It was tiring. The morning dew seeped into clothes, making them heavier. They kept wading through the tall grass towards the nearby forest line. The sun had just peeked from behind the horizon, still lacking the warmth to soothe their numb bodies.

Mr Crow let out a cry, and Andrew signalled them to duck inside the grass, hiding from the passing raider. It made their clothes even heavier and their bodies colder.

“Think he was looking for us?” Isabel asked when Mr Crow’s caw allowed them to continue.

“Maybe.” Mila allowed. “He came from Gerakril’s direction, so it’s possible.” She played with the extra mana inside her.

No matter how Mila looked at it, it was hers. The mana freely flowed through her and responded to her every whim. She kept experimenting until they reached the tree line and entered the forest.

Only then did the group allow themselves a minute of respite. They found a fallen tree and sat down for the first time in hours.

“Man, I am hungry.” Andrew sighed.

“I can try to hunt for something.” Kefo made an awkward offer. The boy had been mostly silent since being pulled out of that basement.

All things considered, Kefo was left unscathed. A few bruises here, and there was nothing for this experience. Of course, his pinky now lacked a nail, but once again, it was insignificant and didn’t impact him all that much.

Perhaps it would have been better if Kefo had suffered more. Mila understood him somewhat and didn’t plan to torment him for his brainless actions. He was fourteen and had lost his parents by their associate hands. After training under Silinth for a few years, he felt ready. It was stupid, yes, but she could understand.

The same could not be said for the rest of the group. Isabel was visibly hostile, Tiff angry, and Andrew torn. And even if Mila thought she understood, she too was unhappy with Kefo’s actions.

That said, they had to move. Mila was sure there would be pursuers coming after them soon. She didn’t know for how long Martin would be able to waste their time.

They trusted Martin had told the truth about Silinth waiting for them. Once they reached their teacher, they could relax, but for now-

“We have to move,” Mila announced after only ten minutes of resting.

Kefo was not the only one getting looks. When the group didn’t judge the boy, they examined her. It was starting to get to her.

Isabel was looking at her with concern and some lingering anger. She was clearly unsatisfied with how Mila had run away from them.

Meanwhile, Andrew was apprehensive. He had come close to her during the hike as if wanting to say something but always chickened out.

At least Kefo and Tiff were radiating favourable emotions her way. Despite their precarious situation, they were thankful to Mila and were not afraid to show it.

The younger boy took the lead once again. The trees obstructed Mr Crow, leaving it to Kefo, who had the most experience in the forests, to find a way.

Now that they were once again walking, Mila’s mind returned to the weird increase of mana. She pinpointed the moment it likely happened to when the leader had died by her hand.

Why and how? Mila could not tell. She lacked the information to make any speculations. For now, Mila decided to be happy it had happened. There wasn’t much she could do with this amount, but finally, it was possible to cast something simple.

It would still be a question of what. While mana was the fuel, it still needed a vehicle to become a proper spell. Mila was using mana to empower herself as it didn’t have a minimum required amount to do so.

For mana to do more, Mila first had to form a framework inside her mind and soul. Controlling Mana in its raw form was possible as well. However, that method was wasteful and tedious, not to mention unwieldy and time-consuming.

It was not something Mila could afford. Instead, she planned to choose a simple spell framework to have always at the moment’s notice.

This method limited what Mila could cast, but often, it was more important to have a response than having the ideal answer.

If there was time to contemplate what to do, there was time to shape mana into another framework.

The simple Mana Bolt came back to Mila’s mind. The man she had killed had the right mindset. It was versatile, cheap and easy to use. While she didn’t particularly care for the ease of using the spell, versatility and cost weighed on her mind heavily.

After making her choice, Mila went to work immediately. While it didn’t come to her naturally, she knew how the mana should move and how the framework had to look.

It still would take Mila hours of work without exhausting her current mana pool. She tried to not think about how easily Andrew and Isabel were gathering their mana.

Once they started to learn, they had plenty to spare for messing up and trying again. The duo would quickly learn the ropes.

While tracing the required paths, Mila noticed Andrew had gathered enough courage to try and bring up the issue bothering him. She glanced at Isabel, who was purposefully keeping her distance, walking with Tiff in front of her.

“Yes?” Mila decided to help Andrew out and not let him chicken out.

“Uh, Mila,” Andrew delayed. He looked at the trio in front of them to see if they did not listen in. “Did you have to kill them?”

So this was it. Mila understood where he was coming from. It was stranger Isabel was not with Andrew to confront her.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Yes.” Mila nodded, not feeling any remorse for the men she had killed. She had made her decision last night. “It had to be done.”

Andrew grimaced. “It feels wrong, I-” He swallowed. “I thought I understood what kind of world this is, but-” His body shook, and he raised his arms to show them to Mila. “See this?” He presented his shaking palms. “Every time I think about it, they become like this.”

“It is how it should be.” Mila looked into Andrew’s eyes. She wished it would not come to this, but with how they progressed, it was only a question of time before something similar happened. “It proves you have been properly raised. It proves you are a good man.”

“Does it?” Andrew questioned. “Would I be able to stop them? Could I save Kefo without killing them? If you were not there, what would have happened?”

“There is no answer to those questions.” Mila pointed out.

“Silinth trained us for this, didn’t he?” Andrew looked up to the tree canopy blocking the sky. “He told us repeatedly to be ready. He taught us how to use weapons. Will we have to kill as well? Is there no choice?” Andrew rambled.

“There always is a choice.” Mila interrupted with a sigh. “Just that the outcome rarely is what you would want. Kefo was more important than them. Their death will delay the search.”

Andrew laughed bitterly. “You don’t sugarcoat, do you? Always so practical. And you didn’t want us to do it, huh? And what about you?” He spitefully added. “Do you feel nothing?”

“Not nothing,” Mila revealed. “There is regret, I-” She looked at Kefo’s back. “I suspected Kefo was up to something.”

“So nothing for those men.” Andrew correctly concluded and ruffled his hair. “I don’t like that.” He told her clearly. “How do you deal with it? How do you feel nothing after taking lives?”

A ray of sunshine broke through the canopy, bringing much-needed warmth. The sounds of birds singing in the distance and the leaves rustling painted a peaceful picture.

But the surrounding beauty did not reach Mila’s heart. “You get used to it.” She finally said.

“Used? How-” Andrew started to raise his voice, then paused. “Your dreams. Right.” He looked to the ground, brooding.

“I am not happy about it.” Mila was honest. “I wish it was different, but-”

“I-” Andrew forcefully shook his head. “I need a moment to think about it.” He quickened his step and joined Kefo at the front.

The conversation had gone as well as you could wish for, Mila decided. Andrew’s opinion of her had likely plummeted, but as long as it wasn’t-

Mila sighed and kicked a branch lying in her way. If Isabel thought less of her now, it would be disheartening… to say the least.

Her eyes found her friend. Mila wondered what she was talking about to Tiff and hastened her step.

After the last night, Tiff had visibly warmed up to her. At least Mila could count that as a win.

A moment later, Mr Crow broke through the leaves above their heads and landed on Andrew’s shoulder. After a series of chirps, her friend turned around to speak.

“My buddy is saying the cart is waiting a bit further ahead. He didn’t see Silinth, though.”

The group visibly relaxed. Mila rolled her shoulders as some of the tension bled out of her. It was just a bit more, and they would be safe.

It wasn’t like-

They-

Would-

Be-

Mila smothered the urge to react. Something had brushed against her senses. She casually looked around as if nothing had changed.

Another step. Mila pressed down on her mana to make it as unnoticeable as possible. There was another contact. It wasn’t mana. Not exactly.

The trees still covered them, so Mila risked a whisper. “Someone is here. Try to walk the other way. Pretend I was never here.” She left a sentence and ducked behind a tree trunk.

Mila saw the tension return in their friends' posture. Their reaction was noticeable, but as there was no one in the direct line of sight, they had time to get their act together.

While she had the confidence to stay hidden, her friends were too obvious. Mila slipped inside a bush. She pressed her body close to the ground and tried to make sense of their situation.

Kefo stopped the remaining group a moment later. He waved and made them turn to the side while Mr Crow took to the sky. They started to walk, and for a moment, Mila dared to hope.

It was then that Mila felt someone’s mana clearly. Then, another person appeared on her inner radar. The third followed before she heard them approaching.

Three persons with mana on the same level as the man Mila had killed last night would be manageable with the whole group acting. But there was more rustling in the bushes, and more people appeared. Each one donned a thick-looking gambison and a mix of weapons.

Three they could manage, but only two were what Mila deemed manageable. One of them was not like the rest of the lot.

The conspicuous man walked straight towards her friend group. Mila could clearly feel him with how much mana he radiated.

There was only one other person comparable to him Mila had met in this world, and it was Silinth. Of course, she had not been here long, and neither had met many people, but her intuition told her this amount of mana was uncommon.

The man was garbed in a ceremonial blue robe covering his body. His eyes were covered by a cloth, and his hair was grey and thinning. With a confident step, he neared her friends.

With utmost care to not make any noise, Mila pulled out her dagger. It had served her well last night, but now-

It was useless. The dagger would never reach the man in front of her. She stilled her breathing as a couple of pursuers without mana passed by the bush she was hiding under.

And behind the extravagantly dressed man, there was another who Mila recognised. So did her friends. They reacted to the same person who had helped them flee the town last night.

There were exclamations and curses aimed at the bastard, but they were silenced by the clear leader.

“I thought you claimed there were five of them.” The leader spoke for the first time. His voice was authoritative and carried weight.

“I would not dare to lie to you, Sir! There were five when they left my house.” The traitor prostrated in the dirt. “A girl is missing.”

“I see. Would any of you be so kind to tell me where your friend is? Oh, and wasn’t there a bird? I would like to meet it as well.” The leader smiled amicably. When there was no answer, he waved to the gathering soldiers. “Search the perimeter, as for you-”

The leader turned around and addressed the trash rolling on the ground. “Traitors do not deserve to live.” He raised his hand and pulled the cloth covering his eyes upwards. “Rest in eternity.”

The next moment, the man on the ground burst into flames. An unholy sound broke past his lips, announcing his suffering to the world. He tried to roll, but the flame only burned brighter. And then only a charred corpse remained.

Mila recalled Silinth’s words. The time he had mentioned an Inquisitor capable of burning with just his gaze.

It was now clear they were doomed. It was clear why someone like this was here. It was clear why Silinth did not leave his hiding hole.

“Now, where were we?” The Inquisitor turned around and addressed them once again. His eyes closed, and while he smiled, there was now a sinister air to the man.

They were searching for Silinth.