The fog had lifted some. Two figures walked along a worn dirt path.
Freya led with Arbor trailing behind.
Arbor's attention wandered with every step. Their mind, however, stayed firmly on one singular thought.
"But does it have to be every day, though?" Arbor asked.
Freya's eye twitched.
"Yes, Arbor," she replied. "The key to improvement is practice."
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that before." Arbor glanced up at the canopy, squinting. "But does it have to be, every, day? I rarely get any free ti—"
That was it. Freya stopped.
Her hand slowly moved to the hilt of her sheathed blade. Her fingers curled around the handle, and as she gripped it, the runes on her hand flickered to life. Thunderclouds and lightning bolts appeared along her skin.
Arbor's ears shot straight up, twitching frantically. "W-Wait, wait, Freya, c'mon—"
The sky shifted.
Above Arbor's head, dark clouds coiled out of nowhere, swirling together. Red sparks crackled. The air buzzed with static.
"FREYA, WAIT, I WAS JOKING!" Arbor shouted. They waved their hands in wild panic, hopping backward as fast as their fox-like feet could manage. "CALM DO—"
CRACK-BOOM!
A bolt of red lightning shot down from the sky. It struck the ground just between their legs.
Their eyes went wide. Their limbs froze in place. Blue smoke curled up from the ground.
Poof.
Where Arbor had been standing, there was now a small, wide-eyed blue fox. Their ears were pinned flat, their fur puffed up twice its usual size. They blinked slowly.
"…Rude," they thought, their small fox voice high-pitched and not at all words.
Freya's arms folded across her chest. Her eye looked down at Arbor with pure disappointment.
"Next time, you'll think before you open your mouth," she said and she walked on, her hooves clacking softly on the bridge ahead.
Arbor sat there staring after her. The bridge stretched over the river, and far in the distance, a floating stone stadium hovered in the sky. Above it, a huge false blue moon hung. It glowed faintly, almost laughing at Arbor's misfortune. Arbor didn't at all like that moon, it always gave off a watching aura, unlike the normal rocks Arbor loved collecting.
"…She's the villain here," Arbor thought.
They padded after her before another swirl of blue smoke surrounded them.
They caught up quickly, walking just a few paces behind Freya.
"...I'm just saying," Arbor began, arms folded behind their head again, "if I get struck by lightning every day, it's technically counterproductive to my training."
Freya didn't respond, but the soft glow of a lightning rune flickered faintly on her knuckle.
Arbor went silent.
They hadn't walked much further before the sound of rustling bushes caught both of their attention. Freya and Arbor stopped and their ears both twitched, alert. The rustling came from just ahead, off the path to the right.
"...Wild animal?" Arbor guessed.
"Not wild," Freya replied. "Too steady."
The bushes shook again. Then, with a loud rustle, a young elf boy emerged, his posture arms open, like he owned every inch of ground he walked on. His short, messy, dark green hair had bits of leaves tangled in it, though he didn't seem to notice or care. His green jacket hung off his shoulders like a cloak, his arms not even in the sleeves. On his chest, a hawk-shaped crest marked his shirt, and two gold chains dangled from each long ear, each adorned with the same hawk insignia. His eyes were sharp.
"Sorry to interrupt whatever this is, teacher," he called. He didn't even glance at Arbor. "But don't we have somewhere to be?"
Behind the elf was a sheep-like girl. Her shorter stature forced her to step quickly to keep up. Her dress was like Freya's, but the main color was deep garnet-purple instead of Freya's crimson-red. Her horns barely poked up past her short, fluffy hair, her face round with youth. Her eyes darted between Freya and Arbor.
Arbor glanced at her, then at Freya. Their eyes squinted.
"...family maybe?" Arbor thought, raising a brow.
"Oh, thank Atheria, you two are here," Freya sighed. "I don't think I could take another minute of this. Why are you two lurking around in the bushes"
"We got sidetracked." the elf boy said. He jerked his thumb toward himself with a cocky grin. "I was trying to show her a shortcut."
The sheep-girl raised a pointed eyebrow at the elf.
The elf just brushed it off, "It worked out, didn't it?"
The sheep-girl sighed, "We got lost, Alek."
Alek shot her a glare, "Details."
Freya's eye locked firmly on Alek. "You decided to 'lead' and got lost. I suppose I should be grateful you didn't wander into a drake's den." She folded her arms unimpressed.
Alek shrugged, "But we made it, didn't we? Sorry though."
Just then Freya's hand began to shine from the runes on her fingers and palm.
Her eyes narrowed. "That's not right." Her gaze darted toward the treeline. Her fingers moved as if gripping invisible threads.
Arbor blinked. "What's not right?"
Freya didn't answer, her expression hardening.
"The rune ar-" Freya paused thinking of what to say.
"I'll be back later. The Legion has called," she said suddenly. Her eyes darted toward Eva, then Alek. "I'll meet you at the training grounds. Don't wander. Don't slow down. And do not follow me."
Pressing her foot into the dirt below it began to glow. She drew a circle, her fingers glowing faint red as runes ignited.
She stepped into the center of the circle.
"Bye."
Lightning flashed. The air cracked with a sudden, deafening boom, and Freya was gone.
Silence.
The only sound left was the soft buzz of static that lingered in the air where she'd stood.
Arbor blinked. "Oh wow."
Now Arbor was stuck in the woods with two strangers, their usual predictable routine thrown completely off balance. Freya—their anchor, their constant—was gone. Who even were these people?
Alek turned, squinting at Arbor for a moment before his grin widened. "So… you're that fox, huh? The one that skipped all the exams?"
Arbor tilted their head. Exams? Sure let's just roll with that.
Arbor let out a reply that seemed vague enough to hold. "Something like that, I guess?"
Alek's grin grew sharper, his eyes flicking up and down. "Glad to see we've got some talent on the team. Maybe even enough to rival my own."
Arbor just blinked slowly. Arbor already didn't like this guy. Then, without another word, they turned and started walking away.
"Okay, cool. I'm going over here now."
The sheep-girl gave a soft laugh. She stepped past Alek and walked toward Arbor. Her eyes squinted slightly as if searching for something. Her eyes glowed faintly pink for a moment.
Arbor's ears flicked. They felt it. A shift.
It was faint, but their body reacted before their mind caught up. A subtle push of aura flicked outward from them. It wasn't enough to knock anything over, but it was enough to disrupt the unseen effect that had been focused on them. What was she trying to do?
Eva blinked. Her eyes returned to soft green, and she tilted her head, curious.
Her smile widened. "Nice to meet you, I'm Eva, Freya's little sis if you couldn't tell. I've been stuck with him for a while," she said, her eyes flicking toward Alek.
Eva now whispered so that Alek couldn't hear. "That's Alek, he's the elven prince of Nytherion, but 7th in line, I think. So don't let his title bother you." Eva backed up from Arbor, now acting like she hadn't just dropped some important information. "Nice to see a new face."
Arbor hadn't met anyone besides Freya out here—let alone some prince. The only things they knew about people like him came from books, and those kinds of stories didn't usually happen in places like this.
"Don't get too comfortable," Alek called out, in an annoyed tone. "You heard Freya. We're wasting daylight. If we want to make it to the training grounds, we should move."
Eva glanced at Arbor, then at Alek. "Fine. Fine Let's go."
Arbor shrugged. "Sure, fearless leader."
20 Minutes Later
The air smelled faintly of moss and wildflowers, clean and sharp in Arbor's nose. They sneezed.
Arbor kicked a loose stone down the dirt path, hands behind their head. "How long is this walk supposed to be? Feels like we've been at it for hours," they muttered.
"It's been ten minutes," Alek said flatly, not even looking at them.
"Yeah, well, ten minutes too long," Arbor shot back.
Alek's steps slowed. "You think this is a joke?" His voice was quiet. He faced Arbor. "We're the lucky few with a future as legion members. The sooner you stop treating this like a stroll, the better."
Arbor's ears twitched. They didn't answer right away, hands fiddling with a small stone. "What is this guy even going on about?" they thought.
"Not treating it like a stroll," they said finally. "Just not in a rush to prove something to the trees."
Alek's eyes narrowed slightly. "You think this place cares about your pace? You think I care?" He stepped forward. "People are clawing for a chance to stand where you are, and you're wasting it."
Arbor tilted their head. "Wasting it?" they repeated. "I'm here, aren't I? Walking the same dirt road as you. We both ended up here, so maybe save the 'I'm better than you' speech for someone who asked for it."
Alek took a slow breath. "This isn't about me being better," he said. "It's about you dragging us down. The Legion doesn't need people who 'just show up.' They need people who act."
Arbor let out a breathy laugh, the stone tightening in their hand. "Oh, so that's it." They shook their head. "You don't know anything about me, Prince."
"I know enough fox," Alek said. "And what I see is someone waiting for the world to move for them instead of moving themselves."
That did it. Arbor's ears flicked back, their tail twitching. The rock in their hand magic energy now flowing into it, forming it into a ball of spikes. "I'm not dragging anyone," they said. "You want me to sprint just to make you feel like we're doing something? Not my style." They turned, eyes meeting Aleks. "I move forward, Alek. One step at a time. Just 'cause you're running doesn't mean you're ahead."
For a second, Alek didn't respond. Slowly his hands hung at his sides, fingers curling into loose fists. "That's the kind of thing you animals say when they don't want to admit they're slow."
Animals? "Or maybe it's what, people, say," Arbor replied, taking a single step forward, "when they're smart enough to know you don't win by burning yourself out before you get there."
Alek stepped forward too. The space between them felt smaller than it was.
"Say that again fox," Alek said.
Arbor stayed still, eyes locked with Alek's.
"Alright, alright, that's enough," Eva's voice cut through the tension. She stepped between them, one hand raised. "Both of you, breathe before you say something real stupid."
Alek's jaw tightened. Arbor exhaled slowly through their nose, letting their shoulders drop.
"I'm not about to listen to this all the way to the training grounds," Eva said, eyes on both of them now. Her tone was calm, but firm in a way that didn't leave room for argument. "So unless you both want to explain to Freya why you're late and bruised, I suggest you walk it off." Her eyes flashed brown to pink for a second, and the shift in the air was impossible to miss.
Arbor stepped back first, rolling their neck with a loose shrug. "Fine. I'm chill." They shoved their hands into their pockets and turned back toward the trail. First people Arbor met in a while and already they couldn't stand one.
"Where is Freya? She just gets me." Arbor sighed.
Alek stayed still a moment longer.
"Whatever," he muttered, walking ahead of both of them.
They walked in silence. Eva kept herself between them as a barrier. Alek's posture stayed stiff. Arbor lagged behind a bit, hands back behind their head.
After what had to be an hour's walk they finally arrived. "There," Eva said, pointing toward the wide expanse ahead. "That's the training grounds."
The forest path had widened, and an arena floated 20 feet above them. An old colossal 300-foot square-stone platform, hovering. Vines somehow reached the arena like they were trying to pull it down to earth. Above the arena, the same huge moon glowed, its aura more present now.
"Out of all the stones I collect, this one feels weird," Arbor muttered, their eyes scanning the floating stairs. "Place like this? Definitely ghosts or something here."
"You scared?" Alek said from ahead of them.
"Nah." Arbor stuffed their hands into their pockets, gaze still on the floating stairs. "Just saying, if a ghost jumps out, I'm not dealing with it."
Alek rolled his eyes walking up the cracked floating stairs and headed toward the center of the arena. He tapped the ground with the heel of his boot, seeming to test its stability. Satisfied, he started doing some stretches, his eyes on the glowing moonstone hovering overhead. "This is perfect," he said. "The projections should still work."
Eva walked up next, glancing at the crumbling benches before looking at the floating moonstone. Her eyes flicked pink for a moment, then back to green. "It's stable. Magic's still running through it, but it's faint. Won't be as strong as the one near the capital."
"Doesn't need to be," Alek said, putting on a leather chest plate with rune engraving on top of his shirt. "It'll do for now."
Arbor finally stepped on the first step. "I hate this place they muttered," they muttered under their breath. "The moon is looking at me funny."
"Everything's looking at you funny," Alek said. "Get to the center of the platform, Arbor."
Arbor raised a brow. "Why?"
Alek tapped the ground twice. "Because I want to see what you can do."
Arbor blinked. "Right now?"
"Right now," Alek said, rolling his shoulders. "I'm not waiting another hour just to find out you're all talk."
Eva let out a long sigh and sat on one of the cracked benches, resting her chin on her hand. "Here we go," she muttered, watching them both. "This will probably be fine, the arena's magic should cancel any real damage," she muttered.
Arbor stood there for a second. "You wanna fight me now? We just got here."
Alek lifted his arms, fingers flexing. "You afraid I'm right about you not belonging here? Or are you just too scared I'm going to hurt you?"
Arbor scratched at the side of their head, lips pressed into a flat line. They glanced at Eva like they were looking for backup, but Eva was already sitting looking to be in her own world. "Fine," Arbor muttered, stepping forward. "But if I win, you owe me a meal."
Alek raised a brow. "You think you'll win?"
Arbor shrugged. "Maybe."
Alek loosened his muscles. "You don't even have the drive to give me a confident answer," he said. "You being here is disrespectful."
Arbor looked a bit annoyed now. "You know prince, not everyone here gets to choose what they do, some of us just have to stick with what we are given. But now I'll gladly shut you up."
"No more excuses," Alek said quietly. "Show me then."
Arbor's eyes lowered slightly, rolling their eyes. Their stance shifted just a little and lifted a hand lazily and with a whirl of glowing stone a crack in space opened. A weapon gate. From inside, Arbor pulled out a black staff, its surface smooth like obsidian. The blue glow from the floating rock danced along its surface.
Alek's fingers twitched. "Impressive you can open one of those. Let's see if you can actually use it."
This was a staff given by Freya and something Arbor was not supposed to use, but Arbor thought, "If it's meant for combat why not test it out here."
Alek darted forward. His steps were quick as he drew his daggers while running. Alek's first strike cut the air where Arbor's head had been a second earlier. His second strike came low, aimed for their legs, but Arbor hopped back, feet landing lightly.
"Fast," Arbor said. "This is good, although I'm, not the best fighter, dodging is something I'm decent at." Arbor thought.
"Stop dodging," Alek snapped, "Or Is that staff just for show."
"Stop swinging, and I'll show you," Arbor shot back, ducking under a wild swipe. They took a couple of hops back. "You're faster than I thought, though."
Alek didn't answer. His next swing was sharper, more precise, the tip of the dagger cutting through the sleeve of Arbor's kimono.
Arbor glanced at the tear in their sleeve. "You owe me for that," they muttered.
Alek's strikes were smaller now, tighter. Clean cuts aimed at Arbor's arms, legs, and torso. He was testing their reactions, watching for patterns.
But Arbor didn't move predictably. Their dodges weren't clean or calculated — they were messy, almost careless. But every dodge worked seeming to rely on some animal instinct.
Alek scowled, "Dang fox. I can naturally notice weak spots and they're just a walking one. They probably don't even know they are using some race-based magic skill. They're so careless that rocks sometimes fall out of their bag." They thought.
Alek said, "I guess, I'm going to have to step it up a bit." With that alek daggers began to pulse and his body glowed. He sucked in some magic from the air, using his body as a medium like a spell circle would normally do. Then he forced that energy into the blades and unstable currents of wind magic flew around the blade's edge.
This method was a very novice way of doing magic. Spell circles and rune weapons were more effective. Alek had basically just forced Nature to use his body as a rune enhancement spell. But it worked nonetheless.
Eva sat quietly on the bleachers, "This fight is so silly. we were supposed to get a lesson on how to actually use runes today from the moon's projections, but instead, we have these two idiots fighting like kids on a playground. The only thing I'm surprised by here is the fact Alek actually is about to go all out."
Alek ran faster now, arbor was not able to keep up. Every slash grazed a different body part necking them. Until one slash was so fast it seemed like Arbor's head was about to get knocked clean off.
"Shit, shit, shit" Arbor thought as their body couldn't move in time. But as soon as the blade was inches away from their neck. The moon's aura flexed with magic energy, runes on the banners below glowed, and the blade was stopped instantly. All the magic in Aleks body and blade quickly disbursed. The moon's ability to stop lethal blows was on display.
Alek looked at pulling their blade back and powering up their body again. "So are you ready to fight me for real and stop disrespecting me?"
Arbor stood quietly and thought for a moment. "I just lost. Any other time that would have killed me, dang. But I also can't lose to this guy." Pride was one heck of a motivator.
Arbor looked up. "This might be worth my time. I guess."
With that Arbor's grip tightened on the staff. The glow on its surface pulsed brighter, and the hum grew louder, like something inside it was waking up.
The fight went on this time arbor used the rocks they had dropped around the field to form mounds tripping up Alek. While Alek would slice and dodge rocks that would get his foot stuck or hit him in the face. Then slash down on Arbor who would block not having the speed to dodge anymore. Alek was starting to enjoy the back and forth. Seeming to be a battle of equals.
"Maybe this fox isn't so bad." Alek thought.
Arbor on the other hand was having a there own realization. Holding the staff made Arbor's limbs feel as though they were flowing. They could feel the natural soul magic they leaked out from everyday tasks begin to be focused on their movement. Their sense felt heightened every seeing more ways to use their power. It felt as though this fighting thing was a high, they loved it.
Arbor dropped to a crouch, sliding under the swing that they were surprised they dodged quickly enough. They then grabbed the spiked rock from earlier and infused magic into their staff. Arbor then pressed the rock into the ground fusing it. The floor where the rock was placed went up in spikes rising towards Alek.
The spikes seemed like they were going to hit Alek in the chestplate but the moon's aura intensified. And with that, the spell stopped in its tracks.
Alek looked for a second pausing. "It seems like you do have some talent after all. But I've got one more thing I've been itching to try out. I'll say we are tied for now and I'm not going to be satisfied till we actually finish this."
A glow flickered around his wrist. The air wooshed as green cracks formed in the space beside him.
Arbor's eyes flicked to the crack. Something deep within Arbor's chest thumped. Their heart maybe? No, it was something deeper.
Their soul
Something within it beat in anticipation. Wait not within, but foreign. Detached from Arbor's own souls being. As if a bigger being had tried to force its way into Arbor's den. As soon as they felt it, the moon's aura grew and the wrong feeling disappeared.
"What was that? Why did the moon do that? Was I about to do something?", a flood of questions filled Arbor's mind.
Arbor decided to push it all to the back of their mind and focus. "This is a fight I want to win, not really to prove Alek wrong, more for myself." They thought.
A flash of green light split the air. With a smooth, practiced motion, Alek reached in and pulled something long and heavy from the gate.
The scythe hit the ground with a soft thud as he spun it with both hands, dragging it behind him like a second shadow. The glow of runes along the curved blade pulsed, like a heartbeat.
Arbor's gaze followed the glow.