The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
The massive gates of the kingdom had already disappeared behind the trees. The soldiers who dragged me here had long since left.
Only the wind moving through the branches remained.
I lay on the ground where they threw me.
My hands were still bound behind my back with thick rope.
For several minutes I didn't move.
I just stared at the sky through the gaps between the leaves.
"...Heh."
A dry laugh escaped my throat.
"So this is how it ends."
Footsteps suddenly approached from behind.
My body tensed immediately.
I forced myself to sit up.
A man stepped out from the trees.
He wore a dark cloak and carried a small pack.
For a moment we simply stared at each other.
Then he walked closer.
"You look worse than the rumors."
His voice sounded casual.
"Who are you?" I asked.
Instead of answering, he moved behind me.
A short blade flashed.
The rope around my wrists fell apart.
I slowly rubbed my wrists.
"...Why?"
The man placed the pack on the ground in front of me.
"Message from my boss."
My eyes narrowed.
"Boss?"
He shrugged.
"You traveled with them before."
Realization slowly formed.
"...Rogan?"
The man nodded.
"He said to give you this."
I opened the pack slowly.
Inside were several things.
A hunting knife.
A small cooking pot.
Flint stones.
Dried meat.
A rope.
A waterskin.
Basic survival tools.
But right now they felt more valuable than gold.
The man turned to leave.
Then he paused.
"Oh."
He looked back.
"My boss asked me to tell you something."
"What?"
The man smirked slightly.
"'Congratulations on surviving.'"
I couldn't help laughing quietly.
That sounded exactly like Torren.
Then the messenger continued.
"He also said this."
"'The forest didn't kill you before.'"
"'So don't let it kill you now.'"
After saying that, he disappeared into the trees.
Just like that.
I sat there for a long time.
Staring at the bag.
"...Idiots."
My hands trembled slightly.
I grabbed the dried meat and took a bite.
Salt filled my mouth.
Real food.
After everything that happened today…
That small taste almost broke me.
My vision blurred.
"...Damn it."
I wiped my face roughly.
But the tears kept coming.
"Why…?"
My voice sounded small in the empty forest.
"Why does this keep happening?"
I laughed bitterly.
"I fight monsters."
"I survive the forest."
"I nearly die in an arena."
"And somehow…"
My fists clenched.
"...people are still worse."
The image of the stadium flashed in my mind.
Thousands of voices shouting.
The look on Mira's face.
Calm.
Cold.
Like none of it mattered.
"...You planned it."
I muttered to myself.
"You knew everything."
The archive.
The document.
The trial.
Every step.
I had walked directly into the trap.
Like an idiot.
I leaned my head back against the tree.
"So what now, Kazu?"
I stared at the sky again.
"You go back?"
I laughed quietly.
"Yeah right."
The kingdom would kill me the moment I stepped near the gate.
"You stay here?"
The forest answered with silence.
"Maybe."
The forest had already tried to kill me several times.
But somehow…
I trusted it more than people.
After a while exhaustion finally took over.
My body slowly slid down against the tree.
And eventually—
I fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes again…
The world was dark.
Night had fallen.
"...Great."
The forest looked completely different at night.
Every shadow felt alive.
Every sound felt dangerous.
But sitting here would only get me killed.
I slowly stood up.
Every muscle protested.
"Alright."
"If I'm going to survive…"
I tightened the strap of the pack.
"...I move."
Not toward the kingdom.
Never toward the kingdom again.
Instead I walked deeper into the forest.
Step by step.
Tree by tree.
The night stretched endlessly.
Eventually the sky began to brighten.
Morning.
My legs felt heavy.
My throat dry.
Then I heard it.
Water.
A faint rushing sound somewhere ahead.
Hope flickered inside my chest.
I followed the sound through the trees.
Until the forest suddenly opened.
A river flowed quietly across the clearing.
Clear water rushing between smooth stones.
Relief washed over me.
"Finally…"
I knelt beside the river.
My hands plunged into the cold water.
I drank greedily.
Again.
And again.
Then I washed my face.
The reflection in the water looked unfamiliar.
Dirty.
Tired.
Eyes darker than before.
"...Yeah."
I muttered quietly.
"You look like shit."
I leaned against a rock and rested for a while.
Eventually my stomach reminded me of another problem.
Food.
I grabbed the hunting knife.
Finding food wasn't easy.
But after about an hour of searching…
I spotted something.
A small forest chicken pecking at the ground near some bushes.
I crouched slowly.
Carefully.
Quietly.
Then I moved.
The bird tried to run.
But the knife hit its wing.
Several minutes later, smoke rose beside the river.
The smell of roasting meat drifted through the trees.
I ate slowly.
Listening to the forest.
Listening to the river.
When the fire burned low, I stared at the flowing water for a long time.
"...If I follow this…"
Rivers always went somewhere.
Villages.
Towns.
Civilization.
Or maybe just more wilderness.
But staying still meant death.
So I made a decision.
"I follow the river."
Not for one day.
Not for two.
For as long as it took.
Because right now…
The only path left in this world—
Was the one moving forward.