The sound of three footsteps shattered the silence… Three distinct rhythms two light and cautious, the third firm, heavy, as if each step struck the earth and proclaimed: I am the master.
Alpha walked ahead with steady strides, his shoulders relaxed, his sword strapped across his back like a mere accessory, not a weapon of death. Behind him, the girl and the boy walked in tense silence, as if their feet touched thorns rather than soil.
The girl kept her eyes on Alpha's back, watching him move without fear, without care, without even a hint of caution. The boy, from a slight distance, caught every detail Alpha's clean hand that had slain five men without getting stained by a single drop of blood, his hair stirred gently by the forest breeze as if even the wind feared to disturb him, and those unwavering steps that refused to pause.
Suddenly, Alpha broke the silence, his voice lazy and laced with sarcasm:
"You walk like you're at a funeral… Am I really that terrifying?"
