Love. 

What a sweet, painful, and riveting thing it was. 

Speeding through the forest, Alden felt a mountain of regret. 

Why couldn't he have told Celeste he loved her sooner? 

Now, separated from each other and on the brink of certain death, Alden knew it was too late. 

Her beautiful pastel features flashed in his mind, increasing his dismay. 

The brush behind him rippled, countless vines and branches reaching out, hoping to crush him to death. 

'You pesky Dryads, leave me alone! Just because I accidentally stumbled upon your lair, does not mean you get to kill me!' 

Alden clutched his rusty dagger - the only weapon he could purchase after doing odd jobs here and there as a porter - and evaded another vine. It was a miracle he had survived so long, considering he had not yet awakened as a mage. 

Beads of sweat slid down his face as his heart galloped at a million miles an hour. Fatigue had already seeped into his muscles and bones, but it was through sheer will alone that he kept going. 

He had to get back to Celeste, after all. 

Alden would not allow himself to fall here. 

He simply refused to! 

If he were going to die, it would be in her arms, surrounded by her warm and gentle parents. Asterons knew how much he owed them. Without them, his life held no meaning. 

That was why he had no plans of biting the dust in some abomination-infested forest that reeked of miasma. 

…That would be a terrible place to die indeed. 

Alas, with the way things were going, it appeared inevitable. He couldn't continue running for much longer.

Sprinting, Alden burst into a wide clearing. His eyes raced urgently across the space, picking up the signs of battle. The grass appeared charred and decayed. 

A soft cry streamed into his ears. 

Alden's neck snapped towards the sound. 

There, he discovered a creature towering over a small-winged bird ready to plunge its fangs into its prey. A chill crawled down Alden's spine. The abomination seemed to have a distinct lack of flesh, bone and sinew visible beneath its sleek coat. 

'Based on the abomination's aura, it's probably just a Beast.'

Contrary to its skeleton-like appearance, it possessed four limbs and a deathly maw littered with razor-sharp teeth.

Alden's gaze roved towards the small bird. His brows furrowed. The small creature seemed like a fledgling, based on its size and soft cries of fear. It had a crown of pitch-black feathers and a plumage of similar colour. 

It took Alden a moment to recognise the bird. And when he did, the realisation hit him like a lightning bolt. 

'A phoenix?' 

What was one of its kind doing so far out from the Pyre Peaks? 

Here in Nature's Grove, it was all forest and meadows. Not volcanoes and hot, humid air. 

This environment… wasn't fit for a young phoenix to grow. 

What was worse, if Alden didn't act soon, the abomination would devour the baby fledgling right in front of his eyes. 

His heart ached for the poor bird. 

Unfortunately, he had to place his survival needs first. 

He cursed and prepared to ignore the sight of it weakly sprawled on the ground. However, just then, an idea popped into his mind. 

His eyes flashed, a cunning light in their depths. 

Hurling his rusted dagger at the decaying leopard with all his might, Alden bolted towards the baby phoenix.

Behind him, the vines and branches rippled as if releasing a silent scream of rage. 

Silently praying that his dagger would hit true, Alden watched the leopard turn, finally sensing him and the pursuing Dryads. It roared in irritation, but the shout was cut short as his weapon smacked it on the head. 

'Bingo!' 

Alden grinned, a sense of satisfaction rising in his heart. His smug expression lasted only for a short moment before it froze. 

Two orbs of pure rage ignited in the leopard's eyes. 

Alden was once again reminded that he was not a mage. 

He had no hope of defeating a Defiled creature. 

'But that's okay, I don't need to…' 

He had never planned to escape using brute force. 

The only advantage he held over the Dryads and the leopard was his cunning mind, and Alden was determined to make the most of it. Keeping low to the ground, he dashed towards the baby phoenix. As he had expected, the Defiled leopard did not remain idle. 

Sensing that Alden sought to touch its prey, it roared and leapt towards the annoying gnat. The young man remained composed. He had already brushed with death and its icy grip many times before. 

This was nothing new.

Alden thought it was pretty tame compared to what the Paladins, and the Guilds had to deal with daily. 

Still, that did nothing to ease the current danger. 

Faced with such peril, Alden smiled. 

'Got you!' 

One would think that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Alden would agree with that notion if he had stumbled into the clearing alone. 

However, as luck would have it, he had entered the glave with a horde of Dryads at his back. 

Alden's mind formulated a quick scheme. 

He grinned. 

He had a plan, a little fortune, and just a smidge of trickery. 

…That was all one really needed to survive in this tragic world. 

Just before the Dryads' vines wrapped around his figure and squeezed him to death, and just before the leopard pounced and ripped him to shreds, Alden removed a clump of dirt from his pocket and hurled it into the monster's eyes. 

In the same motion, he rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding a frenzied vine. 

He did not wait to find out if his plan had succeeded - though he had an inkling based on the furious roar and the sound of snapping vines -, instead keeping his eyes trained on the little phoenix. The little fledgeling lay on the ground, favouring one wing over the other. 

It seemed it had picked up a few injuries along the way. 

Finally, Alden reached the little bird. 

Carefully scooping it up into his arms, he left the clearing and dived into the forest as the echo of the clash between the Defiled leopard and the Dryads gradually died down. 

*** 

Leaning against the bark of an ancient tree, Alden panted. 

Yet, contrary to his fatigue, a crazy smile graced his face. 

'Haha! Now that's how you escape from danger and rescue a phoenix in style!' 

Alden mentally patted himself on the back for the flawless performance. 

'I can't wait to go back and tell Celeste all about this.' 

The thought dimmed his joy a little. 

He worried about his childhood friend. 

Even though her father, Alistair - the guild master of [The Sunbrawler's Guild] and an Expert mage - was protecting her, he couldn't quite stop fretting. 

What if an especially powerful Defiled appeared and slew them both? What if instead of just one Defiled, a whole horde of them showed up? Worse still, what if Celeste was separated from Alistair and stumbled upon danger like he did? 

'Dammit!' 

Alden gritted his teeth. 

A moment later, he took a deep breath and calmed down. 

He would just have to trust in Alistair that he would keep his daughter safe. 

Alden did not doubt the capabilities of the man, for he knew the gentle giant would sacrifice his life before letting any harm fall on Celeste. 

…Just like he would. 

A weak cry interrupted his worrying. 

Gazing at the injured phoenix in his arms, Alden decided to stop thinking about love for the moment. 

As much as he wanted to keep daydreaming about Celeste, he had more pressing matters to attend to. 

Like saving the little bird's life. 

And finding shelter. 

Or, at the very least a stream to hydrate himself. 

Only then, after accomplishing both goals, would Alden allow himself to think about how he would return to the Sanctuary.