When Khal said training began tomorrow, Kevin didn't realise he meant hours before anyone else showed signs of waking. He was given a tree branch to practice with, along with the simple instruction, "Swing." He swung ten times before he was told to stop.

"How did you even get into Idiofiya?" Khal asked, hand pressed against his forehead. "No, I don't want to know. I see that you overcompensate on simple gestures, putting far too much strength into your swings."

"Aren't you supposed to put power into a swing, though?" Kevin asked, holding the stick by his side.

"Yes," he admitted. "But too much would cause unbalance." He walked in front of Kevin. "Swing at me."

Kevin swung, aiming right for Khal's head. Instead of dodging it, all Khal did was pull on the stick, causing Kevin to stumble several steps. Then, he pushed his back, causing him to fall entirely.

"Good swordsmanship depends on good balance. Most try to skip this step. You will not be one of them. Now, get up and resume swinging."

Kevin stood up and started swinging. Not once did he stop, but he certainly didn't go without Khal's vague instructions. Things like, 'Less force' or 'Faster', were repeated for almost every swing.

By the time the others woke up, he was sweating, heaving for breath, and wobbling while standing. Khal ended the lesson, and Kevin resumed his duties.

"Damn, kid," Gol said, swinging his arm around his shoulder. "What kinda training did you do?"

Kevin smiled, responding with, "Not much."

For the rest of the day, he kept comparing how Khal taught, compared to how the Academy taught. There, it was assumed that you knew the basics. Even when he failed, the Instructor had never questioned him about it, instead ordering him to repeat what he got wrong until he got it right. It was the same with Khal. If this continued, would Kevin learn any differently than if he had stayed?

"What're you thinking so hard about?" Bull asked, placing his hand on Kevin's head.

"Khal's training," Kevin replied, loading a box into a caravan.

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"Ha!" he exclaimed. "No need to learn under him. Just swing a sword with enough power, and the enemy will crumble into dust."

"But he said-" Kevin was stopped by Bull placing a box loudly onto the same caravan.

"I don't care what he said. He's a hypocrite, in the way he teaches. He tells you to think about each and every strike you make, but why should you?" Bull glanced at Kevin. "If it becomes instinct, why should you think?"

"Actually, he made me start at balance."

"Wow, you really must be bad." He didn't say anything further.

Half an hour later, they were on the road again, moving at a slower speed than the day before. Kevin was bored out of his mind, even as he sat on the raised seat outside. He watched the ever changing scenery, watching as animals farther away bound through the plains. It was too peaceful.

Then, a voice rose above the noise of wheels on dirt, yelling, "We're entering the Bloody Forest!"

Kevin wondered for only a moment about what forest they were entering before he noticed it. In the distance, there was a forest that seemed to run for forever on either side, with trees that drank all of the sunlight before it could reach the ground. Kevin wondered how he hadn't seen it earlier.

The longer he looked at it, the more he thought he felt an ominous feeling. It was like something was watching them as they entered. It felt hungry.

Finally, they were close enough for Kevin to smell the Bloody Forest, which perfectly fit its name. It smelled like blood, blood, and more blood. Even the trees seemed to have blood splattering on them, though he had no idea what creature it had come from. Maybe a Monster, maybe a human. The leaves dripped something, constantly, even though it had barely rained. The entire thing was disturbing.

Then there were the noises: Insects chittering, teeth gnashing together, cries of pain. But the worst sound of them all was the howling. It seemed to be constant, though there were pauses inbetween each. Those howls, however, did not come from wolves. Definitely something he didn't want to cross paths with.

He looked over the caravan from where he could, seeing everyone just like him. On edge. Every little rustling sound that the bushes created caused extreme reactions, though no one attacked the source. Instead, they waited, watching the bush. Fortunately, it was nothing bigger than a Carnivorous Squirrel, carrying chunks of meat in its cheeks. For who knows how many times, Kevin shivered at that.

He found himself looking backwards more often, too. It wasn't like there were any sounds that came from back there, but he still checked.

They, of course, camped in the forest.

It was as miserable as it sounded, with half the mercenaries on watch, the rest sleeping. They didn't light a fire that night. Kevin could guess why. Kevin didn't know how they managed to sleep through the noises that happened at night. The sniffing sounds were the most constant, as though something was tracking their scent. He knew that was ridiculous, though. He was thankful when the deep breathing came, when the night got so quiet that the only thing audible was just one sound. It must've come from something that terrified everything else in the forest.

Finally, Kevin fell asleep.