The sun slowly dipped behind the mountains, casting a fiery red hue across the sky that contrasted with the stillness of the jungle surrounding the path. Ryuu walked in silence, slightly behind Kara, who moved forward with a steady pace. The air around them was heavy with humidity and the scent of earth, but something else hung in the air, something heavier, as if the jungle itself were alive, breathing with them.
Kara had insisted on taking the more difficult route, venturing into an ancient, dense forest known to the villagers as the Enchanted Forest. Though she didn't show it, Ryuu sensed a certain tension in her. He knew she wasn't someone who enjoyed the company of others, but in her gaze, there was a hint of determination, as if some internal force was guiding her.
—Why this path? —Ryuu asked, glancing around. The forest felt eerie, as if each tree had a story to tell but refused to speak.
Kara didn't answer immediately. She walked cautiously, inspecting the ground beneath her feet and the branches swaying slightly in the wind. Then, with a faint twisted smile, she replied:
—Because there's less chance of being followed here. Also, the legends say this forest hides many things... some good, some not so much.
Ryuu frowned, not fully understanding what Kara meant, but he let his instincts guide him. The wind had started to pick up, as if responding to his growing uncertainty. For years, he had feared losing control, but something inside him told him that here, in the midst of this mysterious place, he might finally learn to understand it better.
Kara suddenly stopped, pointing toward a thick bush that covered a giant rock in the path.
—Wait. —She lowered her voice. The alertness in her gaze was unmistakable. Ryuu, seeing her serious, didn't hesitate to stop, following her gesture. The young swordswoman drew her sword slowly and crouched, observing something on the ground.
—What's going on? —Ryuu asked, feeling the tension building between them.
Kara fixed him with piercing eyes. There was something in her demeanor that told him the situation was serious. Ryuu felt a chill run down his spine.
—Listen, you can hear it, right? —she asked in a whisper.
Ryuu focused, concentrating on the soft murmur of the wind. That's when he heard it: a subtle but growing sound, as if something were moving through the underbrush. At first, he couldn't identify it, but the feeling of not being alone overwhelmed him. The trees creaked, and something flew past them.
—What is that? —Ryuu whispered, the hairs on his neck standing up. He could feel it: something dangerous was close.
Kara nodded gravely, knowing they wouldn't be able to avoid what was coming.
—Bandits. —She said simply. —They won't be like the ones before. They're coordinated. We'll have to fight.
Before Ryuu could ask more, shadows swiftly moved between the trees, and a figure jumped toward them from the side, followed by others that quickly formed a circle around them.
Kara reacted instantly, drawing her sword and spinning to dodge the first attack. The blade gleamed under the dim sunlight filtering through the treetops, and a silver streak cut through the air. Ryuu stepped back, but his feet sank slightly into the soft ground, making it harder to move quickly. In the distance, he felt the wind shake the branches, but he couldn't control the air as he did on the coast. Here, the wind was dense and heavy.
—You have to help me! —Kara yelled, dodging a swipe of a knife. —Use that power now.
Ryuu blinked, confused, unsure how he could help her in such a situation. But seeing the danger in Kara's eyes, something awakened inside him. The breeze around him began to stir again, but this time, it wasn't a furious gust like before. This time, the wind responded with a precision he had never felt before. The trees began to move around him, as if nature itself wanted to aid him.
With a determined shout, Ryuu raised his hands, concentrating. The wind began to take shape, first as soft currents, then as faster vortices. The attackers were closing in fast, and one of them shoved Kara to the ground. Without thinking, Ryuu unleashed the wind toward the bandits with force.
A powerful gust lifted the nearest attackers, throwing them against the trees, while the rest lost their balance from the strong wind. Kara took advantage of the chaos to regain her footing, springing up with agility and delivering a precise blow to one of the bandits who was trying to rise.
Ryuu stood watching, unable to believe what he had just done. The wind he had unleashed had allowed him to control the situation, but he still didn't understand how he had managed to use it with such precision.
Kara turned toward him, breathing heavily but showing no signs of exhaustion. Her expression had changed; it wasn't just gratitude in her eyes, but a newfound appreciation for her companion's strength.
—That was good. —She said with a slight smile, wiping a drop of sweat from her forehead. —But that was just the first warning. If we're going to keep going together, you'll need to learn to use that power faster.
Ryuu nodded, feeling the weight of what he had just done still affecting him. Was he really capable of controlling the wind in that way? Or had it been an instinctive reaction?
Before he could fully process what had happened, Kara spoke again.
—Let's go. The path is long, and if we stay here too long, we won't be the only ones coming for us. —She said, moving forward.
Ryuu followed her, feeling that the wind was not just an enemy or a burden, but a force that could be his ally. But for that, he would need to learn to control it better. As they continued their journey through the Enchanted Forest, a new resolve began to grow within him. The tournament might be the opportunity he had been waiting for, but it also represented the beginning of something much larger.
Something that would not only change his life, but the fate of the entire world.