The narrow mountain trail stretched ahead of them, winding between tall stone ridges and scattered pine trees. The air was thinner now, cooler than it had been in the forest below. Behind them, the wooden gates of Kushton Village had long disappeared from sight.
Jack walked a few steps ahead, his hands resting loosely inside his jacket pockets, while Fenix and Turt moved quietly along the rocky path. Sera followed beside him, occasionally adjusting her bag as small gusts of wind brushed past them.
They had left early in the morning, just as Rayden had suggested.
After walking in silence for a while, Sera finally spoke.
"Hm… Jack, I wanted to ask you something."
Her voice was calm, but there was a softness in it—something close to concern.
Jack glanced at her, noticing the slight hesitation in her expression.
"Yes? What did you want to ask?"
Sera walked a few more steps before answering, as if organizing her thoughts.
"It's about yesterday. What exactly was that thing you used to win the battle against Ray?"
Jack frowned slightly.
"Huh?"
Sera continued, looking ahead at the descending mountain path.
"When Fenix was taking those heavy attacks from Arnor… you suddenly said something. Then that large black dome-like structure covered the arena. After that, everything happened quickly. Arnor collapsed… and then both you and Fenix lost consciousness."
She finally turned to look at him directly.
"What was that?"
Jack remained quiet for a moment. The wind moved past them again, carrying the faint scent of pine and cold stone.
"It's called Space Dome," he replied calmly.
"Space Dome? What is that?" Sera asked, clearly surprised. The name meant nothing to her.
"It's one of Fenix's abilities," Jack replied.
Sera frowned slightly. "I've never read about it. There's no mention of anything like that in the Monster Association's Research Guide."
Jack gave a small nod. "Even I don't know much about it."
They continued walking down the mountain trail, the wind brushing lightly against their clothes.
"When Fenix was on the brink of defeat," Jack continued, "my bracelet kept notifying me that it's health was dropping. That's when I noticed something blinking in his profile."
Sera listened closely.
"There was an ability listed—Space Dome. I didn't have time to fully understand what it did. I just knew that if I hesitated, we would lose."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"So I told Fenix to use it."
"The moment it did, the battlefield changed. I understood only part of what was happening while it was unfolding. But I wasn't aware of its downsides."
He exhaled lightly. "That's why we both collapsed afterward."
Sera walked beside him for a few moments in silence, her brows slightly drawn together as she processed what Jack had said. The wind drifting down from the mountain peaks carried a faint chill, brushing past them as the trail curved along the rocky slope.
"So you didn't fully understand what it would do… and you still told Fenix to use it," she said quietly.
Her tone held more thought than fear.
Jack gave a small nod. "At that moment, there wasn't much of a choice. If we kept going the way we were, we would have lost."
Sera looked ahead, her mind clearly working through the implications.
"That means it's not just a rare ability," she said slowly. "It responds to your judgment too… not only to Fenix's strength."
Jack didn't answer right away. Gravel shifted softly beneath their steps as the path continued downward, the towering stone walls of the Kush Mountains slowly giving way to wider stretches of open sky.
The air changed first—less sharp, less dry. The scent of pine thinned out, replaced by the earthy smell of soil and vegetation rising from the lower slopes. The trail broadened as they descended, and patches of green began appearing between the rocks.
Fenix moved ahead at an easy pace, occasionally glancing back, while Turt followed along the edge of the path. Jack's eyes briefly flickered to his bracelet. The indicators had stabilized, yet the faint glow of Fenix's status remained in his awareness.
He reached down without thinking, brushing his hand lightly over Fenix's head as they walked. The fox's ears flicked, and he shifted a little closer to Jack's side before moving ahead again.
Sera noticed the small exchange and let out a quiet breath.
"Still," she said after a moment, "we should understand it better before you rely on it again. Abilities like that usually come with conditions."
Jack gave a faint smile. "Yeah. I'd prefer not to collapse every time we win."
They continued descending until the mountain trail finally leveled out. Behind them, the rocky ridges rose like a fading wall, while ahead stretched a wide belt of forest—dense, shadowed, and alive with distant insect sounds.
The temperature grew noticeably warmer as they stepped onto softer ground. Tall trees replaced the sparse mountain vegetation, their branches weaving together high above to form a layered canopy.
They had left the Kush Mountains behind.
After walking for nearly an hour along the forest path, the trail widened unexpectedly, opening into a natural clearing where the road split into two directions.
Jack slowed to a stop.
Ahead, one path continued straight into the darker part of the forest, its entrance framed by thick trunks and overgrown underbrush. The other route curved off to the right, descending slightly toward a lower stretch of land where the trees thinned and the ground looked uneven, almost marsh-like.
Sera stepped closer, studying the terrain.
"This must be the route split," she said. "I remember reading about it. The right path connects to the same road toward Grane City, but it passes through wetlands."
Jack followed her gaze. Even from a distance, the air above that path looked heavier, and patches of shallow water reflected faint light between clusters of reeds.
"And the straight one?" he asked.
"Dense forest," Sera replied. "Shorter, but less predictable."
Jack stood quietly for a moment, observing both routes. The forest ahead was darker, but the ground looked firm. The wetland path, though more open, seemed slower and uncertain.
Fenix moved toward the straight trail instinctively, sniffing the ground before glancing back.
Jack exhaled softly.
"No reason to change direction," he said. "We go straight."
Sera nodded without hesitation. "Dense forest it is, then."
With that decision made, they stepped past the clearing and continued forward, the canopy closing in above them once more as the sounds of the forest grew deeper and more layered around their path.
The mountains were behind them now.
Ahead lay the long stretch toward Grane City—and whatever waited along the forest road.
Once they chose the forest route, the clearing disappeared behind them quickly, swallowed by the thick canopy that stretched endlessly ahead. The path narrowed again, weaving between tall trunks and dense undergrowth, the sounds of insects and distant birds filling the quiet spaces between their footsteps.
For the rest of the afternoon, they walked steadily, adjusting to the softer forest terrain after the rigid mountain trails. Sunlight filtered through the leaves in shifting patterns, occasionally breaking through in warm patches that moved slowly across the ground as time passed.
They stopped briefly near a fallen log when the sun reached its highest point. It wasn't a long break—just enough to rest and eat the packed meal Ray's mother had prepared for them before they left the village. The simple food carried a familiar warmth, a quiet reminder of the hospitality they had received. Fenix lay stretched in the shade while Turt rested nearby, his shell catching scattered beams of light. Jack leaned against the log, letting his muscles relax as the forest moved gently around them.
By late afternoon, the air grew heavier, and the sounds of the forest deepened. They continued onward, their pace unhurried but consistent, until the light began to soften into evening tones. When they found a small open patch near a narrow stream, they decided to stop for the night.
Dinner that evening was again from the remaining packed food, shared quietly beside a small fire. The forest hummed softly around them as night settled in, and before long, exhaustion from the journey pulled them into sleep.
Morning arrived with the faint sound of water flowing over stones. A cool mist lingered above the stream as sunlight filtered through the branches overhead.
While Sera organized their things, Jack walked down toward the water's edge. After watching the movement of the stream for a few moments, he tried his luck at catching fish. It took a few attempts—and more patience than skill—but eventually he managed to catch a couple, enough for a modest breakfast. They cooked them over a small fire, the simple meal marking a fresh start to the day's travel.
After packing up, they resumed their journey deeper into the forest, the trail occasionally widening before narrowing again into winding natural corridors.
Throughout the day, their travel settled into a steady rhythm.
They walked for long stretches beneath the dense canopy, stopping now and then to rest or drink water. Instead of formal meals, they gathered small clusters of edible berries growing along the trail, sharing them as they moved. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep their energy steady.
Around midday, they paused in a shaded clearing where the ground was soft with fallen leaves. While Sera sorted through their supplies, Jack took a short distance away with Fenix and Turt.
"Let's try it again," he said calmly.
Fenix moved lightly across the clearing as Jack guided him through short bursts of speed and direction changes. Turt practiced controlled defensive movements, focusing on timing and balance. It wasn't intense training—just quiet refinement, reinforcing coordination and trust.
After a short rest, they continued on.
The afternoon passed with long stretches of walking, the forest gradually growing denser the farther they moved from the mountain edge. The undergrowth thickened, and the sounds of distant wildlife became more frequent. At times the path dipped into cooler shaded areas, while at others it rose slightly over roots and uneven terrain.
By evening, they found another resting spot where the trees opened just enough to let the last light of the day filter through. Dinner was simple again—whatever berries they had gathered along the way—followed by quiet rest as the forest settled into night.
The night felt calmer than the first.
Not because the journey was easier—but because they had begun to find their pace.