Chapter 13: The Road Ahead

The road stretched endlessly before us, a winding path through the dense forest. Towering trees loomed on either side, their thick branches blocking most of the sunlight. The air was damp, carrying the scent of earth and foliage. Solmaria was still days away, but with every step, I felt the weight of my past slowly fading.

I wasn't Tanver Raye anymore. That name had been stripped from me. Kael was all that remained.

Still, no matter how much I tried to focus on the future, my thoughts kept drifting back to Alric.

I could still feel the crushing pressure he had forced upon me with a single gesture. That overwhelming force, as if gravity itself had decided to smother me. He had barely tried.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

Power like that—was it something I could ever attain? Or was I simply born lesser?

No. I refused to believe that.

If mana was within all living things, then I had it too. I just didn't know how to awaken it.

Solmaria. That was where I would find my answers.

---

We moved in silence for a while. The group I had joined had accepted my presence, but they weren't the type to trust easily. They were mercenaries, after all.

The scarred leader—Dain—walked ahead, keeping his eyes on the road. He was a man of few words, but every time he glanced at me, I could tell he was assessing me. Not out of suspicion, but curiosity.

The sharp-eyed woman, Eryn, was the most direct. "You fight, but you don't look like a fighter."

I glanced at her, noting the casual way she rested her hand on the hilt of her dagger. She was always ready.

"I was trained," I admitted. "But not in real combat."

She raised an eyebrow. "Noble upbringing?"

I hesitated for a moment. Lying wasn't necessary, but I had no intention of revealing everything.

"I was raised among them," I said carefully. "But I was never really one of them."

Dain gave a quiet chuckle. "That explains it. You move like someone who's learned the rules of fighting but hasn't had to fight to survive." He shot me a glance. "That'll change."

I didn't doubt him.

---

As the day passed, we neared the forest's edge. The road ahead led to a small village—a place where we would resupply before continuing toward Solmaria.

It should have been an uneventful stop.

It wasn't.

The moment we stepped into the village, I felt it—an oppressive stillness.

Something was wrong.

Dain noticed it too. He slowed his pace, eyes scanning the empty streets. The few villagers we saw kept their heads down, moving quickly as if afraid to be seen.

Eryn cursed under her breath. "Bandits?"

Dain shook his head. "No. Something worse."

A few of the mercenaries exchanged uneasy glances.

Then, I heard it.

A voice—low, commanding—echoing from the center of the village.

"You all know the rules. The next time you fail to meet our demands, there won't be a village left to protect."

A group of men stood in the village square, clad in dark, tattered armor. They weren't ordinary bandits. Their posture, their weapons—they were trained. Soldiers who had abandoned their cause.

And at the center of them stood a man draped in black robes, his presence alone enough to make the air feel heavier.

I felt it immediately—mana.

The pressure was faint compared to Alric's, but it was there. A controlled, focused energy.

A mana user.

Dain muttered under his breath. "Damn it. A rogue caster."

I kept my face neutral, but my mind was racing. This was the first time I had encountered someone openly wielding mana.

And I had no idea how to fight him.

---

The village elder, an old man with a hunched back, was speaking to the rogue caster. His voice trembled as he tried to explain their struggles, their inability to pay whatever tribute had been demanded.

The man in black simply sighed. "Excuses bore me."

Then, with a wave of his hand, he lifted the elder off the ground.

Not with his hands. With mana.

The old man gasped, clutching at his throat as if something invisible was choking him. The villagers stood frozen in horror.

And I—I stood frozen too.

Because the sight of it brought back the memory of Alric's power.

The way he had lifted me, crushed me, left me helpless.

For a brief moment, I wasn't in that village. I was back in the estate, pinned to the ground, struggling to breathe.

My body tensed. My breathing became shallow.

I wasn't ready. I couldn't be ready.

Dain moved before I could. "Enough."

His voice cut through the tense air like a blade.

The rogue caster turned his gaze to him, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. "Oh? And who might you be?"

Dain didn't flinch. "Just a traveler passing through. Put the old man down."

The caster smirked. "And if I don't?"

Dain's hand moved to his sword.

The tension snapped.

The rogue caster released the elder, letting him drop to the ground, gasping for air.

Then, the caster turned his full attention to Dain. "You have some backbone, mercenary. But I suggest you stay out of this. I have no quarrel with you—unless you make one."

Dain didn't respond immediately. He was measuring the situation, calculating. A fight was possible, but it wouldn't be an easy one.

And I—

I felt useless.

I clenched my fists. I had trained with a sword. I had spent years learning how to fight.

And yet, here I was, frozen at the sight of real power.

Again.

Dain finally spoke. "Take what you came for and leave."

The rogue caster chuckled. "I already have." His eyes scanned the villagers. "A lesson in obedience."

Then, without another word, he turned and walked away, his men following behind him.

The tension lingered long after they disappeared from sight.

The village elder coughed, struggling to sit up. Dain stepped forward to help him, while Eryn muttered curses under her breath.

And me—

I stared at the ground, my mind spinning.

That wasn't even true power. That man was nothing compared to Alric.

And yet, I had done nothing.

I wasn't strong.

Not yet.

But I would be.

I had to be.

And for that, Solmaria was only the beginning.