The sun hung high in the sky, casting golden rays through the dense canopy of trees. A small spirit darted through the undergrowth, its glowing form flickering as it weaved between towering trunks and sprawling roots.
For over an hour, it had been running, its tiny body barely skimming the ground as it evaded pursuit. No matter how many times it hid, they always found it. No matter how fast it fled, they were always close behind.
Its breath came in quick, shallow gasps—if a spirit could even breathe in the first place. The panic coursing through its being was overwhelming. It had no idea why these people were after it, but it knew one thing: if they caught it, something terrible would happen.
Spotting a thick tree with hollowed-out bark, the spirit made a split-second decision. It dived inside, curling into itself as it tried to silence its erratic breathing.
The sound of footsteps crunched against the forest floor. The pursuers were near.
The spirit clenched its tiny hands together, trying to will itself into silence. Then—
A noise.
A strange, unsettling rustling, different from the sound of leaves in the wind. It was close. Too close.
The spirit didn't dare turn around. It squeezed its eyes shut and willed itself to disappear.
The air shifted. Something was approaching.
A shadow loomed over the hollow, and just as the spirit felt fingers reaching for it—
Light.
Blinding white smoke erupted from its body, filling the space between them. The figures recoiled, their vision obscured by the sudden burst of energy.
The spirit's body trembled, its instincts taking over. The smoke thickened, swirling like a storm before transforming into a brilliant glow that swallowed everything in its wake.
Teleportation.
In an instant, the world around them disappeared, replaced by the open sky and the crisp air of a mountaintop.
The figure barely had time to react before the spirit, acting on sheer desperation, shoved the nearest one off the cliff's edge.
A vast ocean stretched below. The spirit watched as the figure plummeted into the waves, swallowed by the endless blue.
Its tiny body trembled—not from exhaustion, but from shock. It had never used its powers like that before. It had never intentionally harmed someone.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
Spinning around, the spirit prepared to defend itself against the remaining enemies—only to find them lying motionless on the ground.
It hesitated, cautiously floating closer. Upon closer inspection, their bodies bore signs of battle—bruises, cuts, and the unmistakable stillness of unconsciousness.
Someone else had attacked them.
A chill ran through the spirit's core. It wasn't alone.
A sudden splash below drew its attention back to the ocean. The one it had pushed—could they still be alive? A wave of guilt struck the spirit. What if it had just killed an innocent person?
Driven by instinct, it stretched out its power, searching for a presence in the water. But strangely, it found nothing.
Panic set in. It couldn't sense them at all.
Then—
A voice behind it.
"You shouldn't let your guard down so easily."
The spirit whirled around, its glowing form flickering in surprise.
There, standing just a few feet away, was a hooded figure—the very same one it had pushed off the cliff.
But that was impossible.
The spirit's eyes widened in shock. "H-How—"
The figure reached up, lowering their hood to reveal a young woman with piercing eyes and damp, windswept hair. Despite having just fallen into the ocean, she stood firm, her expression unreadable.
The spirit gaped at her, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
"I… I'm so sorry!" it blurted out, bowing slightly in midair. "I thought—I thought you were trying to catch me! I didn't mean to—"
The woman crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly. "And if I was trying to catch you?"
The spirit flinched. "Then… I still wouldn't want to hurt you."
Silence.
Then, unexpectedly, the woman let out a small chuckle. "Well, at least you have some conscience."
The spirit hesitated before speaking again. "Who… are you?"
The young woman studied it for a moment before answering. "Aelyona."
Aelyona. The name carried a quiet strength to it.
The spirit looked down, its glow dimming slightly. It had no name. It had no home. It had no one.
Seeing its expression, Aelyona exhaled through her nose. "You don't have a name, do you?"
The spirit shook its head.
Aelyona was silent for a moment before finally saying, "Then I'll give you one."
The spirit looked up, its eyes bright with curiosity.
Aelyona glanced at the horizon, as if searching for inspiration, before turning back to the little being.
"Bacha."
The spirit blinked. "Bacha…?"
Aelyona nodded. "That'll be your name."
Bacha repeated it again, softly. The word felt foreign, yet oddly comforting.
It had never belonged anywhere. Never had an identity.
But now, for the first time, it did.
A small smile formed on Bacha's face. "Thank you, Aelyona."
Aelyona turned away, her eyes scanning the forest below. "Come on. Let's get out of here before more of them show up."
Bacha hesitated. "Where… are we going?"
"To my home," Aelyona said simply. "I'll introduce you to my master. You'll be safe there."
Safe.
The word echoed in Bacha's mind, filling it with a warmth it had never felt before.
For the first time in a long while, it wasn't running.
For the first time, it wasn't alone.
And so, together, they set off—one a wandering warrior, the other a nameless spirit, now carrying a name of its own.
A new journey had just begun.