Chapter 76 – Excellence Camp – Outcast IV

Veiled Forest - Middle Section, 25th of Brightforge, year 315 UC

Farrah walked through the forest. She'd left Sabrina back at camp, resting after their training session. Sabrina had been practically asleep on her feet by the time they'd returned.

Now, with the afternoon sun beginning its descent toward the horizon, Farrah had set out to find Bryan. He'd been gone for over two hours—longer than the perimeter check should have taken—and she couldn't shake a feeling of unease about his absence.

Farrah's long ears twitched, picking up sounds beyond the range of human hearing. Her dark elf heritage gave her natural advantages in the forest environment, allowing her to move with a grace and awareness that others might lack.

She paused, kneeling to examine a set of footprints in a patch of soft earth. The impression was clear—academy boots, the same size as Bryan's. The tracks led deeper into the forest, away from the established paths they'd mapped earlier.

Farrah frowned, rising to follow the trail. Why would Bryan venture so far from camp alone? It contradicted his own instructions about staying in pairs.

As she moved deeper into the forest, the vegetation grew denser. She continued tracking Bryan's footprints, noting where he had paused at a stream before continuing onward.

A sudden noise ahead made her freeze—a voice, barely audible through the trees. Bryan's voice. Farrah moved forward, using the skills she'd learned growing up in Dynosis's coastal forests.

As she drew closer, she could make out Bryan's words more clearly. He seemed to be having a conversation. Yet Farrah couldn't hear anyone responding.

She crept closer, taking cover behind a large tree at the edge of a small clearing. From this vantage point, she could see Bryan clearly. He stood with his back to her.

"Who are you?"

He demanded.

"What do you want?"

Farrah blinked in confusion. There was no one else in the clearing. Bryan was alone, speaking to empty air.

She watched as he ran a hand through his white hair, muttering.

"I'm losing my mind. Seeing things that aren't there."

The vulnerability in his voice made Farrah's chest tighten. She'd suspected something was wrong with Bryan for weeks—the nosebleeds, the moments of distraction, the occasional disorientation. But this was different. This was concerning on a whole new level.

Bryan turned, scanning the forest with a look of frustration. Farrah pressed closer to the tree, though she doubted he could see her from this distance. His next words made her blood run cold.

"Hello?"

He called.

"Is someone there?"

Farrah remained perfectly still, her heart racing as she watched Bryan whirl around.

"Who's there?"

He called out.

Then his expression changed, softening with confusion and what might have been recognition. His knife lowered slightly as he whispered a word that Farrah couldn't quite catch.

Whatever he was seeing, it affected him deeply. Bryan took a step forward, then stopped abruptly.

"You're not real."

He said.

"You're just another hallucination."

Farrah's concern deepened. Hallucinations?

She watched as Bryan's face contorted with pain, his free hand pressing against his temple as he sank to his knees.

"Stop!"

He gasped.

"Get out of my head."

Every instinct told Farrah to go to him, to help him through whatever he was experiencing. But something held her back—the fear that interrupting might make things worse, or that Bryan would shut down completely if he knew she'd witnessed his vulnerability.

So she remained hidden, her heart aching as she watched him struggle with demons only he could see.

Eventually, Bryan rose unsteadily to his feet, muttering something about losing his mind. He took a deep breath, then began walking in the direction of the stream.

Farrah waited until he was out of sight before moving from her hiding place. Her mind raced with questions about what she'd just witnessed. Bryan was clearly struggling with something far more serious than she'd realized. The mention of hallucinations, the way he'd spoken to empty air, the pain that had driven him to his knees—none of it aligned with the controlled, confident Bryan she thought she knew.

Yet it explained other things she'd observed.

Farrah leaned against the tree, considering her options. She could confront Bryan directly, ask him about what she'd seen. But given his defensiveness and tendency to withdraw when pressed, that approach might only push him further away.

She could tell the others, share her concerns about his mental state. But that felt like a betrayal of trust, exposing something deeply personal without his consent.

Or she could watch and wait, pay closer attention to his behavior, try to understand what he was going through before deciding how to help.

Farrah pushed away from the tree, her decision made. She would keep this to herself for now, but she would stay alert for any further signs of trouble. Bryan clearly needed help, whether he realized it or not.

She started back toward camp, taking a different route than Bryan to avoid any chance of him realizing she'd been following him. As she walked, Farrah couldn't shake the memory of his expression as he'd knelt in the clearing.

Who was he, really? And what had happened to him to cause such deep psychological wounds?

Farrah didn't have answers, but she was determined to find them. Not out of mere curiosity, but because she cared about him—more than she'd been willing to admit, even to herself.

As she approached the camp, she schooled her features into a neutral expression. She would act normal, give no indication of what she'd seen.

***

Veiled Forest - Middle Section, 25th of Brightforge, year 315 UC

Bryan returned to camp just as the sun began to set. The shelter was complete now—a sturdy structure of interwoven branches reinforced with fallen logs. Around the perimeter, Christopher had stacked large boulders to create a protective wall, with a single entrance that could be blocked if necessary.

Alexander sat near a small fire, stirring something in a pot that emitted a savory aroma. His blonde hair was pushed back from his forehead, revealing the dark circles under his eyes that seemed to have deepened since morning.

"There you are."

He said, looking up as Bryan approached.

"We were starting to wonder if you'd been eaten by something."

Bryan shook his head.

"Just scouting. The barrier looks good."

Christopher emerged from the shelter, nodding in acknowledgment of the compliment.

"Should hold against most of the creatures we're likely to encounter."

He said, wiping dirt from his hands.

"Though I'd feel better if we had some traps set up beyond the perimeter."

"We can do that tomorrow."

Bryan replied, moving to check the map he'd left with Alexander.

"Any sign of Sabrina and Farrah?"

"Sabrina's inside resting."

Alexander said, gesturing toward the shelter with his stirring stick.

"She came back about an hour ago looking like she'd been run over by a carriage. Apparently, testing her new spell took more out of her than she expected."

Bryan nodded, unsurprised. New spells often consumed more ether until the caster developed efficient pathways for their use.

"And Farrah?"

"She went looking for you."

Christopher said, his dark eyes studying Bryan's face.

"Said she was worried when you didn't come back on schedule."

Bryan felt a flicker of concern. Farrah had gone out alone?

"How long ago?"

"Maybe half an hour."

Alexander replied, returning his attention to the pot.

"She seemed pretty determined to find you."

Bryan was about to respond when movement at the edge of camp caught his attention. Farrah emerged from the trees.

"There you are."

She said, her green eyes finding his immediately.

"I was looking for you."

"I was on my way back."

Bryan replied.

"You shouldn't have gone out alone."

"I can take care of myself."

Farrah said, moving to join them by the fire.

"Besides, I didn't go far."

There was a moment of awkward silence, broken by Alexander lifting the pot from the fire.

"Dinner's ready."

He announced.

"Nothing fancy, just a stew with some of the roots and mushrooms Farrah identified as edible, plus dried meat from our supplies."

"Smells good."

Christopher said, accepting a bowl.

"Should we wake Sabrina?"

"Let her sleep."

Bryan decided, taking a bowl for himself.

"She'll need the rest if she depleted her ether reserves."

They ate in relative silence, the forest around them growing darker as night fell. Overhead, stars began to appear in patches between the trees, the night sky clear and vast.

Bryan observed his teammates as they ate. Christopher's movements were efficient, his posture relaxed but alert. Alexander ate slowly, his gaze occasionally drifting to the darkness beyond their camp. And Farrah...

Farrah was watching him.

Not obviously—she was skilled enough to make it seem casual. But Bryan caught the way her eyes returned to him repeatedly, studying him.

'What is she doing?'