Neal walked up next to Aidric, matching his son's pace and adjusting his own stride to stay in step. Neal's voice carried a hint of excitement as he spoke. Aidric didn't know the last time his father had left the village either, so he was likely just as excited as everyone else in the group.

“Want me to carry your stuff?” Neal asked, his fingers deftly adjusting the leather strap that held his standard issued sword and sheathe, ensuring everything was in place. He meant well, and it came from a place of concern, but Aidric was certain he could handle carrying a change of clothes and a bedroll. After all, his father had also been carrying his mother’s supplies as well. Aidric shook his head, his curly hair bouncing with the movement, and gave his father a polite smile.

“Thanks Dad, I’m good though.” With that, Neal clapped Aidric on the shoulder and strode to the front of the group.

‘I can handle this… I think. It shouldn’t be too bad.’

Aidric and Lauren were at the back of the group. Aidric because of his slow pace, and Lauren because she couldn't resist pausing to appreciate every small thing they came across. Neal, along with Ira and Jacque, led the group, while Claire and Priscilla held the middle. Ada positioned herself between the children and Lauren's parents, feeling the comforting weight of her quiver and bow slung over her shoulder, a reassuring presence as they ventured forward.

Three hours in, and Aidric already hated his life. Despite all their walking, the capital still seemed distant from where he stood. The towers and purple flags had merely shifted to the right. The only one who appeared unfazed by the journey was the person who made the trip four times annually, shouldering the majority of their supplies. Despite the exertion, his back remained rigid, his forehead dry, and his attitude brimming with positivity. Aidric wanted to chuck his bag at Ira’s face.

“I’ve got to hand it to you, Mr. Patel. I’ve got a new respect for you going to the capital.” Aidric said, raising his voice a bit to reach the front of the group. Ira let out a chuckle and turned his head to look at the boy.

“Yeah, well, usually I’m just riding on the carriage, but they kinda needed ‘em for working the fields. Plus, it’ll be easier to get out of there without sitting in a cart going through security checkpoints at the entrance to the city.” Ira adjusted the strap on his shoulder, his bag heavy with the weight of their foodstuffs. That man was something else.

Aidric felt like a baby for whining about the minimal effort it had taken to carry his clothes and bedroll, which weighed next to nothing. He should have mirrored Lauren's excitement, bouncing around the road and energetically pointing out the critters darting through the tall grass and colorful flowers. Instead, his frail body clung to life by a mere thread. He should have taken his father up on his offer.

They trudged on for another hour, the heat from the mid-day sun intensifying with each step. Just as Aidric was about to suggest a break, a familiar chitter reached his ears, originating from the dense, swaying grass. A low, feline-like purr emanated from the spot directly in front of Lauren, who was busy picking some of the more colorful flowers. His blood ran cold, and his pulse quickened as he tried to keep his voice as calm and even as he could.

“Lauren, back away from the grass, slowly.” The conversation between Ada and Lauren's parents came to an abrupt halt, causing them to freeze in their tracks. While Aidric's attention was fixed on the grass, he could still feel Ada's watchful eyes on him. Recalling the hand signals she had imparted during their archery lessons, he wordlessly conveyed a message to her. With his right thumb pressing down on his bent pinky and his remaining three fingers curled into claws, Ada unleashed a remarkable bird call that brought the lead group to a standstill. One of the covert calls from her and Neal’s time in the military. ‘Danger’.

Neal unsheathed his sword. The sound of steel scraping on leather rang out as its sharp edge glinted in the sunlight. Ada prepared her bow, the string taut against her fingers as she knocked an arrow. Aidric winced as his cold, conjured weapon materialized from thin air, which he hid behind his forearm, caused a sharp ache in his chest. With a look of confusion and panic on her face, Lauren cautiously placed the flowers she had collected on the ground and stood up, her hands trembling. Claire spoke in a forced, comforting tone to her daughter.

“Good job, sweetie, now step…” Just as Lauren was about to move her feet, a tiny green figure with brown stripes suddenly sprang from the grass, its front paws stretching out to expose three razor-sharp claws. A brush cub. Its menacing maw was wide open, poised to rip into Lauren's tender flesh, while its eyes emitted a soft purple glow, revealing its cunning intelligence.

With practiced ease, Aidric flung his arm up, releasing the 'Ice Dagger' he had concealed, only to feel his heart sink into his gut. It would never reach the animal in time. As Ada let go of her bowstring, her arrow sailed through the air, mirroring the flaw that his spell had. Claire and Priscilla charged for their daughter in horror, their hearts pounding in their chests as Neal prepared to cast 'Propel', his eyes widening with the same realization as theirs.

Just as Aidric had seen in the woods, the only thing more terrifying than the claws and teeth of brush cubs, was their speed. The last time one attacked Madison, it left her arm in a bloody ruin. The only reason it didn’t do more damage was because used ‘Ice Dagger’ to stab it in the neck. Lauren had nothing.

Aidric felt a peculiar warmth coursing through his body as light gently filtered into his line of sight, causing a tingling sensation to ripple from his scalp down to his outstretched arm. A word sat on the edge of his tongue, teasing his senses with a familiarity that felt like a long-lost memory abruptly rediscovered.

“Lansa.” Aidric’s voice reverberated in his skull and the tingle in his arm disappeared. With a loud hiss, a burst of compressed air propelled the ice dagger at such incredible speed that it vanished from view, leaving behind only the sun's reflection bouncing off its gleaming surface as it rocketed into the distance.

The brush cub fell to the ground, dead. Split in half, the creature's eyes darted frantically in all directions, searching for answers as its lifeblood seeped into the earth and fur drifted on the calm breeze. Its eyes landed on Aidric, just like everyone else’s. Their gazes swiftly moved from the brush cub to Aidric and Lauren, until they finally focused on the field, where their attention remained fixed. When the light faded from Aidric’s eyes, he understood why. A clear-cut patch of grass, as wide as the one-inch-wide dagger, spanned all the way to the woods… two miles away.

“You okay, Lauren?” Aidric asked, as he struggled to catch his breath. The strong odor of copper quickly made him dizzy, while a crushing sensation in his chest made it harder to breathe. A sudden fit of wet coughs seized Aidric, forcing him to his knees as blood trickled from his mouth. Lauren nodded her head, tears welling in her eyes.

“Good, I’m glad.”

The world tilted, and Aidric found himself on his side, his body pressed against the warm, hard earth. His breath came in ragged gasps, his face pale and damp with perspiration as blood continued to drain from him. Ada and Neal sprinted towards their child, the sound of their footsteps reverberating through the packed dirt, with Dr. Tillmane close on their heels. Priscilla and Claire embraced their daughter, their features reflecting a combination of anguish and gratitude as they stood over the fallen monster.

“Aidric, are you alright, my boy?!” Dr. Tillmane kneeled next to Aidric, feeling the stickiness of blood on his hands as he gently wiped it away from his mouth.

‘Yeah, absolutely. I just like laying down in the dirt.’ Aidric thought to himself, before giving an actual answer.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, Doc. Just a little tired.” After a couple of moments, the steady flow of blood came to a halt. The taste of copper lingered on his tongue, but he savored the fresh, crisp air filling his lungs. Ira Patel strolled over to the grass, and while looking at the chunk missing from the field, he let out an impressed whistle.

“Eat your heart out, Magus Supreme.” Ira said. A soft green glow enveloped Aidric, rendering him temporarily blind, but he could hear the melodic incantation of Dr. Tillmane as he cast the second-tier healing spell known as 'Cauterize'. Aidric could sense the hidden wound in his septum gradually shrinking. He felt a brief, fleeting pinch on the left side of his scalp, vanishing as quickly as it appeared.

“You really gave us a fright, boy.” The Doctor quipped as he pulled Aidric into a seated position. Aidric's vision distorted, and his head felt foggy, bringing with it an overwhelming urge to vomit. “You’re looking a little green there. Don’t worry, it will pass. Our bodies can’t digest blood, so that’s why you feel ill.” Aidric gave him a thumbs up and held back a gag.

“Thanks for the anatomy lesson, Doc.” Aidric said in a sarcastic tone. Jacque let out a grumble, his annoyance clear in the way he scuffed his boots against the ground, and moved to investigate the field before him with Ira. Aidric's parents anxiously watched him, their gazes shifting from one group to another. Stepping forward, Neal reached into his bag and pulled out a water-skin, handing it to his son.

“You alright, bud?” Untying the string, Aidric lifted the waterskin to his mouth and took a long drink. The cool liquid rushed down his throat, providing a much-needed respite from the heat and crusted blood on his teeth.

“Yeah, just need a minute.” Aidric said, as he handed the closed bag back to his father, relieved to have mostly gotten rid of the metallic taste in his mouth. Aidric's eyes caught a flicker of light, drawing his gaze to the brush cub. The last remnants of the purple light faded from the creature's eyes, leaving them empty and lifeless, just like the one in the forest.

Curiosity replaced the intense look on Lauren's face as the rush of adrenaline faded away. “What was that?” She said in a hushed tone, not quite back to herself yet. Ada spoke out now, drawing on her experience in the Ranger Corp and her time spent hunting.

“A brush cub. They’re small, but they can be vicious. They eat smaller prey like chipmunks or birds, but that purple shine you just saw is for hunting bigger game.” The way she recited what she knew about the feline had a clinical quality to it, devoid of any personal emotion. “They can detect a creature’s Ether signature. If the signature is small enough, they’ll try to attack larger prey. I’m guessing you don’t know many spells, Lauren?” Lauren shook her head, her long red hair swaying softly with the motion.

“No, just ‘Petrichor’.” Priscilla squeezed her daughter closer to her.

“We’ll keep Lauren close for the rest of the trip, right, baby?” Lauren nodded. No one blamed Priscilla and Claire for wanting to keep their daughter close after what had just happened. Yet, was it because of the brush cub, or was it to keep her away from Aidric? Claire gave the boy a polite smile.

“Thank you, Aidric. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn’t been here?” Claire said.

‘Your daughter would be a string of red ribbons that unfurled into the grass, but I'm still the real terror here, right?’ Aidric waved his hand dismissively and opted for a safe response.

“Don’t worry about it. Thankfully, this guy was smaller than the one I got a few weeks ago.” Taking a deep breath, Aidric tried his luck with standing. Ada's reflexes kicked in as she darted over and promptly placed her hands under his arm when he teetered. Maintaining a straight posture for a minute, he grinned at her, prompting her to release his arm.

“If everyone’s okay,” Neal said, his gaze hopping around from person to person before stopping on his son. “I say we keep on moving until we reach the tree line.” He received a few murmurs of agreement and nods, with a thumbs up from Aidric. “Alight then, stay away from the edge of the roads then.” With that, the group was off towards the capital again.

Lauren tossed looks over her shoulder at the gaunt boy who trailed at the back of the group and eyed him with a confusing mix of gratitude and fear. Aidric didn’t blame her, partly because he didn’t even understand what happened. Trying not to draw unwanted attention from her parents, however, Aidric cast his gaze to the green shrubbery and beyond, only looking forward to ensure he didn’t lag too far behind the group.