tree roots.
After a short distance, a small, dark entrance appeared in a stone wall, from which cold air emanated.
Ryo stood in front of the entrance, then took out two dry wooden sticks from the bag, which he had saved earlier.
He sat on the ground and began rubbing them together with calm, steady speed until a thin thread of smoke rose, and then a small spark ignited.
He took some dry leaves and placed them over it, turning the spark into a faint flame.
He raised the torch in his hand and said with a smile:
"Here we are in our new temporary home. How are you, little goblins?"
The two slowly entered the cave, the orange light flickering on the stone walls, which were narrow at first but widened slightly inside.
The cave was small, and the smell of dampness was obvious, but after the battles in the forest, it seemed like a perfect place to rest.
Ryo sat inside, placed the torch between them, and said quietly:
"We will rest here tonight... and tomorrow, we start anew."
As for shimoro, he sat beside him, watching the small flames reflect on the walls,
And in his eyes, a new sparkle—the sparkle of a fighter who was beginning to realize his true path.
To be continued...