Iron will

Ares lost count of how many days he passed inside that forest. He just knew that more than a month was a safe guess. Anyway, regardless of how long he traveled on that tough path, the only thing that mattered was his survival. He was alive, so time wasn't important. Not anymore.

That was his first experience surviving in the wild all by himself. Sometimes, when he went to sell some goods with his father, they would need to set a campfire and tents, also as hunting. He knew the basics, but the basics weren't enough when someone was trying to stay for several days inside a forest filled with wild beasts and other dangers.

He was barefoot now, and his face was all dirty. He hadn't found anywhere to bathe and get some water for a few days now. He had water stocked, but that was just for him to drink, not to wash himself. His body was injured all over, some of these wounds were infected, but he found a way to treat them using some medicinal herbs.

'Not just the time, I also lost the count of how many times I nearly died...', he thought to himself as he walked between the trees and brushes of that forest.

'There was the time with the wolves, also when I nearly fell from a fissure on the ground, and when I nearly got poisoned by a dangerous insect... And plenty more. Actually, I suppose I got poisoned... I can't remember at all. I prefer not to remember these things, so I can get rid of my fear and hesitation.'

After so many hardships along the way, Ares got more and more fired up. His determination got armored after so much struggle. The difficulties made him get an iron will.

'I saw many animals here that are far from the strength of the Ancients. If I cannot deal with them, I am as good as dead when fighting against those mighty beasts that walk over the earth. I can't get to the academy with half-assed skills, so I gotta train now!' That was his mindset since the very first days that he had inside the forest.

Fortunately, he had a lot of opportunities to fight against different beasts. Predators or territorial animals were often seen in that forest, after all. Every other day, Ares would engage in a fierce battle with them.

Anyway, even after such a miserable time, when he starved nearly to death and exhausted his body until he collapsed, Ares could finally release a sigh of relief as he walked under the soft light of the sun, enjoying another early morning, and probably his last, on that place.

Ares knew that he was getting to the edge of the forest. The trees and bushes were getting more spaced out. The forest wasn't as dense as before, which made it easy for him to walk.

After dealing with such a hard place to travel, Ares was relieved that he could finally get to somewhere where he could walk properly, without the need of taking strange paths or risking his life.

'The time finally came... I thought that I never would be able to cross this place after the first days of traveling, but I did it!'

The boy smiled faintly.

'I am a step closer to take my vengeance, to fight for humanity in this endless and cruel battle against beings that are far beyond us in power and domination!'

He was optimistic about his future. He felt that the promise he made after his father's death would be fulfilled. He would do his best for this to happen.

'Anyway, I need to find somewhere to settle down a little bit. I am way too tired. I can't keep going to the Military Academy in the conditions I am in right now. I should find something after I leave this forest...'

The boy was confident that there would be a settlement right after he left that forest if he kept going in the direction of the sunrise.

He remembered very well the time that he studied with his father about the map of that region. It was still clear in his memory that there was something in the valley that would appear right after the forest that he was passing by.

His father never went there to sell anything, though, which was suspicious, but he always promised Ares that he would take him to that place someday.

'He said that it wasn't a place where we could sell anything that we cultivated, but rather a place where we could learn a thing or two about life and hard work. I didn't know what he meant with that, but I am pretty sure that it has something to do with my objective of becoming a Beast Hunter.'

As his body felt lighter and brightness invaded the forest from between the sparse branches and leaves of the trees, Ares continued to walk to the new path of his life. The forest wasn't the beginning of his journey at all, but the place he was going now was.

If he thought that leaving that forest made him stronger, staying at that place for a while would do it threefold.

...

In the middle of a wide valley, consisting of two enormous mountains that extended for kilometers of distance, a big wall was made, barring the passage from the east to west. That place bordered one of the Thresholds of that country, the limits between the territory of humans and Ancients.

A person was standing on top of a fortified wall, looking solemnly forward, at the sunrise.

'The winds are blowing my face so softly... It is cold and comforting, somehow. Days like these really can help me to settle down a little bit, but this type of weather always alerts me when a tempest is coming... Something won't go well... I just wanted to know what it is, somehow.'

She shrugged while starting to walk with her hands behind her back.

'Or maybe that's just an illusion of the mind of someone who needs to bear the pressure of protecting a Threshold, waiting for a raid every day. A raid that never comes, but that can come any time. An anxiety that I can't get rid off even after so many years working here.'

She unsheathed her sword, sighing.

'Warriors can only find comfort in swords, sages can only find peace in their knowledge... but protectors need to find chaos in the peaceful and wait for the end of the comfort, no matter how much wise they are, or how strong are their weapons. That's the burden of a Guardian.'

She raised her blade slightly, until it was lined up with the sun. The strong silverish gleam of the sunlight reflecting on the sword blinded her for a second before she got used to it.

'That's the burden that I myself need to carry... every single day...'