The sky was still dark when Elias and his team slipped out of the Academy grounds, the crisp morning air biting at their skin. The Academy's protective barrier shimmered faintly behind them, a constant reminder that they were stepping into the unknown.
Reinhardt adjusted the massive pack on his back, his hammer strapped securely to his side. "Not gonna lie, feels good to be doing something real for once."
Lira tightened the straps on her travel cloak. "Yeah, well, let's just hope we actually survive this brilliant plan."
Cecilia grinned. "Come on, Lira, where's your sense of adventure?"
Lira sighed. "Buried under layers of self-preservation."
Ivy walked a few paces ahead, scanning the tree line. "No patrols. Darian was right about the shift change."
Marco adjusted the vials strapped to his belt. "I still think this is madness."
Elias smirked. "It's calculated madness."
They moved swiftly, following a winding path that led them away from the Academy's protective reach. Solmara lay far beyond the kingdom's borders, a place swallowed by time and legend. If they were caught before reaching it, the Academy would charge them with treason.
Reinhardt let out a breath of mist. "So, how long until we get there?"
Marco checked his notes. "At least four days on foot, assuming we don't run into trouble."
Cecilia smirked. "So, we're definitely running into trouble."
The journey began in silence, the tension thick between them. Even after everything they had faced—the nobles, the duels, the rift creatures—this was something different.
They weren't just fighting for recognition anymore.
They were fighting for the truth.
The First Night in the Wilds
By nightfall, the team had set up camp in a small clearing, the flickering fire casting shadows against the trees. The air felt… off. Too still. Too quiet.
Ivy sat with her back against a tree, bow across her lap. "Something's watching us."
Reinhardt stirred the fire with a stick. "Bandits?"
Cecilia shook her head. "Bandits breathe too loud. This is something else."
Elias adjusted the settings on his gauntlet, feeling the faint hum of stored kinetic energy. "Could be animals."
Lira wasn't convinced. "Or it could be worse."
Marco reached into his satchel, pulling out a small glass vial filled with glowing blue liquid. "If something is lurking out there, we should set up a perimeter."
Elias nodded. "Cecilia, Ivy—scout the area. Marco, give me a few of those."
Cecilia and Ivy disappeared into the darkness while Marco handed Elias a handful of alchemical tripwires. He placed them around the camp's edges, ensuring that anything uninvited would trigger them.
Minutes passed. The fire crackled.
Then, a low, guttural sound echoed from the treeline.
Reinhardt stood immediately, gripping his hammer. "That wasn't an animal."
A second sound followed. This time, closer.
Cecilia and Ivy emerged from the shadows, moving quickly. Ivy's face was unreadable, but Cecilia's grin was unsettling.
"Well," she said, sliding a dagger into its sheath. "Looks like we've got company."
A pair of glowing violet eyes flickered in the darkness.
Elias's stomach dropped.
The demons had already found them.