He looked back over his shoulder at the rear of the carriage he had cut through.
Along with it he saw Tjer who lay inside the carriage, while silent his breathing sounded steady.
"Sigh..."
He is fi—
Something caught his eye—colored smoke rose from Tjer's wounds.
It left no smell—nothing visible at all—but the effects were there.
His injuries were healing, each cut closing faster than the last.
What is he... A smile appeared on Wode's face, as he watched the first few of Tjer's fingers fidget.
The boy couldn't register anything, he had pushed everything far beyond their limits, especially his senses.
But Wode still spoke to him,
"I readied the horse for you, it should bring you home." He looked into Tjer's slightly opened eyes, it was a familiar face that appeared.
He is not him. Even when he understood it he couldn't help it, smiling down at the face in front of him.
It was a warm smile that reached to the corners of his eyes—one he did not expect to have anymore.
Just six days had been enough to remind him of what he once had.
You kids deserve more than this world is giving you.
He felt a fragile hope—but a persistent one,
Tjer could be the one to change his own fate,
Or perhaps even bigger than that.
At least that was what Wode hoped for—that he would achieve what those before him couldn't.
Tjer was still in a haze—unable to grasp his surroundings.
Unable to understand essence.
Its application itself was a mystery to him.
But one thing was clear to him—Wode's strength, one exponentially greater than his,
Wode will defeat them.
Wode's expression evened out as he turned away,
I have other things to deal with.
He looked over at the eight beasts that remained,
His convictions were reinforced,
This is the most rational thing.
Just a fraction of this young boy's life was worth more than his own—that was the conclusion Wode reached.
He peeked past the beasts that stood between them—between Wode and the real threat.
The carriage he left behind had stopped rolling, with the horse waiting on standby—waiting to carry out its given task.
They can't approach it.
The three beasts in front of him rushed over to Wode, he lunged forward aiming at the closest one—the one on the right.
Two strikes were all he needed as beast left a cloud behind as its three parts met the road, alongside it was a crater of Wode's sword.
While Tjer's swordplay could be seen as a dance—one that punishes his opponents.
Wode's style—if it could be called that—was pure domination, it rewarded strength.
It was simply brutal and effective—suited for his brawny existence.
No raider, or monster he had ever met before could keep up in strength.
He followed the row and finished the other two—leaving the same wreckage behind.
Good—essence wasn't necessary.
Tjer had been watching after he sat up again, with a slouched back—unable to hold his weight.
A shock jolted through his body as he clenched his fist,
I will be an inconvenience, no matter my condition...
He calmly released his fist as a light settled in his eyes, reflecting the view in front of him.
I'm still far behind, I have a lot to do... for both her and me to survive.
What he saw today was the absolute peak in strength to him,
Dad might beat him... but he never showed me his real strength...
Wode was watching the lingering beasts carefully,
I can defeat them, but it's not going to be one-on-one.
This will be troublesome. Neither his soul nor his body wavered, holding an unmoving gaze.
But contrary to his usual self, Wode continued to watch them—preparing his next move, while waiting for theirs.
Something is strange... there is more to this.
No matter how ready he was, a human would always strive to survive.
What are they waiting for? He held his sword out in front of him and buried his feet into the dirt he stood on, hoping for them to move soon.
Huh?
Their core is twisting? A sight similar to that of a stomach that growled for food.
He did not know what to do—besides this one thing.
He lunged forward leaving a cloud of dust behind, focusing all his essence on speed.
One strike. That is all I need.
Just one...
He struck right through the core of the beast.
"Huh!?" The core remained untouched—the beast remained intact.
Or rather,
It slowly vanished into a fog that appeared—eerily similar to the previous one, with a presence lingering inside.
What's going o—
Tjer!
He spun around—the entire world in front of him convulsed together as he charged his legs with essence rushing over.
He couldn't go at that speed anymore, having used all he had charged for the initial dash.
It took him five seconds to get to the carriage where Tjer should be,
I hope I am not too late. Five seconds is too slow in another's territory...
"Tj—er!" His voice came out rough, followed by the taste of blood spreading in his mouth—he had overextended his essence.
Tsk... I need to rest up. He continued to stand tall, holding his blade in his trembling hands—he refused to let his old muscles rest.
"Wode! Did it all work out? The strange fog appeared out of nowhere... not just out of those in the back, but even the corpses!"
As he caught his breath, he followed the boy's voice and looked at his feet—where corpses were supposed to lay.
And indeed, nothing could be seen, except for the craters he had left behind.
What is happening...
Both the lively, and the coarse voice combined,
"We need to leave. Now!"
"Tjer are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, strangely enough, I do..." He held his chin up as if getting hurt was a common occurrence.
But it has never been this bad... He looked down at his body, which had already healed up.
"But I do feel different... I don't know what it is..." He shifted his eyes down as he spoke, bringing his hand to his chest.
"A warmth around the right side of my chest..."
Wode cast his gaze down as he listened,
I can't explain it to him... he is cursed after all.
"And thank you, Wode." Tjer showed a smile, one different from before—an innocent one.
He returned it with a smile he too thought he had lost, he reached out to ruffle Tjer's hair—forgetting who he truly was.
But it was a fleeting moment as Wode looked up again,
We need to leave now.
Tjer stepped back, unable to hide the blood that coursed through his face.
Wode walked around the carriage to the horse. It had become pure silence inside the forest, after the fog's arrival.
Not even the buzzing of insects, nor the whistling of the birds could be heard—they were the only entities left.
He quickened the steps he took, swallowing the lump that started forming as the horse came into sight.
It's still fine.
He grabbed as much cargo as he could from the carriage as they both mounted the horse.
They looked out in front of them, with horse holding the same view—It was nothingness, surrounded by it on all sides.
The horse was unstable, with its trembling legs, unable to move a single step.
It's a deadlock.
The only choice they had left was to wait for the fog to lift, hoping that nothing would happen in the meantime.
But it was clear to both of them,
That is not going to happen.
Wode walked back to the area at the rear of the carriage, and took his stance, holding his sword between himself and the fog ahead of him.
It all seems like essence. He was able to see the essence of the fog, the same as the beast's.
Tjer was lost in the unknown—unable to see his surroundings.
I need to help. He looked over at Wode, who tried to hide his heavy breathing and trembling legs.
Tjer started taking the same breaths he did before, recreating the feeling of water that spread after a drought.
He took slow breaths, that made the warmth return.
Huh?
Alongside it an unsettling pain rose up through the warmth, that broke his focus.
He began coughing violently, with blood surging alongside it.
His insides were burning—a pain similar to that of fire.
He had to rest—unable to help Wode in this state, nor himself.
But he refused to.
He could not afford to remain helpless—especially to the man that covered him inside his shadow, who had saved him countless times already.
I need to help him.
He repeated the breathing.
The coughing increased, it had become louder—a warning to stop, but that was all it was to him.
It was followed by another surge of blood, it was darker this time—heavier.
What is happening...?
Wode turned around after he heard the second cough.
His eyes widened as he saw the state the boy found himself in,
Why... why already?
He had seen this before, but only with his seniors—those even more experienced than him.
Why is it already happening to this child...?
"Tjer, stop using your essence."
"I will finish it myself—those Kludd won't be able to do anything." He straightened his back as he stared back into the fog.
I forgot... he can't understand it.
Why can I hear him...? That was the only thing that crossed Tjer's mind.
"Kludd... are those the monsters?"
"Yes, exac—" Wode's eyes widened as he turned around,
"Huh?! You can hear me?"
"Yes I am... but I don't understand..." He lowered his head as he spoke
"Let me explain it then. I simply don't know what is happening—not even with those headless kludd."
"I need you to stay in the carriage, so I can focus on the front—understood?"
Tjer just nodded along as he stood back up,
As Wode caught a look of his face, he reiterated,
"Sigh... you can fight with me, but you will only cover my back."
"If that's alright with you..." Tjer said, unable to lift his head up—but even with his nose covering his lips, Wode could see the corners of his lips lift.
He really is just a—
Before the thought could finish forming, the sound of the rumbling wooden boards reached his ears, followed by the neighing of the horse.
"I feel a presence." Wode muttered, with cold shivers running down his spine.
What is this feeling... It's different from before.
It was a similar feeling, but it brought a pressure that those Kludd from before did not.
Is this the leader?
But even that thought was shaken away—it was a different feeling altogether,
The pressure made him widen his stance as it weighed down on him—a deeper, heavier pressure than that of the leader they had encountered before.
He watched everything over, but his eyes were locked onto the fog, with the tip of his blade almost dipping within,
Something is happening.
It was right ahead, the fog moved away as it started to thin out—with one point specifically clearing up.
"Tjer they are coming from the front, and something is different."
Why is there just one presence...
The first sounds outside of their own reached their ears—it was one they were familiar with,
These are human steps.
But he never lowered his sword.
Those heavy steps weren't alone as they reached their ears.
The scraping of the road could also be heard.
It can't be human.
"Wode... did someone come to save us..." Tjer's eyes widened, but he couldn't put his trembling blade down.
As the figure approached, the atmosphere the boy and man felt changed.
Like I thought... it feels like the leader.
But something is indeed different...
It's almost like a human's...
He tensed his face together as that last word crossed his mind,
That can't be.
The figure reached the border of the fog, revealing a leg—a human leg.
It was followed by an upper body.
With each step it took, Wode's eyes widened along with Tjer's who had been watching—covered by Wode's back.
Until its face left the fog—revealing itself.
A familiar one.
One they had abandoned before.
It was Ren.