Fenris remained unconscious for a few minutes. When he woke up, he found himself lying on the damp grass, his clothes completely soaked. The last thing he remembered was falling into the water. He looked up but couldn't tell how many meters he had fallen from the cliff. Beside him, the wagon driver was venting his frustration, kicking the lifeless body of the Virdrak. Fenris deduced that the man had pulled him out of the water.
"Stupid Virdrak! Why, out of everyone, did you have to grab me?"
The young man continued kicking the creature until he finally tired himself out.
"Great, now I'll have to pay for the wagon," he muttered. Fenris approached him.
"Are you alright now? I didn't think you'd wake up so quickly," said the young man.
"Thank you for saving me earlier," Fenris said with a smile.
"I can't let my passengers get into accidents while I'm driving them. It'd come out of my paycheck. Though right now, I'd rather not see my boss again," the driver replied. Fenris looked around. They were in a part of the forest illuminated by the glow of fireflies floating in the air.
"Where are we?" Fenris asked, still disoriented. The young man began walking away, ignoring the question. Fenris followed him, which only annoyed the driver.
"Hey, stop following me."
"But I don't even know where I am," Fenris replied.
"And how is that my problem? I've got enough to deal with without babysitting a little kid."
"I'm not a little kid!" Fenris protested.
"Oh, really? How old are you, then?"
Fenris hesitated. While he could remember his name, he had no idea how old he was. Judging by his appearance, he looked about twelve years old.
"Uh…," Fenris murmured. The young man, thinking he was being mocked, quickened his pace and headed deeper into the forest. Fenris ran after him and clung to his leg.
"Don't leave me alone, please!" he pleaded through tears.
"I told you to leave me alone," the young man grumbled, trying to shake him off, but Fenris clung to his leg tightly.
"Please!"
Seeing that he couldn't get rid of him, the young man sighed in resignation.
"Fine, you can come with me." Hearing this, Fenris stopped crying and broke into a wide smile.
"Yay!"
"But let's get one thing straight. As soon as we reach the nearest town, we're going our separate ways. Got it?" Fenris nodded enthusiastically, though the young man wasn't entirely convinced he understood. Together, they began walking through the forest, trying to figure out where they were.
"By the way, what's your name? I'm Fenris," the boy said, grinning from ear to ear. The young man remained silent, continuing to walk. Irritated by the lack of response, Fenris insisted, "Hey, I just asked for your name."
"You're so annoying. I'm not—"
The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted the young man. He immediately drew his sword, pointing it toward the trees. The sound of footsteps grew louder, accompanied by the distinct clinking of chains being dragged.
From the bushes emerged a young girl who, unable to stop herself, collided with him and fell to the ground. Her black hair contrasted sharply with her bright blue eyes. What caught Fenris's attention the most were the chains around her ankles. She wore a single, tattered piece of cloth that reached her feet. Seeing them, the girl clutched the young man's shirt desperately.
"Please, you have to help us," she begged. Suddenly, an imposing man appeared on the scene, accompanied by several guards. His chestnut-colored hair and thin mustache accentuated his authoritative gaze. At the sight of him, the girl turned pale as if she had seen a ghost, clutching the young man's shirt even tighter.
"Finally, I've found you. I must admit, using the rock to break the chains was clever. But this is where your little escape ends."
The man gestured, and the guards approached the girl, pulling her away from the driver's shirt and fastening a metal collar around her neck. They dragged her back roughly. Then the man turned to Fenris and the young driver.
"And who are you two? This is private property, you know," he said. The driver, nervous, stepped forward.
"We're very sorry. We fell down a ravine after being attacked by a Virdrak and ended up here. We had no idea this was private property."
"Is that so? Well, I'll let it slide this time. But I want you gone as soon as possible. If I see you here again, I won't be so lenient."
"Thank you very much," the young man said, bowing. He quickly grabbed Fenris's hand and led him away. As they walked off, Fenris couldn't take his eyes off the girl being dragged by the guards, noting the desperation in her eyes. The image of the girl stayed etched in Fenris's mind as they ventured deeper into the forest.
"Hey, that girl…" Fenris began.
"She's a slave," the young man answered, a note of sorrow in his voice. "Slaves are people sold to others for physical labor or simply for the pleasure of torturing them. That man we saw must be a powerful noble. She's probably just another addition to his collection."
"And you're not going to do anything?" Fenris asked, surprising the young man, who looked at him incredulously.
"What do you expect me to do?"
"That girl was asking for help, and it's obvious she's suffering. Shouldn't we help her?" Fenris pressed.
"That slave is beyond saving. Besides, we can't attack a noble. We'd only get ourselves into trouble," the young man replied, clenching his fists.
"So you're just going to let her keep suffering, even though she begged you for help?"
"Sometimes, you have to think about yourself," the young man snapped. "Life isn't a fairy tale. Even if you do the right thing, you'll always end up worse off."
"That's wrong."
"If you're so determined to help her, do it yourself. But leave me out of it," the young man retorted, turning away angrily.
"Fine, I will!" Fenris shouted before running back in the direction they had come. Though the driver tried to remain indifferent, he couldn't help but clench his fists tighter, questioning whether he had made the right choice.