The knight walked along the forest road, his eyes searching for something—something he had always wanted to feel: existence, and its purpose. "Adam."
Adam looked at him, hovering slightly above the ground and helping Yuruki float as well, their bags full of crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and other oddities. He chomped on a piece of bread Yuruki had baked, stored neatly in his space bag. I wondered how everything fit in there. How did it even work?
The knight still had his sword at his side, calling out again. "What?"
"Why… do I feel empty? As if I have no purpose."
Adam smirked. "Oh man, it's always like that… everyone feels that way."
"Not everyone, Adam," Yuruki said, crossing her arms. "Everyone has a different way of thinking. That's why they can't always agree with each other." She gazed into the forest.
Adam sighed. "I guess…" I patted his back, which annoyed the knight. "Don't worry about it. You're too impatient. But know this: you still have time—far more than most people."
I gave him a thumbs up. "Stay patient. If you chase a purpose that doesn't align with your existence… if you try to find it too quickly… you'll only feel the pain when you lose it."
The knight looked at me and sighed. Then, from the forest, a girl appeared—yellow-gray eyes tired, wearing a red jacket over blue-gray clothing. She froze, surprised to see us.
After a moment, she ran. Yuruki tried to follow, thankfully protected within an orb barrier, thanks to the White King's ability that I had somehow copied.
Dammit, I thought, watching her huff. Who in their right mind would walk here? How dangerous… and how coincidental that Adam teleported right in front of her. She screamed, frightened, raising her hands to defend herself.
I was thrown to the ground, leaves swirling around me. She froze, worried I was hurt, while Adam just smirked.
Then, she was captured—by a girl wearing a cat-eared hat, her face almost blank. The knight tried to kick her, but she was held telekinetically in the air. Frustration showed—no matter how strong you are, being stuck in place rendered you powerless.
"Forgive me," the witch said. "But thank you, adventurers," the owl on her shoulder with white eyes added, "for giving me a nymph—the runestar of life… and death…"
Yuruki fired a laser at her. It pulsed back against her, stopped midair by absolute telekinesis and fired back at her, as Yuruki quickly activated her shield, astonished.
The cloaked witch tried to fade away, but I grabbed her instantly, ragdolling her against trees, rocks, and stone. Her heart nearly leapt from dread. "WAIT!" she shouted, as I paused.
With perfect telekinetic control, she tried to brace herself, using the earth and trees as leverage. "I'm… quite vulnerable, you see. I'm as weak as a normal human being."
I dropped her to the ground. The nymph, its skin green, almost fell as Adam safeguarded her with the orb.
The witch huffed, impressed by the power of our abilities.
We paused, uncertain what to do next with her.