The fire had burned down to glowing embers by the time Kaelen and Zarethis returned. The darkness of the forest was absolute, save for the faint moonlight filtering through the canopy.
They emerged from the shadows, their boots silent on the damp earth. Kaelen's expression was grim, while Zarethis looked unusually serious.
Elara stood up from the log, her eyes sharp. "Anything?"
Kaelen shook his head, wiping a smudge of mud from his cheek. "Nothing. We covered a five-kilometer radius. No tracks, no signs of a struggle, and no scent of blood beyond what we found earlier."
Zarethis crossed her arms, leaning against a tree. "It's like the forest swallowed them whole. No mana residue, no beast tracks. Just... silence."
I felt a pang of disappointment, though I tried to hide it. "So, we have nothing?"
"It happens," Elara said, though her tone was tight. "Missions don't always go as planned."
She looked at the dark sky, then back at us. "Here's the plan for tomorrow. We'll split up into pairs to cover the entire region more efficiently. Kaelen and I will take the northern sector; Bell and Zarethis, the southern. If we find nothing by noon, we abort."
"Abort?" I asked, looking up at her.
Elara nodded. "If we can't find the cause by then, it's unfortunately a mission failure. We report what we know and return to the academy."
Hearing that hurt, but I knew it was the reality of being a student. Most first-years failed their first mission. It was a learning experience, a way to understand the unpredictability of the real world. But failing meant losing time, time that could be spent studying or resting. We had to balance the drive to succeed with the risk of losing too many days away from school.
Kaelen looked at the two tents, then at the fading fire. "We should sleep. We need to be sharp for tomorrow."
Elara nodded. "Agreed."
She stepped toward the center of our campsite, raising her hand. Mana began to swirl around her fingertips, a soft blue glow that illuminated her face. She pressed her palm against the ground.
"Mana Dome: Detection," she chanted.
A massive, translucent dome of blue light erupted from the ground, enveloping the campsite. The light was thin, barely visible, but I could feel the hum of magic in the air.
Then, Elara focused again, channeling a denser stream of mana. A second layer of light formed, closer to the ground, wrapping tightly around the two tents.
"And Mana Wall: Barrier," she whispered.
The inner shield solidified, shimmering with a pearlescent sheen.
Elara turned to us, her breathing slightly labored. "The outer dome is a detection spell. It extends about a hundred meters out. If anything crosses that line, I'll feel it instantly. The inner barrier is a shield, it will block basic attacks and magic."
I stared at the glowing structures, amazed. "Elara... those spells are incredible. Can you teach me them later?"
Elara offered a small smile. "I will. But for now, we need sleep and wake up early."
Kaelen and I nodded. Zarethis had already retreated to her tent, grumbling about the cold.
I followed Kaelen into our tent. It was small, barely large enough for two people to lie down side by side. The air inside was still and smelled of canvas and damp earth.
I immediately realized the reality of our sleeping arrangement. Kaelen was already inside, lowering himself onto the sleeping mat. He lay on his back, his hands behind his head, looking completely at ease.
I hesitated at the entrance, my heart pounding.
"Coming?" Kaelen asked, his voice calm.
"Y-yeah," I stammered.
I crawled in, trying to find a spot as far from him as possible, but the space was too narrow. Nibbles hopped in after me, curling up instantly on the mat between us.
I lay down on my side, facing away from Kaelen, my back stiff. The darkness inside the tent was absolute.
For a while, there was only silence. The sound of the wind outside, the rustle of leaves, the faint hum of Elara's detection shield.
Then, Kaelen spoke. "Hey, Bell."
I jumped slightly. "Yeah?"
"Today," he started, his voice thoughtful, "in the cave... you said I looked cool."
I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, grateful for the darkness. "I... I did."
"It made me think," he continued. "Back when I was fighting Ren, I was barely conscious however you stepped up to protect me which bought me enough time to beat Ren, ultimately."
I turned my head slightly, looking at his silhouette in the dark. "We protected each other."
He chuckled softly. "I guess so."
We fell silent again, but the atmosphere had shifted.
I shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable. Nibbles, who was taking up a significant amount of space, let out a soft meow and stretched, pushing against my side.
I tried to shift away, but in the cramped space, I rolled right into Kaelen.
"!"
I froze. My back was pressed against his side, his muscular arm brushing against my shoulder. The heat radiating from him was intense, a stark contrast to the cool night air.
I felt his body tense for a split second, then relax.
"Nibbles was taking too much space," I whispered, my voice trembling.
"I see," Kaelen said, his voice sounding deeper in the dark.
He didn't move away. Instead, I felt his arm shift, settling gently around my waist, pulling me closer to him.
My breath hitched. I could feel the hard planes of his chest against my back, the steady beat of his heart. His warmth enveloped me, seeping into my skin, chasing away the chill.
Kaelen lay there, his eyes open in the darkness, staring at the roof of the tent.
He tried to stop the flush rising on his neck, but it was futile. The sensation was overwhelming.
Is she interested in me? he thought, the question looping in his mind.
He thought back to the cave, to the way Bell had looked at him with wide, admiring eyes. He thought of the times she came to visit the infirmary.
"Hey, Bell," he said again, his voice barely a whisper.
I turned my head, looking back at him. In the darkness, I could just make out the outline of his face, his eyes dark and intense.
"Do you want to—" he began, his voice thick with emotion.
ROOOOOAAAAAARRRR!
The sound was deafening. It shook the ground beneath us, vibrating through the tent canvas.
We both jolted upright, the moment shattered.
Nibbles, who had been sleeping soundly, jumped up with a hiss, his fur standing on end. He nuzzled against my side, seeking protection.
"Stay close," Kaelen commanded, his demeanor instantly shifting from soft to lethal.
We scrambled out of the tent, weapons drawn. The air was thick with tension.
Across the camp, Elara and Zarethis emerged from their tent, looking just as alert. Elara's hand was glowing with mana, her eyes scanning the tree line.
"What is it?" Kaelen shouted over the wind that had suddenly picked up.
Elara's face was pale, sweat beading on her forehead. "A powerful beast. The detection shield just triggered. It's massive."
WOOSH! WOOSH!
Loud, rhythmic sounds echoed through the forest, like the beating of giant wings or the thrashing of massive limbs.
Elara's eyes widened. "It's coming... towards us!"
Suddenly, the trees ahead of us exploded.
Giant oaks, centuries old, splintered and flew apart as a massive figure burst through them. Wood and debris rained down, crashing around our camp.
The beast stood before us, silhouetted against the moonlight.
It was a cyclone of muscle and rage, standing nearly twenty meters tall. Its skin was a dark, mottled grey, blending with the night. It had a single, massive horn protruding from its forehead, and a single, glowing red eye that burned with malice.
But it was what it held that made my stomach turn.
In each of its massive hands, it clutched the remains of two elves. Their bodies were limp, their flesh torn and mangled, blood dripping onto the forest floor.
The sight triggered a visceral memory, Valerius, the upperclassmen, the blood on the classroom desks. I gagged, bile rising in my throat.
Kaelen stepped in front of me instantly, shielding my view, his eyes locked on the beast.
Elara's voice cut through the panic, sharp and commanding. "Our goal was to find the cause and report back. Now that we have clearly found the cause, there is one thing I can say—"
Before she could finish, the cyclone beast roared and hurled the corpse in its right hand directly at us.
The body flew through the air like a cannonball, slamming into Elara's barrier shield.
CRACK!
The blue dome shattered instantly, exploding into shards of mana that dissolved into the air. The force of the impact was so great that the inner barrier rippled violently, the light flickering.
I stared in shock. That shield had stopped the upperclassmen Ren, yet the beast had shattered it with a single throw.
Elara's face went pale. She turned to us, her voice screaming over the roar of the beast.
"RUN!"