Chapter 13:Shared Roots
Peter and Selene marched south along the path, shrouded in the shadows of towering trees. The sun had already risen high enough for the morning dew to begin evaporating, creating a humid, heavy atmosphere. Peter walked a few steps ahead, moving silently across the damp earth. Behind him, Selene dragged her feet, showing clear signs of exhaustion after several hours of walking. It was obvious that her stamina was far from exceptional—perhaps even below average.
'How am I supposed to teach her swordsmanship if she's this exhausted after just two hours of walking?' Peter wondered to himself. He knew he had to teach her the basics—stances, strikes, footwork—but the realization that he would also have to improve her endurance complicated things. Without showing his dissatisfaction, he asked her:
"How much longer can you keep going?"
If they needed to stop for a break, it would be best to find a safe place without exposing themselves to unnecessary danger.
"I... I'm fine... I can keep going..." Selene replied, breathing heavily.
It was clear that they would have to stop soon—at most in a few minutes—to rest and drink some water from their supplies so they could continue the journey effectively. Peter sighed inwardly, scanning the area for a spot where they would have a clear view of the road ahead and behind them, ensuring they wouldn't be taken by surprise. After a moment, he came across a straight stretch of the path that extended for several hundred meters.
"Alright, we're stopping here. Rest for a bit—we leave in fifteen minutes at the latest," Peter said, taking off his travel bag and placing it on the side of the path, away from the thorny, twisted bushes. Selene, without a word, did the same and collapsed onto the grass, pulling a water flask from her bag and drinking greedily.
"Drink in small sips and conserve your water," Peter warned. "We don't know how far it is to the nearest source."
He then sat by the roadside, keeping watch in both directions of the path. So far, they had been lucky—not encountering any creatures native to this part of Ether. It was a welcome surprise, but Peter knew he couldn't rely on luck forever.
As he continued scanning the surroundings, his gaze landed on a strange crow perched on a branch several dozen meters away. Seeing it, he thought,'So I was right. That bird is going to keep following us.'
It wasn't pleasant news, but at least the crow hadn't shown any signs of hostility. Once again, his mind instinctively drifted toward considering ways to eliminate the creature if necessary, but his thoughts were interrupted by Selene.
"You don't look tired at all," Selene muttered. "Seriously… were you really in the army?"
Peter didn't answer immediately. His gaze flickered to the crow still perched on the branch, unmoving, watching.
He exhaled through his nose.
"Yeah. Special forces, actually."
"Whoa." Selene sounded impressed. "Wait, special forces? Weren't they all disbanded after Ether appeared?"
"Not all of them," Peter replied, keeping his gaze on the path ahead.
"The ones that survived started recruiting magic users."
Selene raised an eyebrow. "Magic users? In the military?"
Peter glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the forest.
"Yeah. The government still needs specialists for operations that regular soldiers can't handle. And as you probably know, the international treaty bans magic users from being drafted into the army… officially, at least."
He adjusted the strap of his bag. "It's a precaution. Just in case another war breaks out."
Peter recalled several unpleasant missions eliminating individuals who had lost their sanity due to the powers they had awakened.
Selene continued her questioning.""By the way, I never asked before—since English became the universal language after the Cataclysm, it's hard to tell where someone is from just by their language. Where are you from? There aren't many places left on Earth where humans still hold the upper hand against the Ether invasion, so there's a chance we lived somewhat close to each other."
It was true—humans no longer controlled the entire planet, and only a few continents remained safe enough for people to live in certain areas. South America had become a hunting ground for Ether creatures, as had much of northern and western Asia. Large parts of Africa, Australia, and Europe had also become dangerous zones. The only mostly safe territories were the former European Union region, the southeastern part of Australia, and most of the eastern coast of the United States and Canada. Everything else was classified as dangerous or extremely dangerous for humans.
After a moment of thought, Peter decided there was no harm in sharing where he was from—or at least where the home that belonged to him was located. He hadn't been there in a long time, but it was still his home nonetheless.
"Why not?" Peter shrugged. "I'm from Europe—Stronghold City of Poznań."
"Wait, what?" Selene blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Seriously?!"
Peter blinked in surprise at her reaction. "Yeah?"
„No way. I'm from SCOP too!" she grinned. "I never thought I'd meet someone from my city out here in Ether!"