I Came Back

The forest had gone silent.
Not the kind of silence that came from peace—this one was born from fear.

No wings fluttered, no branches swayed. Even the night air seemed to hold its breath. The metallic tang of blood still lingered heavy on the soil, steam rising faintly where it soaked into the roots.

Nothing dared approach them. Not a single creature.

Kai stood there, motionless, surrounded by the carnage. The bodies of the wolves lay scattered, some broken beyond recognition. His arms were still battle ready at his sides, flexing to the sheer shock of what had just transpired. He wasn’t sure whether to feel grateful or horrified.

Rose wiped the blood from her cheek, then exhaled and looked down.
“I got some on my robe,” she muttered, lips tightening.

Her voice was soft, almost disappointed — not by the battle, but by the stain. Kai found it strange how easily she could turn from a force of destruction into someone mildly annoyed at dirt. Yet that brief flash of disgust, that bit of humanity, somehow grounded everything again.

He stood nearby, still breathing through the quiet that followed the carnage. The metallic scent of blood hung thick in the air, but the forest itself had gone utterly silent — no wind, no birds, no distant chitter of life. Even the creatures that lurked in shadow dared not move closer.

Kai turned toward her, trying to find words. 

“Rose…”

She looked up, her usual composure already returning.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

She tilted her head, half-shrugging. “For what?”

“For saving me. Again.”

“I told you,” she replied, gaze drifting toward the horizon, “I didn’t do it for you. I did it because they underestimated me.”

The wind finally began to stir, carrying faint motes of red dust through the hollow clearing. In that moment, Kai noticed something else: her expression had completely reset. A moment ago, she’d been something out of a legend — a war goddess drenched in blood and power. Now, she stood calm, reserved, as if the world hadn’t just witnessed her wrath.

When they’d first arrived, this place was only a damaged settlement. But under the dimming sky, the faint light gave it a different weight — a hollow stillness. What had once been merely abandoned now felt like a ghost town.

Kai eventually moved, walking toward what was left of the town’s main path. Broken homes stood silent, some with doors half-hanging, others perfectly intact but empty — like they were waiting for people who would never return. He stopped near the center, then knelt among the remains of what he assumed was once his own home.

Rose didn’t speak. She knelt beside him, bowed her head briefly, and let him have his silence.

Kai gathered several stones, arranging them in a small circle, with a larger one set upright in the middle.

“I came back,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back sooner.”

The words were heavy, but they didn’t echo. They simply sank into the quiet earth.

After a while, Rose’s gaze drifted to the side. She noticed something half-covered near the edge of the clearing — a well, its rim tangled with vines.

“Is that...?” she asked softly.

Kai lifted his head, following her gaze. He stood, brushing off dirt from his knees. When he finally saw what she was referring to, his eyes flickered in recognition.

“Yes,” he said after a moment. “That’s the town’s well.”

Something faint passed over his face — surprise, maybe a memory.

“I used to help my mom carry water from there,” he said. “She’d let me use a small bucket. I was proud of that bucket.”

Rose approached the well but hesitated as she reached for the vines. The growth had thorns woven between the leaves.

“Still looks intact,” she said.

Kai stepped forward. “Maybe. We won’t know until we find out.”

He pressed his palms against the vines. A faint glimmer of mana traced across his skin, hardening the surface before he pulled, ripping the growth free in one strong motion. The vines fell aside, revealing the weathered stone rim beneath.

Rose leaned slightly over the opening, peering down. The interior was dark, but at the very bottom she saw a faint shimmer of reflected sunlight.

“Water’s still there,” she murmured. “Filthy, but manageable.”

She stepped back, brushing her hair aside. Then, almost casually, she unclasped her outer robe.

“You don’t mind?” she asked.

Kai shook his head. “Go ahead.”

With that, her mana formed — soft, white threads of light that lifted the robe from her hands. It hovered briefly, then sank into the well, swirling slowly in the water below. After a moment, she pulled it back up, wringing out the fabric until droplets streamed to the ground.

Kai watched in silence. There was something almost peaceful about it — the contrast between what she’d done and what she was doing now.

She caught his gaze and, for the first time since the battle, a hint of humor touched her lips.

“If only it were clean enough to bathe in,” she whispered.

Kai almost smiled. Almost.

The last of the sunlight slipped behind the trees, painting the edges of the empty homes in orange and shadow.

“We’ll stay here tonight,” Rose said finally, looking around.

Kai nodded. “Yeah.”

They found an abandoned house near the edge of town — walls still standing and away from the layered corpses. It's windows were open to the chill with the light smell of wood, bark, and the faint rot of the day’s battle, but for now, it was enough.

Moments later, a fire crackled between them. Kai poked the base with a thin stick, adjusting the flame. Luckily, the house still had a working fireplace, and as the fire roared to life, smoke curled up through the chimney into the dark sky.

They sat on worn stools, close enough for the warmth and light to brush their faces. Rose unrolled the scroll in her hands, the same one she had taken out before cleaning her robe.

“Tomorrow is pretty much uncharted territory,” she said, angling the parchment toward the light.

Kai didn’t respond at first. He tossed another piece of firewood from the nearby pile into the pit. The flames rose, licking greedily at the new fuel.

“Doesn’t matter,” he said finally, his face lit by the orange glow. “I’ll still follow you into the unknown. I owe you that much.”

Rose’s eyes flicked toward him. “I appreciate it.”
She looked back down, quiet for a moment. She knew she carried her own share of debt. She had dragged him into this, and protecting him was the least she could do.

Then her stomach growled, loud enough to break the stillness.

Kai smirked and lifted a thumb toward the door. “We could always eat one of the wolves out there.”

“I will not eat dogs,” she snapped, rising sharply to her feet.

Her cheeks flushed under his amused stare.

“Oh?” Kai’s grin widened. “The mighty white cloak won’t eat wolf meat?”

Rose’s lips pressed together in a small pout. “You don’t have to tease me.”

She exhaled and sat back down, eyes returning to the fire. “I wasn’t raised outside Amo’s walls like you, Kai,” she said softly. “Maybe we’ll find cattle monsters on our path.”

“Maybe,” he whispered, turning toward the flame with her.

The fire crackled, filling the silence that followed.

After a while, Rose stood and stretched. “I’m heading to bed first.”
She pulled a thin sheet from her bag and spread it across the floor before lying down with her back to him.

“Don’t stay up too late,” she murmured, her voice fading until only the sound of her steady breathing remained.

Kai watched her for a long moment, then tightened his fists.
“I need to catch up,” he muttered under his breath.

He tossed another piece of wood into the fire, watching the embers flare and dim. The warmth brushed his face while his thoughts drifted beyond the light’s reach. Tomorrow they would move again. The road ahead stretched farther than either of them could see, but for now, the quiet was enough.