I could hardly see anything in the darkness of night, but I knew I was close to home.

         I wiped the sweat from my forehead, panting heavily as I lugged the cumbersome pack of supplies, my legs on the verge of collapse. Even though my weaving had always been a point of pride, my physical abilities were significantly lacking. It was something I knew I had to work on, if I wanted to join the Aleksarian Guard.

         And even though I knew the safe thing to do was to stop and set up camp, I wanted nothing more than to fall into the soft comfort of my own bed, so I continued to trudge forward, dragging my feet as I stumbled through the quiet autumn night.

         After the Grand Challenge, Josun had grown quiet and reclusive. I thought that the experience might only serve to further fuel his hatred for me and my family, but to my surprise, he honored the wish of Rinna and largely left us alone after that day.

         In fact, it was thanks to his recommendation, vouching for my abilities as a weaver, that I had managed to become the youngest weaver to ever join to the Velandt Hunter's Guild, and was now on my way home from my first official commission, a supply run to the village of Klen, east of Velandt.

         "Halt."

         A wave of fear rippled across my skin as I stopped in my tracks.

         I tried to tune into the sound of the stranger and their movements to determine whether they were armed, but I could barely hear anything over my own pounding heart and labored breathing.

         "Don't turn around," they warned me.

          I nodded slowly, lightheaded, as I raised my arms up, surrendering immediately. Whoever it was, regardless of whether they were armed, I was in no condition to fight. I swore to myself, livid that I had been so careless. I should've stopped and rested. I should've—

         "Drop the pack," the stranger instructed me, their voice dark and rough. "Slowly."

         I nodded again, grabbing the shoulder straps of the pack as I knelt down, but as I did so, my knees buckled, and I stumbled forward.

         "HEY!" they shouted.

         I crashed onto the ground, my legs burning as I tried to raise my hands again, to show them it was an accident.

         "I'm sorry, I—"

         My voice trailed off weakly as I winced. Dirt and rocks had scraped against my knees and palms, and I could feel my skin burning. On the other hand, the cool night air against my sweat-drenched back made me feel dizzy from the sudden cold.

         "Are you alright?" they asked after a while.

         I slowly turned toward them, my hands trembling.

         The stranger wore a mask and held a steel sword. From the way they dressed, they looked like a bandit of some kind. Perhaps a member of Obsidian Bloom?

         "Please," I begged, my head spinning, "please don't take these supplies."

         The bandit cocked their head.

         "It's just medicine and alchemy stuff," I explained, "there's nothing of value here. My village, Velandt, needs these supplies."

         "Velandt?" they repeated, stepping forward. "You're from Velandt?"

         I nodded blankly, and they drew their sword.

         "W—wait," I stammered.

         I tried to run, to get up, but my legs wouldn't move.

         The bandit dashed toward me, blade drawn, and I screamed out. At the last moment, however, they leapt straight past me, and as I swiveled my head, sparks exploded out into the dark night sky.

         The bandit had protected me from a beast with jet black fur, massive claws extending from its thick forelimbs. Its face was elongated into a thin snout, with black, beady, lifeless eyes.

         The bandit fired off a blast of golden essence, causing the beast to stagger backward momentarily.

         Then, the air erupted with a feral, monstrous roar that thundered in my ears and through my entire body.

         It was unlike anything I'd ever heard before. The mere sound of it made my hairs stand on end, adrenaline flooding my muscles as I finally managed to scramble to my feet.

         "You… s—saved me?" I stammered. "Why?"

         The bandit, without turning their head, raised their sword once more toward the beast.

         "The value of justice is self-evident."

         My heart froze in my chest as a chill ran down my spine.

         "Rin…?"

         Without another word, he dashed forward toward the beast, slashing it as he dodged a swipe from its massive claws.

         Rinna was quick, able to outmaneuver the creature, but his attacks weren't dealing much damage, if at all. His blade had difficulty cutting through the beast's thick hide, and with a deficit of golden essence in the veil of night, his essence strikes did little to slow the beast's aggression.

         I grabbed my bow from my pack, drawing the string back as I summoned forth emerald essence, but I was still weak and lightheaded, and I had difficulty holding the bow steady. I blinked rapidly, trying my best to aim around Rinna as he dodged and weaved between the claws.

         When I finally found an opening, I let my arrow fly, and the emerald essence pierced into the beast with a massive burst of green light, blades of wind lacerating the creature as Rinna jumped back.

         However, from the fog of my attack appeared a set of three razor sharp claws, catching Rinna in midair. He managed to raise his sword in time to block it, but the attack instantly shattered his blade, the steel soaring into the sky, the fragments sparkling as they caught the light of the moon.

         The claws continued forward, through the shattered blade, and Rinna wove a shield of golden essence, barely redirecting the claws away from him.

         Before he could recover, a black paw emerged from the fog as the beast charged forward, swatting Rinna out of the air and spiking him into the ground.

         A plume of dirt kicked up from the grass as Rin’s body bounced into the air, the light instantly fading from his eyes, his golden essence evaporating into the night sky.

         The beast raised its paw once more toward Rinna's unconscious body, and without a second though, I dashed forward in a burst of wind.

         I clenched my jaw, bracing myself as I wove a shield of emerald, and I saw golden fibers of essence appear, for just a brief moment, reinforcing my shield, as the black paw descended upon me.

         "Oh no you don't!"

         A blade of crimson essence sliced through the air, impaling into the beast’s paw and interrupting its attack.

         A strange boy in Finaen clothing held a black knife in his hand, and to my horror, he plunged it into his arm, dragging the blade along his skin as blood flowed out, running down his hands like a river.

         The sight made me feel faint, and I barely managed to see what happened as crimson ribbons slashed through the air, the beast howling with a desperate, guttural cry.

         A moment later, the beast's arms crashed to the ground, detached from its body. It was followed shortly by its skull.

         I turned toward the boy, desperate to see their face, but my vision had become blurred, all I saw was a glimpse of crimson eyes, as I collapsed to the ground, my body spent.

         "Oh my," I heard the boy say. "I suppose I should tell Trin."

         Trin?

         … Dad?