Volume 1 – Chapter 4: A Path Shrouded in Shadows
The forest had finally fallen silent.
The desperate cries of the bandits had vanished, replaced only by the rustling of leaves as a cool evening breeze swept through the trees.
Raimer remained motionless.
His chest rose and fell rapidly as he stared at the bodies lying across the forest floor.
Every bandit had been defeated in only a few moments.
Clean cuts.
Precise movements.
There wasn’t a single wasted strike.
Standing in the middle of it all was the mysterious dark elf.
She calmly cleaned the blood from her twin dagers with a black cloth before returning them to their sheaths.
Her long midnight-black hair swayed gently behind her while her crimson eyes examined the surroundings, making sure no enemies remained.
Only then did she turn toward Raimer.
“You’ve been staring at me for a while.”
Her voice was calm.
“Am I really that interesting?”
Raimer quickly looked away.
“I… I wasn’t staring.”
A small smile appeared on her face.
“That’s what everyone says.”
She stepped closer.
“Name?”
“Raimer.”
“Just Raimer?”
He nodded.
“I don’t have a family name anymore.”
For a brief moment, the elf’s smile disappeared.
“I see…”
She extended her hand.
“My name is Lythria Valenor.”
Raimer looked at her hand before shaking it.
“Valenor?”
“One of the old royal bloodlines of the Dark Elves.”
She laughed softly.
“At least… that’s what it used to be.”
Raimer noticed the sadness hidden behind her smile but chose not to ask.
Instead, he looked around.
“You saved me.”
“I did.”
“Why?”
Lythria shrugged.
“You looked too stubborn to die.”
Raimer couldn’t help letting out a small laugh.
It was the first time he had laughed in months.
The two gathered whatever food and supplies the bandits had stolen from nearby travelers.
Most of it consisted of dried meat, bread, water, and several silver coins.
“Bandits always steal more than they need,” Lythria said.
“We’ll return these if we find the owners.”
Raimer nodded.
As they continued walking deeper into the forest, the sky slowly turned orange before fading into shades of purple.
The temperature dropped.
Lythria suddenly stopped.
“We’ll camp here.”
Within minutes she had already gathered firewood while Raimer fetched water from a nearby stream.
The campfire crackled gently.
For a long time neither of them spoke.
“So…”
“What’s someone your age doing wandering dangerous forests alone?”
Raimer stared into the flames.
“I was looking for someone.”
“Who?”
“My sister.”
Lythria waited patiently.
“When the War of Fronin reached our village… everything burned.”
“My parents died.”
“My sister disappeared.”
“I searched every refugee camp.”
“Every town.”
“Every battlefield.”
“But I never found her.”
He clenched his fists.
“I don’t even know if she’s alive.”
Lythria quietly listened.
“I know that feeling.”
Raimer looked up.
“My family ruled one of the Dark Elf kingdoms.”
“When the demons invaded, our own allies abandoned us.”
“Our castle fell.”
“My father died protecting civilians.”
“My mother stayed behind so I could escape.”
She smiled bitterly.
“I never saw either of them again.”
The fire crackled between them.
Neither of them needed to say anything else.
For the first time…
Neither of them felt completely alone.
The following morning…
The journey continued.
Lythria moved through the forest almost silently, teaching Raimer how to avoid making unnecessary noise.
“Every snapped branch.”
“Every careless step.”
“It tells your enemies exactly where you are.”
Raimer carefully copied her movements.
After several failed attempts, he finally managed to walk quietly enough that even nearby birds weren’t startled.
“Better.”
She nodded.
“You learn quickly.”
Raimer smiled.
“My grandfather used to teach me.”
Lythria noticed the sadness in his eyes.
“He must’ve been a great swordsman.”
“He was.”
Raimer unconsciously touched the old wooden sword hanging from his belt.
“He always said…”
“A sword exists to protect—not to rule.”
Lythria smiled.
“Sounds like a true king.”
Raimer froze.
He almost revealed too much.
“I… just meant…”
Lythria didn’t press further.
By afternoon, the forest began changing.
The trees became larger.
Ancient ruins appeared between the roots.
Broken statues covered in moss stood silently like forgotten guardians.
Lythria suddenly crouched.
“Stay low.”
Raimer followed.
Several armored soldiers marched along an old road nearby.
The Kingdom’s banner fluttered proudly above them.
“There they are…”
One soldier muttered.
“The boy shouldn’t be far.”
Another unfolded a parchment.
Raimer’s heart skipped.
On the parchment…
was a rough sketch of him.
“They’re searching for me?”
Lythria whispered,
“Don’t move.”
The soldiers eventually continued down the road without noticing them.
Only after they disappeared did Raimer finally breathe again.
“Why would the kingdom want someone like me?”
Lythria looked thoughtful.
“I don’t know.”
“But ordinary villagers aren’t hunted by royal knights.”
“Someone important knows who you are.”
Raimer remained silent.
He remembered his grandfather’s final words…
“Live.”
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
As night approached once again, the two reached the edge of a massive canyon.
Smoke rose in the distance.
Lythria pointed toward it.
“We’re close.”
“That’s where the Revolutionary Army is hiding.”
Raimer narrowed his eyes.
“So it’s real…”
“It is.”
Before they could continue…
A voice echoed through the darkness.
“Drop your weapons.”
More than twenty arrows instantly aimed at them from the cliffs above.
Masked figures surrounded them from every direction.
Lythria slowly raised both hands.
“We’re not your enemies.”
A tall man wearing a dark green cloak stepped forward.
His scar ran from one eye to his jaw.
He carefully examined both of them before his gaze stopped on Raimer.
His expression changed.
“…Those eyes.”
The commander slowly stepped closer.
“Who exactly are you…?”
Raimer instinctively took a step back.
For some reason…
The commander looked as though he had just seen a ghost.
End of Chapter 4