Rion awoke at dawn.
The air was cold, the sky pale — the sun had yet to rise.
The village was silent, save for the faint shouts of goblins training in the distance.
He stood, inhaling the sharp chill.
Noa's voice still echoed in his head — harsh, trembling, unforgettable:
> "I don't need this life... Leave me — or kill me!"
Rion clenched his fists.
"Noa, until you stand again… I'll protect you."
He walked to the training ground.
The goblins were lined up, but their movements were sluggish — eyes filled with fear and submission.
Rion's jaw tightened.
> "None of them have strength in their hearts. Beasts — all of them. Why don't they fight with everything they have?!"
He barked,
— "From this day on, no one here is just a fighter!
You protect this village — this is your home!
If any of you have a coward's heart, step forward and leave!"
No one moved.
Rion's voice dropped, colder than before.
— "Then all of you have hearts. Good.
Today, training doesn't end until sunset.
If enemies came now — could you protect what's yours?"
A goblin stepped forward.
— "S-sir, we are doing our best."
Rion stared at him, curious.
> "This one… He's different. Wiser than the rest."
— "Doing your best?" Rion said quietly. "If you were truly trying, you'd already be at the fourth beginner rank."
He raised his voice.
— "Listen! This place — is our home!
No one will ever look down on us again!
No one will take our lives!
They should fear us!
More hunts! Bigger lands! Better food — better women!
All of it depends on your strength!"
The goblins shouted,
— "Women! Food! We'll fight!"
— "Our chief is the strongest!"
Their cries grew louder — and among them, Rion heard something new: belief.
> "That's it. I'll keep this fire alive.
Noa… until you return, I'll make this village strong."
---
Meanwhile, Noa lay in the hut, staring at the ceiling.
Rion's voice echoed faintly from afar.
> "All this… what's it even for?"
His heart was raw, his thoughts hollow.
> "I let them bind my hands again... So maybe, deep down, I haven't given up yet…"
The door creaked open.
A young goblin entered, holding a bowl of warm broth.
Noa's eyes were cold.
— "Who are you?"
— "Gobuto," he said nervously. "The chief… sent food for you."
Noa gave a bitter laugh.
— "Rion, huh? Tell him to disappear."
Gobuto bowed, placed the bowl on the floor, and quietly left.
Noa stared at the bowl for a long time.
> "He still believes in me..."
For a moment, his heart felt calm.
> "Maybe… I'm not finished yet."
Then came the emptiness again.
> "But still… everything feels meaningless.
Even sleep won't come to me."
---
The sun rose fully.
Rion stood on a rock, watching the goblins train.
Sunlight caught his eyes; he smiled faintly.
— "Come back… Noa," he whispered. "I'm waiting."
---
The Next Morning
The dawn had not yet broken completely.
Pale colors faded behind the mountains; dew clung to the grass as the cold wind swept through.
The air smelled of earth — pure, alive.
Rion opened his eyes.
The goblins were still curled up in their huts, shivering in their sleep.
Beyond the village, mist rolled between the stones.
He stood, clasping his hands behind his back, staring at the horizon.
> "I need to focus on the hunt today…"
He had not slept. Noa's face haunted his thoughts — that line between loss and salvation had never felt thinner.
> "Not now," he muttered. "Today, I'm Rion — the hunter, not Noa's shadow."
Ten goblins waited behind him — most of them young, untested.
He turned sharply.
— "Move quietly," he ordered. "We hunt at the mountain's foot. No mistakes."
They nodded silently, following him into the mist.
---
At the foothills, Rion knelt, pressing his fingers into the soil.
Fresh tracks — still damp.
— "This way," he whispered. "It passed not long ago."
The forest stirred — the sound of birds, the shimmer of sunlight filtering through leaves.
Rion could feel it: stillness before danger.
They found it — a young deer drinking by a stream.
One of the goblins, Garu, drew his bow — eager, reckless.
He fired.
The arrow grazed the deer's leg — it bolted into the woods.
Rion hissed,
— "Fool! I said silence!"
A heavy growl rumbled through the trees.
Rion froze.
> "No… that wasn't the deer."
From the shadows, a massive bear emerged, blood dripping from its jaws.
It hadn't caught the deer — now it had found new prey.
Rion raised his hand for silence, but one goblin stumbled back, snapping a branch beneath his feet.
The sound cracked through the forest like thunder.
The bear roared — and charged.
---
The battle began.
Arrows flew — useless, bouncing off thick fur.
Rion stood still, watching, waiting.
This was their trial. But he was ready to step in.
The bear grabbed a goblin — crushed him mid-scream.
The forest fell silent.
Rion closed his eyes.
> "Enough."
He lifted his hand.
A shockwave burst outward — wind and light collided, forcing the bear back.
Rion's body trembled — dark energy flared around him.
A black tail unfurled. Steam rose from his skin.
He hadn't transformed fully — only halfway.
He struck the ground — the earth quaked.
The bear stumbled; in the next instant, Rion leapt forward, snapping its neck with a single blow.
Blood dripped onto the soil.
He knelt beside the beast.
> "You fought to live too…"
He closed its eyes gently.
> "Thank you… for feeding us."
The goblins gathered, silent, reverent.
One of their own lay dead.
Rion spoke, low and firm:
— "We lost a brother today. Let this forest remind you — power isn't the hunt itself.
It's the responsibility that comes with it."
They carried the body home under a setting sun.
Rion walked in front, the weight of loss steady on his shoulders.
> "I chose this path… so every death rests on me."
Night fell.
Stars shimmered.
Rion placed the body on the ground and whispered:
> "Each star… so beautiful.
But this path… will never be light."
Wind rustled the leaves — as if the forest itself listened.
---
That night, Rion returned to Noa's hut.
Noa was still lying there — pale, silent, lost.
Rion left the body to the clan and said only:
— "Let his strength live on through you."
The goblins began to eat, honoring the fallen.
And among them, a new whisper spread:
> "Rion… is our true chief."
Rion stood apart, staring into the dark trees.
> "That bear was only the beginning… Tomorrow, we hunt again.
Today, we came back — but tomorrow… we might not."
Inside the hut, Noa stirred in his sleep — haunted by voices that weren't real.
> "No sleep for you tonight, Noa…"
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