Memories.

Ezra and Leo moved through the forest, keeping their eyes peeled for anything that might try to kill them. The deeper they went, the darker it got, with thick branches blocking most of the sunlight. The air was damp, the silence unsettling.

Ezra sighed, gripping his spear tighter. "Alright, if something jumps out and tries to eat my face, I'm gonna lose it."

Leo glanced at him. "Do you always talk like that?"

Ezra raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Leo gestured vaguely. "Like you're constantly expecting the worst. And also, you swear a lot."

Ezra rolled his eyes. "Swearing's normal, Leo."

Leo smirked. "Yeah, but you take it to another level. It's like every sentence is personally attacking someone."

Ezra sighed. "Listen, man. When life keeps throwing garbage at you, you just start talking accordingly."

Leo shook his head. "That's so depressing."

Ezra shrugged. "It's realistic."

Leo hummed. "So, what, every morning you wake up and go, 'Welp, time to get screwed over again'?"

Ezra grinned. "Something like that."

Leo laughed. "Holy hell, you actually do."

Ezra sighed. "It's called acceptance, Leo. The sooner you realize life isn't fair, the easier it is to deal with."

Leo squinted at him. "You sure you're not some runaway noble? You talk way too different from the other rich kids."

Ezra snorted. "Yeah, because a noble would totally be running around with a stick as a weapon."

Leo chuckled. "Okay, fine. Just a normal guy with some, uh… strong opinions."

Ezra smirked. "Let's go with that."

Before Leo could respond, a low growl echoed through the trees.

Both of them froze.

Ezra sighed. "Oh, come on."

Leo tensed. "Uh. Maybe we should run?"

Ezra clenched his jaw. "No time."

From the shadows, two glowing yellow eyes locked onto them. A deep, guttural snarl followed.

A second later, a massive bird stepped into view, its feathers were glistening and beak was shining under the sunlight.

Ezra exhaled slowly.

"Well… that's just great."

The creature towered over them, its talons digging into the dirt. Its feathers shimmered like polished steel, and its beady yellow eyes screamed bad intentions.

Leo gulped. "That's… not a normal bird."

Ezra groaned. "No shit, Sherlock."

The Steelbeak. He didn't know much about it, but from what little he remembered from the novel, it was bad news. Fast, aggressive, and its beak could punch through armor like paper.

And here he was, holding a stick.

"Alright," Ezra muttered, "new plan: we definitely run."

Leo didn't need to be told twice. The moment Ezra turned, Leo was already halfway through a sprint.

The steelbeak screeched and charged after them, its powerful legs kicking up dirt.

Ezra ran harder, but the thing was fast. Every thundering step it took was closing the gap.

Leo yelled, "Got any genius ideas, or are we just dying tired?"

Ezra looked around frantically. Trees, bushes, rocks—nothing helpful. But then he spotted a narrow gap between two thick trees up ahead.

"Over there!" he shouted.

They veered toward the trees. Ezra barely made it through the gap before diving into a roll. Leo, slightly ahead, had already scrambled up a small slope.

The steelbeak, however—

SLAM!

Its massive body crashed into the trees, sending leaves and dust flying.

Ezra didn't waste time celebrating. "Keep running!"

They sprinted through the underbrush, ducking under branches and leaping over roots. Behind them, the steelbeak screeched in frustration, struggling to maneuver through the tight space.

Finally, after a few minutes of running, the sounds of pursuit faded.

They collapsed against a rock, panting hard.

Leo let out a breathless laugh. "Okay. That was terrible."

Ezra wiped sweat from his brow. "Yep."

Leo glanced at him. "That bird was huge. What the hell was it even doing out here?"

Ezra shrugged. "Dunno. Looking for idiots like us?"

Leo groaned. "Well, it found some."

They sat there for a moment, catching their breath. The adrenaline was still rushing, but at least they weren't dead.

Yet.

Ezra sighed, rolling his shoulder. "Alright. We still need points, and running around isn't getting us any."

Leo rubbed his temples. "Yeah, but let's maybe not fight something that can turn us into bird food."

Ezra smirked. "Fair point."

Leo exhaled. "Man, if my mom knew I was running for my life instead of studying, she'd kill me herself."

Ezra raised an eyebrow. "She that strict?"

Leo snorted. "Nah. She just worries too much. Same with my dad. They weren't exactly thrilled about me coming here."

Ezra hummed. "Could've fooled me. You don't seem like the type who listens to rules."

Leo grinned. "Exactly. That's why I ran away to join the academy."

Ezra blinked. "Wait. You ran away?"

Leo shrugged. "I mean, it's not that dramatic. I just kinda… left without telling them."

Ezra let out a low whistle. "Damn. You got guts."

Leo smirked. "More like lack of self-preservation."

He leaned back, looking up at the sky through the tree canopy. "Still… I bet they're worried."

Then he turned to Ezra. "What about you? Your folks cool with you being here?"

Ezra opened his mouth—

And immediately regretted it.

A flash.

A dimly lit hallway. Cold air biting into his skin. The echo of distant footsteps.

A woman's voice—calm, emotionless. "Why did you do that?."

Another flash.

Rain pouring down. A boy—himself—standing alone, soaked to the bone. His fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his skin.

A final flash.

A man in a dark coat, watching him with unreadable eyes.

Ezra staggered back, his vision swimming. His breath came out shallow, his fingers curling into a fist.

Leo's voice cut through the haze.

"Ezra?"

He looked up. Leo was staring, frowning in concern.

Ezra swallowed. "...What?"

Leo tilted his head. "You, uh. Spaced out for a second."

Ezra forced a smirk. "Thinking real hard, I guess."

Leo squinted at him. "You sure? 'Cause you looked like you just saw a ghost."

Ezra rolled his shoulders. "Ha Ha Ha... Ghosts don't exist, Leo."

Leo hummed, unconvinced. "Alright. But seriously, what's your family like?"

Ezra hesitated. His mind felt heavy—like something was trying to push forward, something ugly.

He forced it back.

"Nothing interesting," he said, keeping his voice light. "Just a regular nobody."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "You? A regular nobody?"

Ezra smirked. "Believe it or not."

Leo didn't look convinced, but he didn't push.

Instead, he stretched and groaned. "Man, I'm starving. Think we can find something not trying to eat us?"

Ezra exhaled, shaking off the lingering unease. "Yeah. Let's go find something edible."

But as they walked, Ezra couldn't shake the feeling that something inside him had cracked open.

And whatever was waiting behind that crack… wasn't good.