Yue rode through the serene hills for a couple of hours. Then, for a while, she forgot about everything that had happened so far and enjoyed the surroundings, from the birds that flew over her to the animals that grazed and the trees drawn in the distance.

Finally, the hills were now distant. Everything gave way to a vast coniferous forest where several roads crisscrossed; to the south were the village of Greenkeep and the town of Lastrel on the coast. On the other side, marching eastward, were the port of Bramshield and Casinf, a logging town.

Her hours of traversing came upon a pleasant place to camp among the trees. It was the perfect spot in her sights, and after searching for the others, that place would become their refuge.

However, since she had entered the forest, something strange was in the air; her horse became frizzy and seemed to disobey her for a moment. However, it was something so short that she tried not to give it importance, so once she managed to calm it down, Yue went back the way she had come to the paths, and from there, with her friends.

At midday, Idda set out to prepare the camp meal; a person like Ronan, accustomed to traveler's meals such as dried meat, did not hesitate to bring provisions for a cook. On the other hand, the blond-haired, long-haired man continued to toss other letters addressed to various colleagues, hoping that one would respond to his whereabouts.

"Who are you sending so many letters to?" asked Fynn, sitting on a log near where Idda was cooking in a cauldron.

The man sighed, "Frankly, to whoever might answer them. I'm trying to communicate with my colleagues, but also with some contacts."

"Will, any of your colleagues, be the one to help me flee from here, Mister Ronan?" asked Idda.

"Someone will be willing to help a homeless woman. Although I warn you, Idda, I have very peculiar friends."

Yue, honing her aim, shot arrows into a tree. Then, serene, she fired one after another, forming a vertical line.

"Is it safe for us to keep sending letters?" she asked. "What if someone sees your letters and it's not them."

"Relax, this is a spell," replied the man, still looking at the writing. "If it didn't fall into the hands it was meant to fall into, it would explode into ashes."

The paper bird flew from Ronan's hand at incredible speed, emerging from the treetops and again losing itself in the sky.

The difference between a good meal and what they had tasted so far lay who had prepared it. Whether as a thank you, or natural talent, the trio of marked ones tasted a good meal after a long time.

The meal flowed amidst chatter and stories; Ronan, an avid storyteller, recounted some of his exploits along with his companions. Fynn watched Ronan in awe, listening to his every word.

"The Biabolcs town guard wanted to lock us up after doing their work, can you believe it? First, the town hired us to rescue the lost children, we killed the dream wraith that had stolen them, and now the authorities wanted to lock us up."

"Doesn't that sound usual?" exclaimed Yue.

"The townspeople, didn't they object?" asked Fynn.

"Of course they did, but there wasn't much choice either," replied Ronan.

Then, he let out a laugh.

"Imagine Rawani was totally outraged. So..." the man couldn't help his laughter. "She, as an orc with arms stronger than any of them, walked over to the sheriff, who was wearing heavy plate armor, and then lifted him out of the saddle of his horse as if he were a child. She has that look that makes you question everything you've done so far. I'd swear the sheriff pissed his pants..."

Fynn laughed, and Idda covered her face, embarrassed but also laughing.

In the middle of the narration, Yue turned again to the woods. There was that feeling again.

"Yue?" asked Fynn beside her. "What's wrong?"

The girl looked around but soon turned back to them. "Don't you feel it?"

"Feel what?" asked Ronan.

"That." The girl pointed to that sensation once more.

A strange heaviness and a slight vibration in her ears made her alert.

"Maybe you're sensing something we can't sense," Ronan pointed out. "Your pointed ears aren't just for decoration. What you're hearing must be far away."

"Are you all right?" asked Fynn to her friend, concerned.

The girl turned, soon covering herself with her cloak as she nodded to him.

"You can hear things far away, talk to animals. It must be great to be an akajsi!" exclaimed Fynn, smiling as he elbowed her friend.

Yue smiled silently and closed her eyes at this attempt to be cheered up.

"Too bad you found out the wrong way that I couldn't eat meat," Ronan joked, earning a look of hatred from the girl. That made the trickster laugh even harder. "But you're right; elves are great. Besides that, they hardly need any sleep. So that's a nice plus for me."

"And do I have something special?" asked Fynn, excited.

"You're a human, boy. Like me, like she," replied Ronan, laughing even harder at Fynn's disappointment. "But you're pretty unique around here if you think about it."

"That's true," Idda confirmed. "I've never seen anyone with your skin tone or those eyes you have."

"That's because he's a Talhari; their people inhabit a continent north of here called Feinsia."

"I've never heard of them before," Idda said. "The only foreigners I've ever met are the Yushasms."

"Well, they don't like interacting with the world. The ones I met were mercenaries. They told me stories of their people and the empire they used to have until it crumbled. Now they only keep their culture alive by isolating themselves in the mountains of Feinsia. Only mercenaries or clerics of their religious creed come out of there."

Ronan's explanations of the world were detailed, like those of a mentor sharing his knowledge with his students. However, it was all beginning to sound distant and far away to Fynn and Yue.

Fynn watched Ronan, his words seemed to come out of his mouth, but the scarred boy couldn't hear them.

A sudden subtle movement was heard in the surrounding underbrush, and the boy soon became alert. It was followed by a rustle of a branch. Fynn turned to Ronan, who was watching him strangely, and soon the boy turned his gaze once more to the foliage. His distress grew as he sensed something was there, but he could not see it.

Once again, he turned to Ronan and the others.

Ronan remained seated, his face like a corpse, with exposed bones and the absence of an eye. The boy startled, giving a yelp as he stumbled over the log he was sitting on. He quickly turned to Idda, who now had a monstrous and deformed form, where the marks of her hits were once, were now gushing blood, and the girl's jaw looked unhinged and hanging on her face.

Fynn crawled a few steps on the ground and watched the two rise from their places. They wanted to approach him, but the fearful boy only crawled even further back.

The boy was able to get up. The midday light had disappeared all over the place, and only the dim light of an almost extinct campfire illuminated him. When he turned his gaze to them, Idda and Ronan seemed to have taken a step closer to him. The boy, frightened, unsheathed his sword. His pulse was trembling, and he could barely concentrate.

What was happening?

The boy blinked and soon saw both rotting bodies even closer to him. The boy took a step back as he gritted his teeth, avoiding crying.

"Getaway!" he shook his sword menacingly.

The boy avoided blinking, avoided them coming at him. Inevitably he did, and both dying entities appeared inches from his face. The details of the hanging flesh and the dead, vacant eyes of both made him freak out again. His violent strength was unleashed, avoiding having them before him again.

Quickly, his sword blows came and went in front of him, but the more he tried to go forward, the less his feet impeded him.

Before him, the bodies of dozens of people dangled from his legs. Fynn saw them and knew who they were; the woodcutters, the bandits, the dead members of the White Flame, all rotting and full of wounds and cuts he had inflicted on them.

It was a nightmare. This was the torment Fynn had to pay for what he had done.