"We actually did it…" Henry mumbled to himself in a daze clutching the left side of his face.
It amazed him they had accomplished their mission so easily. Well… not so easily if his wound was any sign to live by.
The green-eyed trainee chuckled to himself. He winced suddenly, the pain in his cheek flaring up.
It seemed he had irritated the wound somehow.
Leon, meanwhile, panted heavily, sweat dripping down his face in floods. The grip on his sledgehammer loosened as he swayed. The sudden increase in his speed had come at a great cost.
The half-blood was just about at his limit. He caught himself and leaned on a nearby tree.
The burly boy did not pay any mind to the sudden appearance of light that miraculously dispelled the gloom of their surroundings. He was too tired to care.
What was most important was that all of them were alive and that they had completed the mission, of course. Anything else did not matter.
Nico, who kneeled on the ground, stared at his hands and tried to calm his erratic heartbeat.
'That was way too close for comfort!'
Releasing a sigh of relief, he shook his head and did his best to remove the image of the leopard's claws being inches from his face, out of his mind.
Nico shifted his gaze to the corpse of the Shadow Fang Leopard. A ripple of emotion swelled within his maroon eyes before it quickly faded away.
This was his first kill.
The boy would not lie… this made him feel a little poignant.
However, one thought of the countless deaths that would occur as a result of the Demons infiltrating his world, made him steel his resolve.
He would do anything to ensure the safety of those he held dear.
That said, Nico felt he still hadn't reached the stage where he could kill a fellow human yet.
'Hopefully, I never will.'
The brown-haired boy issued a bitter sigh and stared at his hands once more.
Nico shook his head furiously. He could not and would not allow himself to overthink. The danger wasn't over yet. As he touched the fur of the Shadow Fang Leopard that somehow seemed to be softer than the delicate skin of a newborn baby, he discovered the warmth of its body rapidly fading away.
With another sigh, Nico groaned as he slowly stood up. He watched as Henry walked up to him, "What was that light just now?"
Staring at the farmer's narrowed eyes, Nico rubbed the back of his head. His head rapidly flitted through different responses, before he finally settled for the truth. "When Instructor William issued us the mission, he requested my presence after dinner that same day. I thought I was in trouble, but he gave me the Sun Charm instead - the source of the bright light - saying it might come in handy and how to activate it."
Henry hummed vaguely, not giving a clear response.
Eventually, the raven-haired trainee shrugged his shoulders. So what if their instructor had secretly taught Nico something?
What the older man had imparted to Nico was crucial to their survival and the success of the mission. Henry really couldn't complain.
As he stared at the dense copse of trees that they were in with a cautious expression, Nico slowly uttered, "We need to move, the smell of the leopard's blood will attract other creatures here. I'm sure none of you are in any shape to fight?" he turned to stare at his friends.
The farmer and half-blood shook their heads.
Nico allowed a small smile to grace his face.
"Then, it's settled."
The young boy retrieved a folded-up sack from his other pocket and quickly got to work bagging the carcass of their target.
***
The trio cautiously returned the way they came from. Nico hoped that the merchant caravan had not departed yet. He wanted to ask the middle-aged merchant some questions.
Even though most tradespersons conversed using rumours, such information had to have a nugget of truth in them. Otherwise, there was no point in spreading such gossip.
So Nico felt it safe to use the middle-aged merchant to access any news of the outside world.
With determined steps, he hastened his steps and kept a wary eye out for anything that might jump out of the brush.
He suppressed a silent shiver.
Although he had gotten better at not letting his past trauma with the forest inhibit his movements, it remained ready to paralyse him at any moment.
However, now with a more positive experience under his belt, he hoped it might counteract the negative hurt somewhat.
Shaking his head, the brown-haired boy continued to plod along, beside the half-blood and farmer.
Time passed and soon enough the trainees returned to the same small clearing where they first chanced upon the Shadow Fang Leopard. The merchants and his guards were still there.
'Phew!' Nico exhaled a turbid breath of relief.
He watched as some of the silver-clad guards spread out in a wide perimeter, ready to defend the merchant caravan at a moment's notice.
Others tended to those who had suffered at the hands of the jet-black leopard.
Based on the treatment being received, Nico surmised that none of the guards were seriously injured.
His gaze inadvertently travelled to the gash on Henry's cheek and he sucked in a cold breath.
The farmer had ripped a part of his sleeve and placed the fabric on the wound, ensuring that he kept pressure on the injury throughout the whole time they were travelling.
Only now did the maroon-eyed boy notice how pale his friend seemed.
'Blazing Fates!'
"Excuse me! Do you have any healing supplies?" Nico shouted loudly. He used his left hand to wave and grab the merchant's group's attention, while the other tightly clutched the corpse of the Shadow Fang Leopard.
Demetri, who was busy conversing with one of the armoured guards, whirled around and stared at the occupant of the youthful voice.
His eyes widened and his mouth parted in an agape expression.
'How did they…?'
The other members of the caravan displayed similar reactions. Some of them even rubbed their eyes, believing that they were now hallucinating.
Alas, what they saw quickly proved them wrong.
When the middle-aged merchant's gaze settled on Henry's gash, he immediately composed himself and barked some instructions for one healer to treat the wound.
Whilst the boy was being treated, he walked to the person who he presumed to be the leader of the youngsters.
"Lad, If you don't mind me asking, how are you still alive?"
Nico, who felt the surrounding stares full of surprise, shock, and astonishment bore into the back of his head, unconsciously scratched the left side of his face, "We were just very lucky, I suppose."
He sighed and shifted his gaze to the firmament above. The events of the mission replayed in his mind.
Demetri watched the brown-haired boy enter a daze. His brown hair flapped lightly in the wind, and the older male couldn't help but notice the jagged patch of discoloured skin that rested on his temple.
'There is more than meets the eye to this kid…' the merchant surmised.
Clearing his throat to grab Nico's attention, Demetri sighed, "Well done on making it out alive. Others your age would not have been able to achieve a similar feat. You can keep the corpse of the Shadow Fang Leopard, think of it as repayment for helping my guards when they were in a bind."
As he spoke, a glint appeared in the middle-aged man's eyes.
If the group of youngsters could deal with a creature such as a leopard by themselves, then there was a high chance they would grow up to become important people in the future.
It was better to build a good relationship.
Besides, now that they had spotted a Shadow Fang Leopard this far out from the inner region, it wouldn't be too hard to find another one not too far from their current location.
Nico sent a wary glance in the merchant's direction. During their journey back to the small clearing, he ruminated on ways to make sure that the beast's corpse stayed with them.
Now faced with the sudden offer of him taking it away for free, the brown-haired boy inevitably felt a little distrustful.
'What is he planning?'
Eventually, Nico just shrugged his shoulders and accepted. The man was probably just trying to build good ties with him, on the off chance he became an influential figure in the future.
"Okay." Nico tersely nodded.
Demetri grinned and turned toward the stocky youth who stood beside the youngster being treated.
He quirked an eyebrow, 'A half-blood…'
The merchant's earlier feeling strengthened. No ordinary person would acquaint themselves with a half-blood and go against the Nobles.
Once the healer finished treating Henry's wound, Demetri added, "Tell you what, lad. We'll escort you out of the Wilderness. We've had enough hunting for today. Besides, there's safety in larger numbers. What'd you say?"
Nico, who felt the man was being too kind silently glanced toward his two companions. Finding no opposition, he tiredly rubbed his face and agreed.
And with no further fanfare, the three trainees were on their way back to the Training Camp in cheerful spirits.