The night was cold and quiet.
A soft wind moved through the forest, making the tall trees sway slowly. Their leaves whispered above my head. The moon was bright, but its light struggled to pass through the thick branches. Most of the path ahead was covered in shadow.
I walked alone on the narrow dirt path.
The ground was a little wet from the evening air, and every step made a soft crunch. The forest around me felt endless. Dark trees stood on both sides of the path like silent guards.
I took a deep breath.
The cold air filled my lungs. That was the whole reason I came here. My mind had been too busy all day, full of thoughts that wouldn't stop spinning. I thought a quiet night walk might calm everything down.
But the forest at night has its own strange feeling.
Every small sound becomes louder. A branch snapping in the distance. Leaves moving somewhere in the darkness. The wind passing through the trees.
It almost felt like the forest was watching me.
I kept walking.
After a few minutes, I noticed something ahead on the path. At first it was just a shadow between the trees. But as I got closer, the shape became clearer.
Someone was standing there.
My steps slowed.
The figure turned slightly, and the moonlight finally touched his face.
"Chakshu?" I said in surprise. "You here too?"
Chakshu looked at me for a second, then gave a small laugh.
"Yeah," he said. "I thought a night walk would clear my mind a bit. Didn't expect to see you here, Magic."
I walked up beside him.
"Well," I said, stretching my arms a little, "looks like we had the same idea. I also came here to calm my mind."
The two of us started walking together along the path.
The forest felt less strange now that I wasn't alone. The wind was still moving through the trees, and the sound of leaves filled the air.
For a while, neither of us said anything.
Just two friends walking through a quiet forest in the middle of the night.
After some time, something appeared ahead of us near the side of the path.
A wooden board stood between two trees. It looked old, with rough edges and a few cracks in the wood. Papers were pinned all over it.
A notice board.
"Hey," Chakshu said quietly. "What's that doing here?"
"Let's see."
We walked closer.
The papers moved slightly in the wind. Some looked old and torn. Others were newer.
Missing pets. Lost items. Small village notices.
But one paper in the center was bigger than the others.
It caught my attention immediately.
The top of the paper had large bold letters.
WANTED
I leaned closer.
Then I froze for a second.
Because the face printed on the poster was mine.
My hair, my eyes, my expression.
It was clearly me.
For a moment the forest felt even quieter than before.
Chakshu slowly looked from the poster to me.
Then back to the poster again.
"…Magic," he said slowly.
I stared at the paper for another second, then let out a small laugh.
"Well," I said, crossing my arms, "another day of being an iconic criminal, huh?"
Chakshu shook his head.
"You're way too calm about this."
The wind blew again, making the paper move slightly on the board.
Chakshu folded his arms and looked at the poster again. "You know… most people would panic after seeing this."
I shrugged. "Most people aren't me."
He let out a quiet laugh. "Fair point."
The paper moved again in the wind. The word WANTED looked darker under the moonlight.
"Who do you think put this up?" Chakshu asked.
"Someone with too much free time," I replied.
I stepped back from the board.
"Come on," I said. "Standing here and staring at my own poster won't help."
Chakshu nodded, and we continued walking down the forest path.
The night felt a little colder now.
Our footsteps echoed softly as we moved through the quiet trees. The path curved deeper into the forest, where the moonlight became even weaker.
For a few minutes, everything was calm again.
Then suddenly—
A loud rustling sound came from the bushes beside the path.
Before we could react, someone jumped out in front of us.
"HEY! Stop right there!"
The man looked messy and nervous. His clothes were old, and his hair looked like it hadn't seen a comb in weeks. He held a small knife in one hand and pointed it toward us.
"Give me everything you have!" he shouted. "Money, phones, anything valuable!"
Chakshu and I just stood there.
The man looked from one of us to the other.
"…Did you hear me?" he said louder. "I said give me everything you have!"
I looked at Chakshu.
Chakshu looked at me.
Then I sighed.
"Seriously?" I said quietly.
Chakshu rubbed his forehead. "Third time this week."
The pickpocket blinked. "What?"
I looked back at him.
"If you're going to rob someone," I said calmly, "at least choose a better location."
The man stepped closer and waved the knife a little.
"Stop talking and give me your stuff!"
I reached into my pocket.
The pickpocket's eyes lit up.
"Yeah, that's right," he said. "Slowly."
But instead of taking out money, I pulled out… nothing.
My pocket was empty.
I looked back at him.
Then I said calmly,
"Next time steal some ambition too."
For a moment, the forest went silent.
The pickpocket looked confused.
Chakshu suddenly burst into laughter.
"You just robbed the wrong two people tonight," he said.
The man's expression slowly changed from confidence to uncertainty.
"Wait… what?"
I took a step forward.
The wind moved through the trees again, making the branches creak above us.
"You saw the board back there, right?" I said.
"The one with my face on it."
The pickpocket's eyes widened slightly.
He slowly lowered the knife a little.
"Wait…" he said, looking between the two of us. "You… you said there's a board back there?"
I nodded toward the path behind us.
"The one with my face on it."
The man stared at me for a few seconds. His confidence from earlier was completely gone now.
"Umm…" he said slowly, scratching the back of his head.
Chakshu crossed his arms and watched him quietly.
The pickpocket took a small step backward.
Then another.
"Well…" he said awkwardly, forcing a small smile. "I think I just remembered something."
Chakshu raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
"Yeah, yeah," the man said quickly. "Very important work. Super important. Can't miss it."
I looked at him calmly.
He pointed vaguely into the forest.
"So… umm… I'll just go do that."
He turned around and started walking away very fast.
After a few steps he looked back and waved nervously.
"Cya!"
Then he disappeared into the dark forest, pushing through the bushes and running down another path.
For a moment, the forest was silent again.
Chakshu stared in the direction the man had run.
"…That might be the fastest robbery attempt I've ever seen," he said.
I nodded.
"Not even in the top ten."
Chakshu laughed quietly and we continued walking down the path.
After a minute, Chakshu spoke again.
"You know," he said, "most people don't react like that after seeing a wanted poster with their own face on it."
I put my hands in my pockets as we walked.
"Most people don't have posters of themselves," I replied.
"That's not the point."
The forest became thicker, and the path ahead looked darker.
We kept walking down the path.
The forest was quiet again. Only the sound of wind and our footsteps filled the air.
Then suddenly—
A scream echoed through the trees.
"HELP!"
Chakshu and I both stopped.
The voice sounded young.
We looked at each other.
"That didn't sound good," Chakshu said.
"Yeah," I replied.
Another shout came from the same direction.
"Please! Don't take it!"
We became a little more alert and quickly moved toward the sound. The path became rough as we pushed past bushes and low branches.
The voices became clearer.
"Give it here!" someone shouted.
"Stop resisting!"
When we finally reached the clearing, we stopped behind a tree and looked ahead.
There were four men standing around a boy.
The boy looked around twelve or thirteen. He had fallen to the ground and was holding a small bag tightly against his chest.
One of the criminals grabbed the bag and tried to pull it away.
"Just give it to us and this will be easy," the man said.
"No!" the boy shouted, trying to hold onto it.
Another criminal kicked the ground beside him.
"Stop making this harder!"
Chakshu crossed his arms.
"Well," he said quietly, "looks like the forest is busy tonight."
I nodded.
"First a pickpocket. Now this."
One of the criminals finally noticed us standing there.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Who are you two?"
All four of them turned to look at us.
For a moment nobody moved.
Then Chakshu leaned slightly toward me and spoke quietly.
"So… are we helping the kid?"
I looked at the scene for a second.
Then I sighed.
"Yeah," I said. "Let's help him."
I stepped forward into the clearing.
"Hey," I said calmly.
All four criminals looked at me.
"You guys really chose the worst night to do this."
One of them frowned.
"And why is that?"
I looked at Chakshu.
Then back at them.
"Because we're bored."
Chakshu cracked his knuckles.
"And this looks like something to do."
The criminals looked at each other.
The boy on the ground looked at us with wide eyes.
One of the criminals stepped forward.
He was taller than the others and looked like the leader. A scar ran across his cheek and he held a wooden bat in one hand.
He looked me up and down.
Then he laughed.
"Look at this guy," he said to his friends. "You come all the way here to play hero?"
The other criminals chuckled.
The man pointed the bat at me.
"You and your friend should walk away while you still can."
Chakshu stood beside me quietly.
I tilted my head a little.
"Walk away?" I said.
The man smirked.
"Yeah. Unless you want to end up like that kid."
The boy on the ground looked at us nervously.
The criminal took another step forward.
"Honestly," he continued, "you don't look very strong. Did you get lost on your way home or something?"
The other three criminals laughed louder.
For a moment, the forest filled with their noise.
I looked at him calmly.
Then I said,
"Interesting."
The man frowned slightly.
"What?"
I shrugged.
"I was just thinking."
"Thinking about what?" he said.
I looked directly at him.
"About how four grown men are needed just to rob one kid."
The laughter stopped.
The man's smile slowly disappeared.
Chakshu quietly covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
I continued.
"If this is the best you can do," I said calmly, "next time try stealing some courage too."
For a second, nobody spoke.
Then one of the criminals shouted,
"HEY!"
Another one stepped forward angrily.
"Who do you think you're talking to?!"
The man with the bat tightened his grip.
His face had turned red with anger.
"You think you're funny?" he said.
I shrugged again.
"Not really."
I pointed behind them toward the path.
"But if you run now, I might forget I saw you."
That was the final push.
The criminals looked furious now.
The leader lifted the bat and pointed it straight at me.
"Alright," he growled.
"You asked for this."
Chakshu cracked his knuckles beside me.
I took a small step forward.
The wind moved through the trees again.
And the quiet forest clearing was about to turn into a fight.
The man with the bat rushed toward me.
"YOU ASKED FOR THIS!"
He swung the bat straight at my head.
I simply leaned a little to the side.
The bat cut through the air and missed completely.
Whoosh.
The man stumbled forward.
I looked at him.
"You should warm up before swinging like that," I said calmly.
Behind him, another criminal ran at me and threw a punch.
I took one small step back.
His fist passed right in front of my face.
"Too slow," I said.
Chakshu stood a few steps away with his arms crossed, watching the whole thing.
"I thought you said you were bored," he said.
"I am," I replied.
The second criminal tried again, this time throwing two punches quickly.
Left.
Right.
I leaned left.
Then leaned right.
Both punches missed.
I looked at him.
"Are you trying to hit me," I asked, "or the air behind me?"
The criminals were getting more frustrated.
"STOP MOVING!" one of them shouted.
Another one rushed in and tried to kick me.
I stepped aside and the kick missed.
The man almost lost his balance.
"Careful," I said. "Gravity usually wins that fight."
The boy on the ground watched with wide eyes.
He slowly stood up while the criminals kept trying to attack me.
Punch.
Miss.
Kick.
Miss.
Swing.
Miss.
It almost looked like they were fighting invisible air.
One of them tried to grab my shirt.
I took one small step back again.
His hands closed on nothing.
"Okay this is just embarrassing now," Chakshu said from the side.
The criminals were breathing harder now.
The leader with the bat pointed it at me again.
"How are you doing that?!" he shouted.
I shrugged.
"You guys are just very predictable."
He growled and charged again.
I stepped to the side and he ran straight past me.
He almost ran into a tree before stopping himself.
I looked at Chakshu.
"See?" I said. "Free entertainment."
Chakshu shook his head, trying not to laugh.
"Those guys are going to explode in anger in about ten seconds."
Behind me, the criminals were clearly furious now.
Their patience was gone.
And the forest clearing had turned into something strange—
Four criminals trying their hardest to fight…
And one guy casually walking around them like it was a game.
The leader with the bat growled and rushed at me again.
"STOP MOVING!"
He swung the bat with all his strength.
I simply stepped to the side.
The bat missed me completely.
But it didn't miss everything.
THUD.
The bat slammed straight into the shoulder of one of his own teammates.
"AAH!" the man yelled, stumbling forward.
"WATCH IT!" another criminal shouted.
Before they could recover, the second man tried to punch me again.
I leaned back slightly.
His fist missed me and flew straight past my face…
…and hit the same teammate who had just been struck by the bat.
POW.
"HEY!" the poor guy shouted, holding his face.
For a moment everyone froze.
Chakshu slowly turned his head.
"…Did you guys just defeat your own teammate?"
I nodded.
"Very effective strategy."
The criminals looked embarrassed now.
The leader lowered the bat and glanced around nervously.
None of them wanted to attack again.
One of them rubbed his shoulder and muttered, "This is stupid…"
Another one shook his head.
"Yeah… forget this."
The leader looked at me one last time.
Then he pointed a finger at us.
"This isn't over!"
Chakshu raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure about that?"
The criminals looked at each other.
Then, without another word, all four of them quickly turned around and ran into the forest.
Branches snapped as they pushed through the bushes, disappearing into the darkness.
The clearing became quiet again.
Chakshu watched them go.
"…That might be the most embarrassing escape I've ever seen."
I shrugged.
"At least they learned something."
"What?"
"Teamwork is dangerous."
Chakshu laughed.
The boy who had been on the ground slowly stood up.
He still held his small bag tightly.
He looked nervous but walked a little closer.
"Th-thank you," he said. "They were trying to take everything I had."
Chakshu gave a small nod.
"You're okay now."
The boy looked relieved.
But then his eyes moved past us.
Toward the side of the clearing.
There, near the path, the wooden notice board stood between two trees.
The papers on it moved slightly in the wind.
The boy stared at it for a moment.
Then his eyes widened.
He looked back at me.
Then back at the poster.
His grip on the bag tightened.
He took a small step backward.
"…Wait," he said slowly.
His voice sounded nervous now.
He pointed toward the board.
"That poster…"
Chakshu looked over his shoulder.
The boy looked directly at me now.
His voice became quieter.
"You… you won't rob me too… right?"
I tilted my head a little.
"Hm," I said. "Depends."
The boy froze.
"Depends on what?" he asked nervously.
I pointed at the bag.
"If there's candy in that bag, I might have to take it."
The boy blinked.
"…What?"
Chakshu sighed loudly beside me.
"Magic."
"What?" I said.
Chakshu stepped forward and raised his hands a little so the boy wouldn't panic.
"Relax, kid," he said calmly. "We're not going to rob you."
The boy still looked unsure.
Chakshu nodded toward the direction where the criminals had run.
"If we wanted your stuff, we wouldn't have chased those guys away."
The boy slowly relaxed a little.
"Oh…"
Chakshu gave a small smile.
"We're chill. You're safe."
The boy looked down at his bag for a moment, then back at us.
"…There actually is candy in here," he said quietly.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Well now you're just making this difficult."
Chakshu shook his head.
"Please ignore him."
The boy let out a small laugh.
The tension in the clearing slowly disappeared.
The wind moved through the trees again, and the forest returned to its quiet night sounds.
After a moment, Chakshu asked, "What were you even doing out here this late?"
The boy looked at the path behind him.
"I was going home," he said. "My village is just past the forest."
Then he glanced again toward the notice board with the poster.
"…So you're really the guy from that poster?"
Chakshu looked at me again.
"See?" he said. "This is why normal people panic."
I shrugged.
"Normal is boring."
The boy studied my face for another second, clearly curious now.
And the quiet forest path suddenly felt a little less empty with the three of us standing there.
I said to the kid, "Well, it gonna be late. You can go home now"
The kid replies, "Oh right, um- thanks again." as he walks away to his direction.