After walking for some time, Kael reached the entrance of a forest.
"A forest, huh?" His childhood curiosity was at its peak. "Maybe I should go examine it a little," Kael thought with shining eyes.
Kael entered the forest.
The jungle was deep and thick with some familiar and some unknown types of trees. It was dark and awfully silent, but sometimes the roar of an animal could be heard.
"This is creepy," he muttered, feeling a little fearful. "This forest is not giving me good vibes. After I got through the main forest entrance, it keeps getting more and more intense with a dark vibe and an awful silence. I don't know why, but now after getting here, I think the position of the mansion is pretty unusual. Why create a mansion near a forest like this? Or, I guess the mansion was built here because of this forest. Well...whatever. It is still creepy."
Kael continued walking east, trying to remember his path. "This forest can be a maze. I might get lost," he thought, looking around to find something to mark his directions. "I don't know if it's because of this body or my brain, but my thinking capability is not as sharp as it used to be. Maybe I have to do something about it on my own. I should behave more like my age."
He took out his sword and marked the trees with shallow cuts that wouldn't harm them deeply. "Okay, now, let's go deeper inside," he said after finishing his work.
Kael walked in the same direction for quite some time. A noise caught his attention. He noticed the sound was coming from behind the trees. Kael ran towards it and saw a massive bear-like animal scratching a tree. He hid behind another tree and saw a girl about his age at the top of the tree. The bear was waiting for her to fall.
"What the hell is this thing?" he whispered, panicking. "What should I do? Calm down, calm down," he tried to calm himself. "I just promised myself that I would behave my age, but how can I be calm? If I don't do anything, her life will be in danger. Should I go back and call for help? No, the tree won't hold that long," he thought, his hand on his sword. "Should I fight that thing? Yes, I will."
"(Shouting) Help! Help! Please, anyone, help!" the girl cried.
"(Eyes open) Okay, let's do it. My plan will be simple: throw two rocks. The first rock to get the bear's attention and the second, larger rock to distract it and lead it deeper into the forest. I hope this works, but first, I need her attention."
Kael threw a small pebble towards the girl to grab her attention. She noticed him and was about to say something, but he signaled her to stay quiet. He tried to make her understand his plan to distract the bear.
After explaining his plan to her, Kael threw the stones in the order he had planned. The bear ran towards the side he wanted it to go.
Kael ran towards the tree.
"(Looking up at the girl) Hey, jump before that bear comes back! I'll catch you!"
"(Still not believing him and a little scared) No, I can't! I'll get injured. This is too high, and you are the same age as I am, aren't you?"
"(Frustrated) If you want to jump, jump, or I'm going. Figure out how to climb down. Yes, why am I telling you to jump? I'm going. You climbed up the tree, so climb down on your own," he said, turning around to leave.
"Wait! (A little louder) I don't know how to climb down the tree. I'll jump; you better catch me or I will... ("I will what?" Kael interrupted) Okay, okay."
"Wait, am I going to catch a girl?" he thought, embarrassed. "I forgot for a second that she's a girl and I'm telling her to jump. No, no...what am I thinking? Focus, focus..." Nervously, he looked towards her to catch her.
"Okay, here I go," she said.
The girl jumped, and Kael caught her.
A moment of silence passed between them.
"Um, can you (blushing) put me down?" she asked.
"Oh, uh, yes," Kael responded nervously.
As they were about to start their conversation, the furious bear returned.
"It came back!" the girl exclaimed.
Kael turned around to see the bear.
"Stay behind me," he said, taking out his sword and getting into a fighting stance.
"This is bad...I have never been in a real fight," Kael thought.
The bear roared and charged at them.
Kael relaxed his breath. "Breathe in...breathe out. Okay, let's do it."
Kael moved his body to advance towards the bear.
[Tree]
[The Girl] [Kael(attack)Bear]
Kael hit the bear's body with his sword, but it wasn't enough. The bear used its claw to attack Kael, but Kael stopped the attack with his sword. As he was balancing on one leg, he slipped but rolled his body to dodge the next attack. He got up and attacked the bear from behind, causing some damage but still not enough.
[Tree]
[The Girl] [Bear(attack)Kael]
Kael returned to his position.
[Tree]
[The Girl] [Kael] [Bear]
"Its body is tough," Kael stressed. "Wait, I need a strong attack." He closed his eyes, then opened them with determination. "I'll use a zigzag pattern to confuse it and use that."
The bear charged at Kael again.
Kael increased his speed, following a zigzag pattern to confuse the bear. He got close to the bear.
"Aran's Sword Style: 1st form," he thought. His sword was sharper than before.
He was about to slash the bear's head, but the bear roared, breaking his focus. The bear stopped his attack with one hand and attacked with the other.
Kael got hit and landed near the trees. The girl ran towards him.
Kael started losing consciousness.
"You can't kill me," he said with an unpleasant smile.
The girl reached Kael and asked if he was okay.
"Hey girl, take this sword," he panted. "When I signal, pierce its heart."
"Okay, but what are you going to do?" she asked.
"Soon I will faint, so I am going to engage it in close combat."
"You can't—" she started.
"Shut up and listen to me," Kael interrupted, sending chills down her spine. "Okay," she agreed nervously.
Kael walked towards the bear and started laughing slowly.
"Let's see who survives."
Kael moved at full speed, half-conscious, taking damage from the bear but giving it back equally. It was a battle of endurance rather than power.
The girl took the sword and slowly moved towards the bear, waiting for Kael's signal.
Kael and the bear were locked in a tight struggle. Kael signaled the girl to attack.
Using all her strength, the girl pierced the bear's heart. The bear died instantly.
Kael fell to the ground. He had scratches all over his body, especially his hands, and his clothes were mostly damaged, but his life was not in danger.
The girl dressed his wounds using medicinal plants and pieces of her dress. She sat beside him, staring.
"He's almost my age or maybe exactly my age," she thought. "From his dress and sword, he's not a commoner but someone of royalty or nobility. Well, whatever, he was cool." She blushed, embarrassed by her thoughts.
After some time, Kael opened his eyes. The girl was sitting near him. He saw his wounds were dressed.
"(Nervously) Thank you," said Kael.
"Hmm, welcome!" she replied with a smile in her mind.
The two shared a brief, silent connection, having survived the ordeal together.