Alex's Point of View -
Something had been nagging at me ever since we got close to Silverwood.
I couldn't explain it, this strange, persistent feeling, like a thread pulling at my chest.
It wasn't fear, exactly.
It felt more like… a connection.
A faint sense that someone I cared about was in trouble.
Specifically, my sister.
But that made no sense.
Lis was supposed to be safe, still in the capital, far from any forest or danger.
And yet…
Something inside me stirred.
Like an instinct I didn't understand.
A feeling I couldn't shake.
I kept it to myself, tried to ignore it, but it wouldn't go away.
I couldn't ask anyone about it either, especially not now, not when we were already here to rescue someone else.
"Alex? Are you all right?"
That soft, gentle voice broke me out of my thoughts.
It was Sophia, the healer of our group.
Right now, the two of us were on watch duty, while the others rested in camp.
We rotated every two hours, and it was our turn.
I glanced at her, trying to mask the unease in my face.
"Yeah… I'm fine. Just thinking."
She looked at me for a moment, her expression calm, but I could tell she didn't quite believe me.
"You know, Alex," she said softly, turning her gaze toward me.
"This is… the first time I've ever been on a real mission."
There was a slight tremble in her voice, and as our eyes met, I saw it—
fear, hidden beneath her usual calm expression.
She always seemed composed, always wore that gentle smile…
But now, I realized she was just as shaken as the rest of us—
Maybe even more so.
On the outside, she appeared strong. But deep down… she was still just a young girl, thrust into a place where she didn't belong. A healer, someone who should be tending to patients in the safety of a church or ward, not wandering through cursed woods filled with monsters and demons.
"…Same," I replied quietly, offering a faint smile.
She blinked, then chuckled softly.
"Hmm… would you like to hear my story?" she asked, voice kind and light.
"Sure," I replied with a small grin. "Might help me stay awake."
"Hehe… true."
Her smile returned, warmer this time, like the fear had faded just a little.
As we sat quietly in front of the small campfire, Sophia began to speak.
Her voice was soft, almost hesitant.
"I'm… one of my father's lesser daughters," she said. "Born from one of his mistresses."
I turned to her, surprised. She had never mentioned anything about her family before.
"My father is the head of the Orlando household. He's a food merchant—wealthy, respected. But my mother... she was just a maid."
She paused, her eyes distant.
"Because of that, I was never really accepted. The other daughters, his 'true' children looked down on me. I was treated like I didn't belong. Even the servants followed their lead."
Her hands tightened slightly around her staff.
"Eventually, they sent me to the academy, hoping to keep me out of the way. I wasn't supposed to come back… at least, not in any meaningful way."
She gave a small, bitter laugh.
"Then the war came. And they sent me straight to the battlefield."
I stayed silent, listening closely.
"But during one of the battles… Lord Willson noticed me. He saw I had healing potential, not just magic, but the heart for it. He gave me a chance. Brought me into his command."
Her voice softened.
"That's how I ended up here."
Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper now.
"Not because I was strong… but because someone finally believed I could be."
She smiled faintly, but I noticed her hands.
They were trembling, just slightly—barely enough to catch the moonlight.
She was afraid.
"…You're stronger than you think," I said, my voice low.
"If anything goes wrong… I'll protect you."
I smiled, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
"You and everyone else. That's a promise."
Sophia blinked, then gave me a soft smile—warmer this time, like something heavy had finally been lifted from her chest.
She looked… calmer. Like herself again.
Something moved.
A sudden flicker in the corner of my eye—too fast, too sharp.
Instinct took over.
"Look out!" I shouted, pushing her aside with my arm.
A sharp pain exploded through my right arm as an arrow buried itself deep into the flesh just below my shoulder.
"Ahh—!"
I staggered backward, gripping the wound.
"Alex!!" Sophia cried, her eyes wide with horror as she scrambled toward me.
Sophia's scream tore through the quiet of the forest.
Within seconds, the tents rustled, and the rest of the team burst out into the clearing, weapons drawn and eyes wide with confusion.
"What happened?!"
"What's going on?!"
Mr. Hex had his sword halfway out of its sheath.
Sir John already held his shield in front of him, scanning the darkness.
Marci emerged with an arrow already nocked to his bowstring.
"Alex!" Marci called, eyes landing on me just as I gritted my teeth and clutched the arrow lodged in my arm, blood dripping down my sleeve.
"Sniper—direction unknown!" I hissed, trying to stay upright.
Sophia was already beside me, her hands glowing faintly as she tried to heal the wound, though her voice trembled with panic.
Cloe, the last to emerge, didn't hesitate.
"Positions! Get behind cover, watch the treeline! We're under attack!"
Then, from the shadows, a figure emerged.
Wrapped in black robe, his face partially hidden beneath a hood, he approached with a slow walk with two gleaming daggers in his hands, stained with something dark.
"Oh, oh…" he muttered with a grin.
"One female beastkin… two more girls… and three men."
He counted us aloud like we were items at a market stall, his voice cold and amused.
Behind him, more figures emerged, also cloaked in dark robes. Silent. Watching.
"What are you doing in these woods?" the first one asked, tilting his head.
"Or wait… don't tell me—you're looking for that noble girl?"
There was mockery in every word. Cruel delight in his tone.
Cloe barked the order without hesitation, his hand already on her sword.
Sir John, Hex, and Marci immediately formed a defensive line in front of Sophia and me, weapons raised.
As Sophia frantically worked to close my wound, I gritted my teeth—but the pain was spreading.
"Oh… you're still alive? That's impressive."
His smile widened, eyes locked on me.
"Don't worry. That arrow was laced with something special. The poison should melt your insides… slowly."
My vision blurred.
My stomach twisted violently, and I doubled over as blood spilled from my mouth, splattering dark red across the forest floor.
"Alex!"
Sophia's voice cracked, laced with pure panic.
From somewhere beyond my fading vision, the robed man sneered.
"Tch… it was supposed to get rid of the healer, not him."
His tone dripped with irritation—and amusement.
I could hear the others shouting my name, Marci, Hex, even Cloe but their voices sounded distant, like echoes underwater.
My legs gave out.
The world tilted sideways.
Everything went dark.