One step beyond the night

"I rode north. The pain from the cuts worsened, but I didn't let it shake me. I looked up and noticed, by the orange rays of the sun, that there were only a few hours left before nightfall. I needed to hurry, because if they traveled at night and left the forest, I wouldn't be able to find them.

I clenched my teeth and tightened the reins. I kicked my heels against the horse's flanks, and it neighed before galloping forward.

Moments later, without me realizing it, the night began to surround me. A little further ahead, I spotted a light. Immediately, I stopped, dismounted, and sneaked forward silently to observe. As I got closer, I distinguished Darian and Richard sitting around the fire. The cart with the donkey was parked a little to the side. Moving quietly, I saw Clarice lying on the cart, tied up and gagged.

Since the two of them seemed to be in better physical condition for battle, the best course of action was to proceed with caution—I was too exhausted and wounded. If I had been in better shape, facing them head-on wouldn't have been a problem. Still, I felt some relief at having caught up to them.

'Hey, Darian, wouldn't it be better to grab some torches and travel at night?'

'What are you talking about? It's too dangerous to travel at night in this forest. We'll leave at dawn.'

'But what if they catch up to us?'

'Haha. Even if they find the horse, only one of them could make it in time. You really think you couldn't handle any of those weaklings?'

'What about that guy, Saito? He seemed strong. Didn't you see how he killed that monster?'

'That guy must already be monster food. Did you see how many there were? There's no way a single person could have handled that.'

'You're right. We're going to be rich when we sell that girl.'

They just had to be scum. I felt it the moment I saw them whispering when Clarice healed Talia. I kept moving through the shadows, silently approaching Richard, who was leaning against a tree. It would have been quicker to just kill them, but I had little of my finer thread left. I decided to capture them and let the others decide what to do with them.

I climbed the tree Richard was leaning on, picked up what seemed to be a green fruit, and tossed it a little ahead. Both of them stood up, alarmed. Quickly, I threw my threads around Richard's neck and leaped from the tree, pulling him up with force. I waited until he passed out, then lifted him higher, securing him between the branches.

'Damn, that scared me. You must have shit yourself, Richard. Haha!' As he turned, he no longer saw his partner. 'Richard, where are you? This isn't the time for jokes!' He started looking around.

I moved swiftly through the shadows but accidentally stepped on a dry branch, producing an unwanted noise.

'Hey, Richard, show yourself! If you went to take a piss, at least say something, dammit!' He held his sword, trembling.

I picked up a rock and threw it further ahead. When Darian turned toward the sound, I slowly approached from behind. The moment he turned back in my direction, I kicked the sword from his hand, sending it flying. He fell backward, startled.

'It's you, Saito? Wait, listen… If we sell that girl, I'll give you more than half. You'll never need money again in your life.'

I ignored him and stepped forward slowly. He raised his hands, frightened. Then, I landed a firm punch with my right arm, knocking him unconscious. I used my threads to tie him up, then headed toward Clarice, who was still in the cart.

As I approached, she opened her eyes and tried to speak, but since she was gagged, only muffled sounds came out. For a moment, I considered keeping her that way for the rest of the trip to prevent her from slowing the group down further, but I quickly dismissed the idea.

I climbed into the cart, untied her, and removed the cloth covering her mouth.

'Saito, are you okay? Why did you run off like that? I was worried.'

How could she still be worried about someone else, even in this state? I jumped down from the cart and sat near the fire. At that moment, it was as if all my accumulated exhaustion and fatigue hit me at once.

'Did they hurt you?' I asked.

'No, they just tied me up.'

I placed my left hand on my right shoulder, feeling the sting of the cut as Clarice cautiously approached.

'Let's wait for the others. They should arrive by morning.'

'Saito, you're covered in blood. I'll heal you.'

'It's just a few scratches.'

She knelt behind me and placed her hands on my back. As soon as the golden light began to radiate, the pain in my body gradually faded. It was incredible. The fatigue remained, but just feeling that pain disappear was an immense relief.

'There, I think your wounds are healed now.'

'Thanks.'

'We should be careful; monsters could appear.'

'I killed them.'

'What? All of them?'

'Yes.'

'Wow, you're really good. But where's Richard?'

'There.' I pointed upward.

'Oh… I see.'

She walked past me and sat down with a slight smile on her lips, her serene gaze reflecting a mix of relief and admiration.

'You see what happens to people like you. There's still time to quit.'

'I won't quit. I've already made my decision. I was just careless. This won't happen again.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes. And you saw how useful I am. I healed your wounds.'

Without a doubt, the power she possessed was undeniably useful. During the battle against the Corrupted, I had pushed myself beyond my limits, relying on her ability as well. Still, faced with the power it displayed, could I really defeat them? And if the others were even stronger? I lowered my gaze, feeling useless. I had spent my entire life training, but in the end, when I finally faced one of them, I couldn't even come close to killing it.

'Saito, don't forget, we're in this together now. You don't have to do everything alone. After all, we're friends, aren't we?'

'… Yes.'

Her words reignited a spark of determination in me. I couldn't give up—this was just the beginning. Many battles still awaited me, and I needed to grow stronger so that next time I faced them, I wouldn't hesitate, but instead eliminate them. This wasn't just for Yuri and Uncle Jack. If the portal was opened, the fate of everyone in this world would be sealed.

Before sleeping, after much insistence from Clarice, I climbed the tree, brought Richard down, and tied him firmly with my threads. Personally, I would have left him there. She placed the two of them near the fire, and I retrieved sleeping bags for us. Then, we prepared to rest.

I wanted to stay awake on watch, but exhaustion overcame me, and I fell asleep.

With the first rays of dawn, I got up. I had slept like a rock due to the exhaustion from battle, but I woke up feeling refreshed. It was strange since the fatigue should have lasted for days, yet I felt nothing.

I looked at Clarice, who was still sleeping deeply, even drooling. Despite everything that had happened, it was as if nothing had occurred the day before.

We waited a few hours to see if the others would appear, and finally, we spotted them in the distance. As soon as they saw us, they ran toward us. Talia sprinted forward, crying, and hugged Clarice tightly.

I reported everything that had happened and, with sorrow, informed them of Lucas's death. I omitted the part about my fight with the Corrupted.

We got organized, put Darian and Richard in the cart, and moved on. The day passed peacefully, without any problems along the way. We camped at nightfall and ate to regain our strength.

At dawn, we continued our journey. A few hours later, we reached a hill. As we climbed, I saw a bright light ahead. As we got closer, we finally reached the end of the Forest of Eternal Night.

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise, and even I could hardly believe it. How could I describe it? A painting? No, it was much more than that. It was simply breathtaking—a landscape so stunning that not even in my deepest dreams could I have imagined it existed."