The first light of dawn slowly crept through the forest.
Thin rays of sunlight slipped between the tall trees, breaking the darkness that had surrounded them through the night.
Leo walked a few steps behind the man, his breathing still slightly uneven from the long escape.
His legs ached.
His body felt heavy.
But he didn't stop.
By now the village was far behind them.
Far enough that even the faint fear of being chased had begun to fade.
The man finally slowed his steps.
He placed one hand against a nearby tree, exhaling quietly as if releasing the weight he had been holding in.
"…We should be safe for now," he said.
Leo stopped a few steps behind him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of wind moving through the leaves filled the silence.
Then the man straightened slightly and turned toward Leo.
"…You asked for my name earlier," he said.
Leo looked up.
The man held his gaze for a brief moment before speaking.
"…Aldric Valencrest."
The name hung in the air.
Leo blinked once.
Then tilted his head slightly.
"…That's a really long name," he said.
For a second
there was silence.
Then Aldric let out a small laugh.
Not loud
but genuine.
"…I suppose it is," he said.
Leo looked at him again, this time more carefully.
"…Are you a noble?" he asked.
Aldric nodded.
"…Yes."
Leo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Then why are people chasing you?" he asked."Aren't nobles supposed to be powerful?"
"…Why were you running?"
"…And those men"
The questions started coming one after another.
Leo didn't even pause between them.
It was as if everything he had been holding back until now suddenly came pouring out.
Aldric blinked once.
Then again.
"…Wait," he said, raising a hand slightly.
Leo stopped mid-sentence.
Aldric let out a quiet breath, pressing his fingers lightly against his forehead.
"…I'm not in a condition to explain everything in detail,"
he said.
"But I'll give you a simple answer."
Leo stayed silent.
Waiting.
Aldric lowered his hand.
"…Just because I'm a noble,"
he said,
"…doesn't mean I'm the strongest."
His voice was calm
but there was something behind it.
"…There are people far more powerful than me,"
he continued.
"And the ones chasing us… are connected to them."
Leo listened without interrupting.
"…The reason they want me dead,"
Aldric said
"…is because I found something I wasn't supposed to."
Leo frowned.
"…What kind of thing makes people chase you like that?" he asked.
Aldric's gaze hardened slightly.
"…The kind of secret that makes people kill," he replied.
Silence followed.
The forest felt different now.
Heavier.
leo was in deep thought and the man who realized this asked leo
"what are you thinking so deeply?".
then leo looks at the man and replies.
"…Until yesterday"
he said quietly
"…my life was just normal."
Aldric didn't interrupt.
"I just worked… ate… and slept"
Leo continued.
"…like everyone else."
He lifted his head and looked straight at Aldric.
"…And now,"
he said
"…I'm running with someone people want to kill."
A small pause.
"…Makes me wonder,"
he added
"…whether I should have saved you or not."
For a moment
Aldric froze.
Then his expression darkened slightly.
"…You say that very easily," he said, as if his soul left his body.
The tone wasn't truly angry
but there was clear disbelief in it.
Leo, however, simply turned his head to the side
as if he hadn't heard a single word.
The silence that followed felt strangely… awkward.
Aldric stared at him for a moment.
Then sighed.
"…It's true," he said after a while."…You got dragged into this because of me."
Leo didn't respond.
"…But you don't need to worry," Aldric continued."Once we reach our destination, I'll make sure you're safe."
Leo slowly looked back at him.
His gaze moved from Aldric's face
down to his injured body
then back up again.
"…Yeah," he said flatly."Sure."
Aldric's jaw tightened again.
For a moment, it looked like he wanted to say something
but he held it back.
Leo glanced around the forest.
"…Shouldn't we move?" he asked."They might come back."
Aldric looked at him.
Then sighed softly.
"…There should be a town nearby," he said."We'll rest there for the day… then continue."
Leo nodded slightly.
Then, after a brief pause
he asked:
"…Where exactly are we going?"
Aldric looked ahead.
For the first time
something changed in his eyes.
A faint light appeared in them.
Not fear.
Not tension.
Something else.
"…To the Valencrest House," he said.
The name carried weight.
Leo didn't fully understand it yet.
But something told him
this was only the beginning.
------------
The forest had long fallen behind.
But the hunt had not ended.
Inside the ruined hut where everything had begun, the leader of the Black Wolf gang stood in silence.
The broken furniture lay scattered across the floor, splinters of wood still fresh from the earlier clash. A faint trace of blood marked the ground where the fight had taken place.
He stood near the doorway, his sharp eyes fixed on the distance.
"They escaped."
The words came from one of his men, who stood a few steps behind him, his head lowered.
The leader did not respond immediately.
Instead, he slowly stepped outside, his boots pressing firmly into the dirt. His gaze moved across the surroundings, taking in every detail.
The faint marks on the ground.The direction of broken branches.The disturbed soil.
"They ran," the man continued carefully, "towards the eastern side of the forest."
The leader crouched slightly, touching the ground with his fingers.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then, he stood up.
"…No," he said quietly.
The man behind him stiffened.
"They changed direction," the leader continued, his voice calm but certain. "Midway."
The man's expression shifted in surprise.
"…Then we—"
"Split," the leader interrupted.
His tone wasn't loud.
But it carried authority that allowed no argument.
"Send men to every nearby town," he said."East, south, and the trade route beyond the hills."
The man nodded quickly.
"And listen carefully," the leader added, his eyes narrowing slightly."They won't stay in the forest for long."
"…You think they'll go to a town?" the man asked.
The leader let out a faint breath.
"They're tired. Injured. Hungry.""They need shelter."
His gaze sharpened.
"And that is where we will catch them."
By the time the orders were given, the forest was no longer silent.
Men moved quickly, spreading out in different directions. Some took horses. Others disappeared into narrow paths only locals would know.
The hunt had expanded.
The leader remained where he stood for a few more moments.
Then, finally, he began to move.
Not rushed.
Not careless.
Each step carried a quiet confidence.
"…A wounded tiger is still a tiger," he muttered to himself.
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"But even a tiger bleeds."
Hours passed.
The sun rose higher, casting a harsh light across the open roads beyond the forest.
Dust lifted under the hooves of running horses.
Villages along the outer paths were questioned.
Travelers were stopped.
Every possible escape route was being watched.
The leader rode at the front of a small group, his eyes fixed ahead.
"…Which town is closest?" he asked.
"One lies ahead," a man replied."A small one. Traders pass through it often."
The leader gave a slight nod.
"That's where they'll go," he said.
The town came into view as the sun began its slow descent.
It was not large.
Just a cluster of buildings, a few shops, and a modest inn standing near the entrance.
Smoke rose lazily from chimneys, and the usual movement of people filled the streets.
But that calm would not last.
The moment the leader entered, his presence alone shifted the atmosphere.
People moved aside.
Conversations quieted.
He didn't waste time.
"Spread out," he ordered.
"Check every inn. Every corner. Every face."
His men moved immediately.
Some headed toward the inn.
Others began questioning people in the streets.
The tension spread quickly.
Like a ripple through still water.
At the far end of the town, near a narrow street lined with smaller houses, Leo stood beside Aldric.
They had just entered not long ago, keeping their heads low, trying not to draw attention.
"…Something feels off," Leo said quietly.
Aldric didn't respond immediately.
But his gaze had already shifted.
He had noticed it too.
Men moving through the streets.
Not like travelers.
Not like townspeople.
Their movements were too deliberate.
Too focused.
"…They found us," Aldric said under his breath.
Leo's chest tightened slightly.
"…Already?" he asked.
Aldric's expression hardened.
"They spread faster than I expected."
Leo glanced around.
One of the men had just stopped a passerby and was asking something.
Another had entered a nearby shop.
They weren't searching randomly.
They were looking for someone.
Looking for them.
"…What do we do?" Leo asked.
Aldric's eyes moved quickly, calculating their surroundings.
"We don't run," he said quietly.
Leo looked at him.
"…What?"
"Running will only make us stand out," Aldric replied."We move normally."
Leo swallowed slightly.
For the first time
the danger didn't feel distant.
It was here.
Right in front of them.
And closing in.