The path to Eldergloom Forest was one every child in Vareth Village knew.
And yet—
It never felt the same twice.
Dry leaves crunched softly beneath their steps as Kael walked with the others along the narrow trail. The sounds of the village slowly faded behind them, replaced by the low murmur of wind passing through the trees. The further they moved, the quieter everything became.
Rynel walked ahead, hands resting behind his head, completely at ease, as if this path held nothing unfamiliar to him.
"I heard," he said, his voice carrying easily through the quiet, "someone from the capital passed by the outer road last week."
Tovin immediately leaned forward, his eyes lighting up. "From the capital? Really? Did they have one of those mana devices?"
Rynel shrugged. "No idea. But Old Bren said their armor was shining like silver."
"That doesn't mean anything," Liora said calmly from behind them. "Old Bren thinks anything polished is 'royal.'"
Rynel clicked his tongue. "You always ruin the fun."
Kael didn't join the conversation.
His gaze remained forward, fixed on the path ahead where the light began to thin and the trees grew denser.
The capital.
A distant place.
Far beyond anything this village could offer.
"Kael."
Liora's voice pulled him back.
He turned slightly.
"You've been quiet," she said, studying him. "More than usual."
Kael paused for a moment.
Then said simply, "I'm thinking about the academy."
Rynel stopped walking.
Tovin nearly ran into him.
"The academy?" Rynel turned, eyes wide. "You mean the Aetherion Grand Academy?"
Kael nodded.
For a brief moment, even the wind seemed to grow still.
"That place is…" Tovin hesitated, searching for words. "It's not just big. It's… different."
"Only nobles go there, right?" Rynel asked.
"Not only," Liora replied. "But mostly."
Her eyes shifted toward Kael.
"…People like us don't usually make it."
Kael's expression didn't change.
"I will."
The answer came without hesitation.
No doubt.
Just certainty.
Rynel stared at him for a second—
Then grinned.
"Of course you will."
Tovin nodded quickly. "Yeah… if anyone from this village can do it, it's you."
Liora said nothing.
But she didn't argue.
Kael looked forward again.
The trees stood taller now, their shadows stretching further across the ground.
"…I don't want to stay here forever," he said quietly.
The words weren't heavy.
But they carried weight.
"This place is peaceful," Liora said.
"It is," Kael replied.
"But it's small."
His grip tightened slightly on the wooden sword resting across his shoulder.
"There's more out there."
He could feel it.
Not just the academy.
Not just the capital.
Something else.
Something he couldn't name.
"…Then go," Rynel said suddenly.
Kael glanced at him.
Rynel's usual carefree expression had softened, just a little.
"If you want something bigger, go get it."
Tovin nodded, though less confidently this time. "Just… don't forget us when you become someone important."
Kael let out a quiet breath.
"That won't happen."
Liora watched him carefully.
"…Then make sure you're ready," she said.
Kael tilted his head slightly. "For what?"
"For the world outside this village."
Her gaze shifted toward the forest ahead.
"It's not as kind as this place."
Silence settled over them.
The entrance to Eldergloom Forest stood just ahead.
From a distance, it looked no different than any other forest.
But standing before it—
The difference became clear.
The air felt cooler.
Heavier.
As if something unseen lingered between the trees.
Kael slowed.
That feeling returned.
Faint.
Subtle.
Like something brushing against his awareness.
Not a sound.
Not a presence.
Just—
Something.
"…Kael?"
He blinked.
"It's nothing," he said.
Rynel stepped forward first without hesitation. "Come on. We're not going that deep anyway."
Tovin followed, though more cautiously.
Liora paused for a brief moment before stepping in.
Kael remained still.
His eyes moved across the trees.
The shadows between them.
The silence.
Then—
He stepped forward.
The moment he crossed into the forest, the world behind him seemed to fade.
Not disappear.
But grow distant.
As if he had stepped into a place slightly removed from everything else.
The light dimmed.
The air shifted.
And deep within—
Something stirred.
Kael frowned slightly.
"…Strange."
"What is?" Rynel asked.
Kael shook his head.
"Nothing."
But even as he said it—
He knew that wasn't true.
And somewhere deeper within Eldergloom Forest—
Something had already begun to notice them.