The sun hung high in the sky, its orange-red glow piercing through the thick canopy of Grimwood. Shadows stretched and twisted along the ground as a warm breeze carried the earthy scent of moss and pine. I leaned back against a tree, every muscle in my body screaming in protest. My shoulder throbbed where the goblin's spear had pierced it, a reminder of how close I'd come to dying.
Emery sat beside me, her knees drawn to her chest, eyes flicking nervously to the group standing a short distance away. They moved with ease, as if the forest was their home, their sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. Their weapons—an enormous axe, a gleaming shield, a pair of short swords, a bow, and that glowing staff—looked well-used, and it wasn't hard to imagine why.
Bjorn was the first to step forward, his broad frame and massive two-headed axe dominating the space between us. "You're lucky, you know," he said with an easy grin. "Not many survive a goblin ambush like that. Amnesia or not, you've got fight in you. I can respect that."
"Thanks," I said, though the word felt hollow.
He crouched down, resting the axe across his knees as he studied me. "So, you don't remember anything about how you got here?"
"No," I lied. "Just our names. That's all we've got."
Bjorn tilted his head, his grin never faltering. "Convenient."
"Bjorn," Ingrid said softly, her tone reproachful. She stepped closer, her staff glowing faintly as she knelt beside me. "Don't mind him. He's just loud. How's your shoulder?"
"Better," I muttered, though the stiffness in my voice betrayed the pain.
She nodded, her delicate hands brushing over the makeshift bandages. "I'm sorry, by the way," she said, her cheeks coloring. "For the spell. It wasn't supposed to hit so close to you."
"Spell?" I asked, confused.
"She means the explosion," Astrid said, her voice sharp as she leaned against a tree, arms crossed. Her bow hung loosely at her side, though her hand never strayed far from it. "You'd be dead without her. A little gratitude wouldn't kill you."
I held up a hand. "I wasn't complaining. Just… trying to understand."
Bjorn chuckled, clapping his hands as he rose to his feet. "Trying to understand Aeloria, eh? Good luck with that. This place is full of mysteries even the gods can't explain."
"Aeloria?" Emery repeated, her voice cautious.
Bjorn's grin widened. "The world. The only world. You're standing on it."
I glanced at Emery, her expression unreadable. Bjorn's words were casual, but they carried an unshakable certainty, as if the idea of there being anything beyond this place was incomprehensible.
Ingrid offered a gentle smile. "Aeloria is alive," she said, her voice soft but sure. "Everything in it is connected by energy—two kinds, actually." She tapped the glowing runes on her staff. "Mana, which fills the air around us, and Qi, which flows within all living beings."
"Mana," Emery echoed, her eyes narrowing slightly. "That's what you use?"
Ingrid nodded. "I can pull it from the air and shape it into magic. That's how I made the explosion."
"And Qi?" I asked, glancing at Bjorn.
"That's our domain," Bjorn said proudly, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a jagged tattoo on his right forearm. It was dark and flame-like, shifting subtly as if alive. "Qi is the internal energy of warriors and monsters. It makes us faster, stronger, better. If you've got this mark, you're chosen to wield it."
Viggo stepped forward, his shield and sword gleaming as he pulled up his own sleeve to reveal the same mark. "Every warrior gets theirs at seven years old," he said, his deep voice calm and measured. "It's a sign of the gods' favor."
"And Magi get theirs on the left arm," Ingrid added, rolling up her sleeve to show a swirling pattern that glowed faintly. "It's different for us, but the principle is the same."
I glanced at my arms, bare and unmarked, and swallowed hard. "What if you don't get a mark?"
"Then you're talentless," Astrid said bluntly, her piercing gaze locking onto mine. "No Qi. No magic. Just another face in the crowd."
"Or," Sten said quietly from the shadows, his voice low and steady, "you're too young for it to happen yet."
Astrid huffed. "Doesn't make much difference if they're already fighting for their lives in Grimwood."
Bjorn raised a hand, silencing her. "Hey, don't write them off just yet. You've got time. Hell, you don't even know how old you are, right?"
Emery hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. Not exactly."
Bjorn's grin returned. "Then there you go. It could still happen. The gods don't follow a strict schedule, you know."
Ingrid placed a reassuring hand on Emery's shoulder. "The marks come when they're ready. You're not out of chances yet."
Emery's shoulders relaxed slightly, though her expression remained tense.
I stayed quiet, my mind racing. Mana. Qi. Marks. A world filled with energy, power, opportunities to become something more.
---
The sun dipped lower in the sky as the group began to pack up their things, preparing to move. I stood, my body protesting the effort, and glanced at Emery. She caught my gaze and gave a small nod, her silent way of saying she was ready.
Bjorn clapped me on the back, nearly sending me stumbling forward. "You're with us now, little one. Time to see if you've got what it takes to make it out of Grimwood alive."
I nodded, though my jaw tightened at his words.
---
As we walked, my thoughts turned inward. I looked at my arms again, bare and unmarked, and felt a hollow ache in my chest. What if I was nothing? What if I was just another face in the crowd, as Astrid said?
No. I refuse to be weak.
If there was even the slightest chance of gaining power in this world, I would take it. I didn't care what it took. Aeloria was different, and so was I. If I had to claw my way to the top, I would. For Emery. For us.
Because in this world, power wasn't just survival—it was everything.