Night greets us.
The portal releases us as if we had appeared out of thin air, its glow vanishing as though it had never existed.
"And I thought it would at least be during the day. But instead, here we are in the middle of a forest at night."
For a moment, the forest remains silent. There is no wind. No insects. Only the weight of unfamiliar air pressing against my lungs.
Activating Detect Life with practiced ease, I see—beyond the trees—three white lights flickering.
Then a fourth appears.
Red. But different.
Something wrong lurks within it. A dirty, corrupt blackness anchored inside the red, as if held together by chains.
Then it happens.
"They're fading…"
The knight reacts instantly. Without hesitation, he runs toward where my gaze is fixed, his armor barely making a sound despite his speed. The blue of his life burns steady and intense as he moves between the trees.
I follow.
When we arrive, the knight strikes with his shield, sending the attacker flying.
I don't focus on that. I know he will handle it.
I head toward the lights.
Branches snap beneath my boots as I push forward. The smell reaches me before the clearing does.
"Blood."
Ignoring the discomfort rising in my throat, I break through the treeline.
There's a house. Or what remains of one. Darkness and tension blur the details.
I move around the structure and find them.
What used to be three white lights is now one.
Small.
Dim.
Too dim.
Two unmoving shapes lie near the entrance.
And a smaller figure further inside the clearing.
Still breathing.
Barely.
"A child?"
She cannot be older than six.
Her clothes are torn to shreds, blood soaking through the fabric, spreading with every passing second. Her face is streaked with the same red, mixed with tears.
I drop to my knees beside her.
Her chest rises unevenly. Wet. Shallow.
Behind me, metal clashes.
The knight faces the creature.
Steel strikes something dense. Something that does not fall.
A low, distorted snarl answers him.
I force myself not to look.
The girl's white light flickers weakly, thin as mist.
"It's okay," I say, not knowing whether I am speaking to her or to myself.
I place my hand over the wound.
Restoration.
It has to work.
Close the damage. Repair what's broken. That's all.
I focus.
Seek it.
Push the intent into place.
Nothing.
No warmth.
No glow.
No response.
The girl coughs. A thin line of blood escapes her lips.
I grit my teeth and try again.
Harder.
Force it.
Activate.
The magic trembles inside me but shows nothing outwardly.
"Why now?"
Something heavy crashes through wood behind me. A tree splinters. The creature roars. The knight answers with another strike.
He's holding it.
But the red light does not weaken.
It shifts.
Moves.
Still strong.
Still wrong.
The girl's fingers twitch and weakly grasp my wrist.
I lean closer.
"Hold on."
I try again, desperation bleeding into the attempt.
"Heal."
"Work."
"Please."
That last word slips out before I can stop it.
For half a second, the magic flickers.
A faint pulse against my palm—
Then nothing.
The girl lets out a faint whimper.
"Dad… Mom…"
I turn sharply.
"Knight! Give me the potions—"
No one stands behind me.
I hadn't noticed.
The sounds of combat have grown distant.
The red light is moving.
Retreating.
The blue chases it.
My stomach drops.
I can't heal her.
And the knight has the potions.
I turn back—
Her hand is no longer holding me.
There is no sound now.
No uneven breath.
No trembling fingers.
I kneel closer.
"Hey."
My hand presses lightly against her shoulder.
Cold.
Too cold.
I search for the white light.
It isn't fading.
It isn't flickering.
It's gone.
I stare at the empty space where it had been.
For a moment, my mind refuses to understand.
I only looked away.
Just for a second.
My fingers curl into the dirt.
The silence presses in from every side.
No wind.
No insects.
No breath.
I don't know how long I stay like that.
When the knight returns, I ask him without looking up.
"Did you kill it?"
He denies it with a shake of his head.
The red light is already gone.
I look at the girl again.
Her eyes are still open.
The knight kneels beside her and gently closes them.
I do not stop him.
Dawn arrives slowly.
Light spreads across the clearing.
Across the blood.
Across the torn wood.
Across her face.
Her face.
I keep looking.
The knight and I remain there in silence.