Telemachus got dressed quickly while the young Silas played with Barney. The mouse always seemed happy when that boy was around.

“What did she say, Silas?”

“I dont’t know, sir,” said the boy. “They sent me here as soon as Ms. Rose crossed the main square. The hunters that welcomed her in the West Gate just told me she had something to say.”

Rose Swift was a hunter long before she joined the Dispatch, a civil group hired by the military to conduct explorations and expeditions to distant or forgotten lands back in the Empire. The Old Continent was so big, and engulfed in the Ancient War for so long, that there were long stretches of abandoned land, ravaged by war, reclaimed by nature. The Dispatch went there to find anything that could be useful: fuel, technology, tools, treasures. It wasn’t a safe job, but it paid well - for those who survived each expedition.

No one was better at surviving than Rose Swift. That’s why she was selected for the journey to uncharted seas. She was on the same ship as Telemachus, but they rarely spoke during the journey. He found her intimidating, and she had her own friends anyway.

Telemachus left his cabin, followed closely by Silas. The rain wouldn’t let go. There was a distant thunder. The raindrops were thick and he was soaked soon after he left.

The settlement was quiet. Everyone was inside their houses, but he could see them peeking through the windows, trying to get a glimpse of the Main Hall. As curious and anxious as they were, they knew they had to wait until the Manager and the hunters talked for a while.

The Main Hall was dark, apart from a low fire right in the middle. Last night’s embers were still there and someone tossed new firewood over them. The familiar smell of burning wood mixed with the hushed voices is a small group on the other end of the room. There were the hunters, next to the Manager, Lucia Moon, a short-haired and strong woman in her fifties, and right in front of her, her back turned against Telemachus, Rose Swift.

She was taller than him, a little over forty, thin and strong, long brown hair tied on a ponytail. She were leather travel clothes, covered in mud, wet. At his right, Telemachus noticed now, we're a group of tough men: Rose’s Company, four or five of them, sitting on the ground, one of them bleeding, the others appearing exhausted.

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As soon as Telemachus arrived, everyone turned to him. Rose had a piercing glance. He knew ever since he met her that she was the kind of person who did not kid around. She was assertive, intimidating and admirable. He wished to trust her, but didn't know her enough, and he was slow to warm up to people.

“Telemachus”, said Rose. She was the only one in the settlement that didn't think he was one of the weird academics from Old Rovaria. No matter how many times he told them he was only interested in old books, not magi stones or the new tech. “You need to hear this”.

He approached the group. Someone brought chairs and mint tea.

“What have you found?” he asked.

“Proof”, she said, without containing an ironic smile. “I’m sorry I doubted you”.

He shivered. Everyone was focused on finding a new land to explore or escape to. A place to start anew, to chop down trees, find ore, riches, dig up for the rare and powerful magic stones maybe. A place without death. Everyone thought about the future, and who could blame them? Their present in the Empire was bleak enough, and had been like that for a long time. He, on the other hand, and some of his colleagues, hoped for the past.

The very, very distant past.

“What did you find?” he asked, pressing his hands against his thighs, trying not to show they were shaking.

“Everything,” she replied. “Paths. Ruins. Writings covering the walls. Idols. We're talking ancient stuff, Telemachus. The roots of the trees rent the statues. Nature reclaimed it a long time ago.”

“What happened?” he asked, looking at the scruffy group of men tending to their wounds, leaning against the wall.

“We woke something up” she said. “While camping in one of the ruins, one of my guys found a panel with something glowing.”

“A magi stone?” he gasped.

“Must be,” she shrugged. “The moron touched it and next thing we know, something opens up in the deep. We heard steps of something big coming at us fast, some kind of beast. We got up and took our swords and bows, but as soon as the thing got closer, it was a lost fight. It looked like a wolf, but the size of an elephant. Dark fur,kind of dizzy, as if it was made of shadow. Glowing eyes. Broken shackles around its body. It was mad and angry, so we ran. Lost two men, only heard their screams. After we left the ruins and climbed the stone steps near a waterfall, it stopped chasing us and turned around. We hurried back here.”

The room fell silent. They could only hear the fire crackling.

Lucia, the Manager, who had been quiet so far, finished her mug of tea and handed it to Silas.

“What does it mean?” she asked.

Telemachus looked at her.

“It means we're not alone. It means there were people living here a long time ago, but something happened to them. Who knows how big the land is, how far the Forest stretches. The only way to know for sure is to investigate further.”

Rose and Telemachus shared a look. They both knew what that meant.

They would have to return to the ruins, and, this time, Telemachus had to go with them.