Icariel's heart raced as he stood with Finn beside Galien. The unease that had crept over him since they arrived at the scene now gnawed at him even more. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong on top of Galien saying he only leaved two marks not three made him overthink even more.
"You didn't leave three X marks, but two?" Icariel asked, his voice steady but his mind swirling with questions.
Galien nodded, his expression hardening. "That's right. Two marks."
"But Father," Finn interrupted, "we saw three marks on the tree when we came this way. We only went left because Icariel had one of his hunches again."
Galien frowned, deep in thought. His gaze shifted to the lifeless crimson bear lying a few feet away. It was unlike anything they had ever seen—massive, with dark, soulless eyes, and its crimson fur gleaming unnaturally even in death. Its body was scarred, with one of its massive arms still bleeding from the battle. But something else had troubled Galien, something far more disturbing.
"This bear... it's different. Bigger, stronger. And the mana... too much mana for a beast. Far too much." He didn't speak these thoughts aloud, not wanting to worry the boys, especially Icariel, who was far more skittish than most. But this wasn't something that could be ignored.
More troubling, someone—or something—had changed his marks.
"Boys," Galien suddenly said, his voice firm, "stand guard for me. I need to check something."
They nodded, Finn moving to cover his father's back with his bow drawn, and Icariel keeping his eyes on the forest ahead, axe in hand. Icariel's thoughts churned, unease building with every passing second. "Why would someone change Galien's marks? What's going on?"
Galien sat down on the ground, crossing his legs in a meditative posture. His eyes closed, and for a moment, he seemed to disappear into his own mind.
Skill activated: Third Eye.
An orange aura surrounded Galien like a flickering flame, and Icariel's eyes widened in awe. Even though Icariel himself had an average amount of mana—like most humans—he was uniquely proficient in sensing its flow. He could see mana in ways others couldn't, a skill he had honed even with his limited reserves. While an average human who trained with mana could sense it vaguely in living beings or in the air, Icariel could see the flow of mana itself. He could almost feel it move, like the currents of a river.
"Mana," Icariel thought. "The invisible energy that flows through the air and at every living being and the world around us. Some are born with incredible amounts—mages, superhumans—while most, like me and the villagers, only possess a tiny portion, barely enough to sense the mana in others."
But Galien was different. As a superhuman, he had awakened at the age of fourteen, his mana growing far beyond what a normal human could possess, granting him incredible abilities. Now, as Icariel watched, he could see Galien gathering that mana, channeling it into his eyes. The aura expanded, reaching out like unseen tendrils into the surrounding forest.
"He's using his skill to detect anything out of place within a certain range," Icariel thought, his mind racing. "But what range can he see? Why activate it now? Unless…"
Icariel's dark eyes narrowed as his gaze flickered back to the bear's lifeless body.
"Wait... If he activated his skill at this distance, then he's searching for something... and not just another human." His pulse quickened. "He can't sense the villagers from this far—they don't have enough mana to stand out. Which means..." His stomach twisted. "He's looking for another one of those beasts."
Then it hit him. "I get it now that's why the voice in my head told us to turn left." He had wondered why it led him straight to Galien's fight with the crimson bear—it never acted as a guide, only offering advice and ensuring his safety. "Damn itthe reason it brought me here instead of there..."
As realization struck, Galien's eyes snapped open. At the same moment, both Icariel and Galien spoke in unison:
"Shit."
Galien surged to his feet, his orange energy dissipating. His expression shifted from calm to razor-sharp tension. "I sense other concentrations of mana. Strong ones. And they're coming from the direction you just came from."
Icariel's blood ran cold.
"I think there are more bears over there. Which means the adult hunters, and any children who went with them like you guys, are in danger. They've likely gone in the wrong direction because the marks were tampered with." His voice grew darker. "We'll have to come back to collect the bear later. Right now, we need to hurry."
Finn nodded quickly, and Icariel, gripping his axe tighter, did the same.
Icariel's thoughts raced as they began to move. "I knew it—there are more beast. That's why the voice told me to come to Galien instead of going there."
His chest tightened. "If there are more of those bears... the others don't stand a chance without Galien." Most village hunts would fail miserably without him—and worse, with a beast like this, people could die.
"Catch up with me later," Galien said abruptly. "I'm speeding up."
With that, he shot forward, his speed blurring as he dashed ahead, leaving the boys in his wake.
Finn turned to Icariel, determination in his eyes. "Can we push ourselves a bit and try to run faster?"
Before Icariel could respond, the voice in his mind spoke again. "At this pace, you're fine. Don't raise it."
"Tch," Icariel spoke emotionless. "My heart could stop from all this blood pumping, you know that?"
Finn made an angry face, huffing as he picked up the pace. "Fine! Catch up whenever you can. It's not like you'll make a difference if you're there or not," Finn teased, his voice light despite the situation as he sped up, becoming a blur ahead.
Icariel watched him vanish through the trees and sighed, continuing at his own pace, the axe weighing heavier in his hands.
"I hope nothing happens to Galien…" he muttered under his breath, a sliver of fear creeping into his heart.
After a while, Icariel passed the marked tree with the three Xs. As he ran past, his thoughts began to race. "We don't have any nearby villages in these mountains. Only the people from Mjull know what these marks mean. So if someone changed them..." Icariel's brow furrowed. He was sure now—someone had altered the direction marks on purpose. But why?
As he passed the tree, he turned in the right direction and shot forward, following the path straight ahead.
"If Galien said he only left two marks, I believe him. I've never doubted him. But why would one of us change them?" Icariel pushed himself faster, the unsettling thought gnawing at him. "It's intentional, but who would do it?"
"And why?
Soon, he reached the area where the others should have been. As he came closer, he narrowed his gaze and saw Finn, standing a distance away, facing his direction. Finn was running toward him, muttering something, but the distance made it impossible to hear.
Then, the voice in Icariel's head interrupted his thoughts sharply.
Jump to your right—NOW.
Icariel didn't hesitate. He threw himself to the right just as an invisible energy slash, dark red in color, swept horizontally through the spot where he had been standing only seconds before. The slash sliced through trees like they were made of paper, leaving them aflame.
Terror surged through Icariel. His heart pounded in his chest as he glanced back at the trees—now burning—before turning his gaze to Finn.
"Finn! Are you okay?" he called out, his voice shaky.
Finn stood in the distance, but something wasn't right. Icariel barely had time to feel a sense of relief before the nightmare unfolded.
"Thank god, Finn —"
His words were cut short as blood splattered from Finn's mouth. The next moment, his body was cleaved in half, his upper torso falling to the ground in a grotesque, lifeless heap.
Icariel's breath caught in his throat, paralyzed by the sight of what just happened to his friend before him.
[End of chapter 2]