Z gritted his teeth, reluctantly pulling the door open again. The older man chuckled, pleased. “That’s better.” He hummed, stepping inside and examining the house. “It’s been a while since I’ve set foot in here. I’m surprised Icarus keeps it running after what happened to Soter-”

“Don’t.” Z cut him off. “Don’t say his name.” The older man looked up at Z, mildly surprised. He chuckled once more. “Why? You feeling ashamed of what you did to him?”

Z bit his lip miserably, unable to do anything but give Uncle a half-heated glare. He was right. He was ashamed.

A set of footsteps approached the two men rapidly, likely one of the Phyllis staff. Z groaned. By now, they’d have noticed he was gone and were most definitely on a manhunt for him. He brushed past Uncle, resting his hand on the doorknob. “As much as I enjoy our conversations, I’m not supposed to be here. May I go?”

The man tilted his head to the left questioningly. He sighed, waving Z off. “Yes, yes. Go on and take your little exam.” Z blinked, surprised. He hadn’t expected him to agree so easily. The man smiled sweetly. “Now, now, Z. What’s with that look? I fully support your endeavors, so long as they don’t interfere with your work.”

Z pursed his lips, unsatisfied. Uncle was acting strange. “They won’t.”

Uncle nodded. “Good.” He smirked at him, “Be careful at the examinations, now. You never know what to expect.”

The boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He opened his mouth to retort, but the chatter of the estate staff grew closer and closer. Gritting his teeth, he hissed, “Fine.” The man hummed, keeping a trained eye on Z’s back as he raced into the woods surrounding the building.

Chuckling, Uncle said to himself, “I wonder how you’ll react.”

“Lord Phyllis?” An old woman’s voice rang out through the hall, her apron billowing among her feet as she quickly approached the man. “Ah, so it was you who was talking. Forgive me, but have you seen Master Z anywhere? He has escaped from his confined quarters.”

“Confined quarters? How interesting.” The man laughed. “I have not seen him, no.” The woman shook her head sadly. “He must have already left the estate then. We will send a team out to retrieve him.”

The Lord shook his head. “By now he’s long gone. No need to waste your efforts.” He waved a hand at the old maid. “Thank you, Barbara. Please, instruct the staff to get back to work.”

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The woman nodded, bowing respectfully before waving off the rest of the staff. Uncle turned back towards the open door, staring pensively at the spot where he last saw Z.

“Confined quarters…“ He chuckled. “I suppose my nephew disapproves of my plans. He cares more about him than he’s willing to admit.”

***

The ground thudded as Z raced through the forest, sweat dripping down his neck as he pushed himself to run faster and faster. The wind bit at his hair and his heart pounded, flooding his veins with adrenaline.

Z gritted his teeth, cursing silently as he slowed to a stop. He panted heavily, resting his arm on a tree in front of him and turning to stare helplessly at the setting sun. It would be night soon. He would have to find shelter or else— he hummed at the thought… well he could use a good fight right about now.

Z shook his head. No, he didn’t have time. With a sigh, he treaded through the shrubbery, hoping to find any sort of shelter to wait the night critters out. A cool breeze sped through Z’s hair, making shivers speed up his spine.

The boy trudged forward, cursing out the Gods that created this world. Z made a conscious effort to step lightly on the strewn leaves and twigs, keeping his footsteps silent. He took shallow breaths as he walked, pressing a steady hand on each tree he passed by for support.

It was quiet. Too quiet. Z frowned, pausing to listen for any sign of activity. The forest remained still, and the only sound he could hear was the wind whistling at his ears. He held his breath, taking a hesitant step forward. Z chewed on the inside of his mouth nervously and his muscles jittered with unease.

The second Z took that first step forward, an eerie presence settled over him like dust.

Z froze. The longer he stood still, the stronger the presence that weighed down upon him. Soon enough, he could hear heavy breathing echoing amongst the leaves.

The boy turned around slowly, training his eyes on a large figure far into the distance. It looked somewhat like a large beast leisurely strolling in Z’s direction. The Ash watched silently, afraid to take a breath in case it would be his last.

The beast’s scruffy claws dug deep into the ground as it moved along, uprooting bushes and flowers alike. It had no arms, but rather a long and skinny neck flexible enough to both snatch prey out of the air and devour it on the ground with its rows of sharp teeth.

A cold tremor crawled through Z’s veins as the sight of the monster burned itself into the back of his eyes. If he were forced to fight it… he may never make it to the exams after all. Z gritted his teeth. He had to get out of its path before it found him.

The boy took a step backward, eyes flitting around for any sort of shelter the creature would look past. Taking a gamble, Z darted to the left, watching his steps carefully as he searched for a place to hide.

Z’s breath grew labored as the monster made its way closer, still strolling along as its crystal eyes swept over the forest.

Ah. Finally, the constant greenery assaulting Z’s eyes parted to reveal a small rocky tunnel that seemed to burrow into the ground. His breath hitching in relief, Z scrambled towards the hole, dropping down onto his stomach to examine the entrance.

It was damp like the promise of rain and didn’t appear to have any sort of end. Yet as he heard the crackling sound of trees bending to make way for the beast, Z relented, diving into the tunnel head first.