Rana entered the forest. The trees were weighted with the morning drizzle and the dirt below was a slog to trudge through. It was not a pleasant terrain to traverse, but it was the perfect one to utilize when entering the forest to uncover the secrets within. The mud made it difficult for Rana to steady herself so she had to make sure to watch the ground clearly before taking a step. She was lightly equipped and had a mark, and no doubt the heavily equipped soldiers in cumbersome armor without a mark would be much more troubled. The aftermath of rain would no doubt slow down the enemy patrol.

Ever since the introduction of their new marked one captain, the patrol routes of the enemy became tighter and much more difficult to navigate. With this captain’s command, previous weaknesses were bolstered and gaps were closed. Their pattern also varied, as if to not allow any hostile parties to decode the routes they planned. It was clear that whoever was in charge of the scheme within the forest, they did not want anyone coming near.

However, there existed no such thing as a man-made scheme without any holes. There was no such thing such as perfection. As long as the human mind was involved, there would be flaws that it would not be able to catch. To begin with, there was a system in place for their patrol path. The pattern might vary when compared within itself, but in the larger scheme of its whole, there would be a pattern. No matter how much the captains wanted, there was no way that they would be able to train their soldiers to a point where every one of them was self-sufficient and could independently carry out decisions that still maintained the integrity of their perimeter.

Not to mention that, primarily, the thing guarded within the forest and the forest itself still needed to stay hidden. The forest guards had limited resources, and without unlimited manpower, there existed the decision of delegation. There would be areas that had enough resources, and also areas where there was a lacking.

It took Rana two days, but she had finally discerned the new pattern employed by the forces in the forest. It then took another three days for her to wait for this weather.

During the time she was not investigating the forest, she settled into a routine. She would always make her way to the farmhouse to get her bowl of food. She was never too early and never too late. She would then head towards an isolated location and pondered. Those were the times that unsettled her the most. Letting her mind wander was the most tiring thing for her. She wanted to focus on the task at hand, but there was only so much she could analyze without heading into the forest.

When her mind wandering, she would think of many things. Rana wondered why Mara did what she had done. Unlike her, her sister was devoted to the duty of protecting humanity. She saw it as a calling, something to take pride in. She cared for the people she swore to protect and upheld her conviction even in the most gruesome and desperate battles. What hurt the most was that Mara loved her younger sister. They were born only a few minutes apart, but Mara always acted like the elder sister. Yet now, Rana questioned their familial bond of blood. Was it all a ruse? When Mara plunged her blade into Rana, she wondered what both of them were thinking of the time.

Rana then wondered about Alpheia. She was a fiend, a sworn enemy of humanity, but nonetheless Rana could not come to hate her. The moon-kin was honest and cared only for her mission, even if that mission was to annihilate humanity. She would dare say Alpheia was much more pleasant to deal with than the corruptible and wicked hearts of man. Were they enemies? Rana didn’t know. She only knew that she did not stand on the side of humanity in the war. Her side was with the truth and her mission. Still, she wondered what the moon-kin was up to. No doubt, Alpheia returned to the frontlines to slaughter her foes. Rana had believed they would meet again, but under what circumstances, she didn’t know.

The break from her usual mulling came with the form of a young child. The boy would always show up out of the corner. He still looked famished every time he came, but there was no doubt there was color in his eyes and cheek. She would always greet him with a faint smile, and the boy would grab the bowl of food and ate it in silence. The boy was at the start still guarded, treating her as someone with an ulterior motive. Then, he treated her as someone whose kindness he could exploit. Finally, in the past two days, he was happily smiling. It was better if the boy maintained his suspicion. She did not smile or share food out of the kindness of her heart. Rana simply wanted a break from reality, It was a dangerous notion, but it seemed like the truth took more toll on her than she expected.

The boy ate in silence most of the time, but there were instances when he talked. She would always listen and offer no comment, but there were times when it seemed like the boy was looking for a response. His name was Edward and lived his father. His mother died as a hunter when she defended their refugee group from monsters. When they arrived at this village, they were considered outsiders and his father was not strong enough to defend his child. Eventually, he passed away, leaving Edward alone. It was not an unfamiliar story, but she still listened. The child was one of many who suffered the same fate, a fate with death as its destination. The only difference was that Edward was near Rana when he was attacked, and it was only luck she had the ability to give away her food.

The weak could not survive without becoming stronger. Luck could only carry them so far. When Rana decided to leave, what would become of Edward? It was unfortunately not her problem. She gave the boy a fighting chance. It was now up to him to make use of it.

Rana heaved a sigh. It was time. The group she was waiting for was approaching their patrol route. She stepped forward, deliberately showing herself to the soldiers. They were still far away, but they would soon arrive. Then, they did. The soldiers were clad in dark leather. They did not rush, they did not even attempt to call out to her. They simply stalked towards the unfortunate soul that entered their hunting ground. These soldiers were not ordered to take prisoners or question who was before them. Their only orders were to kill.

Rana then bolted away. The soldiers gave chase. She stumbled and tumbled as knives and arrows shot towards trees and dirt. There was a flash of metal and a soldier appeared to her side. The blade swiped down and cut her cheek. She slipped to the ground and quickly rolled away before a spear stabbed at where she was. The soldiers were relentless, they gave chase and would not give up. They would not stop until their prey was killed. It was an admirable trait for a guard dog, but it was also a trait easily exploited.

The soldiers did not realize that they were being led somewhere, that despite their seemingly overwhelming advantage in numbers and combat prowess, none of their attacks stuck and their prey was still alive. It was simple. Rana did not fight back because she was waiting until she could make a move towards her first target. Something was off and they should’ve noticed. However, they didn’t. Then, the waiting was over.

Rana slammed her fist to an approaching soldier and shattered his skull. How fragile. What hope would a soldier without a mark do against a marked one? What gave them confidence? The remaining soldiers stopped, the sight of their comrade dying in only an instant to a prey who was cowering and escaping was a shock. With that moment of stupor, she rushed towards to someone who was hiding.

“Found you,” Rana said as she appeared in front of a man with widened eyes. Before he was able to scream for help, she slammed her fist into his face and fired off two Mana Blasts.