When we set out again, the air felt heavier than before.
One wagon less, three corpses by the roadside, the horses still skittish…And on my chest, a cold watch that swayed slightly with every step.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[EMERGENCY QUEST: SURVIVE THE AMBUSH]
Status: PARTIAL SUCCESS
– Host: Alive.– At least one wagon: Still moving.– Extra Note: The word "partial" usually means "worse things to come."
"You're really motivating," I thought. "Please, go on."
Walking ahead, Halden kept glancing back from time to time, checking the crates out of the corner of his eye.Bran and Torren were quiet as if nothing had happened, but the tension in their steps was hard to miss.
"Normally," Bran said in a low voice, "on your first job outside the city, you get boring roads, bad food, and a bit of cold air.The people with you… usually don't see blood this fast."
"I have strong influence," I said. "Wherever I go: chaos, drama, and death. Full package."
Torren grunted.
"Don't complain," he said. "Chaos makes you an interesting person.Around here, 'ordinary' usually ends up written on a gravestone."
As the road pushed deeper into the forest, the shadows grew longer.The trees thickened, branches meeting above our heads.
Silence was broken only by the creak of wheels and the breath of the horses.
Right then, I heard a faint sound from up ahead.
Not singing.Not talking.
Humming.
A short, low melody, as if it were slipping through the wind.
One of the horses lifted its head, ears pricking up.
"Did you hear that?" I asked Bran.
"I hear a lot of things," he replied. "Specify which one."
From beyond the bend ahead, a silhouette appeared at the roadside.
At first glance, it looked like a simple traveler on the road.
Then the details came into focus.
A long, dark green cloak.Leather pieces that were almost light armor.Dark chestnut hair spilling over her shoulders.A tired but confident smile on her face.
And in her hand, a short staff, with small metal rings fixed to its tip.
The sun was behind her; I couldn't quite see her eyes, but her posture screamed, "Someone who doesn't need help."
"Perfect timing," the woman said when she saw the wagon. "Even when I pray, I'm not this accurate."
Bran immediately slowed, his hand near the hilt of his sword.
"Who?" he asked, short and sharp.
The woman dipped her head slightly and adjusted her cloak.
"My name is Serene," she said. "A wandering healer around Elvur Outpost and…occasionally a courier of information."
"What a coincidence," Torren said dryly. "We're headed to Elvur, and we just got ambushed.So you're the only calm person wandering around out here?"
Serene smiled faintly.
"I heard the sounds of the ambush," she said. "But walking into the trees didn't feel very wise for anyone with common sense.Still, I didn't want to leave the road entirely.So I waited.In case someone might need help."
⟪SYSTEM⟫[MICRO ANALYSIS – SERENE]
– Pulse: Appears calm.– Posture: Used to danger, combat experience likely.– Tone: Controlled.
Preliminary Assessment:– Probably has a history with battles or hazards.– Chance she's here "by coincidence": Low, but not impossible.
Note:– No need to raise a full alarm yet.– But the rule for everyone you "happen to meet": Don't trust too easily.
"A healer, huh?" I said. "Would you like to travel with us? At least for the broken wheel, bruised egos, and punctured shoulders…"
Serene's gaze flicked to me for just a heartbeat.
In that moment, I could see her eyes.
Green.A very attentive green.
"Any wounded?" she asked.
"So far, only our pride," I said. "But we still have road ahead. Odds aren't great."
Bran looked at Halden; Halden sighed and shrugged.
"If you're heading to Elvur," Bran said, "it'll be safer to walk with us.Lone travelers aren't very lucky today."
"Luck?" Serene repeated. "Interesting choice of word."
Her eyes slid for the briefest instant toward my chest.
Right where the watch was.
Very brief… but not brief enough to miss.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[PATTERN SENSE – SNAPSHOT]
– Direction of gaze: chest level.– Focus: Approximate location of the watch.
Possible Outcome:– Either coincidence.– Or you've already wandered into someone's "area of interest."
I swallowed.
"Probably a good time," I told myself, "to raise my paranoia just a little more…"
The convoy started moving again.
Instead of walking right beside the wagons, Serene stayed a little to the side—keeping pace with us but keeping her distance.
"Have you been to Elvur Outpost before?" she asked.
"I haven't," I said. "This is my first time outside the city.Before I passed Veldan's walls, my life was… a lot more ordinary."
"If you still think you're ordinary now," she said, the smile never leaving her lips, "I've got bad news: you're not."
"I've been hearing that a lot lately," I said. "Feels like everyone's trying to tell me I should give up on a normal life."
Serene tilted her head slightly.
"A normal life," she said, "is like a wall without cracks.Looks reassuring from a distance…but you never know what's growing inside it."
I knew I wasn't supposed to like that sentence.But a part of me… did.
Torren cut in.
"Who do you know at Elvur?" he asked. "Healers, guards, the commander…?"
"A bit of all," Serene replied. "The outpost commander is someone forced to carry out certain orders from the council.The healer there… is very talented, but smart enough to keep her head down.I'm the one in the middle, the shadow that carries the message and takes the payment."
"Do you enjoy being a shadow?" I asked.
"Those who stand too long in the sun burn quickly," she said. "Shadow lasts longer.But if you stay too long in the dark… you start turning into something else."
⟪SYSTEM⟫[MICRO NOTE]
– Language: Heavy use of metaphor.– Survival: Long-term, but not "pure."
Conclusion:– Definitely not someone who would say "I'm innocent."– Doesn't automatically mean she's evil.
We walked in silence for a while.
I kept glancing between Serene, Halden's sealed crates, and the shadows between the trees.
After a few hours, the road split.
The right-hand road was wider and better maintained.The left-hand road was narrower, but cut more directly toward Elvur.
Halden stopped at the fork.
"Normally we take the right path," he said. "Most patrols use it.But…"His eyes went to the damaged wheel. "With that wheel, a long road is risky. The cargo's heavy."
Serene studied the left road quietly.
"The left is shorter but more dangerous," she said. "Less traveled.The forest is thicker. Still… you gain time."
Bran looked at me.
"What do you say, Host?" he asked. "Safer but longer, or faster but uncertain?"
⟪SYSTEM⟫[MICRO QUEST – CHOICE]
ROUTE SELECTION
– Right Road:• Considered the safer route.• High chance of patrol presence.• Ambush risk: Medium.• Travel time: Long.
– Left Road:• Shorter and more deserted.• Low oversight.• "Unexpected event" chance: High.
Extra Note:– In Serene's eyes, the reflection of the left road lingered longer.
I lowered my head slightly and looked inward.
"Normally," I said, "I'd pick the right road.But we've already been ambushed today, and coincidences are piling up…So I'm guessing someone is playing a long game."
Bran raised an eyebrow.
"And you," he said, "sound like you've decided to mess with that person's plans."
"If we don't move fast," I said, "the outpost at Elvur just waits.If they hear the 'crack reports' the council sent got lost on the road, we'll probably be the next target.So maybe… we should do the opposite of what they expect.If someone is planning this, they've likely accounted for the 'standard' route.I'm on team surprise."
Torren thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Left," he said. "Fast and ugly."
Bran sighed.
"Serene?" he asked. "Any input?"
The woman smiled lightly.
"Uncertainty is always more… entertaining," she said. "But it's not my call. It belongs to those who carry the load.Still, if you ask me…The right road is a path that tries to be safe.The left road is one that shows the truth faster."
That sentence hit something inside me.
"Left," I said. "Let's go."
⟪SYSTEM⟫[CHOICE RECORDED]
– Selected: Left Road (Short / Risky).
Comment:– Some cracks only appear when you take risks.– Some betrayals too.
The moment we turned onto the left road, the forest tried to close around us.
Trees leaned in closer, branches cutting the sky into jagged pieces.The dirt track was narrower, muddier.
Serene walked quietly at my side.
"The question I'm about to ask," I said, "might be the stupidest you've heard all week. But…How much do you know about these 'crack' incidents?"
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes lost in the shade.
"If you live in Veldan," she said, "it's hard to dream without cracks.Some see them on walls, some in their homes, some in their mirrors.Healers see them more than anyone.Because cracks don't just appear in stone.They appear in people."
Again, I knew I wasn't supposed to like that line.Again, my brain started digging for the meanings underneath it.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[PATTERN SENSE – SERENE]
– Knowledge level: High for a "random" traveler.– Effort detected: She's deliberately not saying everything she knows.
Temporary Tag:– "Hidden Intent."
Extra Note:– Her full intent is beyond your current access level.
"So," I said, "are you trying to convince me you're only a healer, or do you actually patch people up from time to time?"
Her fingers tapped lightly against the rings on her staff; a thin chime rang out.
"Both," she said. "Sometimes I stop blood.Sometimes… I help it flow to the right place."
In my opinion, that was more honesty than I wanted.
Bran dropped half a step back, watching the two of us.
"Know this," he said to Serene, his voice neither harsh nor gentle:"Right now, we're just people who happen to be walking in the same direction.That does not mean we're on the same side."
Serene nodded.
"I feel the same," she said. "At least, for now."
⟪SYSTEM⟫[NEW NOTE]
– Serene:• Not a friend.• Not an open enemy either.• A "temporary intersection."
Comment:– Some people only brush against your story briefly.But the marks they leave last a long time.
As the shadows deepened beneath the trees,I found myself thinking about the outpost at Elvur, the reports in the crates,and the beautiful, dangerous woman walking beside me.
In this world, some things were thicker than walls:
The knives behind people's smiles.And the cracks everyone tried to hide.
Without breaking her pace, Serene glanced at me once more and, as if she'd heard my thoughts, whispered:
"Don't worry, Ethan.For now, my knife isn't pointed at you."
⟪SYSTEM⟫[MICRO WARNING]
– Key phrase: "For now."
Note:– This phrase should always trigger an alert in your mind.
I just smiled.
"For now," I said. "That might become my least favorite phrase in this world."