For a moment after Redmane hit the tree and slid to the ground, the forest just... breathed.
No more shouting.
No more fire roaring.
Only the soft crackle of dying embers and the distant rustle of leaves.
Ryoto lowered his fist at last.
"Haaah..."
He blew out a long breath, shoulders loosening.
"Okay. Now the warm-up's over."
The last tiny flickers of flame faded from his knuckles.
Sylvi spun her revolver once around her finger, then snapped it into its holster with a clean, confident click.
She eyed Redmane's limp body.
"Next time," she said dryly,
"maybe try not to launch the guy we actually need to drag back."
Aria let her hands fall to her sides. The wind that had clung to her cloak thinned, returning to a normal forest breeze.
Her chest still felt tight from casting, but—
Everyone's standing.
We... really did it.
She exhaled a soft, shaky breath.
"Is... is it over?" she asked.
Ryoto scanned the clearing.
Bandits groaning in the dirt.
Brutus snoring face-down.
Redmane unconscious against the split tree.
He grinned.
"Looks like it."
Sylvi was already moving.
"Over or not," she said, "we still have work to do."
She nudged Redmane's boot.
No reaction.
"Good. He can stay like that."
She pointed her chin toward the scattered bandits.
"You and Ryoto start tying these idiots up. Thick rope. Tight knots."
Aria nodded quickly.
"R-right. We can't leave them like this..."
Ryoto cracked his neck.
"I'll drag them into a pile," he said. "Easier that way."
He hauled Redmane by the back of his coat.
"Ugh— okay wow. He's heavy."
Aria hid a small laugh.
Sylvi smirked.
"Maybe don't punch him into the next province next time."
Ryoto shot her an offended look.
"He came at me! I just... helped him sit down."
Aria murmured softly, "...He did."
Ryoto pointed proudly.
"See? Aria gets it."
Flustered, she turned toward a crate and grabbed rope.
The bandits had used it for hostages.
Now it would bind them instead.
She knelt beside an unconscious bandit and wrapped rope around his wrists.
Her motions were careful, steady, precise.
"Sorry," she whispered, "but... you really shouldn't kidnap people."
A soft breeze tightened the knot.
kchk—
"There."
Sylvi handled it differently—fast, rough.
She rolled a bandit onto his stomach.
"Hands behind. Feet together. Congratulations—you're luggage now."
The man groaned, "five more minutes—"
Sylvi shut him back up with a sharp tap to the shoulder.
"Sleep."
Ryoto meanwhile struggled with Brutus.
He hooked his arms under the giant's shoulders and heaved—
Nothing.
"...Hrrrgh—!"
Brutus didn't move.
Ryoto tried rolling him sideways first.
The man flopped with a WHUMP that shook dust and leaves loose.
Then Ryoto managed to drag him an inch at a time.
"Man... this guy is heavy," he groaned. "Feels like a whole mountain."
Sylvi didn't look up.
"Then stop punching mountains."
Ryoto puffed his cheeks.
"If I punched less, you'd be fighting both of them."
Sylvi paused.
"...Fair enough."
Aria hid another smile.
Soon the bandits were lined up against the shack wall—
hands tied, ankles bound, with extra loops around the bigger threats.
Aria stepped back, brushing dirt from her knees.
"That should hold."
Sylvi tugged each rope with firm, testing pulls.
"Good work. These aren't coming loose."
Ryoto dropped onto a stump.
"Phew... okay, now I'm tired."
Sylvi raised an eyebrow.
"If you get tired dragging your own mess, that's on you."
Ryoto jumped up, offended.
"I'm not tired!"
His stomach growled loudly.
Aria jumped.
Sylvi deadpanned, "...Sure."
Ryoto looked away.
"I burned a lot of Ether today..."
Aria giggled softly.
The tension of the battle finally felt far away.
Sylvi pushed her goggles up.
"All right. Bandits secured. Next step..."
She turned to the shack.
Aria's smile faded.
"The hostages," she whispered.
"Right," Ryoto said.
They walked toward the shack together—
Ryoto in front, Sylvi close behind, Aria just beside them.
Ryoto called gently:
"Anyone inside? We're from the AetherBound Guild. The bandits are down. You're safe now."
Silence.
Then—
"...H-here...!"
Not a child's voice.
A young man's voice — strained, hoarse, scared.
Aria's breath hitched.
They hurried inside.
Dim lantern.
Broken table.
Crates stacked on the walls.
Loose rope on the floor.
And at the back—
Three figures slumped together.
Bound.
Bruised.
Shaken.
The merchant's son — a man in his early twenties, face pale and drawn.
The cart driver — older, jaw bruised.
The assistant — exhausted, trembling.
Aria's breath tightened.
"There they are," she whispered.
Sylvi scanned corners and crates.
"Clear."
Ryoto knelt beside the merchant's son, gently loosening the gag.
"You're okay now," Ryoto said. "We've got you."
The young man's shoulders sagged with relief as he coughed the dryness from his throat.
Aria knelt beside them, her hands hovering softly near his wrists.
His eyes lifted toward Aria — tired, shaken, but relieved.
"...You really came," he said, voice unsteady.
Aria's expression softened.
"Yes," she said.
"We did."
The moment the ropes came loose, the merchant's son exhaled shakily and pushed his hands forward, flexing stiff fingers. Bruise marks ringed his wrists like dark bands.
Aria knelt beside him.
"You're hurt," she said softly.
He shook his head—a reflexive "I'm fine."
But the wince that followed betrayed him.
Aria placed her hands gently in front of him.
Her fingers trembled—
Not from fear.
But because this was her first real healing outside the guild.
A real person.
Real injuries.
Real responsibility.
She drew in a slow breath.
Wind gathered around her palms in a soft spiral, carrying a faint shimmer of light.
Her voice lowered into a warm, steady whisper:
"Gentle winds... mend this."
Heal.
A gentle breeze swept outward.
The bruises lightened.
Scrapes closed.
His breathing steadied.
Aria rocked back slightly as the glow faded, a tiny wave of fatigue catching her chest.
The merchant's son stared at his healed wrists, stunned.
"You're... incredible," he breathed.
"You really are from the AetherBound Guild."
Aria flushed.
"I-I'm just doing what I can..."
Sylvi froze mid-motion.
"...Hold on."
She pointed at Aria's glowing hands.
"That was healing magic. Actual healing magic. Aria—
isn't that Forgotten Magic? Nobody uses that anymore."
Aria blinked nervously.
"I... know it's rare. But I've always been able to use it."
Sylvi stared—this time with awe, not sarcasm.
"That's not just rare. That's extinct."
Ryoto wiped his forehead and grinned.
"Hey, you already saw one kind of Forgotten Magic today."
Sylvi frowned. "When?"
Ryoto tapped his chest proudly.
"Mine. Dragonic Flame.
People think Dragonic magic vanished centuries ago.
But it's still here."
Aria nodded softly.
"It's real. Just... uncommon."
Sylvi dragged a hand down her face.
"So BOTH of you use Forgotten Magic, and nobody told me?!"
Ryoto laughed.
"It's not like we were hiding it. We just hadn't explained it yet."
Aria bowed her head slightly.
"S-sorry..."
Sylvi exhaled dramatically.
"This guild is going to give me gray hair."
Aria giggled.
Ryoto smirked proudly.
Ryoto helped the driver sit up while Sylvi cut the bindings on the assistant.
Aria moved beside them.
"May I...?" she asked.
Both nodded.
She inhaled softly—light returning to her hands.
"Gentle winds... mend this."
Heal.
The glow washed over bruises and cuts.
Pain dulled.
Breathing relaxed.
"Bless the stars..." the driver murmured. "Thank you."
Aria healed the assistant last—just a small cut, but she still handled it with careful grace.
By the end, her breaths were slightly heavy—tired, but steady.
Ryoto placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You did amazing," he said gently. "Really."
Aria smiled, shy but proud.
"T-thank you..."
The merchant's son rubbed his wrists, emotion softening his expression.
"We owe you our lives."
Sylvi pointed toward the door.
"Let's move before this shack collapses."
They stepped outside into clean air and sunlight.
The forest felt safer.
Brighter.
Warm again.
The merchant's son stared at the tied-up bandits—especially Brutus, snoring like a small earthquake.
"...You people are terrifying," he whispered.
Ryoto blinked.
"...Thanks?"
Sylvi smirked.
"Take it as a compliment."
Aria giggled softly.
Ryoto stretched.
"All right. Let's get them back to town."
Aria nodded.
Sylvi tightened her gloves.
"Goldenmeadow's waiting."
With hostages supported between them
and bandits tied in tow—
the three young mages began the walk back through the forest they'd just reclaimed.
The walk back through the forest felt different now.
Not heavy.
Not dangerous.
Just quiet.
Leaves rustled overhead. Sunlight filtered between branches. The chaos of the fight faded into memory with each step.
Ryoto supported the merchant's son on one side while the driver helped from the other.
Aria walked beside them, eyes scanning for any lingering injuries just in case.
Sylvi tugged along the rope-lines tied to the bandits, boots crunching through leaves.
Brutus slid behind them like a boulder wrapped in burlap.
After about fifteen minutes, the trees thinned—
and the soft gold roofs of Goldenmeadow appeared ahead.
Aria let out a small breath.
"We made it..."
Sylvi smirked.
"Of course we did."
Ryoto grinned wide, matching the warm glow of the late-afternoon sun.
"Let's finish this quest right."
Two Council Knights waited at the entrance—
white-silver tabards,
spears crossed,
helmets polished.
They straightened immediately at the sight of the group approaching with prisoners.
The Knight Captain stepped forward.
"You three are the AetherBound who took the merchant's request?"
Sylvi stepped forward with casual confidence — not formal, not stiff.
"Yeah, that's us. Hostages safe, bandits wrapped up. Nothing exploded. We did good."
Ryoto lifted one hand in a bright, energetic wave.
Aria bowed politely behind them, letting the older two lead.
The knights walked the line, inspecting each bandit. Their helmets tilted when they reached Brutus.
"...By the Council..."
"...How did three initiates bring down this one?"
Ryoto puffed out his chest.
"Teamwork."
Sylvi:
"Luck."
Aria:
"...And proper knot tension."
The Captain nodded, half impressed, half confused.
"Well done. We'll take custody from here."
Ryoto handed over Redmane's rope.
Sylvi double-knotted Brutus one last unnecessary time.
Aria offered the hostages a gentle, reassuring smile.
The knights marched the bandits away.
The danger—
the task—
the weight—
finally lifted.
Before any of them could breathe, a frantic shout echoed from behind the gates.
"SON!!"
A man in fine but wrinkled clothes sprinted toward them—
the look of someone who'd aged ten years in a day.
The merchant pulled his son into a hug so strong the young man wheezed.
"Father—! Easy— I'm okay!"
The man ignored that completely, clinging tighter.
"My boy... my boy...
These three—they saved you?"
The son nodded, eyes glassy.
The merchant's gaze swept to Aria, Sylvi, and Ryoto—
full of gratitude so intense Aria nearly stepped back.
He grabbed all three of their hands at once, shaking vigorously.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank every blessing under the sky— I thought I'd lost him!"
Aria flushed bright red.
Sylvi stiffened like her spine locked.
Ryoto beamed, chest out, hands bouncing from the man's enthusiastic grip.
The merchant cleared his throat, composed himself, and reached into his satchel.
"This is your rightful payment—
and this—"
he held out a second pouch
"—is a bonus. You recovered my assistants, my goods, and the stolen crates."
He bowed deeply.
"I will recommend your guild to every town I travel through."
Aria covered her mouth, touched.
Sylvi nodded respectfully.
Ryoto whispered, "YES..." at the promise of extra money.
A warm tavern near the square welcomed them inside.
Ryoto devoured a plate of food like it had personally insulted him.
Sylvi sat sideways on the bench, tinkering with a gear she'd snagged from the bandit shack.
Aria ate quietly, smiling gently at both of them.
Locals watched with impressed whispers about
"the young guild from Lantern's Reach."
Ryoto, mouth half full:
"Did you SEE how far that guy flew?"
Sylvi rolled her eyes.
"Yes, congratulations. You launched a criminal."
Aria tapped her spoon lightly.
"I think the tree took more damage than he did..."
All three burst into soft laughter.
For a moment—
it didn't feel like a mission.
It felt like a beginning.
The sky blazed amber as they stood at the gate, ready to return home.
Aria looked up at the glowing horizon.
"Ready to go back to the guild?"
Sylvi stretched, cracking her neck.
"Yeah. I need a bath... and eight hours of unconsciousness."
Ryoto slung his bag over his shoulder, fiery grin stretching wide.
"And then we pick another quest!"
Aria + Sylvi, perfectly in sync:
"NO."
Ryoto blinked.
"...Okay, later."
Aria giggled.
Sylvi smirked.
Together—
side by side—
they walked down the road toward Lantern's Reach.
Three silhouettes framed against the fading evening light.
A team.
A bond.
And the first of many chapters.