Ermis, Nik, Silas, and the young lady arrive at a small and quiet village named Boarreos. When they got there, night had already fallen. This village looks lovely because of the yellow lamplights on the roads. The young lady is so happy to return home that she dashes to her house. Her parents are anxiously waiting for their daughter already. Nik, Silas, and Ermis trail behind her.

[Young Lady] “Mom! Dad!”

Her mom is running to her and hugging her tight.

[Mom] “Tasia!! My lovely daughter.”

[Dad] “What happened, Tasia? We were so worried about you.”

[Tasia] “I got lost in the Silent Forest after following a rabbit. Then I met them, who saved me and brought me here.”

[Ermis] “Good evening, Madam, Sir! We are travelers. We intend to stay in this village tonight as we are unable to continue our journey because it is already dark.”

Tasia’s parents feel so grateful to Ermis and his team. The forest is very dangerous for people, and most wild animals will attack humans. Tasia’s dad is the chief of Boarreos and owns an inn there. They ask Ermis, Nik, and Silas to have a rest tonight at their inn.

On the next day, when Ermis, Nik, and Silas prepare themselves to continue the journey, Tasia’s parents come to them and give them a bag of supplies for the road to Xuthos.

[Dad] “Good morning, this is for you. It's not much, but please take it. I am so grateful that you saved my daughter”

[Ermis] “Thank you, Sir!”

daughter.

Ermis, Nik, and Silas are leaving this village and continuing their journey. Before arriving in Xuthos, there is one more forest to go through. Nik is in second place, behind Ermis. Silas is the slowest of them all, so he is trailing quite a distance. It is already afternoon, and in the middle of the forest, they feel hungry. While walking, they eat the food given by Tasia's father. Shortly afterward, Silas sensed something off about him. He was suddenly incredibly sleepy and dizzy. All of them fall asleep slowly.

The sky started to look dark when Ermis woke up. Then he woke Silas and Nik up.

[Ermis] “Sigh!. I think we were tricked by Boarreos's chief. The food is poisonous! And now, look! Our money and supplies are gone.”

Ermis’ face turned red as he checked their bag over and over again.

In this situation, they are unable to continue the journey, it’s too dangerous to pass the forest at night. Then they prepare a bonfire to spend the night in this forest.

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Nik is gathering twigs for a bonfire, while Silas prepares the tent and Ermis searches the area around them for food. Shortly afterward, Nik and Ermis came back. Then they started the bonfire and cooked some meat and plants from this forest.

[Ermis] “This is for you, Nik! and here for you, Silas. You must be so tired today.”

[Nik] “Thank you, Capt!”

[Silas] "Thanks, capt! I almost starved to death.”

Silas made the situation lighter.

After Silas finished eating, he asked permission to leave them first and have a rest inside the tent.

Shortly afterwards, Ermis also heads to the tent since he needs to sleep after his restless night's sleep yesterday. Meanwhile, Nik is still outdoors, warming himself in front of the bonfire. Ermis's nightmare about the war is still bothering him, so he can't sleep peacefully. He keeps thinking about it, and when he goes outside, he finds Nik is still there.

[Ermis] “Hey Nik, why don't you have a rest?”

Ermis is tapping Nik’s shoulder.

[Nik] “I'll take a rest soon, Capt. Why do you wake up quickly, Capt? You can rest a bit longer.”

[Ermis] “I was thinking about a dream that I had recently. There’s… a... um, nevermind.”

[Nik] “What kind of dream, Capt.? You can tell it to me, as long as it makes you feel relief.”

[Ermis] “Several days ago, I had a bad dream. There’s a big war, it's so terrible. But I can’t remember any details about it. I wish… I could remember it. It keeps bothering me.”

[Nik] “Captain, it's just a dream. There's no reason to worry.”

[Ermis] “Yes, you’re right, Nik! I should focus on this mission. I'm also thinking of our king. It must be hard for him. I can’t imagine if I were him. What are your thoughts on our king, by the way? Lately, there has been a rumor spreading about him. It said that he is allegedly crafty and avaricious. He levied a huge tax on the citizens as well.

[Nik] “Um, I don’t know about that rumor. King has treated us well thus far.”

[Ermis] “I think it is untrustworthy, right? I see our king is a kind person. Remember back five years ago? When the king ascended the throne to replace his father, the people adored him very much. Many people's trade businesses were aided in growing, the king even held Roxandros's open house at the castle.”

[Nik] “Yes, I remember it. That was the very first-time open house in Roxandros.”

[Ermis] “And also, the king had saved me..”

Nik, who was warming his hand to the bonfire, quickly lowered his hand and turned his full attention to Ermis's story.

[Ermis] “The king saved me when I was a baby. My parents were killed by robbers in the middle of the forest near Roxandros. The king was passing through the forest and found me crying in the cart, besides the two corpses that were full of blood. I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't saved me, maybe I would have been eaten by animals or starved to death.”

[Nik] “I'm sorry to hear that. But look at you now. You are growing well and have become a captain.”

[Ermis] "Thanks, Nik. It means a lot. Then let's set the bad rumors aside first. I hope the queen can be cured.”

[Nik] “Yes, Capt. I hope so.”

Nik requests to leave Ermis and go to sleep after that chat. Ermis sits in front of the tent, is alert, and stays awake.

The next day, Silas wakes up very refreshed.

[Silas] “Good morning. Why do we camp here? I don't even remember when we set up a tent here.”

[Nik] “You lost your consciousness after you smelled a poisonous plant and almost hurt Captain.”

Silas apologizes to Ermis and Nik. Then the three of them ate breakfast, and after that, they packed up the tent and immediately continued their journey. They were very excited this morning because they would soon arrive at Xuthos.