Ogres were among the many strange and deadly creatures that inhabited Geford Forest. But from what he had heard, they usually stayed within their territories deep in the forest, kept away by wards and other protective enchantments. They were never supposed to venture this far out. But, for some reason, this one had.

The ogre wielded a massive club, swinging it wildly, tearing through everything in its path as it pursued the carriage. It roared furiously as it abandoned the chase and turned its attention to the helpless travelers. The monster dropped its heavy club, lifted a nearby fallen tree, and hurled it at the unlucky group—the targets scattered in a frenzy.

Gayle instinctively held her hand out in the direction of the airborne tree. "Wind Emission: Gale Burst," she cast. A blast of wind surged from her palms, redirecting the tree away from the travelers. It crashed to the ground, splintering and sending wooden shards flying everywhere. Gayle lowered her hand, and the wind dissipated.

"This is bad. A really bad thing is happening, Gayle," Ayran stammered, his panic rising.

"Yeah, I know," Gayle replied, somehow maintaining her composure.

"Gayle, I think you may have failed to notice that thing is an—"

"An ogre. I know." Her hands went up again, and another tree was sent soaring into the forest. The group she saved rushed past, fleeing toward the city.

"Okay, if you're aware, why aren't we running away?" Ayran asked, wincing at the sound of wood shattering and the beast howling with growing rage.

"Isn't it obvious? People will get hurt if we run. Ayran, you need to slow that thing down; let's make sure everyone escapes," Gayle said as she directed more travelers toward safety.

"But—"

"Ayran, please." Her expression was fierce. "We have to help them."

Ayran stared at his sister, once again convinced of her insanity.

At some point during their childhood, Gayle had decided she was a hero and that it was her duty to help anyone in need. Ayran hated when she switched into her "Hero Mode," because he knew it was pointless to fight it. He sighed, hanging his head in defeat.

"Fine. I'll try to hold him in place to buy us some time, but gods, why do you always have to be like this?"

"Blame Ari and Gerard," Gayle said with a grateful smile.

"Oh, trust me, I do." Ayran cautiously approached the still-rampaging ogre. He inhaled deeply, and he felt a familiar sensation course through him. "Frost Emission: Frozen Shell," he cast. A thin sheet of ice erupted from his feet, freezing everything within reach. "Frost Control: Icy Trail," Ayran cast again, guiding the freezing ice toward the ogre. He concentrated, brows furrowing as he meticulously wove the frost to avoid any travelers. The last thing he wanted was to make their day even worse by trapping them in his Frozen Shell. When the ice finally reached the monster, it climbed up its body in spidery trails, slowly encasing and freezing it in place.

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Good thing that worked, Ayran thought, exhausted from the effort and anxiety. "We've bought you some time. Now hurry. Go!" he urged the fearful travelers as they rushed past him and toward Gayle, who pointed in the tower's direction.

"Good job, little bro," Gayle said, slapping him on the back when he rejoined her. "But we're not done yet." She gestured to two people behind the ogre—the woman and the child who had happily admired the Akademos tower just minutes ago. They ran toward Gayle and Ayran as fast as they could, the mother dragging the young boy along.

"Come on, honey. We're almost there," she urged.

The boy slowed down as they passed the frozen creature, trying to catch a glimpse of the trapped beast.

Crack.

The boy, his mother, and Ayran all went still.

"That's not good," Ayran said when his heart started beating again. "I don't think my ice will hold much longer."

"Yeah, I know," Gayle said urgently. "Hurry! The ice is breaking!" she shouted to the mother and her son, frantically motioning for them to move closer into her protection.

The boy and his mother had only taken a few steps when the ice shattered. The ogre burst free, its expression even more furious than before.

"I think we made it mad," Ayran squeaked.

"You think!" Gayle darted towards the fleeing woman and child. They sprinted with all their might, but the boy couldn't keep up with his mother, and his sweaty fingers slipped from her grasp. He stumbled and fell, scraping his knees. A heart-wrenching cry escaped his lips as pain and terror overwhelmed him. His mother quickly turned, dropped her basket, and raced back to her son.

"Tuck! I promise everything will be okay, sweetheart," she assured him, cradling him in her arms and turning her back to the ogre to shield him.

The monstrous creature closed in, ready to strike. Gayle extended her hands, determined to intervene. "Wind Emission: Gale Burst!" she cried. A weak gust of wind sprang from her palms but fizzled out before it could reach the ogre. "Oh, come on, not now!"

Just then a gust of wind, not from Gayle, swept past them and straight for the mother and child. The ogre slammed its club down with a thunderous crash and an explosion of dust and dirt.

"No!" Gayle fell to her knees, devastated.

The ogre howled with twisted glee as it repeatedly smashed its club into the ground. It had failed to capture its initial prey but managed to claim victory in the end. Lost in its reverie, it snorted and cackled, spewing saliva—its species' sickening form of laughter.

Ayran knew his sister well enough to understand what was going through her mind. She'd undoubtedly be blaming herself, thinking she was a failure of a hero and that this was somehow her fault. Knowing her as well as he did, Ayran quietly cast his Art.

As he had anticipated, the ogre's grotesque laughter was enough to reignite Gayle's fighting spirit. She attempted to charge toward the creature but found herself unable to move. Confused, she glanced down, only to see her feet encased in icy restraints. She shot Ayran a fiery glare.

"Let me go. I'm warning you, Ayran," she demanded as she struggled in vain to break free.

"Stop it, Gayle." Ayran said, his voice oddly calm. "As spent as you are, you can't fight that thing, and I can't beat it alone."

Gayle's voice quivered with anguish. "I... I couldn't save them. This isn't how it's supposed to be." She stopped struggling, and Ayran released his icy grip. Gayle remained on the ground, her face flooded with horror.

"It's not your fault, Gayle," Ayran assured. "You did everything you could. You didn't kno—" He stopped halfway through as a realization washed over him. Having imagined himself being splattered on more than one occasion, he knew something was off. "Wait? The blood... Where's the blood?" he exclaimed.

Gayle shot him another furious glare. "What's wrong with you? How can you ask that?"

"No, what I mean is, they were completely crushed, right? Like smashed to bits. So, think about it. Something like that should have sent blood splatters everywhere, right?" He patiently waited for her to come to the same conclusion.

Before she could answer, an acorn flew toward them and rolled to a stop at their feet. Gayle's eyes widened as she and Ayran turned toward the direction it came from. Perched in a nearby treetop was the boy with messy black hair. He grinned as he waved down at them. Next to him, Tuck and his mom were safe and sound.