Subaru had just left the village behind when the forest path began to narrow. The sounds of Alt Woods faded gradually, replaced by the quieter language of trees and undergrowth. Leaves rustled under her steps, and somewhere in the distance, something small scurried away. The air was cooler here, shaded by tall trunks and interlocking branches that filtered the light into scattered patches.
She kept walking north.
Her pace was steady but cautious. After everything that had happened, caution had become second nature. She could feel the faint pulse of mana around her, not in a way she fully understood, but enough to tell her when something felt wrong. For now, the forest was calm. Too calm, maybe.
Then she heard it.
“Help! Someone, please help me!”
The voice cut through the quiet sharply, male, strained, and unmistakably panicked.
Subaru stopped.
Every instinct from her old life screamed at her to run toward the sound. Someone was in trouble. That was reason enough. But another set of memories rose just as quickly. Blood on the ground. Pain that reset the world. Smiling faces that had killed her without hesitation.
She clenched her fists.
Don’t be stupid, she told herself. You don’t know this world. You don’t know people here.
Still, the voice came again, cracking at the edges. “Please! I’m sinking!”
It did not sound rehearsed. It did not sound calm. It sounded desperate in a way that was difficult to fake.
She let out a slow breath and adjusted the cloth wrapped around her head. “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath.
Carefully, she moved off the path, following the sound through the trees. She kept her steps light, her senses stretched outward as much as she could manage. No sudden spikes of mana. No obvious presence lurking nearby. That did not mean it was safe, but it was something.
The ground grew softer as she moved, her boots sinking slightly with each step. The forest opened into a small clearing choked with tall grass and uneven earth. At its center was a patch of dark, wet ground that looked wrong even at a glance.
Quicksand.
Half-submerged in it was a man.
He was chest-deep, arms flailing uselessly as the ground slowly pulled him down. His face was pale, hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. His eyes locked onto her the moment she emerged from the bushes.
“Thank God!” he shouted, relief flooding his voice. “Please, help me out of this!”
Subaru did not move immediately.
She stood at the edge of the clearing, eyes scanning the surroundings first. Trees. Grass. No movement she could see. No hidden figures. The man himself looked… normal. Too normal, maybe.
She tilted her head slightly. “How did you get here?”
The question seemed to catch him off guard.
“Huh?” he said, blinking. “Uh… is that really important right now?”
“Yes,” Subaru replied flatly. “I need to make sure this is not a trap.”
His eyebrows shot up. “A trap? Why would it be a trap?”
She shrugged lightly. “I have trust issues. No offense, mister.”
He let out a short, breathless laugh that sounded more nervous than amused. “Well, that’s new. I’m Sein. Uh… I would have shaken your hand if I could.”
Subaru watched him for another few seconds. His struggle was clumsy and inefficient, the kind that only made things worse. He did not seem particularly strong. If this was an act, it was a strange one.
“Alright,” she said finally. “You look okay, I guess.”
She stepped closer, careful to test the ground with each step. When she was within reach, she leaned forward and grabbed him under the arms. She braced herself out of habit, expecting resistance.
There was none.
She pulled.
Sein came free with surprising ease, the quicksand releasing him as if reluctant but unable to hold on. He tumbled forward onto solid ground, coughing and spitting mud, staring up at her in disbelief.
“Wow,” he said after a moment, still catching his breath. “Thanks. You’re… really strong.”
Subaru brushed her hands off against her dress, already turning away. “No problem. See ya’.”
She did not wait for further conversation. She had done enough. Lingering was how bad things happened.
She returned to the forest path and continued walking north, her pace picking up slightly. She did not look back.
Behind her, Sein sat up slowly, mud-stained and exhausted. He watched the strange girl disappear between the trees, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. The turban stood out more now that he had time to notice it. An odd fashion choice, especially out here.
He sighed, rubbing his temples. “What a day.”
After a moment, he pushed himself to his feet, wobbling slightly before finding his balance. The village would be the safest place to clean up and rest. With one last glance in the direction she had gone, he turned back toward Alt Woods, unaware of how close their paths were to crossing again.
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