He was covered with scratches and wounds. Despite his best attempts at trying to stave off the wolves that lunged at him repeatedly, he could not dismiss the fear welling up inside him. Every inch of his body seared with pain, but luckily enough, his leather armor managed to stop most of their advances. he kept missing for most of the time, but it made for a good item to scare them away.

The massive wolf kept its position, looking down at Lear from above as the lesser ones kept attacking him.

It had gone on for long enough that Lear's leg gave up on him, and he was forced to stand on one leg. He still held his sword in front of him with his trembling hand. His vision was getting foggy, and his breath was getting hoarse. The odds were against him, and it was quite clear to him as to how this wound turn out.

Is this where it's going to end? He asked himself. There was no way he could get out of this one. No miracle could save him for it was his own recklessness that brought this about.

He thought about the possibility of Noel Earle arriving to save him like earlier, but with what happened that time, he was sure that the man went off to bed to forget about Lear's blunders. He wasn't going to be saved by anyone, and that he accepted half-heartedly.

His hopes began wavering, and soon he had lost all hope of getting out of the forest alive. He was scared, no, beyond terrified. He could not describe the type of fear that was eating him alive from the inside, and that itself was traumatic enough. He tried calling out to anyone who could possibly be close by, but no one came. It only served to agitate the wolves who snarled and barked at him.

Then the time came when he was at his end. He was bleeding profusely on almost every corner of his body. He had already lost the strength to run long ago, but his fruitless attempt at trying to find what he had lost failed, ending up in his inevitable death.

'Why can't I do anything? Will I die as someone who hasn't done anything good in his entire life? I don't want to die!' He questioned himself. 'Weakness, only weakness. I couldn't save my own friend, and then myself. I only dragged down everyone that I met. You're right, Rulis, "What use am I?!" he roared out in despair.

As if to initiate the attack, the massive wolf let out one last howl that was smooth as it was powerful. It then leapt a great height and fixated its sights on Lear.

He instinctively shielded himself using his arms as the wolf descended to his level, shaking the ground they stood on.

He knew what was coming next, but he was terrified. He heard the wolf's paws beat on the ground as it pounced towards Lear.

Just then, he heard someone's voice from behind him. He spoke fast as he ran towards Lear as well.

"Turn rusted steel into obsidian, Vulcanus' forge, sharpen my intent, my fists, my feet, my soul. Release the restraints upon my shackled legs and feet, the fleeting gentle breeze, Zephyros. Let my body be the embodiment of the earth, as indomitable as Usrai, the unconquerable lord of this dominion."

Lear turned his head but was not able to see the man clearly. All he saw was that he wore a white, long-sleeved shirt. On both sides of his arms appearered a single orange ring with strange symbols and markings that faded over time. The same happened with his legs with green, and his body with blue.

He moved faster than Noel Earle and passed by Lear in an instant, meeting the wolf as he too leapt to the air, performing a front flip.

The man slammed the wolf to the ground as the heel of his right leg hit the wolf square on its head, sending it down abruptly, creating a massive cloud of dust round it.

The man landed and walked towards Lear with a smile on his face. His confident stance and red eyes made him familiar, but he couldn't remember his name.

"You looked pretty banged up. Can you stand?" he asked, extending a hand to Lear. The man's bold fearlessness and act left Lear speechless, staring at the cloud of dust in front of them. He didn't fully understand what just happened for it all was hard to stomach.

"We're not out of this yet. I heard what you yelled out earlier, but I don't know what it's about. But if you want to find your use, then how about you stand up as a start?" he pulled the wounded Lear to his feet. He almost fell, but the man anticipated it and caught him in time. "Careful now, take it slow and steady. Just ignore these wolves for a while. I'll do something to get you through this."

"Who are you and why are you helping me?" he asked as he used his sword as a cane to stand with.

"My name is Riga, and I think we've met before. I don't need any reason to act on my own and help you. But, I did have my reasons, and those are best kept to myself. Right now, let's worry about these fellows and get out of here. I hear that this isn't the best place to be at this time of night. You've already met the perpetrator of that danger," he pointed behind him to where the dust cloud slowly started to clear, revealing the wolf, who looked even more angry and feral as it eyes Riga with contempt.

"Watch out!" he said, pointing at it. But the man didn't pay it any mind, keeping his attention on Lear as he placed his hand over him, casting a gentle green aurora upon his wounds.

Slowly but surely, Lear started regaining his energy, and the pain from the wounds didn't hurt as much anymore than it did. He was also in shock of this for he knew it was magic, but he didn't know this kind of magic existed, nor did he know what kind of magic Riga used upon arriving to the scene.

"What did you just do?"

"Healing magic, never heard of it? A lot of people use it for their own needs. Not just that, but many other forms exist."

He shook his head. "I've never really seen it up close. I've only heard of it a few times."

"Don't worry about it. Well, now that you're all patched up, I think this should make for a good morale booster. Let's try and take this beast down a notch, shall we?"

"What?! Defeat that thing?! No way, there's no way I can do it."

"Don't worry about it, it's going to be the two of us working together. Right after this, you might just have an answer to your own question."

Before Lear could manage a response, Riga spread out his hands where strange markings on both sides appeared, and there he summoned two dark, slim swords that had crimson red outlines. They were long enough, but didn't look as heavy for Riga held and swung them with ease, cutting through air it almost seemed like.

"Don't be in awe for too long. We're going to work together to bring this thing down. It might've looked like it was easy for me, but this one will be tricky. He doesn't seem to want to go down, plus he has a pack backing him up. Be wary of them and never lose track of my words, alright? Just believe in me and we'll get through this. You might not realize it, but everyone has their potential. I believe that you have yours too. I can't wait to see that," he grinned mischievously.

Lear could not object any longer. He had no reason not to. For some reason, being alongside this man gave him a staggering amount of confidence that he never thought was possible for him to muster in such a situation. He simply nodded and said to himself, 'I'll believe in him. He doesn't even know me, but he says that he trusts me this much. I can't let him down, I can't let anyone down anymore. I have to do something!'

He drew his sword and faced the snarling great dire wolf before them.

"That's the spirit. I knew you had it in you. Now, let's try and take this slowly. I'll move to its left and you go for the right. Lag behind for a few seconds so that it focuses on me."

"And if it targets me still?"

"I've got a plan for that, too," he beamed.

"What about the other wolves? I don't think they'll just stand there and watch."

"I'll make them stay away. But right now, any other moves will provoke the big guy, and we'll lose the first part of our plan. But I have another one just in case. Alright, let's go!"

Riga ran towards the wolf's left at a staggering speed, leaving Lear behind as he ran on his own pace as requested. He was still quite skeptical of what he was actually doing, but his body simply moved on its own. He willed it, but the courage was not enough for him to truly understand the means behind this. He was terrified beyond belief. He was too close to the wolf for his own good, yet he kept Riga's words in mind and kept moving until he reached its sides, stopping there.

Lear then heard the sounds of howling and snarling. He turned his head to see dozens upon dozens of wolves running towards him. They came from the deepest parts of the forests and altogether ran at them with a circular formation.

"R-Riga, what do I do now?!" he yelled out as he faced the approaching pack of wolves. His sword trembled at their numbers, but he tried his best in keeping his composure that he thought about some possible options, reconsidering them one after the other.

But all his cry for help did was attract the attention of the great dire wolf. Lear noticed this and became petrified.

The wolf then barred its claws towards Lear.

"Oh no you don't! Get back here you mutt!" Riga struck one of his swords to the ground where it stood in place. "Involatile ember, I command you, sear through with purgatorial contempt!" he cried out with his hand pointed at the wolf, creating a red pentagram where a ball of fire came bursting forth, impacting the dire wolf on its sides, knocking it away from him. It fell due to its imbalance.

Riga then took his sword and said, "Strike at it now!"

Lear spurred his body to move at the sound of Riga's voice and he nervously struck his sword through the wolf's back, causing it to howl in pain.

It quickly got up by flailing its body, separating itself from Lear and Riga, who were now dealing with the problem of the pack right on their heels.

"Good, now keep attacking the wolves coming your way, I'll back you up." Riga ran towards Lear and covered his back, reassuring the nervous young man who was unable to believe what he had just done.

There was no time for him to speak for one of the wolves lunged at Lear.

He yelled out to boost his shaking morale, so he took a step forward and met the wolf, striking it down from the air with an overhead slash. But after he had done that, he looked to his side and saw another lunging at him. He couldn't react in time, so he used his arm as a shield and wavered, keeping his eyes locked on the wolf.

Time seemed to move slowly for him, but he saw Riga strike down the wolf that aimed for Riga, then he took out another. His two swords allowed for a continuous chain of attacks which he skillfully utilized. His great skill made Lear dazed as he stared at him, dancing around with his swords with a smile on his face.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

'He is ridiculous, how is he doing all this?' thought Lear. But he really could do nothing but admire his skill.

"On your left! Bend your right leg and strike upwards with a forward momentum," said Riga as he continued slicing through the wolves that relentlessly met their deaths at his hand.

Lear did just that, and to his surprise, his blade met with the wolves' stomach where it fell and bled, unable to move.

The two of them continued fighting side by side until Lear gradually got used to it. He didn't feel like the same person from before, and that alone baffled him.

Soon, the pack thinned down, and Lear had exhausted himself to his maximum capacity. He was breathing hard, looking around at the corpses of the wolves strewn about. The rest had retreated, and only the massive dire wolf remained.

"It seems that it just won't back down. Think that you can still go on?" he asked Lear, not looking that exhausted himself. In fact, the mischievous smile on his face hadn't waved. Instead of having his hands occupied with his weapons, they were at rest on his waist.

"I... don't have any more energy left in me, sorry," said Lear, breathing even harder than before. It wasn't just that, but even with Riga's near perfect role in assisting Lear, he still received scratches and wounds here and there. His body numbed for it hadn't done something so excruciating in a few years. 

"That's alright. You did your best. I can cast a vitality spell on you, but that's just overdoing it. How about you just let me show off for a little while? It'll be quick, that I'll make sure of. I need to get back to posting my fliers, after all... Alright, time for a bit of a class change. Maybe I should try that one out."

Riga dematerialized his two swords, then was enveloped in a coat of light that outlined his body. When the light cleared, Riga now wore a long dark blue robe with long, loose sleeves. He held a tall staff with the top curving a bit into a cane. It was made of a sturdy wooden material and exuded a strange aura. To top it all off, he wore an old, brown pointed hat which he held in place as to not let it move around when he does.

Lear gawked at the sudden transformation and simply stared at him. he didn't know how he did it, but it was striking despite its simplicity, nonetheless.

He smiled from underneath his hat and directed his sights to the wolf, who came after him with great speed.

"Eager to finish this, are we?" Riga tapped the ground with the butt end of his staff where a purple spark dot marking was placed. He then spun his staff in front of him, creating what seemed to be a circular mirror that showed a scenery of a forest on the other side, the same one they were in.

Just before the wolf could reach Riga, he entered the mirror and disappeared, reapearring on top of a tree branch where he could see everything with a bird's eye view.

To its surprise, the great dire wolf was shackled by countless of golden chains appearing from the ground. It restrained the beasts' ankles, preventing it from moving. Stepping on the marking that Riga had placed activated a trap.

"Impressed? That's just something I came up with myself. I think I'll call it Dire Fetters, yeah, I think that'll be a good name for it."

The wolf looked at him with fierce eyes and resisted the bindings. Its strong limbs tried to lift itself from the ground, and with an enraged howl, it broke free and turned even more feral. It stood its ground and opened its mouth, pointing towards Riga, who looked impressed at what the wolf had just done. From its mouth, a blue pentagram appeared, blasting off a freezing, blue sphere towards Riga.

He again created the same mirror and disappeared, reappearing behind the wolf, who had anticipated it with its sharp senses. It immediately swiped its claws at where Riga might be.

For Lear, time seemed to move slow for it looked like Riga was going to be met with a terrifying end. His back was still turned to the wolf, and it looked like he hadn't seen what was closing in on him. But the only thing that Lear found odd was that he was still smiling, and looking at Lear with a face that said don't-miss-what's-going-to-happen-next.

The wolf clawed at Riga, but there was neither blood nor a body there. The moment the beast's claws came in contact with Riga's body, it became like mist and exploded into a bigger mass of smoke in front of the dire wolf.

Lear searched around and found Riga sitting down on another branch to his center, looking at anticipation with his maniacal red eyes. Lear also noticed that the tree branch the wolf had fired the sphere at was completely covered in ice which reflected its surroundings. The ice slowly covered the entire tree, freezing it completely.

Riga snapped his fingers, and the mass of smoke in front of the wolf exploded into a powerful conflagration which sent shockwaves flying all around. The sound of the explosion overwhelmed everything in its vicinity, except Lear, who didn't seem to be affected that much by it, surprisingly enough. He also looked around him and saw that the shockwave was going around him, as if an invisible forcefield was protecting him right now. But when he looked to his left, he saw Riga, who casually sat by him, looking at the scene as if it were a show.

"R-Riga?! What are you, how did you get here?! Weren't you over there?" he pointed at the tree branch where the other Riga was waving at Lear playfully, then disappeared into thin air.

Suddenly, Lear felt lightheaded at what he was seeing. He couldn't understand what was going on, so Riga laughed at the distraught novice and spoke.

"They're called illusions, but I took the next step and made one that would be close to having my presence. It's still in the works, but the prototypes I made just now were used by compressing some of the evaporated hydrogen in the air with oxygen, then I just mix it up with a little spell that tinkers with the characteristics of some things, and voila, you have and mirror image made up of combustible smoke. Pretty crafty if I do say so myself. Still, I expected an even bigger explosion, but that'll do. I think our friend here has learned its lesson."

He stood up and touched the air, causing a barrier in the shape of a dome to appear before them as if it had already been there right before Lear sat down to rest.

He looked back at him and said, "You didn't think I'd let you be harmed, right? Plus, you got front row seats. Just hold the applauses until we get out of here. But first, let me take care of something."

He went up to the wolf and cast another restraining spell, uttering the name, Dire Fetters loudly to create portals from where the golden chains appeared to bound and shackle the weakened beast. But this time, the great dire wolf didn't resist nor try to break it. Its eyes, which still emanated anger, simply followed Riga as he came close enough to him.

"Hey, what are you doing?! That's dangerous!" called out Lear as Riga reached out and touched the giant wolf's nose, patting it in a friendly way.

"Holding back isn't nice, you know? I tried my best to show off." He spoke to the wolf as if it knew and understood their language. "Come on, speak. I won't tell anyone, not that they'll believe me even if I do. Don't worry, you can trust us." He snapped his finger and released the beasts' bindings. Lear became enamored in fear once more when the beast was free. But to his surprise, it didn't move an inch and sat there.

"Odd mortal human. You might be the first of your kind to do such a foolish thing." It said. "How did you realize that I had the capacity to speak?"

Lear could not speak due to the disbelief in what he was seeing and hearing. He could not be mistaken for he was wide awake. He tried rubbing his eyes, but nothing changed.

"Giant or not, no ordinary wolf can use magic. When you used a spell against me, that's when I realized."

"Hmph, you are observant as you are skilled in that craft. Yes, I am able to use magic pertaining to ice. I hailed from the northern forests, but was driven out from long ago. This was the only forest I saw fit to find refuge."

"And you attacked him because?" asked Riga, pointing at Lear.

"I had thought that he was part of the ones hunting us down. I was mistaken, but nothing can be done of that now. I ask that you dismiss my false accusations."

"Who are those chasing you? Who do you mean?"

"Bah, I don't even know anymore. You all taste the same regardless. They hunt creatures that you mortals call, 'prizes'. We are made to be game, but I refuse to be subjected to such mockery. However, their leader was too much for me. I did not hold back on purpose, rather, I expected that hooded figure to chase me. I had simply saved enough to eradicate that foolish mortal if he dared cross me once more."

"Well that settles it. This forest is pretty huge that not even us know a lot about it. You'll be safe here, I'm sure. Just don't go harming us again, alright?"

It tilted its head. "Truly odd. You would choose to let me go regardless?"

"Well yeah. I kind of mulled over the possibility of taking you back with me to the guild as a buddy, but you'll just wreck the place. You're too big for it. Hmm, let me think. Yeah, definitely not possible."

"The powers you carry are as terrifying as your demeanor towards me. But I cannot let such a deed go unpaid. I will come to your aid when you call for my name. I will brand you as my temporary master, and until the deed is paid back, it will not disappear. Utter my name, and I will be there to repay you. Will that suffice?"

"Yeah, I can go with that."

"Very well, bow your head, mortal. Heed my name for only you will have the honor of knowing it." The wolf bowed its head as well. It was silent for a while, but then the two opened their eyes, reaching a successful conclusion. "Now I will leave to rest and heal my wounds. Till our paths cross once more, foolish mortals." The wolf slowly left and disappeared deep into the forest.

Riga snapped his fingers again, and the robe and staff disappeared. His previous attire consisting of the white, long-sleeved shirt and dark pants had returned as it was before.

Dusting himself off, he approached Lear as if nothing special had happened. "That was awfully eventful. So, ready to head back?"

"Wait, you're not shocked at how it spoke?!"

"What do you mean? Anything with the capacity to hold and contain magic within them has that chance. This one was highly intelligent, plus it seemed like a rare being since it was able to use actual spells. Well, it promised to help me in my time of need, so that's that. No need to mull over anything else. I'm just glad I got here in time to clear the misunderstanding."

He simply released a sigh. He couldn't follow through what was happening since the pace was staggering. The amount of information to take in was also too much for him so his brain overloaded.

"No, I still need to find a necklace. I can't leave without that." He tried to stand, only to stumble as his trembling legs gave in.

"A necklace? Does this make the cut? I just found it on the way, but I'm not sure whether it's yours or not." Riga brought out the necklace from his pocket, which was the exact same one Alice has given to Lear upon leaving Walbur.

At the sight of it, Lear was overcome with relief, and so he fell to the ground and closed his eyes, resting on the ground. The exhaustion took a heavy toll on him, leaving no energy to spare.

"Hey, are you alright?! ... Asleep? Fine, I'll carry you back. Going to be a long night. Alright, you're a bit heavy," muttered Riga as he picked up Lear from the ground and placed him on his shoulder.

They began walking back without any disturbances. It was a fairly quiet stroll with the usual sounds of the wilderness about.

"Hey, you awake?" he asked Lear as he hung on Riga's shoulder. "I never really got your name. Mind telling what it is?"

"It's Lear, Lear Ephistre's my full name."

"Well that certainly helps out. So, Lear. What were you yelling about before I came to your rescue? I heard something about having no use. I'm a bit curious, so we might as well talk about something."

He gave up and simply allowed the conversation to be steered there. There was nothing to lose, after all. The man saved him, so what's to hold back on?

Lear told him about the memory of the past, explaining his friend and how he failed to secure a future for them.

"That's not really your fault, you know that right? Try not to blame things on circumstance since nothing's going to get better. But I sympathize with you. I don't know who my parents are either. But I was raised in an orphanage until I decided to leave and do something else."

"Then what do you think I should do? I have no hope of becoming an adventurer. I'm weak, I get terrified, and I can hardly accomplish anything. Just what should I be then?"

"So is everyone else who's starting out. No one becomes who they want to be when they simply ask for it. You have to work for it. I won't tell you the answer to your question because you're the one who needs to answer for yourself. Learn to live your life the way you want to."

"Did you do the same?"

"I sure did. That's where I'm at now, on the last leg of fulfilling my desires. After that, who knows what's waiting for me. All I know is that I've accomplished what I wanted to do by that point."

Lear tapped on Riga's shoulder. "I think I can stand now, thanks."

"Good timing. I wanted to show you something, too. See that?" he pointed over the horizon where a beautiful array of stars and lights dazzled its audience. There was not a cloud in the sky to disrupt the magnificent of the painting in the sky. It was a surreal scene, but its beauty was unmatched in every aspect.

"See what?" asked Lear. "All is see is the horizon, and nothing beyond that."

"That's an alright answer, too. But what I meant was, there is so much you can accomplish. The possibilities are as endless as this horizon that reaches out to god knows where. I've seen this sight more times than I can count. It's the same sight I looked at the time I was left alone and didn't know what to do. It was beautiful since it grabbed my attention even before I noticed it. But it filled me with hope. What do you think of when you look at this?"

Lear kept quiet and simply clenched his fists. He didn't say it, but he had an answer, and that alone was enough for Riga as he understood clearly.

"You'd better get back now. Nothing'll happen if you stand by idly. I need to get back, too. I have a guild to manage."

He started walking back on his own. He felt it safe to go on ahead for they already stood on the entrance of the forest, facing the road that would lead them back to the city.

"Wait!" called out Lear before Riga could go farther. "You're right. I shouldn't give up this easily. It hasn't even been long, yet I'm already considering it. Thank you. I won't forget what you've done for me."

Riga turned around and his eye widened. A broad smile formed on his face. "That's good to know. Keep at it and you'll see what I really mean. It's never easy to get to the top, but it's easy to aim for it. You're going to have to go through a lot, and that means earning your spot. Dreaming about it isn't enough. But if anything goes wrong, go to a town called Furahm, a place a bit up north-west, and find a place called the Eveningtide. That's the place I'm staying at. You can always join if you want to," he smiled and turned away, waving his hand as he disappeared into the city.

Lear glanced once more at the night sky and breathed in the fresh air. Riga had healed his wounds beforehand, so all he needed was rest, but this was a welcome sight and a welcome feeling.

"What a beautiful sky." It was a bright and starry night. The starts gleamed like diamonds and gemstones twinlking on a thin, white blanket that was the light beyond the sky. "Let's try again, then."