Where Fear Leads

The sky was larger than he remembered.

With no walls to confine the horizon, endless blue stretched into the distance, fading behind ancient mountains that split the world like sleeping giants. The wind swept across the fields, carrying the scent of wildflowers as waves of tall grass rippled in every direction. Small streams wound between the rocks, reflecting the morning light like ribbons of silver.

Only a few hours had passed, yet the landscape already felt like a completely different world from Mezi.

Nino walked at an unhurried pace, lost in thought.

In his arms, Alicia slept soundly, her head resting against his shoulder as though there were no safer place in the world. Her blonde hair swayed gently with each step, while the small gray blindfold still covered her eyes.

A droplet of water slid from the leaves of a tree overhead.

Plop.

It landed squarely on the girl's nose. She scrunched her face. Another drop.

Plop.

Alicia rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, mumbling something unintelligible.

She stirred in his arms, still caught between sleep and wakefulness. Pulling her face away from his shoulder, she stayed silent for a moment, listening to the wind whisper through the leaves and the birds singing overhead. Then she turned toward Nino.

"Hey, Nino..."

"Mm."

She yawned.

"Did I sleep for a long time?"

"A few hours."

"Oh..." She yawned again. "Where are we going?"

Nino took a few seconds before answering.

He had been thinking about that the entire journey. Escaping Mezi had been all that mattered until now. Now they needed to decide what came next.

"There's a kingdom to the north called Solvar."

Alicia tilted her head.

"Is that where my mom is?"

"No."

She frowned.

"Then why are we going there?"

"Because it's the only way."

As they continued walking, Nino looked toward the horizon. Even from this distance, an enormous mountain range stretched from one end of the continent to the other, its peaks disappearing into the clouds.

"And what kind of path is it?"

Nino thought for a moment, searching for a way to explain it that she could understand.

"There's a mountain range no one can cross. The only route is through Solvar. We have to move fast enough to reach your mother and your brother."

Alicia's eyes widened.

"Moun... tain range?"

He let out a quiet breath. He wasn't used to explaining things. When he did speak, it was usually to his Shadows.

"It's a mountain so tall it reaches the clouds."

"Whoa..."

"The kingdom has controlled that crossing for centuries. Anyone who wants to reach the two nations beyond the mountains has to pass through it."

She listened carefully, trying to picture an entire city hidden within a mountain so enormous.

"I like it when you explain things to me." A faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"And beyond the mountains is the ocean. Just... endless water."

She made a face.

"I can't swim."

"Even if you could, we wouldn't make it in time."

She fell silent. For a few moments, the cheerful expression on her face disappeared.

"Do you think they're still okay?"

Nino knew exactly who she meant. He kept his eyes on the road ahead.

"I do."

She smiled.

"Then let's save them."

Nino gave a small nod.

For the first time since leaving Mezi, they had a destination. Find Solvar, intercept the slave convoy and save Alicia's family. And if that weren't enough, the Shadows of Mezi would be hunting them every step of the way.

Alicia stretched lazily in his arms. As she did, Nino reached toward the blindfold covering her eyes. Before his fingers could reach the knot, she grabbed his hand with both of hers.

"No!"

He blinked.

"..."

She shook her head vigorously.

"I like it."

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"No." She gave him a mischievous grin. "Besides... now I look like an adventurer."

Nino remained silent.

"My mom used to tell me stories about adventurers." She spread her arms wide. "Some wore capes. Some had scars. Some wore eyepatches..." She pointed proudly at her blindfold. "So I have to wear one too."

Nino looked at the small gray strip of cloth. Then at the proud smile on her face. He sighed.

"..."

She threw both arms into the air.

"Now we're adventurers!" She climbed onto his shoulder and grabbed onto his hair. "You're the swordsman." She placed one hand on her hip. "And I'm..." She thought for a few seconds. "I haven't decided yet."

A faint smile appeared on Nino's face.

The two resumed their journey. After a few minutes of silence, Alicia started asking questions again.

"Have you been to other kingdoms?"

"Yes."

"Are they like Mezi?"

"No."

"Are there a lot of Colossi?"

"Yes."

She absorbed every answer like someone discovering an entirely new world.

Then, in the middle of the conversation, she suddenly stopped. Her smile faded. Slowly, she turned toward the forest beside the path. Nino stopped as well, glancing over his shoulder at the girl perched there.

"Alicia?"

She didn't answer. Her face remained turned toward the trees. The wind rustled through the leaves. She gently tightened her grip on his hair, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Someone's there..."

Nino narrowed his eyes.

"Did you hear something?"

She shook her head.

"No." Her small hand tightened around the fabric of his clothes. "I think..." She swallowed hard. "Someone's really scared."

"..."

A scream shattered the silence of the forest. Nino moved before the echo had even faded.

"Hold on."

Alicia wrapped both arms around his neck. An instant later, the trail was behind them.

Branches snapped beneath Nino's boots as he raced through the trees. Damp leaves lashed against his face, and thick roots twisted across the ground like sleeping serpents, but nothing slowed him down.

Another scream rang out ahead. This one was accompanied by a deep, guttural growl.

Nino darted around a fallen trunk and emerged into a narrow clearing. A boy was backed against a tree.

His clothes were torn, his face streaked with mud, and a cut ran across his forehead. He gripped a broken branch with both hands, trembling so badly he could barely keep it raised.

Four creatures slowly closed in around him.

They were quadrupeds about the size of wolves, but much shorter and broader. Dark plates covered their bodies like overlapping pieces of tree bark, stretching from their snouts all the way to their tails. Dozens of long, hollow spikes protruded from their backs, coated in a greenish substance that dripped onto the ground.

Their eyes glowed like emeralds in the shadows. One of the beasts opened its mouth. Jagged rows of uneven teeth emerged behind its curled lips.

"Needlebacks," Nino said.

The boy turned toward him.

"Watch out!"

The creature arched its back. The spikes along its body vibrated. Nino gently set Alicia on the ground and stepped in front of her.

"Stay here."

"Okay."

A sharp crack echoed through the clearing. Three spikes shot toward him at once.

Nino drew his sword. The first spike was sliced apart in midair. The second slammed against the blade and spun harmlessly away. The third grazed past his shoulder before burying itself deep into the tree behind him. The wood around the tip immediately began to darken.

Poison.

The needlebacks spread out. Two charged from the front while the others circled around both sides of the clearing.

Nino took a single step forward. His sword traced a short arc. The first creature never finished its leap. The flat of the blade slammed into its body, hurling it into the ground before it tumbled across the dirt and crashed into a tree.

The second lunged for his leg. Nino twisted his wrist and drove the hilt of his sword into its snout. A loud crack echoed through the clearing as the creature collapsed unconscious at his feet.

The remaining two stopped. They growled. The spikes on their backs slowly rose.

Nino inhaled. The Pulse flowed through his body: dark violet spread across his veins. It surged from the center of his chest, coursed through his muscles, and reached the ground beneath his feet.

The earth trembled ever so slightly as that invisible presence spread across the clearing like an unseen wave. The leaves overhead rustled and the air grew heavy.

The needlebacks shrank back. Their growls died in their throats, replaced by low whimpers. They didn't understand what stood before them, but their instincts did.

This wasn't prey. It was something they could never hope to fight.

Nino took one step forward. The two beasts immediately retreated. Finally, they lowered their spikes, turned around, and disappeared into the forest.

Behind him, Alicia was still standing exactly where he had left her.

"I didn't move," she announced proudly.

"..."

"They were scary."

"Mm."

"You beat them really fast."

"Mm."

Alicia crossed her arms.

"Do you only know how to say 'Mm'?"

"..."

She let out an exaggerated sigh.

"I'm going to count that as a yes."

The boy leaning against the tree let the broken branch slip from his hands. A moment later, his legs gave out beneath him. Nino caught him before he hit the ground.

"Were you hurt?"

"No... not by them." The boy glanced at the spikes embedded in the tree. "I don't think so."

Nino examined his arms and neck. There were cuts, bruises, and dried blood staining his skin, but no puncture wounds from the needlebacks.

"Can you stand?"

The boy nodded, though his body seemed to disagree. Nino helped him lean against the tree. Alicia cautiously stepped closer.

"You were scared."

The boy looked at her. Only then did he notice the blindfold covering her eyes.

"How do you know?"

She opened her mouth, but no answer came.

"I..." Alicia touched the blindfold. "I just did."

Nino turned his attention back to the forest. There was no time for distractions.

"What's your name?"

"Cael..." The boy tried to steady his breathing, but it suddenly grew ragged. "We don't have time. Please... I need your help. If we don't go now, my brother is going to die."

"..."

Nino had seen that look countless times before. The look of someone fighting against their own helplessness.