I sat near the entrance of the forest, my bag half-full, but my body feeling like it was ready to collapse. That damn black boar had beaten the crap out of me. The fight had drained me more than I cared to admit. I exhaled slowly, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on me. My body ached in places I didn't even know could ache.
I sat cross-legged on the dirt, trying to calm my breathing. After I'd finally taken down the boar, I made a decision that surprised even me—I let it go. It was strong, relentless, and had put up one hell of a fight. The way it charged and fought was almost like it was training me, teaching me things I couldn't have learned any other way. So, I spared it. I even gave it a new name in my head: Piggy.
I clenched and unclenched my fist, the tightness in my chest not from the boar's blows, but from my inability to fully control my hashi flow. Hashi flow—the ability to control the energy within my body. With my immense reserves of hashi, it's a constant struggle to keep it in check. When I need a boost, I force more of it out, enhancing my physical abilities for a brief moment. But it's always a gamble, and the more I do it, the more I risk injuring myself.
I knew I was bruised all over, but luckily no internal injuries. I could still move, albeit slowly. Looking up at the sky, I noticed how late it was. Taka still wasn't back. Was he lost?
I heard rustling from the forest entrance and looked up to see Taka stumbling out. His golden blonde hair was a tangled mess, and his face looked like he'd gone through a storm. He dragged his torn-up bag behind him, panting heavily. Without a word, he collapsed next to me, clearly too exhausted to move any further.
"Hey, you good, Taka?" I asked, trying to mask my concern.
"Yeah…luckily," he mumbled, his voice strained. He didn't even attempt to sit up.
It wasn't long before I realized he was too hurt to stand. His body was covered in bruises, and his breath came in short, ragged bursts. I had to carry him back to the base, supporting him as best as I could.
When we arrived, Truth and Blade were waiting for us. Truth was sitting casually, his usual smile, but I could tell there was a hint of surprise in his eyes when he saw us. Blade, a woman with pale blonde hair and piercing blue feline eyes, stood behind him like some sort of silent sentinel. They were dressed in casual clothes, so it seemed like they were done with their work for the day.
Despite our knight uniforms, which helped prevent any serious damage, we were still battered from the constant hashi drain. We'd taken a beating, but it wasn't fatal—at least not this time.
Truth broke the silence first. His tone was calm but edged with something like disbelief. "The mission was to find Dusk flowers? And you two went into the Emerald Forest…without weapons?" His eyes narrowed as he glanced at us. "Then you went up against Beasts that are Tier 4?"
Taka and I nodded in unison, too exhausted to explain further.
"Yesterday, when Marko mentioned you guys were going to do something even crazier than usual, I didn't believe him," Truth continued, his voice a mix of exasperation and disbelief. "But now? You really are idiots." He sighed heavily. "Heading into the Emerald Forest without weapons is a death wish, you know that, right? Who gave you that mission, anyway?"
I couldn't help but wince. His words hit a little too close to home. I shrugged, trying to sound casual. "I don't know, we found it posted on the mission board, so we just went for it."
Truth fell quiet, his expression thoughtful as he muttered under his breath. "Couldn't have been Team 3 or 4… but still, what kind of idiot takes on a mission without weapons?"
He shook his head, clearly frustrated. "We'll talk to the Captain about this. For now, though, you two aren't to set foot in the Emerald Forest again unless you are ordered to, understood?" Truth's tone softened just slightly as he gave us a small smile, but it didn't take away the seriousness of his words. "And as Division Knights, you are always to keep your weapons on you when on duty. No exceptions."
I was still trying to wrap my head around everything. The whole situation felt… off. But Yushiro, ever the sensible one, seemed to understand what was going on. He gave Truth a nod of agreement.
"We'll take over your missions from here," Blade said, her voice calm but firm, her eyes scanning us both as if to make sure we were hearing her clearly.
I felt a flicker of confusion, but at this point, I was too tired to argue. We had messed up, and now it seemed like we were being babysat. Great.