The moment the words left the man's mouth
They know.
—Leo didn't waste time asking more.
He stepped out of the hut first, his movements quick but not careless. The man followed right behind him, his steps heavier, slower, but steady enough to keep up.
They moved toward the edge of the village, slipping into the narrow path that led to the forest.
The evening light was fading, and shadows stretched longer across the ground. The further they went, the quieter it became, until the sounds of the village disappeared completely behind them.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of their footsteps and the rustling of leaves filled the silence.
"…You didn't have to come back," Leo said suddenly.
The man glanced at him briefly but kept moving.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Leo didn't look at him.
"If you had stayed hidden," he said, "you wouldn't be in this situation now."
The man let out a faint breath, almost like a tired chuckle.
"I thought about that," he admitted.
A short pause followed.
"Then why?" Leo asked.
The man's expression didn't change, but his voice grew quieter.
"…I'm just repaying you," he said.
Leo frowned slightly.
"For what?"
The man looked ahead, his gaze steady.
"For saving my life."
Leo didn't reply immediately.
The answer was simple.
Too simple.
"…I only helped you because you were in front of my house," Leo said.
"I know," the man replied.
That was all he said.
The conversation faded again, and they continued moving deeper into the forest.
The path grew uneven, roots and stones making each step more difficult. The man's breathing grew slightly heavier, but he didn't slow down.
Leo followed behind him.
Then
suddenly
Leo stopped.
It wasn't gradual.
It was immediate.
The man took a few more steps before realizing.
He turned back.
"…What happened?" he asked.
Leo stood still, his expression tightening slightly, as if something had just struck him.
"…I forgot something," he said.
The man frowned.
"What did you forget?"
There was a brief silence.
Then Leo answered.
"…My mom."
The man's brows furrowed.
"…What?"
Leo looked back toward the direction of the village.
"…The carving," he said quietly. "I left it there."
For a second, the man didn't understand.
Then it clicked.
"That thing?" he said, disbelief slipping into his voice. "That wooden carving?"
Leo didn't answer.
The man's expression hardened slightly.
"Forget it," he said. "It's not worth going back."
Leo didn't move.
"That thing isn't more important than your life," the man continued, his tone firmer now.
Leo turned his head slightly.
"…You don't know that," he said.
And before the man could react
Leo started running.
"Hey!"
The man moved instantly and grabbed Leo's arm, pulling him back.
"Are you insane?" he snapped. "They're probably already there!"
Leo tried to pull away.
"Let go," he said.
"No," the man replied sharply. "You go back now, you die."
Leo stopped struggling for a moment.
Then he slowly turned his head and looked at the man.
Something in his eyes had changed.
It wasn't anger.
It wasn't fear.
It was something deeper.
Something that didn't belong to a child his age.
"…Let go," Leo said again.
The man held his gaze.
And for a brief second
something in his chest tightened.
It was instinct.
A feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time.
Danger.
His fingers loosened.
Just slightly.
And that was enough.
Leo pulled his arm free.
"…If you're that scared," Leo said, already stepping back, "you can run."
Then he turned
and ran.
"Kid..!"
The man didn't move immediately.
He stood there, staring in the direction Leo had disappeared.
"…Scared…?" he muttered under his breath.
For a moment
he realized
he actually had been.
His expression darkened slightly.
"…Tch."
Then he clicked his tongue and started running after Leo.
By the time Leo reached the edge of the village, his breathing had grown uneven, but he didn't slow down.
Something felt wrong.
The air.
The silence.
It was too quiet.
No voices.
No movement.
Even the usual evening sounds were gone.
Leo slowed down slightly as he approached his hut.
His eyes scanned the surroundings.
Then he saw it.
Footprints.
More than before.
Clear.
Deep.
Not one person.
Not two.
Several.
His chest tightened slightly, but he kept moving.
The door of his hut was open.
Wider this time.
Leo stepped closer.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Then he entered.
Inside
someone was sitting on his bed.
A large man.
Broad.
Still.
He didn't move.
Didn't look surprised.
As if
he had been waiting.
Leo stopped.
The man leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.
"…So," he said, his voice low and heavy.
"…you're the boy."
Leo didn't answer.
His eyes moved briefly around the room.
The bed.
The floor.
Then
they landed on the corner.
The wooden carving.
Still there.
Unbroken.
A faint breath left his lips.
"…Looking for this?" the man asked.
Leo's gaze snapped back to him.
The man picked up the carving from beside him and held it loosely in his hand.
"…Interesting thing," he said, turning it slightly. "You came back for something like this."
Leo stepped forward.
Slowly.
"…Give it back," he said.
The man smiled faintly.
Not kindly.
"…You've got some nerve," he said. "Walking back in here like nothing's wrong."
Leo didn't respond.
"…Do you know who I am?" the man asked.
Leo met his gaze.
"…No," he said.
The man's smile widened just a little.
"…I'm the one you should have been afraid of," he said.
Silence filled the room.
Leo didn't step back.
Didn't look away.
"…Then why are you here?" he asked.
The man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Because," he said slowly, "someone I'm looking for… passed through this place."
A pause.
"…And you," he added, his gaze sharpening, "might have seen him."
Leo's expression didn't change.
"…I didn't," he said.
The man watched him closely.
Then
he chuckled.
"…We'll see."
He leaned back slightly, still holding the carving.
"…Now tell me," he said, his voice dropping,
"…how much do you value this little thing?"
The room fell silent.
And for the first time
Leo felt it.
Not fear.
But pressure.
Real.
Heavy.
The room remained silent after the man's question.
"…how much do you value this little thing?"
Leo didn't answer immediately.
His eyes stayed on the carving in the man's hand. The way the leader held it—carelessly, almost like it meant nothing—made something tighten in Leo's chest.
"…Give it back," Leo said again.
The man let out a quiet breath, almost amused.
"You came back into danger for this," he said, glancing at the carving once more. "Either you're very brave… or very foolish."
Leo didn't respond.
A faint sound came from behind.
The door.
The leader's eyes shifted slightly, just for a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
A shadow moved.
Before the leader could fully turn
the man from the forest stepped in from behind and struck.
It wasn't a clean attack.
He was still injured.
His movement lacked full strength
but it was fast enough.
The blow forced the leader forward, the carving slipping slightly in his grip.
"…Tch."
The leader twisted his body just in time, his hand snapping out and grabbing the attacker's wrist mid-motion.
The force of it stopped the man instantly.
For a moment
the two stood locked.
The leader's eyes narrowed.
"…So you were hiding here," he said.
The man's expression hardened, but there was strain in it.
"You're slower than I expected," he replied.
The leader's lips curled slightly.
"…And you're weaker than I expected."
He pushed forward.
Hard.
The man staggered back a step, his injured body unable to fully resist.
Leo moved without thinking.
He lunged forward and grabbed the carving from the leader's hand.
For a split second
everything paused.
The leader's gaze snapped toward Leo.
Leo didn't hesitate.
He stepped back immediately, clutching the carving tightly.
"…Run!" the man shouted.
Leo didn't need to be told twice.
He turned and rushed out of the hut.
Behind him
the sound of impact echoed.
The man had engaged the leader again, this time not to win
but to create space.
The leader swung, his attack fast and heavy, forcing the man to block instead of counter. Each hit carried weight, each movement precise.
Even injured
the man managed to hold him off.
Barely.
"…You're still standing," the leader said, his tone almost impressed. "Even like this."
The man didn't reply.
He struck back, forcing the leader to shift his footing.
It wasn't enough to defeat him.
Not even close.
But it was enough
to push him back.
A brief opening.
The man didn't waste it.
He broke away immediately and dashed out of the hut.
The leader didn't chase instantly.
He stood there for a second, watching the empty doorway.
Then
he let out a low chuckle.
"…Even injured," he muttered,
"…a tiger is still a tiger, huh."
His eyes shifted toward the direction they had fled.
Then he moved.
Fast.
Leo ran.
Branches scratched against his arms as he pushed through the forest path, his breathing uneven but steady enough to keep going.
A moment later
the man caught up to him.
"…Don't slow down," he said.
Leo nodded slightly.
They ran deeper into the forest, moving in the direction that seemed most natural—straight ahead, away from the village.
But after a while
the man suddenly grabbed Leo's shoulder and pulled him to the side.
"…This way," he said.
Leo didn't question it.
They changed direction sharply, cutting through a narrower path covered with thick undergrowth.
Their footsteps became quieter.
Harder to track.
Behind them
the forest returned to silence.
The leader continued forward in the original direction.
Unaware
that they had already changed course.
By the time the sun began to rise, the forest had grown brighter.
The village was far behind them now.
Far enough that even the fear of immediate pursuit began to fade.
Leo slowed down first.
Then stopped.
The man stopped a few steps ahead, catching his breath.
For a while
neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of wind moving through the trees filled the space around them.
Leo looked down at the carving in his hand.
Still intact.
Still safe.
His grip loosened slightly.
"…You're really something," the man said after a while, his voice quieter now.
Leo didn't look at him.
"…You came back for that," the man continued. "Even knowing the risk."
Leo remained silent.
"…It's important," he said finally.
The man studied him for a moment.
Then nodded.
"…I can see that."
Another silence followed.
Then Leo spoke again.
"…We're in this together now, right?"
The man raised an eyebrow slightly.
"…Looks like it."
Leo turned his head and looked at him.
"…Then shouldn't I at least know your name?"
The man didn't answer immediately.
For a moment, he simply looked at Leo.
Then
a faint smile appeared on his face.
"…Fair enough," he said.
He straightened slightly, his posture shifting—not into arrogance, but into something more composed.
More… refined.
"…My name is Aldric Valencrest."
The name settled into the air.
It didn't sound like something from this small village.
It carried weight.
A name that belonged somewhere far beyond this place.
Leo looked at him for a second.
"…Leo," he said.
Aldric let out a quiet breath, almost amused.
"…I know."
The wind moved gently through the trees.
And for the first time
there was distance between them and the danger behind.
But not safety.
Not yet.