"AAAHHH!"
Eldric and his group turned at the loud cry echoing from deeper in the forest.
"Wasn't that Hobart and Tib?" Anilla asked.
"Let's go check," Gui said, already heading toward the source of the voices.
"Hey, where are you going?" Eldric asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Big brother, we have to see if they're okay," Gui replied.
Eldric tilted his head. "Why would we?"
"They might be in danger," Gui replied, a bit confused by Eldric's reluctance.
Eldric struggled to understand Gui's reasoning. "They stole your harvests yesterday, and now you want to help them?"
"This and that are different, big brother. They must have run into wild animals!"
With that, Gui ran off, the two younger kids following behind, leaving Eldric standing alone.
The young man stared at their backs, his eyes indifferent as he sighed.
"Aren't they a bit stupid?"
He watched Gui and the others disappear into the trees. He could easily walk away, but those three hard-headed brats might be in danger.
He sighed again.
"Guess I don't have much choice," he muttered. "Being an adult sure is hard."
***
"AAAAHHH!"
Hobart and Tib trembled, staring at the massive bear looming before them. Reflexively, they had managed to dodge its swiping claws, escaping by a hair's breadth.
"We have to run, Tib!" Hobart said, grabbing his friend's hand.
But when he turned, he saw Tib's face streaked with tears and snot.
"Ahhh!"
"Hey, get a grip!" Hobart shouted.
Growl.
Before they could react, a massive claw slashed toward them, sending Hobart flying through the air. He crashed into a thick tree trunk.
"Agh!"
He felt blood trickling from his mouth as the world spun around him.
***
"They really went into the forbidden area!" Gui exclaimed, staring at the twisted fence and broken sign in front of him.
"Big brother, what should we do?" Merdin asked.
"You two stay here. I'll go in alone and check."
"But, brother, it's dangerous!" Anilla said, immediately grabbing his shirt.
"I'll be fine. Merdin, you can look after Anilla, right? If I don't come back in a few minutes, go straight to the village head."
Merdin nodded, taking Anilla's hand.
Gui drew his dagger and stepped into the restricted area.
A few minutes later…
"It's taking him a while," Anilla murmured, her hand trembling as she stared at the entrance to the restricted area.
"I have to go check on my brother!" Anilla said, trying to enter, but someone grabbed her from behind.
"And where do you think you're going?"
The two kids turned to see Eldric standing there with a cold expression.
"Big brother Eldric!" they cried in unison, immediately hugging him.
Eldric's expression softened as he felt them trembling.
"Where's Gui?"
Eldric's gaze shifted to the broken fence and twisted sign. He didn't need their response to understand what had happened.
"Big brother Eldric, wah!" Anilla burst into tears, clinging to him. "What should we do? My brother might be in danger! Wah!"
Eldric sighed and knelt to meet their eyes.
"Can you two manage to go back to the village and speak to the village head?"
The two kids nodded.
"Good. Go and tell the village head," Eldric paused before adding, "that two idiots entered the forbidden area, and we need help immediately. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Now, go."
Merdin and Anilla turned and sprinted toward the forest entrance.
Eldric watched them go, sighing.
"Haah, what a mess."
He reached out to Datum in his mind.
"Hey, is there anything I can use to fight? Any offensive magic I could access?"
Datum's flat, emotionless voice echoed back.
"The host's mana is insufficient for any defensive or offensive magic."
"So, that's a no?"
Datum offered no reply.
"Never mind then."
Eldric entered the restricted area, muttering a curse under his breath. "Damn it!"
*****
Drekson laughed heartily as he watched the two guards wrestle with each other.
They were outdoors with the other off-duty guards, celebrating one of the village residents' birthdays.
"Come on, fight!" shouted the onlookers, some even placing bets to add to the excitement.
"Village head!"
Drekson turned to see one of his subordinates, Old Greg, running toward him with a frantic look, not even caring as he bumped into people along the way.
"Hey, old Greg, what's your problem?" one of the guards he'd shoved called out.
Old Greg ignored him, rushing straight to Drekson.
"What's the matter?"
"We have to go to the forest!" Old Greg panted before continuing, "Hobart and Tib went into the restricted area—and Gui followed them!"
"What?!" Drekson's eyes widened.
"Everyone, stop what you're doing!" he shouted to his subordinates.
"Grab your weapons! We're heading to the forest—now!"
Drekson gripped his weapon tightly as he and his guards sprinted through the trees. The shadows of the forest closed in around them, unease gnawing at his mind. Those kids had entered the restricted area—he could only hope they weren't too late.
****
Gui stared at the massive bear looming before him, then glanced at Hobart, slumped against a nearby tree.
He stretched his neck, his eyes widening as he saw the bear advancing toward Tib.
Tib stood frozen, trembling as he watched the animal approach.
Grrr.
The bear raised its claws, but just before they struck Tib, Gui instinctively grabbed a stone and hurled it at the animal.
The bear turned, then lunged in his direction without warning. Gui's legs felt weak, but he gritted his teeth and sprinted with all his strength.
Gui's heart pounded as he stumbled over roots, the scent of damp earth filling his nose. The bear's growl rumbled behind him, followed by the snap of twigs as the massive creature closed in.
"Please don't let the bear catch me," he prayed.
Growl!
A sharp pain tore through his back as his body was flung through the air.
"Ah… so the bear did catch me," he thought, bracing himself for the impact.
But instead of hitting the ground, a strong arm caught him in midair, and a familiar voice called his name as they landed.
"Gui!"
He recognized that voice, and an image of the black-haired man flashed through his mind. Somehow, he felt safe as his consciousness began to fade.
"Hey, Gui!" Eldric shouted, but the boy had already lost consciousness.
That wasn't Eldric's main concern, though. Glancing down, he felt a sticky warmth on his arm—it was Gui's blood. A deep gash from the bear's claw marked the boy's back.
A surge of adrenaline shot through Eldric as he saw the bear charging toward them.
"Datum! I don't care how you do it, but I need a defense spell right now!"
"The host's magic level is insufficient for defensive spells; forcing it may cause a recoil."
"Just do it! Or do you want us to die?!"
"Please provide a command word for defense."
"Shield!"
"'Shield' has been registered."
"Warning: A penalty will be applied to the host due to insufficient magic for Shield usage."
"Just use it!" Eldric shouted.
As the shield materialized, Eldric felt a strange, pulling sensation in his chest, like his energy was being drained.
He stared at the kid in his arms as he spoke, "I'm going through this pain because of you, you better be okay, brat!"
A large magical circle materialized in front of them, absorbing the bear's furious attack.
Eldric watched as the bear was thrown backward by the shield's force, but at the same moment—
"Agh!"
He felt warm liquid trickling from his mouth, dripping onto his clothes. His vision began to blur, but the bear had already recovered and was charging toward them again.
Holding the teenager tightly, he closed his eyes.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The sound of arrows sliced through the air.
"They're here!"
Eldric heard distant voices, but his consciousness was already slipping.
"We're saved," he thought.
He felt the tension weighing down on him.
"Hey, young man, wake up!"
It was the last voice he heard before his vision went black.