Eyes in the Night

The silence stretched between them as they finished eating. Fenix didn't insist on the matter, but he also didn't let it die. 'The conversation isn't over yet,' he thought, waiting for the right moment to steer it in his favor.

Ron and Rhen talked among themselves about the route they would take. Vanya, on the other hand, kept her eyes fixed on Fenix, as if trying to decipher him.

Finally, she was the one to break the silence.

"I'm not convinced. Knowing stories won't help us much when we're face to face with a beast."

Fenix smiled calmly.

"Are you sure about that?"

Vanya frowned, and Ron gave him a curious look.

"Explain yourself."

Fenix rested an elbow on his knee and intertwined his fingers calmly.

"Stories aren't just tales. They are knowledge disguised as narratives. They are records of what others have experienced before us."

Vanya scoffed.

"That still doesn't help us at all."

Fenix didn't lose his composure. 'I knew she'd react like this.'

"Let me give you an example," he said, keeping his voice relaxed, as if the answer was already clear from the start. "Do you know the difference between an experienced warrior and a novice?"

"Skill," she answered naturally.

Fenix shook his head.

"No. The real difference is that the experienced one has already seen enough to avoid making the same mistakes twice."

The twins exchanged glances. Rhen seemed entertained by the conversation, while Ron smiled slightly, as if enjoying how Fenix built his argument.

"Go on," Ron said.

Fenix nodded.

"When someone fights a beast for the first time, they panic because they don't know what to expect. They don't know its patterns or weaknesses. But someone who has heard stories about that beast does know what to expect. They know the mistakes others have made before. They know how to survive."

He leaned slightly forward.

"And I've heard many stories."

Vanya didn't respond immediately. She looked at Ron and Rhen, waiting for them to say something, but the twins seemed lost in thought. Finally, Rhen was the first to speak.

"He's right. There are creatures we've only heard of in tavern tales. But if even one of those stories turns out to be true…"

Ron completed the thought.

"It could give us an advantage."

Vanya pressed her lips together, still not entirely convinced, but with no solid argument to refute it.

Fenix didn't let the silence turn against him.

"Besides," he added in a lighter tone, "would it really hurt to have someone who also knows how to move unseen? You're warriors, and an archer. I'm something else."

"And what exactly are you?" Vanya asked, skeptical.

Fenix smiled.

"Someone who survives."

Ron let out a chuckle, clearly enjoying the conversation.

"I have to admit, I like this guy."

Rhen nodded enthusiastically.

"I say we take him with us. If he's not useful, we leave him."

Vanya sighed and ran a hand through her short hair.

"Do whatever you want. But if he becomes a burden, we leave him behind."

Fenix tilted his head in a calm gesture.

"That sounds fair."

Thus, without needing tests or physical demonstrations, Fenix secured a place in the group with just words.

'I still have to earn their trust,' he thought, 'but for now, I've achieved the hardest part: staying.'

Even though they still didn't fully trust him—well, Vanya more than the twins—those two didn't seem to worry about much at all. And so, they continued their journey toward Dark Mountain.

The days passed peacefully, with Fenix talking to them during the journey, telling them stories—or at least that's what they thought. In reality, he was narrating tales he had read on the internet, but they seemed to believe him, and more importantly, they were entertained.

'In the end, my plan as a historian is working.'

During those days, they talked about many things. In one of their conversations, they told him how they had found him.

He had been lying at the edge of the lake, looking like a corpse. It was Rhen who saw him first and went to check what had happened.

They also explained that Dark Mountain was an unexplored area, known for its difficult terrain and unknown monsters, and that they would be the first to investigate it.

Fenix didn't know how to feel about that.

'An unexplored area sounds like danger at every turn…' he thought, feeling a chill run down his spine. He knew he was weak, and surviving in a place like that would be a difficult task.

Each day, the three mountains loomed closer, and the road became more complicated and irregular. The terrain was too rough to continue with the carriage, so they decided to stop, camp, and carefully plan their ascent to the mountain.

As the sun dipped lower on the horizon, the sky turned into shades of orange and red. The temperature dropped rapidly, and the wind carried a chilling sensation that crept into their clothes. They couldn't continue without resting and preparing their next route.

"We'll camp here tonight," Ron announced, stretching his arms with relief. "We should be well-rested before we start climbing."

Vanya scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes, making sure there were no immediate dangers.

"Tomorrow, we'll climb the left mountain first," she explained, pointing to the towering peak. "If the terrain is passable, we'll move from there to the tallest one. It seems like the only viable route."

Fenix followed her gaze and observed the immensity of the mountain.

'The tallest one…' he thought uneasily. 'This won't be easy.'

The fire crackled softly, filling the night with a dim glow. The cold settled in, and the conversation began to fade. One by one, they prepared to sleep.

But before he could close his eyes, Fenix didn't fall asleep. Instead, he lay on his back, staring at the sky, fixated on those strange stars that had remained there day and night.

'I forgot to ask about them before…' he thought, remembering them. Maybe now was a good time to ask.

"Psst, are you guys awake?" he whispered, not really expecting an answer.

The twins snored softly, deep in sleep, so they didn't reply.

To his surprise, Vanya was still awake.

"I'm trying to be," she muttered. "But someone doesn't seem to want to let me."

Fenix smirked slightly.

"Sorry…" he murmured. But after a brief pause, he continued, "I wanted to ask earlier, but… why are there five stars in the sky, both during the day and night?"

A brief silence followed before Vanya responded, sounding almost incredulous.

"You really call yourself a historian and don't even know the basic history of our world?"

Fenix's heart skipped a beat.

'Shit.'

He had touched on a subject that seemed too common in this world, something anyone should know.

'I almost exposed myself.'

Forcing himself to stay calm, he couldn't afford to hesitate now.

"Well…" he said with calculated confidence, "there are always many versions of history. Some are written in books, but others are never known because they weren't recorded."

He turned slightly, glancing at Vanya.

"I'd like to know the version you know."

Vanya remained silent for a few seconds. She seemed to be debating between disbelief and indifference, but in the end, she sighed and, in a low voice, replied:

"Those five stars have always been there. They are the manifestations of the five gods, the parts into which the Primordial God was divided."

Fenix narrowed his eyes. 'Primordial God? So the history of this world is deeper than I imagined…'

Vanya continued, unaware of Fenix's reaction because it was dark.

"At the beginning, there was only a single god. But it didn't want to be alone, so it decided to create offspring. However, it couldn't do so without splitting itself apart, so it divided into five fragments."

Fenix listened attentively, engraving every word into his mind.

"The first was the Fragment of Time, which shaped the flow of day and night."

"The second, the Fragment of Destiny, the one that dictates the future of all souls."

"The third, the Fragment of War, the essence of life and death, ensuring that nothing existed eternally without conflict."

"The fourth, the Fragment of the Ocean, creator of the seas and guardian of the very essence of all things."

"And the last one…"

Vanya paused briefly, as if organizing her thoughts.

"The fifth was the Fragment of Creation. It was the one that gave form to matter, allowing the world to be built and life to flourish. Without it, nothing physical could exist."

Fenix pondered over what he had just heard. 'If these fragments are real… then they mean much more than just stars in the sky. They represent the fundamental forces that sustain this world.'

He was about to ask more when Vanya added in a lower voice:

"But that's not all. It is said that—"

Suddenly, a loud crack in the undergrowth interrupted the conversation.

Vanya fell silent instantly, her hand moving swiftly to her bow. Fenix felt his body tense.

'What the hell was that?'

The wind blew stronger now, and in the darkness, only the crackling of the fire broke the silence.

Ron and Rhen were still asleep, unaware of the tension wrapping around them.

Vanya slowly turned her head towards where the sound had come from, her sharp gaze searching the shadows.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered, barely moving her lips.

Fenix nodded in silence. 'I heard it, and that wasn't the wind.'

For a moment, everything remained silent. Only the rapid beating of his heart and the faint murmur of the fire filled the air.

Then, something else rustled through the trees—this time closer.

Vanya clenched her jaw. Her hand slid toward her quiver.

Fenix felt a shiver crawl down his spine. He didn't know what was lurking in the darkness, but one thing was certain:

They were not alone.

A third snap echoed through the undergrowth, even closer this time. Something big was moving through the trees.

Vanya silently raised her bow, her gaze locked on the spot where the noise had come from. Fenix's instincts screamed at him to run. But that would only make him more vulnerable.

'Think of something, Fenix.' he told himself.

The wind blew again, carrying a metallic, strong, thick scent… blood.

Fenix frowned. 'Blood? Is it ours… or something else's?'

Vanya drew her bowstring taut, her breathing controlled and disciplined.

The air around her became sharper, as if she were controlling it herself.

Suddenly, a pair of red eyes glowed between the dark trunks.

Fenix felt his chest tighten. It wasn't human.

Something slid through the shadows, its silhouette barely visible when the firelight illuminated its irregular edges. It moved low, close to the ground, like a predator stalking its prey. It wasn't charging. It was waiting. Watching.

Vanya fired without hesitation.

The arrow shot forward at an incredible speed, so fast that the sound of the release came a moment late.

Fenix's eyes widened in surprise.

'An awakened…'

But not just that. She didn't seem like an ordinary awakened. It was impossible for a novice to have that much power.

The sound of the arrow startled Ron and Rhen awake, who immediately jumped to their feet, hands already gripping the hilts of their swords.

Vanya shot them a quick glance and, in a serious tone, warned in a low voice:

"We're being hunted."

The arrow flew swiftly and precisely, but just before it could strike, the shadow vanished into the darkness, as if it had never been there.

A heavy silence fell upon them.

Fenix felt a cold chill crawl down his spine.

'That… wasn't normal.'

Vanya cursed under her breath, already pulling another arrow from her quiver.

"It's testing us."

Fenix tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry.

"What is it?" he whispered.

Vanya didn't answer immediately. She held her stance firm, her bow ready for another shot.

"I don't know."

Then, the rustling came again, but this time from the opposite direction.

Fenix felt the blood drain from his face.

'And It's not alone.'