The silence that followed the revelation seemed heavier than any scream. The distant sound of the wind through the canopy wasn't enough to break the suffocating feeling of danger. The forest watched them—alive, conscious, a silent accomplice to something greater than them all.

Kael kept his gaze fixed on the small green spot on the ground, his fingers still coated with a residual glow. The hatred throbbing beneath his skin wasn't just anger: it was an old, familiar kind of helplessness. The kind born when you realize the enemy is one step ahead.

Irelia was the first to speak.

"So they weren't just hired mercenaries…" she said, her voice low, as if afraid to give voice to her suspicion. "They're hunters, but from different groups. Fighting to get her first."

Kael slowly raised his gaze, and the gold in his eyes seemed to darken.

"Yes. And that makes it worse. If there are multiple factions after the princess, we're not just dealing with politics or revenge." We're in the middle of a shadow war.

Amélia huffed in exasperation.

"Good. Then it's not enough to have a runaway princess, a forest infested with assassins, and a paranoid mage. Now we have multiple invisible enemies."

"It's not sarcasm we need right now, Amelia," Irelia replied firmly. "It's focus."

The ice mage looked away, biting her lower lip. Still, she lowered her staff.

Sylphie, kneeling beside the princess, kept her hands on her chest, channeling small waves of green energy. The young woman's breathing was steady, which brought a modicum of relief. But Sylphie's expression was still tense, her lips curled in worry.

"Kael…" she began hesitantly. "If there's more than one group, that means… perhaps one of them already knows the tracker was destroyed."

The words hung in the air like a curse.

Kael looked up at the sky shrouded by the canopy. The moonlight barely penetrated the thick veil of leaves, but something in him seemed to feel the weight of the statement.

"Yes," he said finally. "If the spell was active, the bond must have broken when I destroyed it. And someone felt it."

Amélia clenched her fists.

"So they're coming."

"Sooner or later," Irelia added. "And probably not alone."

Kael stepped back from the group, taking a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts. His eyes scanned the forest as if trying to see beyond the visible.

"Three days. Three damn days since I left Exelia. And already we're surrounded again. This isn't coincidence… it's planning."

He turned suddenly, facing Sylphie.

"This path we're following. You said it's old, right?"

Sylphie nodded, not immediately understanding.

"Yes, a Druidic trail. It's been used for centuries by travelers crossing the valley. It's safe."

Kael frowned.

"Safe... or predictable?"

Sylphie blinked, surprised by the harshness in his tone.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if this trail is ancient, it's in ancient records. And if these groups have access to the court, the archives, the mages... then they might know about it too."

Amélia swore under her breath.

"Damn... he's right."

Irelia ran a hand through her hair nervously.

"So what's the alternative? Go back? We don't have time. The princess is exhausted, and if we wander aimlessly, we'll be hunted like prey."

Kael looked at her, and for a moment his face softened.

"I know," he murmured. "But perhaps we can do the opposite of what they expect."

"The opposite?" Amelia repeated.

Kael knelt and drew something on the ground with the tip of his sword—a makeshift map made of dirt and leaves.

"The druidic trail runs north. If they know that, they'll lay siege there." His sword traced another line. "What they don't expect is for us to head east, along a path that no longer exists."

Sylphie frowned.

"'No longer exists'?"

Kael nodded.

"The terrain is rough, but if we cut through the slope, we can avoid the main route."

Irelia leaned forward, studying the dirt map.

"It's risky."

"It's better than being tracked like cattle," he replied.

Amelia took a deep breath.

"Fine. But before that, we need the princess to wake up."

Kael looked at Sylphie, and the druid nodded. She reached out again to the young woman and whispered softly. A light breeze rose around them, making the leaves flutter for a moment.

The princess took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

For a moment, she seemed lost—her gaze wandering between the faces of her companions, until she found Kael, kneeling beside her.

"What… what happened?"

Kael answered calmly.

"You were being tracked. I had to act before it was too late."

She blinked, trying to process.

"Tracked?"

Sylphie lightly touched her hand.

"There was a living spell on your cloak. Some kind of enchanted caterpillar. It's already been destroyed. You're safe now."

The princess paled. Her fingers tightened on the fabric of her robe as if trying to wring out the sensation of something invisible trapped there.

"Who would do something like that…?"

Amélia replied bitterly.

"Who wouldn't mind hunting a girl for power or political favors."

Kael fell silent, watching her carefully. There was something new in the princess's eyes now—something colder. A glimpse of the real weight beginning to settle over her.

"I don't want to be a burden," she said finally. "If they're coming for me, you can't…"

Irelia interrupted her before she could finish.

"Shut up. Don't you dare say that. You are our responsibility. Our promise."

The princess blinked, surprised by the swordswoman's firmness.

Kael stood, cleaning his sword and gathering up the makeshift map.

"Let's go. If we stay still, they'll find us again."

…

Far away, more than fifty leagues north of the Altherion forest, a lone tower loomed large on the horizon. Black as burnt iron, surrounded by a dense, restless mist.

At its summit, the light of a magic circle pulsed with irregular intermittency—the sound low, like a stifled breath.

And within that circle, a woman watched.

Sitting before a table covered in velvets and translucent vials, she held a small, cracked rune between her fingers. The green glow emanating from it was fading.

She sighed, and the sound was as cold as a blade on stone.

"So… someone destroyed it," she murmured.

Her eyes were long and narrow, an almost amber gold. Her hair, black and straight, cascaded to her waist. She didn't look old, but there was something in the way she moved—slow, precise, filled with a predatory elegance—that betrayed centuries of experience.

"The link has been broken, Mistress," a male voice said behind her.

A man knelt in the shadows, his body covered in mystical tattoos that moved beneath his skin like worms of light.

"The mana link collapsed less than an hour ago. The creature... ceased to exist."

The woman twirled the rune in her fingers, watching the glow die completely.

"Ceased to exist, or was it killed?"

The man hesitated.

"Dead, apparently. The seal shattered violently."

She smiled—a smile as beautiful as it was terrifying.

"So someone found her."

She rose slowly, walking to the window. From above, she could see the valley blanketed by a distant storm, blue lightning illuminating the sky.

"And this person... knew what they were doing," she added softly. "Few would be able to detect my work, much less destroy it without triggering the tracking."

The man bowed his head even further.

"Do you want me to send another tracker, Mistress? We have two more samples prepared."

She made a gentle gesture with her hand, denying.

"No. If he destroyed the first, he will destroy them all. And the more creatures I send, the more he will learn about me."

She turned to face him, the glint in her eyes pure cunning.

"Better wait. Let his curiosity grow."

The man kept his gaze on the floor.

"'Him, Mistress?"

She walked to the table and touched a crystal that sat next to an ancient grimoire. The crystal reacted, showing a blurred image: the reflection of Kael, standing, sword in hand, golden light vibrating around his body.

"This man," she said, almost in a whisper. "He's no mere guard. The energy surrounding him... isn't human."

The subordinate swallowed.

"He's dangerous."

"That's precisely why I'm interested." She leaned slightly over the crystal, as if she could sense his aura through the image. "I haven't seen mana flow like this in centuries... so pure and violent. It's like looking into primordial fire."

The man ventured a question:

"Will the Council allow us to continue observing? The use of organic trackers has been banned..."

She laughed, a sound that rang like distorted bells.

"The Council is a bunch of blind old men, bound by their own rules. I don't need permission to seek answers they fear to ask."

With a gesture, the crystal darkened. The woman took a small vial and held it up to the light. Inside, another caterpillar—tiny, pale, alive—writhed.

"This is the last one," she said. "But I won't send it to the princess. Not yet." Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "First, I want to understand who protects her."