The Girl Behind the Helmet

Myles stood before Verdure, the rising sun casting gold over the cliffs to their right. The waterfall beside them thundered down into the mist below, vast and endless. He looked over the edge, unsure if the imposing figure before him might ask him to leap.

"What is it?"Her voice echoed from behind the smooth, expressionless helmet—distorted, firm. Even knowing she was a girl, it was hard to feel it through that cold exterior.

He exhaled slowly through his mouth. "I'm scared."

"Of what?"

He hesitated, trying to read something in her stance, her silence—anything behind the armor."…You."The word came out softer than he expected, followed by a sigh he didn't mean to let escape.

"I understand," she said softly, her fingers lifting to the sides of her helmet. "You know… I fear you as well."

As the helmet lifted, Myles braced himself—only to be utterly stunned.The face beneath was nothing like he expected: smooth, young, almost glowing with life. She looked younger than him. And… she was cute. Unbelievably so. Eyes full of light, like she'd never seen war, never donned such intimidating armor.

"Or rather," she continued, locking eyes with him, "I fear your potential."

Myles blinked, struggling to catch up. "My potential?"

"You should know by now—your power isn't conventional."With no hesitation, she tossed the helmet off the cliff."And what's more, you're a prodigy. Overflowing with talent."

A gust of wind swept through the cliffside, catching her hair. For a moment, she looked less like a warrior and more like a vision—too radiant, too ungraspable. Myles had no words for it.

"That's why," she said, eyes glinting, "I want to see what becomes of it—and what I might learn from you."

Without warning, she raised her hand and recreated the Criole sword technique Myles always used—except hers was different. Tighter. Heavier. Sharper. Perfected.

"Are we to fight?"He stepped back without thinking, his instincts screaming. The pretty face before him did nothing to calm the primal warning echoing in his bones.

Even so, he brought his hands forward, cloaked himself in Criole, and summoned his swords.

"Calm down," she said gently, letting her blade dissipate. "You're far from ready to fight me. Though... I look forward to that day."

A faint, fond smile crossed her lips.

Myles dropped to his knees, drained—his thoughts a whirlwind.

"Oh—are you alright?"She was beside him in an instant, arms outstretched to help him up. He hadn't even seen her move.

Everything about her terrified him now. Not because she was cruel, but because she wasn't. Her power was effortless. Her grace, natural. The gap between them was too wide for his mind to bridge.

And yet, Verdure just smiled—completely unaware of the fear she inspired.

"Last night, I spoke to Lia," Myles said suddenly as Verdure helped him up. Her grip was steady, her eyes kind—too kind. "She told me you'd be nothing like I expected… Now I know what she meant."

Verdure tilted her head slightly. "What does that mean?"

Her tone was so innocent, so genuine, it made his skin crawl.

Myles let out a breathy laugh—half smile, half surrender. "You're strange."

She turned away, unfazed, stepping toward the edge of the cliff."Time isn't on our side," she said simply. "So we have to begin."

She took another step closer to the drop. Myles' heart skipped.

"Find the helmet before I do."

And with that, she vanished.

Myles bolted toward the edge just in time to see her dive. No hesitation. She cut through the air like a ribbon—headfirst toward the canopy below. At the last second, she shifted her weight and vanished beneath the trees.

Myles blinked. His breath caught. His mind screamed at him to stop and think—but his body moved first.

He jumped.

Midair, it hit him—I didn't think this through.

Wind tore at his clothes. Panic surged. In a flash, he summoned one of his Criole swords and hurled it downward, trailing a line of Criole like a tether. The blade bit into the cliff wall with a flash of light, anchoring the rope.

Now swinging at full speed, Myles veered toward the rocky cliffside—too fast, too close. He winced, bracing for the inevitable impact, eyes squeezed shut.

The impact hit hard.

A sharp groan escaped him as pain shot through his side, but somehow, he managed to keep his grip on the sword. Gritting his teeth, he summoned the second blade and began using both to rappel down. Breath ragged, arms burning, he finally reached a safe height and leapt the rest of the way.

He landed hard—but when he stood, the world had changed.

Lush and untouched, the forest stretched endlessly around him. The air was crisp and cool, scented with earth and morning dew. Trees towered above, greener than anything he remembered. Birds sang in layered melodies, and soft rays of sun pierced through the canopy like divine light.

A smile crept onto his face—until something caught his eye.

Movement. Subtle. All around. Small, large, and massive shapes flickered through the foliage.

His hands twitched. His feet shifted.Not out of fear—but something else. Something raw, wild, alive.

Drawn forward, he moved quietly through the undergrowth until he spotted an old tree with something carved into its bark.

"Feel your target," it read.

He scowled. "It's a helmet..." he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Then he noticed more text beneath:"I will use nothing but my eyes and ears. That would make things fair."Underneath, a crude, smiling face was etched—childlike and cheerful.

He stared at it for a long moment. Verdure… is unbelievably cute.The thought caught him off guard.It's actually starting to grow on me.

He moved on, checking under bushes, peeking into small pits, scaling a few trees.

Each came up empty.

"Oh, for the love of—this is near impossible!" he shouted, throwing his arms up.

The forest fell silent for a beat.

Then came the thud.Followed by another. And another. Heavy, deliberate steps approaching from behind.

Myles jumped—far higher than expected. Surprised by the boost, he lost balance mid-air and landed face-first in the dirt.

Groaning, he pushed himself up—

And froze.

A towering beast loomed just ahead. Its muscles rippled beneath coarse fur, eyes fixed in the same direction Myles had been facing. It hadn't noticed him yet.

Myles held his breath, staying completely still.

Then the beast turned.

"Shit."