Four months had passed since Talmir and Kosak's boar hunt. Life in Kolma, shaped by discipline and survival, had returned to its usual rhythm. Spring air warmed the fields, the farmers sowed, and the hunters resumed patrols.

  But that morning, something felt… off.

  Tom, one of Kolma's gate guards, leaned lazily against his spear, a half-eaten apple in one hand. He squinted down the road toward Lupos, chewing slowly.

  "Traders should've been here by now," he muttered. "Probably got drunk in the taverns again, those lazy bastards."

  The supply traders came weekly, always arriving the morning after Lupos's market day. They brought fabrics, spices, smoked meats, letters — little lifelines from the wider world. Their absence was rare, as trading was profitable and easier than slaying beasts.

  It was alarming, to say the least, when those money grubbers went missing without a word.

  By noon, Tom's confidence had soured.

  And by late midday, he sent a message to the village chief.

  Village Chief Brahm walked up the hill from the town square, his broad shoulders stiff with unease. Despite his age, Brahm still looked like a hunter — smaller in stature, but packed with a nasty punch, the kind that could drop a stone boar at sixty paces with a single swing of his battleaxe.

  "Still nothing?" he asked.

  Tom shook his head. "No message, no people, heck, not even dust."

  Brahm didn't reply. He simply turned and walked back, jaw set.

  That afternoon, he summoned six of Kolma's active hunters to the square — among them, Talmir and Ulmak, the two most seasoned hunters.

  "Thanks for coming this quickly and on such short notice," Brahm began, his voice heavy. "The traders are late. No message from them. No signs of them. This might be nothing still, as we all know they like money, booze, and women, but nobody showing up? — my gut tells me something ain't right, and 'might be nothing' isn't good enough."

  From beneath the guild hall, Brahm opened the old stone cellar, and from it, he retrieved six glimmering spatial rings — enchanted and pre-packed for emergencies with reinforced armor, cloaks, food, medical kits, flares, and survival tools.

  "These are for when things go wrong," he said. "Well... I think something's gone wrong, so everyone gear up right now." He paused, then continued after a moment of brooding.

  "Also, if it's a beast you can't handle, retreat and report the situation. We can always request reinforcements from Lupos, so don't be stupid and act like heroes."

  The hunters stepped forward.

  Ulmak accepted his ring first, with a smirk. "Was hoping I'd get to stretch my wings."

  "You're in charge, Ulmak," Brahm said. "Talmir, you're second. No arguments."

  "None needed," Talmir replied.

  "I want you covering the road to Lupos. Check all three fork points. If there's anything — tracks, blood, or worse — I want to know."

  Ulmak was an elite fire mage and hunter. He was highly experienced, being a former knight, and had the most destructive power. He was the ideal captain for this mission. Talmir also had tactical training, and his composed nature was always welcome — the perfect second.

  "Come back safely, lads. I hope my worries are unwarranted."

  "Don't worry, you old fossil, I'm gonna bring them back with all of the traders in tow, haha!" While Ulmak was boasting, Brahm only gained a sour face.

  "Ugh! Talmir, please keep him in check."

  "Yes, chief."

  The armor was moderately heavy, forged from a mix of plate, hardened leather, and woolen cloth for comfort beneath the metal.

  The head was protected by a barbute helmet with a T-shaped visor, worn over a padded arming cap. Pauldrons and a layer of chainmail guarded the shoulders and neck, while the torso was encased in a salamander-steel cuirass. The arms were fitted with vambraces and gauntlets, and the legs were shielded by greaves and sturdy boots with steel caps.

  Ulmak whistled. "Wow, Brahm, this is military grade, isn't it?"

  "It is. Can't have my boys and girl die now, can I?" he said boastfully.

  Every hunter present had a smile on their face once they heard that. Brahm was mostly stoic, and people who didn't know him thought he was emotionless — besides the occasional anger fit — but these hunters knew that wasn't true.

  "Thanks, Brahm, for looking after us," said Talmir, patting him on the shoulder.

  "Khm! No worries... a-anyway, off you go!" As red as a beet, he turned around and walked away, which earned a few laughs.

  Except for the military outfits, the hunters packed light — only the essentials they needed.

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  After checking everything, they exchanged nods and departed before sundown.

  The road wound through sparse forest and low hills. Not dangerous terrain — not like the deep forest or the mountains — but far enough that safety was never guaranteed.

  Talmir soared ahead in intervals, rising into the canopy or darting above the treetops. Ulmak kept the ground team tight, marching in a double-line formation. They put trailstones on the ground and marked their route, glowing faint blue in the dirt. This was done so that pursuers with corresponding trailstones could find them.

  Several hours in, Ulmak called for a halt.

  He crouched beside a patch of disturbed soil.

  "What is it?" Talmir asked.

  "Not wagon tracks," Ulmak murmured. "Something small, clawed, and bipedal."

  Talmir frowned. "Kobolds?"

  "Could be," Ulmak said. "But if so… they're far from their hunting grounds. Anyway, besides this strange trail, there is no sign of the traders."

  Sera chimed in, "Yes, they haven't even come this far. Either they postponed their visit and are drinking, or we'll see bodies."

  "Now, now, don't be so pessimistic, Sera. I'm sure we'll find them soon… well, hopefully. Hope dies last, they say." Although Ulmak said that, it wasn't looking good.

  They marked the site and moved on.

  Later, the sun dipped low, and still no wagon, no debris. Just marching in silence and mounting tension.

  That evening, they made camp on a flat rise beside a slow stream. A wind barrier spell was set up by Talmir to mask their scent. The fire pit was dug low. The weapons and armor were checked again.

  Talmir dropped beside the fire and looked to Ulmak. "Still think they're drunk in Lupos?"

  Ulmak exhaled dryly. "I'd rather that than what my gut's telling me."

  Darnel answered, "Well, they better be kidnapped by some monsters, because if I find them drinking, I'll be the monster!"

  Ulmak just laughed. "Calm down, man, and enjoy the nice walk."

  As the stew warmed, the fire's soft crackle loosened a few smiles.

  "Alright," Ulmak said, stretching. "We're out here with no traders and no answers. My guess? They ran off with someone from Lupos."

  Obin snorted. "Maybe the whole caravan eloped together."

  Sera rolled her eyes. "That's not funny."

  A younger hunter named Tolk leaned over to Talmir. "How do you bend the wind like that? With the arrows, I mean."

  "Practice and patience," Talmir said, sipping his tea. "First, try to spin the wind around the arrow, and when you release it, try to guide the arrow to your target. When you achieve that, ask me more."

  Darnel grinned. "Man's married to the wind, not Saldia. Only training — and I have been saying it for years."

  Laughter followed. But unease never left.

  Earlier that afternoon – back in Kolma

  Teclos sat on a stool in the herb room, book in one hand, pestle in the other. A fine mist of powdered bark drifted from the bowl as he worked. Across the room, Saldia catalogued herbs in tight, looping script.

  "What's the difference between crimsonroot and fireleaf again?" he asked.

  "Crimsonroot heals fever. Fireleaf makes it worse," she said. "Mix those up and Father Pella will give me another two-hour lecture."

  Teclos chuckled. "Got it."

  The moment felt simple and familiar. The quiet scrape of parchment, the dusty smell of dried herbs — it had become his new normal. And yet… something was different today.

  He was worried because his father left on such short notice.

  "Mom, do you think father is going to be alright?"

  "Don't worry, Teclos. He's strong and a great hunter." Though she said that, her face betrayed a frown of worry. It wasn't every day that he was called to duty so suddenly.

  "Ok, I'll go outside a bit, Mom."

  Wanting to clear his head, Teclos sat behind their home next to the trees. What better way to calm the nerves than to train and see some progress made with mana? he thought internally.

  As he started the training session, something felt different.

  The shadows around him seemed to respond more than usual, the air still and dark. Following Talmir's technique, he focused on his breathing again in a lotus position.

  All of the gathered mana went towards his heart, like before with his core. He tried to spin it faster and faster until a circle formed.

  He drew mana through his lungs, spiraled it into his chest, and a basic shape of a circle was forming. Differently from the past months, though, this time it was merging with him as it took shape. Then… a pulse.

  His chest tightened, the pressure mounted, and his mana overflowed. He opened his eyes and tried to calm the mana, as Talmir had said he could become crippled if the mana grew rampant.

  He winced — not from pain, but from intensity. His thoughts sharpened. His awareness deepened. The mana inside him clicked into place. With every beat of his heart, the mana flowed freely. Darkness around him responded even more.

  It enveloped him and the tree around him, making it into a still and windless cocoon.

  A new circle formed — quiet, cold, and powerful.

  He had never felt this alive in his previous life.

  The world didn't look different, but it felt different. The mana was easier to sense now — easier to control.

  Saldia rushed out. "Are you alright?"

  "Yeah," Teclos said softly. "I think I just formed my second circle."

  Flabbergasted and with mouth open at first, she quickly became happy. "My Teclos is a genius! Haha, can't wait to see Talmir's face when he sees it! This calls for celebration."

  Smiling, Teclos went inside, eagerly waiting for food, as the circle had quite literally exhausted and famished him.

  Later – at the Smithy

  Laughter rang across the open-air forge. The sun was still high when Gillard held out his first real sword — forged from steel, rough at the edges but unmistakably a real sword.

  "It's not perfect, but anyway, you formed your second circle already? Damn, we got a genius on our hands," he said, wiping soot from his brow.

  "It's your first sword," Ralph said. "That makes it cool, and yeah, I guess we have to step up our game."

  Teclos stepped closer. "Don't worry, guys, you'll get there. But let's talk about the sword first now. So you made this?"

  "Haha, alright, and yes, from start to finish," Gillard replied with a smile and added, "Father helped with the tempering."

  "Can I?"

  Gillard hesitated, then handed it over. Teclos tested the grip. Unbalanced — but solid. "It's cool. We should test it out," he murmured.

  Then Ralph tried to lift it next. "Okay, heavy. Definitely not for chopping apples."

  They laughed.

  Then Ralph glanced between them. "Hey — what circles are you guys at now, or are planning next?"

  "Two," Teclos said boastfully. "Heart and core. I'm planning it on head next, for a balanced approach."

  "I'm going mind right now, already got a core circle," Ralph said.

  Gillard shrugged. "Almost two. Heart and core as well. Strength and stamina — that's all I care about right now."

  Ralph smirking said, "Going for those locations tells me that blacksmithing is all you care about, haha."

  "One day," Gillard said, almost shyly, "I'll forge blades for all of us."

  They stood in silence for a moment, each lost in his own dream. Just three boys, at the age of ten now.

  Back at the Hunter Camp

  The fire had dimmed to embers. Talmir leaned against a tree, his sword at his side, watching the stars.

  "Hope the kid's doing alright," he muttered.

  "He's fine," Ulmak replied. "Probably grinding herbs and learning which one clears you out from both ends to pull a prank on you."

  Talmir chuckled. But he didn't relax.

  They all felt it — the tension beneath the soil, the silence in the trees.

  Tomorrow, they might find the answers.

  And those answers were… hopefully good news.