The Shadow’s Lesson

Hibiki’s legs burned. His lungs screamed for air. But the elf never slowed. She moved like a ghost through the trees, her steps barely making a sound. Hibiki, despite his exhaustion, forced himself to follow. If he stopped, if he fell behind, he knew he would die.

The kingdom’s soldiers wouldn’t let a survivor escape.

The forest stretched endlessly, thick with shadows and the distant glow of the fires consuming his village. His home was gone. His parents were dead. He had nothing left.

“Faster,” the elf said without looking back.

“I… I can’t…” Hibiki gasped, his small legs shaking.

The elf stopped so suddenly that Hibiki nearly crashed into her. She turned, staring down at him with piercing emerald eyes.

“Then die here,” she said.

Hibiki froze.

The woman crouched to his level, her face unreadable. “If you collapse now, the soldiers will find you. They’ll cut you down like they did your parents. If that’s what you want, stay here and wait.”

Hibiki’s body trembled. His heart pounded. He didn’t want to die. But he had no strength left. His body was failing him.

The elf studied him for a moment, then sighed. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small vial filled with a glowing blue liquid. “Drink.”

Hibiki hesitated.

She narrowed her eyes. “It’s not poison, boy. If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have dragged you this far.”

She had a point.

Hibiki took the vial and swallowed the liquid in one gulp. A cool sensation rushed through his body, and suddenly, the burning ache in his muscles faded. He could breathe again.

“Good. Now move,” the elf ordered.

They ran again.

For hours, they pressed deeper into the wilderness, until the fires of Hibiki’s village were nothing but a faint glow on the horizon. The sky turned a deep shade of blue, the first hints of dawn creeping over the mountains.

Finally, they stopped at a secluded clearing. A small, makeshift camp was set up, with a burning fire and supplies packed neatly under a tarp.

The elf sat down on a log, motioning for Hibiki to sit across from her. He obeyed, his body still shaking from exhaustion.

She studied him in silence before speaking. “You are weak.”

Hibiki flinched.

“You hesitate. You cry. You ran like a helpless animal.” The elf’s voice was cold, sharp as a blade. “If I hadn’t been there, you would be dead. Just like the rest of your people.”

Hibiki clenched his fists. “I know that.”

“Do you?” She leaned forward, her emerald eyes glowing in the firelight. “You looked into the eyes of the man who killed your parents. Did you feel it? That rage? That hatred?”

Hibiki’s breath hitched. He remembered it all too clearly. The silver of the knight’s sword. His father’s blood spilling onto the ground. His mother’s desperate cries. The cruel smile of the man who destroyed everything.

The elf nodded, as if reading his thoughts. “Good. Hold onto that. Let it fuel you.”

She stood, walking to a nearby pack. “You can stay here until morning. After that, I leave.”

Hibiki’s stomach twisted. “Leave?”

“You have two choices, boy. You can either stay here and fend for yourself, or you can become strong enough to never be a victim again.” She tossed a small dagger onto the ground between them. “But strength is not given. It is taken. If you want to survive in this world, you must learn to take it.”

Hibiki stared at the dagger. His hands trembled as he reached for it.

The elf smirked. “Good. The first lesson starts now.”