The forest was eerily quiet, the only sounds coming from the crunch of leaves beneath their boots and the distant rustling of the wind through the trees.
Dune walked ahead, his sword resting on his shoulder, while Nely followed a few steps behind, arms crossed.
The battle earlier had left them both drained, but the weight of what had happened still lingered between them. For a moment, it almost felt peaceful. Then, a scream.
Nely froze.
The sound cut through the stillness like a blade, sharp and desperate. It was distant, somewhere deeper in the woods, but it was unmistakable, someone was in trouble.
The screams were distant at first, carried on the wind, but when they grew louder, raw, broken and desperate, Nely didn't think much.
The trees blurred past as she sprinted toward the sound. Dune swore behind her but followed, moving fast.
When she reached the riverbank, she saw him.
A young man struggled against the current, his arms weakly flailing, his body twisting in the water. He wasn't just drowning, he was hurt. Deep gashes ran along his arms and shoulders, blood swirling in the river around him. His face was pale, terrified, barely above the surface.
"Shit," Nely gasped.
She moved without thinking, reaching for a fallen branch, but Dune's hand clamped onto her arm.
"Wait." His voice was cold. Flat.
Nely snapped toward him. "Wait? Are you serious? He's drowning, Dune!"
Dune didn't even look at her. His eyes were locked on the man in the water. *i don't like this, what if it's a trap?
Then, he raised his voice. "Who did that to you?"
The drowning man gasped, coughing up water. His fingers clawed at the current, but he was slipping under again. "P—Please, help me—"
"Who hurt you?" Dune repeated.
"Dune, are you insane? We don't have time for this!" Nely yanked her arm free.
Dune ignored her. His mind was already working through the facts There were no sounds of a fight. No footprints, no movement, nothing nearby. Those wounds, were they deep enough to be fatal? Or just deep enough to look fatal?
The man's head dipped under again.
Nely turned to Dune, frustrated.
Your ability—" she started. "You could pull him out. You know that. Use Nebasep Bunny! Just do it."
Dune didn't move. "I'm not wasting it."
Nely froze. "What?"
Dune's face didn't change. "I said I'm not gonna use it."
She stared at him, disbelief flashing in her eyes. Another gasp, another thrashing struggle in the water. Her hands clenched.
"Unbelievable," she muttered. Then she jumped in the water. The river hit like a thousand knives, dragging her under for a second before she fought to the surface.
The man was closer than he looked. Blood mixed with the water around him, his body weak, slipping beneath the surface. Nely pushed forward. She grabbed him, his clothes, his wrist, whatever she could, and kicked toward the shore.
Nely barely managed to drag him out, her limbs trembling from exhaustion. As soon as they were clear, she collapsed onto the ground in front of Dune, soaked and covered in dirt.
Dune took a step back, instinctively avoiding contact as his gaze flickered to the wounded figure.
Breathing heavily, Nely gritted her teeth, then pushed herself up. She shot Dune a sharp look before brushing past him without a word.
Nely helped the wounded figure sit up, her hands steady despite the exhaustion weighing on her limbs. For a moment, there was only the sound of rustling leaves and labored breathing.
Then, at last, the stranger spoke.
"…I'm Enren." His voice was hoarse, weak. He glanced at Nely, then at Dune. "Thanks… for saving me… I was attacked by the group of Zetens out of nowhere… couldn't defend myself anymore so i jumped down in the river."
Nely exchanged a brief look with Dune before nodding. "… what's important is that you're safe now. I'm Nely. That's Dune."
Dune said nothing, merely watching Enren with a guarded expression.
Three three of them began moving deeper into the forest, their footsteps quiet against the damp earth.
Enren had a way of talking that made it easy to listen. Kind blue eyes with his calm voice. Even after everything, he still smiled when he spoke.
"When I was a kid, I was weak," he said. "Got sick all the time. Couldn't fight, couldn't run fast, couldn't do anything. My dad, he wasn't disappointed exactly, but… he worried about me. A lot."
Nely glanced at him. "Yeah?"
Enren nodded, adjusting his grip on his injured arm. "That's why he always took me fishing."
"Fishing?"
"Yeah. It was the only thing I was actually good at." He let out a small, almost embarrassed laugh. "Didn't take much strength, just patience. We'd go out before dawn, sit on the water for hours. He'd tell me stories. Some real, some just…" He waved a hand. "Legends. Made-up things. It didn't matter. It was just us."
Nely was quiet for a second. "My dad took me fishing too."
Enren looked at her. "Really?"
She nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Not as often as he wanted to, he was always busy. But when we did go, I remember…" She laughed. "I was terrible at it."
Enren grinned. "How bad are we talking?"
"Like, 'somehow tangled the line in my own hair' bad."
Enren laughed, and for the first time, the air felt lighter.
Dune didn't say anything. He just watched.
Following a few paces behind, his expression unreadable. Not fully engaging, but listening.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"What's your ability?"
Enren hesitated. Then, he exhaled. "I can enhance my senses."
Nely raised an eyebrow. "Like… what? Seeing far away?"
Enren nodded. "That, yeah. Or hearing something small from a distance. Smelling something specific in the air. I can focus on one thing at a time and boost it for a while."
Nely's expression softened. "That's actually pretty cool."
Enren chuckled. "It helps. Not the best power in a fight, though."
Dune raised an eyebrow. "Not the best?" he echoed. "I'd say it's pretty useful."
Enren shrugged. "I guess. But it's not like I have super strength or anything. I just… notice things."
Dune's gaze didn't waver. "You said a group attacked you."
Enren nodded. "Yeah."
"How many?"
"Four, maybe five. I didn't see all of them."
Dune's stare sharpened slightly. "But you just said you can enhance your sight."
Enren's fingers twitched. Just a little.
Then, he laughed. "Guess I panicked. Didn't think to use it properly."
Dune didn't react. Didn't press. Just let the words sit. "And they didn't kill you?"
"Well… no. As i said, i got lucky," Enren said, with an awkward smile. "Slipped away before they could finish the job."
The three of them walked in silence, weaving through thick tree roots and uneven ground. The air smelled of damp earth, and the last bits of sunlight filtered through the dense canopy above.
Enren adjusted the makeshift bandages on his arm before breaking the silence. "So… what's your plan?"
Nely, walking beside him, glanced ahead toward Dune, who was a few steps ahead but hadn't spoken in a while. "We're heading to the other side of the island," she said. "From there, we'll be able to get a better view of the land, maybe even spot some other Zetens. Once we know who's left, we can decide our next move."
Enren nodded. "Smart. Better than just stopping at one place and hoping for the best."
Dune didn't react to the conversation, though Nely was sure he was listening. After a moment, Enren looked at her. "What about you? What's your ability?"
Nely lifted a hand, letting her Neba flow to her fingertips. A faint glow shimmered in the air before a small dagger materialized in her palm. Its edges were smooth, the handle perfectly balanced.
"I can create objects from my own Neba," she said, flipping the dagger before letting it vanish. "Weapons, tools, whatever I need. The stronger the object, the more energy it takes, but… it gets the job done."
Enren raised his eyebrows. "That's actually impressive."
Nely shrugged. "I guess."
"No, really," Enren said, smiling. "Most abilities manipulate something that already exists. But you? You're creating something from nothing. That's rare."
Nely smirked. "You're right, i got lucky "
After few hours of walking they finally reached a place to stop. Small mountain. The climb was rough, but eventually, they found a decent cave carved into the side of a rocky slope. It wasn't deep, but it was sheltered enough to serve as a temporary resting spot.
Nely sighed in relief, stretching her arms. "This should work."
She turned, expecting Dune to say something, but he had already sat down by himself, slightly away from them, staring at the ground with a thoughtful expression.
Not unusual for him.
Nely didn't bother him. Instead, she sat by Enren as they settled in.
Enren leaned against the cave wall, watching the fading sky outside. "You know, this place is not different from my home."
Nely looked at him. "Your home?"
"Yeah. I'm from Sanatria."
Nely blinked in surprise. "Seriously? Us too!"
Enren nodded. "Silver Spring. It's close to Rendely."
Nely's expression softened. "I've never been there, but I've heard of it, there are silver rivers all around the village, and the grass on the mountains is grey… That's why it's called a Silver spring. Kind of nice, actually. Good to see someone else from Sanatria."
Enren smiled faintly. "Yeah, it's more beautiful than you can imagine." Then, for a moment, the conversation drifted into silence.
"There's something weird about this trial," Enren said after a pause.
Nely glanced at him. "What do you mean?"
Enren ran a hand through his hair. "I noticed something… off. You've seen the creatures here, right? When they die, they don't drop Neba Cores."
Nely frowned. "Oh now that you mention it… i haven't seen a Neba core here at all."
"It's not just the creatures," Enren continued, voice quieter now. "Humans should also drop cores whenever they die. But for some reason… it doesn't happen here."
Dune, still sitting alone, didn't turn his head, but his posture shifted just slightly. Like he was listening.
*oh? so he did kill someone before… Weird for a guy who isn't good at fighting at all.*