As the forest fell into silence, Shiro's thoughts drifted back to the troll from earlier, the monster that had appeared out of nowhere, roaring and preparing to unleash a fireball large enough to burn half the forest. He remembered clearly the moment its attack had stopped mid-charge, as if someone had flicked a switch in its brain. One second it was alive and full of rage, the next its body went limp.
He had assumed at the time that Damon's group did it, maybe through some hidden ability. But now, seeing Maxton and Connor dead in front of him with no visible cause, he finally realized the truth.
"It was you," Shiro whispered.
Yumina's gaze shifted to him. "What?"
"The troll…it wasn't Damon who killed it. It was you, wasn't it?"
Her silence was the only confirmation he needed.
Jay slowly pushed himself up, wincing at the burns left by Maxton's lightning. "What are you saying, Shiro?"
"I'm saying she killed that thing…just by thinking about it."
Jay stared between them, disbelief fighting with fear. "But...are you sure?"
"He is correct." Yumina interrupted softly.
The three stood there for a while, the forest eerily quiet around them. Shiro felt the weight of her existence now, she was beyond them, beyond logic. A girl who could erase life with a word.
And yet, as she turned and started walking toward the path ahead, she said something that froze him again.
"Let's go. We'll need to find shelter before night."
Her voice was calm, as if she hadn't just ended two lives.
Jay exchanged a nervous glance with Shiro before following her.
Hours passed as they walked through the dense forest, until the trees began to thin and the faint outline of rooftops appeared beyond a clearing.
A village.
It was small but well-built, with wooden walls and smoke rising from the chimneys. The place buzzed with life, vendors shouting, children running, the sound of blacksmith hammers echoing from the distance.
As they approached the gate, a guard stopped them. "Travelers?" he asked, eyeing their worn clothes and tired faces.
"Yes," Shiro replied. "We came from the south."
The guard nodded but raised an eyebrow. "Payment required for entry, five silver coins."
Jay pulled out a handful of cash from his pocket, a few bills from their old world. "We don't have coins, but..."
The guard frowned. "We don't take paper here. If you can't pay, turn around."
Shiro reached into his bag and, to Jay's surprise, pulled out a few small silver coins. "Here."
The guard inspected them, nodded, and waved them through.
Jay looked at him as they entered. "Where the hell did you get those?"
"I copied them from that guard's pocket.", Shiro said.
"So, you can copy items too, huh?", Jay said, amazed.
They found an inn near the center of the village, a modest wooden building with a sign that read The Sleeping Stag. The innkeeper, an old woman with tired eyes, offered them a room for eight coins per night. Since Shiro could produce a virtually unlimited amount of money, the price was a non-issue.
The room had two small beds, a single table, and a candle that flickered weakly in the corner. It wasn't much, but after everything they had been through, it felt like paradise.
"So," Jay muttered as he sat down on one of the beds, "you're telling me we're sharing this room? There's only two beds."
"How about...I take this one," Yumina said, sitting on the one by the window. "While you two can share the other."
Jay sighed. "Of course…"
When Yumina eventually fell asleep, Shiro leaned closer to Jay. "She's dangerous," he whispered.
"But she saved us," Jay said. "If she wanted to kill us, she would've done it already."
"That doesn't make her safe," Shiro said. "I don't trust her. Just saying."
They didn't speak after that. The candle burned down slowly.
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Far away, deep within the forest, another camp burned brightly. Damon sat near the fire, his expression calm but his eyes sharp as knives.
Two of his men, Maxton and Connor, hadn't returned. Their tracking stones, small enchanted shards linked to each member, had both gone dark hours ago.
"Dead," one of his subordinates said grimly. "Both of them."
Damon exhaled through his nose, staring at the fire. "Jay and Shiro were with that girl, weren't they?"
"Yes. They split from us after the troll."
Damon's gaze hardened. "Then they killed them."
The others murmured in agreement, but Damon raised a hand. "No. Not yet. We don't move against them now."
He looked north, where the forest opened into plains under the silver moonlight. "There's another town at the far end of this forest. That's where we go next. Let them have their peace for now."
"Why wait?" one of his followers asked.
"Because," Damon said, standing and brushing off his coat, "whoever killed Maxton and Connor isn't someone you face unprepared. Besides, they are just small fish in the grand scheme of things."
He turned his back to the flames. "We'll meet again soon enough."
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Far beyond both groups, in a towering marble castle surrounded by rose gardens, a different scene unfolded.
Allot sat comfortably across from King Charles, sipping tea from a porcelain cup.
"The test is complete," Allot said, setting his cup down gently. "Most of the subjects perished, as expected. But one group stood out."
The King looked up from his tea, his face calm, almost expressionless. "Go on."
"A man named Damon," Allot continued. "He and his companions eliminated the troll in seconds. Their coordination and raw power exceeded all projections."
Charles swirled his tea in silence, the faint clink of porcelain echoing softly. "Interesting."
"There are other survivors too," Allot added, "but they're of lesser note. Damon's group is the only one worth monitoring for now."
The King leaned back in his chair. "So the test is over," he murmured. "And now the real game begins."
He took another slow sip of tea, savoring the taste before setting the cup down.
"Keep watching them," he said finally. "Especially Damon."
Allot smiled faintly. "As you command, Your Majesty."
The room fell silent again.