I turned toward the voice—a soft, yet commanding girl's voice. A human? I narrowed my eyes, sharpening my focus. A few meters away stood a girl, slightly smaller than me. Her long, flowing blonde hair shimmered in the dim light, and her striking blue eyes held a sharp intensity. But what stood out the most were her pointed ears—an elf.
She was clad in an elegant black outfit, adorned with intricate silver embroidery. A high collar framed her delicate yet determined face, and in her hands, she held a sleek black sword. Its razor-sharp tip was pointed directly at me, unwavering.
Her stance was firm, exuding strength. Yet, beneath her skeptical gaze, there was something else—caution, maybe even suspicion.
"I can sense Ashes in your blood," she said in a cold, threatening tone. "Tell me, are you a hunter?"
Hunter? What was that supposed to mean? How could I know, when I didn't even know who I was? My head throbbed, the weight of confusion pressing down on me.
"My name is Rhys… I think," I murmured, my voice heavy with exhaustion.
"Rhys?" she repeated, as if tasting the name on her tongue. "What a strange name. Where are you from?"
I hesitated, frustration bubbling inside me. "I… I don't know. I've lost my memories. The only thing I remember is my name."
Her expression shifted, her doubt evident. My words must have sounded weak, unconvincing.
"Please, you have to believe me!" I pleaded.
Her eyes studied me for a long moment before she finally spoke. "You're telling the truth… I can sense it."
With a quiet sigh, she lowered her sword, but her guard remained up.
"Still, I have no choice but to take you hostage," she declared firmly. "Humans are forbidden from entering Ashveil Forest. This is elven territory."
Ashveil Forest… The name stirred something deep within me, a faint echo of familiarity.
"I didn't know… I just woke up here and—"
Before I could finish, an unnatural presence filled the air, sending a shiver down my spine. A low, guttural growl rumbled through the forest.
From the shadows, a nightmarish entity emerged—a monstrous creature woven from swirling black smoke. It moved on four powerful legs, each ending in razor-sharp claws. Wisps of darkness bled from its form, shifting unnaturally, and its head bore two burning red eyes—predatory, menacing, hungry.
It loomed over us, nearly two meters tall. My body tensed, freezing in place. A paralyzing fear gripped me, but adrenaline surged through my veins, momentarily pushing away the exhaustion.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the beast lunged.
It moved like a blur, a massive claw slicing through the air, aimed directly at the elf.
But she was faster.
With inhuman agility, she twisted her body, dodging the strike by mere inches. In the same breath, she countered, her black sword cutting clean through the monster's outstretched arm. A thick, tar-like substance dripped from the wound—black, bubbling like molten ink.
The creature staggered back, its limb trying to mend itself. But it was too late.
The elf's blade pulsed with energy, a deep blue glow wrapping around its edges like living fire. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and unleashed a single, swift strike.
A perfect beheading.
The monster's head separated from its body in an instant, vanishing into mist before it could even hit the ground. The creature collapsed, its form dissolving into the darkness from which it came.
Silence followed.
My breath was ragged, my body still trembling from the encounter. The elf barely looked fazed, lowering her sword with practiced ease.
Who was she? And more importantly… what in the world had just attacked us?
She sheathed her sword and turned to face me, her eyes locking with mine. She could sense the fear in me. Before I could ask what had happened, she grabbed my hand and pulled me along with her. We ran in the opposite direction from where the monster had appeared. We kept running without a word, until we had covered several hundred meters. Finally, we stopped, both of us gasping for air.
Then, I heard it again—the melodic voice, as though it had come from the wind: "They will find you… Echo."
"D-did you hear that?" I coughed, my voice shaky.
"What?" She stared at me, her own breath ragged. She seemed just as exhausted.
So, I wasn't the only one who was completely drained. But was I the only one who heard that voice?
"That voice?" I asked hesitantly.
"What voice?" she replied, confusion in her gaze.
"Never mind," she said after a beat, shaking her head. "We need to reach the mountains before the sun sets. The hunters will kill us if we don't…" Her expression turned serious. "You're not in good shape, are you?"
She noticed. My body was shaking, and I felt like I was about to collapse from exhaustion. My stomach growled painfully, reminding me that I was starving. Losing my memories seemed like the least of my problems right now.
"I'll be fine. Do you have any water?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
"Yes, wait…" She reached down to her black belt and pulled out a water bottle, handing it to me. I drank a few desperate sips, then handed it back to her.
"May I know your name?" I asked, my voice still weak.
"Of course," she answered, her tone softening. "My name is Celestia Dawnveil, but just call me Celestia."
Dawnveil… The name sounded strangely familiar, but I couldn't place where I had heard it. Everything else about my past was just as hazy.
"What was that monster that attacked us?" I asked, still trying to make sense of it all.
"You don't know what that was?" She looked at me in surprise before answering, "Those are called 'Hunters.' They hunt humans, elves, dwarves, vampires—basically anything that's alive."
Dwarves, vampires? Information flooded my mind like a river, but it felt like none of it belonged to me. I wasn't gaining new memories, just fragments of things that didn't make sense.
"Hunters, or 'Lost Souls,' appear when someone dies but isn't ready to accept it."
Lost souls...
Suddenly, everything felt like too much. The words, the flashing images, the broken memories—they all merged together, overwhelming me.
I collapsed.
ECHO: Shards. Pieces. Putting together.
'Celestia:'
"Hey, Rhys, don't—!"
Too late. His body had already given up.
I cursed under my breath as I watched him collapse into the snow. His pale grey-white hair shimmered under the setting sun, a stark contrast to the crimson-streaked sky. He lay there, motionless, his breathing shallow, his expression caught between exhaustion and something else—something deeper, fractured.
What a strange boy. To lose all his memories and wake up in the middle of the most dangerous forest in all of Sentria… it was absurd. Impossible, even. But he wasn't lying—I was sure of it. If he had, my blessing would have reacted. No, he spoke the truth, even if he himself didn't fully understand it.
I sighed and knelt beside him, brushing a few strands of snow-dusted hair from his face. His skin was cold, his body weak. I couldn't just leave him here. If I did, I would probably feel guilty. He wasn't a hunter and no threat at all.
With some effort, I lifted him into my arms. His weight wasn't much, but it would slow me down. The mountains were nearly ten kilometers away. Carrying an unconscious human that distance… it was a burden I hadn't planned for.
Rhys… A strange name. Who was he? Why was he here?
This was supposed to be a simple scouting mission. Track movement, observe, report back. That was all. I hate those higher ups. Finding a boy out here, abandoned in the heart of the Ashveil Forest, was something no one could have predicted.
I let out a weary sigh, my breath forming a mist in the cold air.
Looks like we're both unlucky.