Forest Chase I

After a few moments of trying to get their bearings, the sun had already dipped low, painting the sky in an orange hue, signalling the night was fast approaching.

"So, what now?" Aurelia asked her guardian, poking her head over to his side. She wore a white embroidered tunic lined with gold seams, white pants, and leather boots. Her red, wavy hair was partly tied back with a metal butterfly clip at the back of her head. Simple yet regal, she looked every bit the part of an expedition-ready princess.

Friederich lightly tapped his ring, causing a blue hologram to float up mid-air. "Let's try a locating spell," He suggested, but Aurelia quickly swatted his hand away.

"Hey, don't open the arc comm, we'll be exposed!" She snapped at him.

His brows furrowed into a frown. "Then… what do you suggest we do?" Friederich asked.

A smile tugged at her lips, her voice condescending. "Let's get to higher ground," She said, pointing towards the defence tower looming in the distance, a few kilometres away.

The two set their sights on the nearest defence tower, located at the edge of the dark forest, where they might be able to seek temporary shelter for the night.

***

Friederich strode forward, illuminating the path with his glowing white sword, while Aurelia followed at his heel. They weren't making much progress due to her leisurely pace. It began to irritate him how slow she was walking, considering she was only 160 centimetres tall.

"It's getting dark soon. Would you mind picking up the pace?" Friederich said, his voice tinged with irritation. He wasn't the best at hiding his emotions — none of the House Regis were.

"Ugh! My legs are sore already," Aurelia whined, dragging her feet lazily. Clearly, physical exertion wasn't to her liking.

Friederich extended his hand, palm up, gesturing slightly. "Maybe I can carry you?" He suggested, deadpan.

"No way! If I can't even walk by myself, I've already failed at my objectives," She replied, shaking her head. "I just wish we had arc boots…" She muttered, frustration evident in her voice as her shoulders hunched forward and her boots kicked at the branches scattered around them.

Crossing his arms, a vein popped on his otherwise immaculate forehead. "Could you not kick things around? You're making a trail for hunters to follow," He said, matter-of-factly.

"Oh my Mother Gaia, you're such a killjoy, Fried! Zeta would have brought us arc boots and flown us to the tower by now. Wait, if Zeta were here, we wouldn't even be trekking like idiots in the first place!" She continued blabbering on as if Zeta were still alive.

His expression darkened. "Zetius is gone, Aurelia," He said coldly.

"No, he's not," The princess replied instantly, without thought.

"But he is."

"Na-ah!" Aurelia shook her head, refusing to listen. She could be incredibly persistent sometimes.

Suddenly, Friederich snapped his head towards her, gripping her wrist with surprising force, his eyes filled with seriousness. "Aurelia, Zetius is dead! I don't know what you think of him — he was a prodigy of the arcane, Ignius's prime disciple, a god?" He blurted, his voice stern and loud. "You know what? Even a god is dead. Ignius Lux Draconus is dead! So, I'm not going to argue with you about this again! Do. You. Understand?" he said so quickly he nearly forgot to breathe.

A primal fear lingered in her vivid red eyes. He quickly retracted, regretting his harshness.

Aurelia rubbed her wrist gently, not saying anything. "But he... he isn't... dead..." She murmured to herself.

"HOW DID YOU KNOW!?" Friederich's voice boomed, so loud that even the birds startled and flapped their wings in a panic. He shook his head in disbelief at how delusional Aurelia had become.

Not looking into his eyes, she spoke quietly, "…I don't know… I just can… I can still feel him…" She hugged herself tightly.

Realising what she meant, Friederich's heart ached. She must have loved him. Who wouldn't? Zetius was not just brilliant with the arcane; he was also gentle, kind, righteous, and level-headed, despite his youth. Traits that Friederich himself lacked.

He couldn't help but ask himself inwardly, "How could someone be so selfless? What's the point of living for others and not for yourself? The world would be a much better place if he had died in that envoy instead of Zetius. At least Aurelia would be happier that way."

Friederich exhaled deeply before muttering, "I'm sorry..." His voice softened, easily lost in the wind, but she caught it.

"You're forgiven," Aurelia replied sheepishly.

The awkward silence between them only slowed their progress towards the defence tower. Soon, the evening crept in, and darkness spread beneath the canopy of tree branches. The light from his arcane sword wasn't enough to fully illuminate their surroundings. He could conjure more light, but that would be wasteful. Mana needed to be strategically managed, and using it for mere visibility was pointless.

As the darkness swallowed the forest, strange shapes began to form in the shadows — branches, tree barks, and bushes that tricked the minds of the weaks. One moment they appeared humanoid, but when Aurelia glanced at them directly, nothing was truly there. Inanimate objects shifted their forms eerily.

"Fried!" Aurelia called out to her guardian, who had walked about ten metres ahead. His long legs covered much more ground with each step, far faster than her own.

Friederich turned slowly, the lower part of his jaw illuminated by the light from his sword. "What?" He asked.

"I'm scared!" She replied, rushing to his side.

"Good. Stay close to me," Friederich said, his tone unfazed by the creeping darkness. His dazzling blue eyes glinted in the gloom, giving him a heightened vision — one of many perks of his elven heritage. "I think phantoms dwell here."