Amina and Ethan were walking through the forest when Amina suddenly sensed something and stopped.
Ethan halted as well, giving her a puzzled look.
"What is it?"
"I hear something..."
The two fell silent.
A rustling sound in the grass immediately put Amina on alert.
In an instant, she loosed an arrow toward the source of the noise.
Ethan was stunned.
She's gotten ridiculously fast!
Amina approached the patch of grass, but a rabbit suddenly burst out, making her jump.
"Woah!"
Ethan tried to hold back his laughter, but Amina noticed.
"Very funny..."
"I can't say otherwise."
Amina let out a sigh.
"You won't get away from me!"
She took off after the animal while Ethan watched thoughtfully.
I almost feel bad for that rabbit...
Then he followed her.
Amina dashed between the trees, firing arrows one after another without managing to hit her target.
"Damn it!"
[Unique Skill Activated: Celestial Tracking]
"You asked for it!"
Amina stopped for a brief moment, took aim, and fired an arrow with her skill activated.
The arrow flew straight toward its target.
[You gained 13 EXP]
"Got you!" she exclaimed excitedly.
She checked her status screen.
[Level 6]
[73/150 EXP]
[Strength: 8
Agility: 12
Dexterity: 17
Vision: 16
Endurance: 11]
Not bad...
Ethan caught up to her and held out his hand.
"Nice job."
Amina high-fived him.
She went to retrieve her prey, but as she looked up, she noticed something in the distance beyond the forest.
"Wait... that's..."
Ethan followed her gaze.
"That's the sea—"
"Come on!" she shouted, grabbing his hand and dragging him along.
"We should actually be heading toward the mountain foothills."
Ethan stopped in place.
But he felt her grip tighten.
When their eyes met, he felt as if he were looking at a little girl trying to convince her parent.
Embarrassed, he immediately looked away.
"Ahhh... fine. But only for a minute—"
Amina didn't even let him finish before pulling him away at full speed.
[A short while later, they arrive at the beach]
"Wow! It's beautiful!"
Amina let go of Ethan's hand and ran toward the water after taking off her shoes.
Exhausted from the run, Ethan sat down on the sand and carefully scanned the area.
Good. No one's here...
Amina dipped a foot into the water but immediately pulled it back.
"Oh! It's cold!" she said with amusement.
Ethan watched her, then looked past her and saw the sunset reflecting across the sea.
Suddenly, Amina turned toward him, catching him off guard.
"Come on, Ethan! Join me!"
After a brief hesitation, Ethan smiled. Taking off his shoes, he walked over to her.
He placed his feet in the water and reacted exactly the same way, making Amina smile.
"Woah! It's really cold! It feels like the ocean!"
"Is your ocean cold?"
"Yeah... the Pacific Ocean is almost always cold."
Little by little, Ethan began to relax.
"But thankfully, you get used to it after a while..."
Amina noticed the change in him and seemed pleased.
"Finally..." she murmured.
Ethan heard her.
"Did you say something?"
Amina looked away from him and returned her gaze to the sunset.
"No, it's nothing..." she replied, leaving him confused.
She then began walking along the shoreline, keeping her feet in the water.
"How about a walk before the sun sets?"
[The two walk for a while]
"It's nice being able to enjoy something normal in a place this crazy..."
"Yeah."
"Random question... mind if I ask?" Ethan said.
"Sure. Why not?"
"I think the answer is pretty obvious, but... would you be happy to go back to your old life?"
Amina was caught off guard by the question and took a few moments to think.
"That's not exactly a random question..." she said with an ironic laugh.
"Of course, you don't have to answer if you're not comfortable."
"No, I don't mind talking about it. It's just that what I feel is... strange."
Amina lowered her gaze to the water.
"On one hand, I'd like to go back and see my family and friends again. Especially considering that I wasn't risking my life every day back there!"
"What's the 'but'?"
"But here I feel free... free from certain restraints!"
Ethan looked at her for a moment before turning his gaze away again.
"I understand. But unlike you, I don't miss my old life."
Amina was shocked by that statement.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Let's just say I didn't live a very normal life... I wasn't exactly a reliable or peaceful person. The place where I was born left its mark on me."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"That's why I'm grateful to the gods for this second chance. I want to make up for all my mistakes."
"You know what people say in situations like this: it doesn't matter who you were in the past. What matters is who you are and who you'll become from now on."
Amina smiled at him.
"In your case, what matters is what you do with this second chance."
Amina's words didn't seem to fully convince Ethan.
"Yeah... maybe you're right."
She noticed his expression, but something in the distance suddenly caught her attention.
"What's that?"
Ethan followed her gaze.
"I don't know. Let's check it out."
The two approached what they had seen and realized it was a grave.
Ethan immediately became alert and started scanning the surroundings.
Meanwhile, Amina began to pray.
It still seems like no one's around...
When Amina finished, Ethan turned back to her.
"Amina, we need to leave. Someone could be nearby."
He started walking away, but Amina remained standing in front of the grave.
"Amina?"
"No, it's nothing... I was just wondering whether I'll have the courage to kill someone when the time comes."
Ethan sighed and walked over to her.
"It's hard, but we knew that even before arriving on this planet."
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"But don't worry. As long as I'm here, if you can't find that courage, I'll find it for you."
A faint blush appeared on Amina's face.
"Thank you..."
"Alright, let's go. It's getting dark."
"Okay."
Ethan started walking again.
Before following him, Amina cast one last glance at the ocean.
Then she turned away.
Neither of them noticed that someone was watching them from behind a tree near the beach.