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Noah had held .
His arms wrapped around so tightly, as if he could shield from the very pain scratching at my chest.
His embrace was warm—steady.
And that was what broke the most.
He had always been small in my arms, always fragile enough that I felt I could carry his burdens alongside my own.
But now… now it felt different.
His fra had grown sturdier, his presence heavier.
When had my little boy beco this strong?
I clenched my fists, rembering as I had gripped onto the fabric of his blood-stained clothes.
I hated this.
I hated the scent of iron clinging to him.
Hated the new hardness in his voice.
Hated that when I looked at him, I could no longer see the sa innocent child I had raised.
"You will always be a child to ," I haf whispered against his shoulder, my voice rough.
Noah hadn’t responded to then. But later, when he pulled away just enough to look at , his hazel eyes unreadable.
A shadow passed through them, sothing cold, sothing I almost didn’t recognize.
"…I can’t afford to be a child anymore, Grandma," he murmured.
His words felt like a dagger to my heart.
I searched his face, trying to find traces of hesitation, trying to find the boy I had protected all these years.
But all I saw was resolve.
A quiet, unwavering determination.
It scared .
Because I knew exactly what that kind of resolve ant.
He was willing to fight.
To kill.
To survive.
I wanted to scold him. To tell him that it wasn’t his burden to bear. That I should have been the one protecting him.
But what could I say?
I had been unconscious. Useless.
If Noah hadn’t fought that spider, we both could have died.
The thought of it made my blood run cold.
I let out a slow breath, forcing myself to regain composure. My emotions wouldn’t help us now. I needed to focus.
"We should move soon," I said, sitting up properly. My back throbbed from my injuries, but I ignored it. "This hollow tree won’t keep us hidden forever."
Noah nodded but didn’t say anything.
His silence was another thing I noticed.
He had always been talkative around , always filling the air with questions or stories.
But now, he just listened.
Watched.
As if he was constantly waiting for sothing to go wrong.
I reached for the small bag beside , checking our supplies. My lips pressed into a thin line.
We were running dangerously low on food and water and the healing potions were completely gone.
I really needed to get my mana core unsealed.
Even if my body wasn’t at its peak, even if I had lost a lot of my strength, I wouldn’t let myself remain useless.
I looked at Noah again. He was carefully wrapping a fresh bandage around his forearm, his hands steady.
Too steady.
A child his age shouldn’t be so accustod to pain.
The realization made sothing inside ache.
He was changing right in front of .
The way his eyes lingered on the shadows of the forest, the way his fingers always stayed close to the extra dagger I had give him, the way his expression darkened at the re ntion of danger…
He wouldn’t hesitate to kill again if needed.
And that terrified .
Not because I doubted his strength.
But because I feared what this world would turn him into.
***
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She was pushing herself.
I could see it in the way her body tensed with every step, the way she clenched her jaw, swallowing back the pain.
She was trying to hide it.
From .
From herself.
But I didn’t comnt.
Because I knew Ma.
If I so much as suggested that we rest, she’d hit over the head and keep walking out of pure spite.
And thus I was only watching her.
Every movent.
Every wince.
Every faltering breath.
I let her lead for now, but I stayed close, ready to catch her if she stumbled.
The forest stretched out before us, endless and unfamiliar.
Shadows danced between the trees, shifting with the breeze.
The remnants of our battle still lingered in the air—the scent of blood, the eerie silence that had settled after the chaos.
We had survived.
But we weren’t safe.
I glanced down at my hands, flexing my fingers.
They still ached from where I had dug them into the monster’s exoskeleton, forcing the spike out of its back with sheer, desperate strength.
I had won.
But the victory had cost .
"Keep up, boy," Grandma Sylvie called over her shoulder.
I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts.
Then I smirked.
"Who are you calling ’boy,’ old woman?"
She scoffed but didn’t slow down.
I let out a quiet chuckle, shaking my head.
The road ahead was long.
The hollow tree we had taken shelter in was already fading behind us, its entirety being swallowed by the thick mist that curled around the forest floor.
As we moved forward, the damp scent of earth mixed with the lingering stench of blood.
My muscles scread with every movent, but I kept pushing forward.
Sylvie was stubborn, but she wasn’t reckless. She knew we needed to get out of this forest as soon as possible. She knew how dangerous it was.
A rustling noise echoed from the distance.
My hand flew to the hilt of my dagger.
Sylvie stiffened beside , her sharp eyes scanning the trees.
We waited.
A heartbeat.
Two.
A squirrel darted out from the underbrush, scurrying up a tree.
Tension slowly eased from my shoulders, but I didn’t let go of my weapon just yet.
Sylvie let out a breath. "Paranoid brat."
I shot her a look. "You taught to be paranoid."
She smirked. "Damn right."
The deeper we walked into the forest, the darker it beca. Even though the sun had begun to rise, the thick canopy overhead barely let any light through.
Everything was damp, cold.
The thought of spending another night out here made my skin crawl.
I clenched my jaw.
We needed to find a City.
A place to rest, to restock supplies.
My fingers tightened around my dagger.
Three days.
That was how far we were from civilization.
Three days of walking, of fighting off whatever creatures lurked in the dark.
Three days of pushing forward without enough food or water.
Ma wouldn’t last if her wounds reopened.
I wouldn’t last if I kept burning through my energy at this rate.
We needed another plan.
Sothing—
A low growl echoed from the distance.
I froze.
Grandma’s fingers twitched toward the hilt of her blade.
The air thickened.
Slowly, I turned my head.
Glowing eyes stared at us from the darkness between the trees.
It was the sa wolf we had first slain.
And it wasn’t alone.
My heartbeat quickened, but my grip on the dagger stayed firm.
Sylvie shifted slightly, pressing closer to my side.
No words were spoken.
We both knew what was coming.
The fight wasn’t over yet.
And the best part?
Kek*
I threw the dagger in my hands to the floor, it was ti for so fun.
I could really use sucking so energy away from these bastards.
Mana Drain—
***
A/N:
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