chapter 3

Escaping the house had been easier than expected, but walking through the dark, treacherous paths leading to the Dark Sorcerer's Forest was an entirely different story. After two hours of walking, my old shoes began to hurt my feet, and I realized I had forgotten to bring a map. 

*"Truly brilliant, Lian,"* I muttered to myself as I stumbled over a tree root in the dark. *"You plan an epic journey to find a legendary fire spirit, yet forget something as simple as a map."* 

Fortunately, my memories from the game were crystal clear. The Dark Sorcerer's Forest lay northeast of the capital, roughly two days' walk away. Ember's hiding place was deep in the forest, in a small cave near a magical spring. 

The only problem was that the path was filled with dangerous monsters, and my current strength wasn't enough to face anything stronger than an angry rabbit. 

After four exhausting hours of walking, I reached a small hill overlooking the forest's entrance. The sight was both majestic and terrifying—towering trees stretching toward the sky, thick mist covering the ground, and strange noises echoing from the depths. 

I sat beneath a tree and pulled out some food from my bag. *"Well, Ember, I hope you appreciate the sacrifices I'm making for you. I left a warm bed and regular meals to come looking for you in this horrifying place."* 

As I ate, I heard the sound of snapping twigs behind me. I turned quickly, my hand instinctively moving toward the small dagger at my belt. 

*"Who's there?"* 

A girl who looked about my age emerged from the trees, but she was in a pitiful state. Her clothes were torn and dirty, her long blonde hair tangled and full of leaves, and her face was covered in dust and small scratches. 

*"Oh, thank the gods!"* she cried in relief. *"Finally, another person! I thought I was going to die out here!"* 

I studied her cautiously and secretly activated *Holy Spirit Eye.* The result surprised me: 

**[Eliana Moonlet – Level 15 – Spirit Controller (Light Spirits)]** 

That was a familiar name! Eliana Moonlet was one of the important characters in the game—the daughter of a powerful merchant family and a gifted Spirit Controller. In the original timeline, I was supposed to meet her at the academy, not here in the middle of nowhere. 

*"Um… are you okay?"* I asked, trying to hide my surprise. 

*"Okay? Do I look okay?!"* she shrieked, gesturing at herself. *"I've been lost in this cursed forest for three days! I ate some berries that turned out to be poisonous, which made me hallucinate and see weird things. Then I was chased by a giant bear for two hours. After that, I fell into a swamp and barely survived! And now my hair looks like a bird built a nest in it!"* 

I couldn't help but laugh. The way she said all this while dramatically waving her hands was hilarious. 

*"You're laughing? You're laughing at my suffering?!"* she said angrily, though I noticed a glint of humor in her eyes. 

*"Sorry, sorry,"* I said, trying to control my laughter. *"It's just… hallucinogenic berries? Really?"* 

*"Yes! I saw giant talking rabbits giving me life advice. One of them told me, 'Life is like a carrot—you have to dig deep to find the good part.' I don't even know what that means!"* 

I burst out laughing again. *"I think that rabbit was a philosopher."* 

She sat beside me on the ground and suddenly turned serious. *"Honestly, I'm just grateful to see a human face. I was starting to think I'd die here alone."* 

*"What brought you out here in the first place?"* I asked, handing her some of my food. 

*"A family mission,"* she said with her mouth full. *"My father wants me to find a Silver Moonflower to help cure my sick mother. The problem is, it only grows deep in this forest, and I… well, as you can see, I'm not exactly an expert at wilderness survival."* 

Silver Moonflower? I knew this flower from the game. It was rare and useful, but the place where it grew was near Ember's location. This was a fortunate coincidence. 

*"Well, Eliana,"* I said, deciding to use her name outright to see her reaction. 

*"How do you know my name?"* She looked at me in surprise. 

*"Uh… intuition?"* I smiled awkwardly. *"I mean, you look like an Eliana."* 

She gave me a skeptical look. *"That's… weird. But okay. And what's your name?"* 

*"Lian. Lian Shadewind."* 

*"Shadewind? That's a noble name, but you don't look—"* She stopped, realizing she might be rude. 

*"Like a noble? That's because I'm not, really. It's a long and complicated story."* 

*"I love complicated stories!"* she said with sudden enthusiasm. *"Especially if they involve conspiracies, betrayal, and revenge."* 

Her excitement amused me. *"Maybe I'll tell you one day. But for now, I think we can help each other."* 

*"How?"* 

*"I'm also heading deep into the forest to find something important. Our paths are pretty much the same. What if we team up?"* 

She thought for a moment, then nodded eagerly. *"Brilliant idea! Especially since my survival skills amount to 'run and scream and hope the monsters get scared of me.'"* 

We entered the forest together at sunrise, and I quickly discovered that Eliana was an extremely entertaining travel companion—though also a bit of a nuisance. 

*"Do you think trees get lonely?"* she asked after ten minutes of silence. 

*"What?"* 

*"I mean, they stand here for hundreds of years, watching the world change around them, unable to move or talk to anyone."* 

*"Eliana, that's a very deep philosophical question for seven in the morning."* 

*"Sorry, my brain works weirdly when I'm nervous. Oh! Look, a beautiful butterfly!"* 

Suddenly, she ran after a glowing blue butterfly, disappearing between the trees. 

*"Eliana! Wait!"* I shouted, chasing after her. 

I found her standing in front of a massive tree, staring at something on the ground with a horrified expression. 

*"Lian… I think we have a problem."* 

I looked at what she was pointing at and saw the remains of a destroyed campsite. A torn tent, scattered equipment, and clear signs of a struggle. Worst of all, there were giant claw marks on the surrounding trees. 

*"Those aren't from an ordinary bear,"* Eliana whispered. 

I used *Holy Spirit Eye* to scan the area. I saw traces of strong spiritual energy and… something else. A distinct scent in the air. 

*"Eliana, those are the marks of a Shadowfang Direwolf."* 

*"A shadow-what?"* 

*"A very dangerous magical creature. At least Level 25, and carnivorous—prefers human flesh."* 

Her face turned pale. *"And you're telling me this now because…?"* 

*"Because I think it's still in the area."* 

As if my words were a signal, we heard a deep, terrifying howl coming from the surrounding trees. 

*"New plan,"* Eliana said quickly. *"What if we run really fast and pretend we didn't see anything?"* 

*"I don't think that'll work."* 

Another howl, closer this time. Then we saw two glowing red eyes in the shadows, and slowly, a massive creature the size of a small horse emerged. Its fur was black as night, and its fangs gleamed in the sunlight. 

*"Well,"* Eliana whispered. *"This is much worse than the bear."* 

The wolf stared at us for several seconds, deciding which of us to eat first. Then it snarled and began advancing toward us slowly. 

*"Any brilliant ideas, Lian?"* 

Actually, I had one. But it was insane, risky, and would require me to reveal some of my abilities. 

*"Eliana, can you summon a light spirit?"* 

*"Yes, but not strong enough to hurt that thing."* 

*"You don't need to hurt it. Just blind it for a moment."* 

*"And then?"* 

*"Then trust me."* 

She looked at me with an expression that said, *'This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard, but I don't have another choice.'* 

*"Fine. On the count of three. One… two…"* 

*"Three!"* 

Eliana raised her hands, and a sphere of bright light appeared above her palms. *"Oh spirit of light, steal the sight of our foe!"* 

The light exploded in the wolf's face, making it howl in anger and stagger back, its eyes watering from the brightness. 

In that moment, I rushed toward the wolf. I pulled out the *Dragon's Tear* from my bag and channeled all my spiritual energy into it. The gemstone glowed with intense blue light, and I felt a surge of power coursing through me. 

*"Shadewind Secret Technique: Soaring Lightning Fist!"* 

Truthfully, there was no such technique. I was just gathering all my spiritual energy into my fist and hoping for the best. But Eliana didn't need to know that. 

I struck the wolf in its side, and the accumulated energy exploded on impact. The beast was sent flying several meters before crashing into a large tree. 

For a moment, there was silence. Then the wolf slowly began to rise, looking at me with a new expression—respect instead of hunger. 

For several long seconds, we stared at each other. Then, unexpectedly, the wolf bowed its head slightly—a sign of respect among magical beasts—before turning and leaving. 

I stood there, breathing heavily, trying to hide the fact that that single strike had drained nearly all my spiritual energy. 

*"Lian… that was… incredible!"* Eliana exclaimed as she ran toward me. *"How did you do that? That was stronger than anything I've seen from a Spirit Controller at your level!"* 

*"It's a secret family technique,"* I said, trying to appear nonchalant even as my knees threatened to buckle. *"I can only use it once a day."* 

*"That's still amazing! No wonder your family name is Shadewind. Do you belong to some powerful noble house?"* 

*"Like I said, it's a complicated story."* 

*"Well, whatever the story is, I'm grateful. That thing would have eaten us!"* She suddenly stopped and looked around. *"Wait, where's the wolf's body?"* 

I glanced around and realized she was right. The wolf hadn't died—it had fled. That was… unexpected. In the game, most monsters fought to the death. 

*"Maybe… maybe it was smarter than we thought,"* I said finally. 

*"Or maybe it saw something in your punch that made it reconsider its career choices,"* Eliana joked. *"Either way, I think we should keep moving before it changes its mind and comes back."* 

I agreed, and we continued our journey through the forest. But now, Eliana was looking at me differently—with admiration and respect, but also growing curiosity. 

*"So, Lian,"* she said after a while. *"Tell me about these secret family techniques. Do you know more of them?"* 

*"A few,"* I answered cautiously. 

*"And is the whole Shadewind family as strong as you?"* 

*"Actually, I'm the only survivor of the original Shadewind family."* 

She stopped walking abruptly. *"What? What happened to the rest of them?"* 

And so, as we walked through a forest filled with deadly monsters, I found myself telling a girl I'd just met the story of my life—or at least, the edited version. 

When I finished, Eliana was silent for a long time. 

*"That's… horrible,"* she said at last. *"I'm so sorry, Lian. I can't imagine losing my family like that."* 

*"The past is the past,"* I said, though part of me was grateful for her kindness. *"Right now, I'm focused on the future."* 

*"And that involves searching for something in this forest?"* 

*"Yes. Something that can help me become stronger."* 

*"Well, then we're on similar missions. I'm looking for something to help my mother, and you're looking for something to help yourself."* 

*"Exactly."* 

She smiled. *"I think we'll make a good team, Lian Shadewind."* 

And suddenly, I realized she was right. Despite all the strange circumstances and unbelievable coincidences, I genuinely wanted Eliana as my companion on this journey. Not just because she was useful, but because she was… fun. 

*"Yeah,"* I said, meaning it. *"I think we will."* 

But as I'd learned in my past life, when things start looking *too* good, it usually means something *very* bad is about to happen. 

And the trees around us were growing denser and darker, meaning we were approaching the true depths of the forest—the place where the real monsters lurked. 

*"Eliana,"* I said, scanning the trees warily. 

*"Yeah?"* 

*"Do you know any other combat techniques besides blinding enemies?"* 

*"Well, I can make small light orbs for illumination and heal minor wounds. Why?"* 

*"Because I think we're going to need everything we've got."* 

As if my words were a signal, we heard distant howling—except this time, it wasn't just one howl, but several at once. 

*"Please tell me that's not what I think it is,"* Eliana whispered. 

I used *Holy Spirit Eye* to scan the area, and my heart sank when I saw the results. 

Five powerful spiritual energy signatures were moving toward us rapidly through the trees. All at least Level 20. 

*"Eliana?"* 

*"Yes?"* 

*"I think the wolf we met earlier went to get his friends."*