The first light of dawn crept slowly through the forest.
Aren woke up to the sounds of birds calling high in the trees above. For a moment he lay still, staring at the pale sky through the branches as he tried to remember where he was.
Then the events of the previous night returned.
The fire wolf.
The crystal core.
And Lyra.
Aren sat up quickly.
The fire had burned down to ash, thin strands of smoke drifting up into the cooling air.
Across the clearing, Lyra was already awake.
She stood beside a fallen tree, tightening the strap of a small leather pack slung across her shoulder.
" You sleep heavily" she said without looking at him.
Aren rubbed the back of his neck.
"I was tired"
Lyra glanced briefly toward him.
" You should get used to walking faster. Out there hesitation gets people killed"
Aren didn't respond.
Instead, he stood and stretched his stiff muscles. The ground had not been comfortable, but after the previous days of exhaustion, he had slept more deeply than expected.
The massive corpse of the fire wolf still lay where it had fallen.
Lyra walked toward it and crouched down.
" You're not taking the rest of the meat?" she asked.
"I already cut what I could carry" Aren replied.
She nodded slightly. "Good".
" By tonight other predators would have smelled it"
Lyra adjusted her cloak and looked again.
" We should move"
"Now?"
"Yes"
She pointed toward orange glow of the rising sun beyond the trees.
"The town is two days East if we move quickly".
Aren grabbed the small bundle of dried wolf meat he had prepared and secured it to his belt.
Then he glanced at her.
" Lead the way "
The forest was dense.
Thick roots twisted across the ground while small trees blocked much of the sunlight, casting long shadows in every direction.
Lyra walked through it easily, crossing obstacles without hesitation.
Aren followed a few paces behind.
"You travelled through this route before" he asked.
" A few times".
"Why?"
Lyra pushed a branch aside.
"Trade routes"
" You're a merchant?"
Aren smirked slightly.
"No".
Aren frowned.
"Then what are you"
Lyra glanced back over her shoulder.
"Someone who survives".
That didn't answer anything.
They walked for several hours with only the sounds of the forest to accompany them.
Eventually Aren spoke again.
"The wolf from last night"
Lyra slowed slightly.
"What about it?"
"You called it a mana beast".
"Yes".
"So that crystal I found..."
"Is a mana core", Lyra finished.
She stopped walking and turned to face him.
"Mana beasts absorb the natural energy from the world around them. When enough accumulates, it condenses into a core."
"And people use those?"
" For many things"
She held up three fingers.
"Alchemy. Magic tools. And cultivation"
Aren blinked.
"Cultivation?"
Lyra studied his face carefully.
"You really don't know much do you?"
Aren looked away slightly.
"I told you , my memories are... incomplete"
For the first time since they met, Lyra's expression softened slightly.
"I see"
She continued walking.
"Well the short version is this: people can absorb the energy inside the mana core to strengthen themselves"
"You mean gain power"
"Yes"
"Then why didn't you take it "
Lyra shrugged.
"You killed the beast"
"And besides the core was weak"
Aren frowned.
"That thing nearly killed me"
Lyra gave him a sideways look.
"Then you definitely need to get stronger"
They continued walking until the forest gradually began to thin.
By midday the trees grew less dense, allowing the sunlight to reach the ground.
Her expression became serious.
"Tracks"
"Animal?"
She shook her head.
"Boots"
Aren felt a small chill.
"Bandits?..."
"Maybe"
She stood and scanned the surrounding trees carefully.
"Or hunters.."
"Would that be better"
"Not necessarily"
Aren instinctively placed his hand near his sword again.
Lyras golden eyes narrowed slightly as she looked deeper into the forest.
After a few seconds, she spoke quietly.
"We're not alone"
Aren felt his pulse quicken.
A branch snapped somewhere in the distance.
Both of them turned towards the sound instantly.
A voice called out from the trees.
"Well,well"
Three figures stepped out from the forest ahead of them.
Each carried weapons.
A sword.
An axe.
A bow.
The man infront grinned.
"Looks like we found travellers"
His gaze moved between Aren and Lyra before settling on the bundle on Aren's belt.
"Hand over your supplies" he said casually.
"And maybe we'll let you walk away"
Aren slowly drew his sword.
Beside him Lyra sighed quietly.
"I was hoping for a peaceful morning"
Her hand moved beneath her cloak.
The bandit with the bow laughed.
"Oh? What are you two going to do ab–"
He stopped suddenly.
Because Lyra had already disappeared.
One moment she was standing beside Aren.
The next–
She was behind them.