Echoes of the Night

The forest seemed to have regained its calm after the battle. The beasts had disappeared into the shadows, leaving behind only their stench of damp earth and dried blood. Exhausted, the group decided to stop in a clearing next to a stream, where the moonlight filtered through the treetops.

Fenix, still breathless, let his body fall to the ground, leaning his back against a fallen log. His muscles burned, though not as much as his mind. That fight had been too real.

Breaking the silence, Ron spoke seriously:

"We'll leave at dawn. It's not safe to stay here for too long. With the number of corpses we left behind, it's only a matter of time before they attract other creatures… and they could be even more dangerous than those wolves."

Fenix nodded to himself. Ron was right. The fight hadn't lasted more than three minutes, maybe less, but with the support of Vanya, Ron, and Rhen, they had managed to unleash a true massacre without much difficulty.

Vanya was the next to speak.

"Thanks," she said with a pale smile.

Fenix nodded, saying nothing. After witnessing the vast difference between the adventurers and the monsters, he felt more confident in his decision. Following them had been the right choice.

On his own, he wouldn't have survived. Now that he had seen the trio's power with his own eyes, he understood they were not mere travelers but awakened ones.

With some curiosity, he asked:

"You're pretty strong. Now I understand why the three of you can travel alone out here."

Rhen responded with a faint smile:

"Thanks, but as you can see, danger always exists. If you let your guard down even for a moment, it could be your last battle."

Fenix nodded at his response. It was true, even with all their strength, the three had to put in effort during the fight. But before the atmosphere became too heavy, Ron stretched and spoke in his usual carefree tone:

"Come on, come on, not everything has to be about danger and death. Wouldn't it be more interesting to talk about something that doesn't involve claws and sharp teeth?"

Rhen let out a chuckle.

"And what do you propose, oh great conversationalist?"

Ron adopted a thoughtful expression, crossing his arms.

"Hmm… How about we talk about our first fights? What was your first fight like, Fenix?"

Fenix blinked, surprised by the question. 'My first fight?' He couldn't tell the truth, so he improvised.

"Well… I haven't had many fights like this. But once, I had to defend myself when someone tried to rob me."

Rhen raised an eyebrow with interest.

"And what did you do?"

Fenix shrugged.

"I ran. I used what I had to my advantage and managed to escape. I'm not a fighter, but I know how to move when things get rough."

Ron smiled.

"That's also a kind of fight, you know? Sometimes, knowing when to run is more important than knowing how to fight."

Vanya, who had been listening silently, murmured:

"You can't always run."

Her comment made the group fall silent for a moment. Rhen, not wanting the conversation to turn too grim again, decided to share his own experience.

"Well, if we're talking about first fights, mine was a disaster. I was fifteen, and I wanted to impress a girl, so I accepted a duel against a guy twice my size and experience. I thought I could beat him with pure confidence."

Ron ran a hand over his face and shook his head.

"By the gods, I remember that… It was embarrassing."

Rhen laughed.

"Yeah, well… he broke my nose in less than ten seconds."

Fenix raised an eyebrow.

"And what happened with the girl?"

"She left with the guy who beat me up."

Ron and Fenix burst into laughter while Vanya let out a barely perceptible smirk.

"Well," Ron continued, "my first fight went a little better than Rhen's. A guy tried to cheat me in a card game. He didn't know I was cheating too. I stole his winnings and ran before he could react."

Fenix smiled.

"That sounds more like a robbery than a fight."

At the same time, he thought, 'So, there are cities in this world too.'

If Ron had a fight in a tavern and got kicked out, it meant there were places like that, with laws, trade, and, most importantly, shelter.

"And what do you think happened next? He caught me, threw me against a table, and we started brawling until the tavern owner kicked us both out. But I kept the money!"

The group's laughter filled the night air. For a few moments, everything felt lighter, as if they weren't in the middle of a dangerous forest, pursued by uncertainty.

But then, Vanya sighed and stood up, her expression turning serious again.

"That's enough. It's time to sleep. Tomorrow, the real trial begins."

The tone in her voice brought the others back to reality. Rhen let out a sigh and lay down on his blanket, while Ron did the same, still smiling slightly.

Fenix looked at her with curiosity.

"Do you have something on your mind?"

Vanya crossed her arms.

"I just know this was nothing but a warning. If we get too confident, we might not live to regret it."

Ron shrugged.

"Always so optimistic…"

"I'll take the first watch. I was the least tired in the fight, so it's only logical. I don't want us to be caught off guard again."

Fenix observed her firm stance, noticing that despite her cold attitude, she was the one most concerned about the group's safety.

"Wake me up whenever you want to switch shifts," he said, surprising himself with the offer.

Vanya looked at him for a moment, evaluating him, before nodding slightly.

"Alright."

One by one, the others closed their eyes and let exhaustion take over. For the first time in a long while, the sound of the fire and the laughter before had given Fenix a sense of calm he hadn't felt in years.

And so, the night passed, with Vanya keeping watch in silence.

Fenix, however, couldn't fall asleep immediately. His mind kept processing everything that had happened—the fight, the conversation with the group… and most unsettling of all, his own uncertainty about this world.

From where he lay, he glanced at Vanya, who remained seated on a rock, her bow resting on her lap. Her posture was firm, her eyes scanning the darkness with the precision of someone who had spent too many nights like this.

After a while, Fenix decided to break the silence.

"You don't seem very tired."

Vanya shifted her gaze from the forest to him, without moving the rest of her body.

"I'm not."

Fenix rolled his eyes.

"Wow, what an exciting conversation."

For a moment, he thought she would ignore him, but then Vanya sighed softly and spoke.

"I've spent many nights awake. After a while, you get used to it."

Fenix rested his head against the log where he sat.

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a sad thing."

She didn't reply immediately. Finally, she murmured:

"You're strange, Fenix."

He raised an eyebrow.

"That's not exactly a compliment."

Vanya looked at him directly this time, with an expression that wasn't hostile but wasn't exactly friendly either.

"I didn't mean it as one. You don't seem like a warrior, yet you didn't flinch in the fight. You don't know how to handle a weapon, but you're not useless. You're quiet, but you don't seem afraid. And, most of all… you don't act like someone who belongs anywhere."

Fenix felt a chill run down his spine. 'Has she been watching me that closely?'

He smirked slightly, trying to mask his discomfort.

"You know, I didn't really have much desire to live before. To be honest, I still don't know why I'm trying so hard. I'm not strong, just a normal human without any abilities, but little by little, I want to live one more day.

"You know, a long time ago, I promised someone that I would take care of myself. I failed that promise for years, but now I'm going to try to keep it.

Well… that, or maybe I'm just good at improvising."

Vanya held his gaze for a moment longer, as if trying to figure him out. Finally, she shook her head.

"Maybe."

Fenix adjusted himself, closing his eyes, though he knew it would take him a while to fall asleep.

"If you get tired, wake me up. I don't want us to be caught off guard again."

Vanya let out a soft sigh and turned her gaze back to the forest.

"Don't worry. I won't let that happen."

And with those words, the conversation ended.

Fenix finally let exhaustion take over.

Meanwhile, Vanya remained silent, her eyes fixed on the darkness of the forest.