The forest path stretched ahead in a narrow, winding line.
Brittany skipped along it with light, effortless steps, her small figure practically bouncing with energy. The red velvet cloak on her shoulders swayed gently with each movement, as if she carried her own little piece of warmth through the woods.
She looked exactly like what she was—
A carefree, innocent girl who had never truly known danger.
Behind her, Adrian Vale followed at a steady pace.
His gaze, however, was anything but relaxed.
He scanned the surroundings instinctively.
Measured.
Alert.
The further they moved away from the village, the more the forest changed.
The trees grew taller.
Denser.
The light dimmed as thick layers of branches choked off the sky above.
What had once felt like a quiet woodland now carried something else beneath the surface—
A presence.
Cold.
Watchful.
Unwelcoming.
A faint chill crawled up Adrian's spine.
He didn't slow down.
But his awareness sharpened.
A detail clicked in his mind.
An old woman… living alone this deep in the forest?
And they let a girl like Brittany walk out here by herself?
That didn't make sense.
Not in any normal world.
…Unless this wasn't a normal situation.
Unless—
This was a scripted event.
A narrative trigger.
A setup.
That made a lot more sense.
And right at that moment—
Adrian's expression changed.
His brow tightened slightly.
His head turned—slow, deliberate.
Toward the forest.
His eyes narrowed.
He hadn't heard anything.
No footsteps.
No movement.
No sound.
But his instincts—
His combat-hardened intuition—
Were screaming at him.
Something was there.
Watching.
Focused on him.
Filled with intent.
Malice.
—
And this time—
His instincts were absolutely right.
—
Without warning—
A faint red glow flickered across Brittany's cloak.
Soft.
Warm.
Not blinding.
It looked almost like the first light of dawn breaking through darkness.
It lasted less than a second.
But in that instant—
The forest changed.
The oppressive stillness fractured.
Shadows shifted.
And whatever had been hiding—
Reacted.
Violently.
Leaves rustled.
Branches shook.
Something moved—
Fast.
Too fast for an ordinary animal.
Retreating.
Fleeing.
—
Adrian moved.
No hesitation.
No warning.
His body acted before conscious thought could catch up.
His hand snapped to his waist.
Steel rang.
The ornate knight's sword—still unsharpened—came free in a single, fluid motion.
Then—
He threw it.
Not like a man.
Like a siege weapon.
His arm drove forward with explosive force, muscles compressing and releasing like coiled steel.
The sword tore through the air.
A violent, shrieking whistle followed its path.
The sound alone was enough to make the air feel like it was splitting apart.
Then—
Impact.
A deep, crushing thud echoed through the trees.
Followed immediately by—
A scream.
Raw.
Twisted.
Not human.
Not animal.
Something in between.
Something wrong.
The creature choked it down halfway, forcing the sound into a strangled grunt—
And then—
Movement again.
Fast.
Retreating.
Still able to run.
—
Adrian's eyes sharpened.
It survived that?
—
Behind him, Brittany froze.
She hadn't seen anything in the forest.
Hadn't noticed the red glow.
All she saw was Adrian suddenly hurl his sword into the trees like a madman.
Her body flinched.
She clutched her chest, breathing uneven.
"M-Mr. Vale… what just happened?"
"There was something in the forest," Adrian said calmly.
"It was watching us."
"And it was about to attack."
He was already moving as he spoke.
Straight into the trees.
—
The sword he carried—
Was no decorative prop.
It had been custom-forged using modern techniques.
Expensive.
Precise.
Durable.
Even without an edge—
In this world, it might as well be a legendary weapon.
Especially in Adrian's hands.
With his current strength—
A single throw carried force measured in tons.
—
He stepped into the forest.
And found it immediately.
The sword had embedded itself deep into the trunk of a massive tree.
Not lodged.
Not stuck.
Driven in.
Like a spear.
Half the blade had vanished into solid wood.
And pinned against it—
Was an arm.
Thick.
Muscular.
Covered in coarse gray fur.
Dark, foul-smelling blood dripped slowly down the blade.
—
Adrian studied it.
The wound wasn't clean.
Not a slice.
A tear.
Violent.
Ragged.
He understood instantly.
The creature had been pinned here—
Immobile.
Trapped.
And instead of struggling—
It made a decision.
It tore its own arm off.
—
Adrian's gaze hardened slightly.
Ruthless.
Decisive.
Not just strong—
Smart.
Dangerously so.
—
Creatures like that…
You either never provoke them—
Or you kill them completely.
Anything in between…
Was a mistake.
—
A flicker of regret crossed his mind.
If he had brought his bow…
This would have ended already.
With his archery—
That thing wouldn't have escaped.
—
Footsteps approached behind him.
Brittany.
She had followed.
And the moment she saw it—
Her face went pale.
Completely.
Her body stiffened, then recoiled.
Her breathing turned shallow and uneven.
Adrian pulled the sword free from the tree in one smooth motion.
The arm remained skewered on the blade.
He turned slightly, lifting it just enough for her to see.
"Brittany."
"Do you recognize this?"
That was a mistake.
For someone like her—
It was too much.
She stumbled backward immediately, shaking her head violently.
"I—I'm sorry… I don't know…!"
Her voice trembled.
She lowered her head, almost hiding behind herself, too afraid to even look at it again.
"Y-you can ask my grandmother… she might know…"
Adrian watched her for a moment.
Then lowered the arm.
No point pushing.
—
After that—
The mood changed.
Completely.
The lighthearted energy from before was gone.
Brittany no longer skipped.
No longer wandered.
She walked.
Quietly.
Quickly.
Staying closer to the path.
—
They moved forward.
Through the forest.
Until—
The trees thinned.
Light returned.
And suddenly—
It appeared.
A small wooden house.
A garden.
Warm.
Peaceful.
Almost unreal against the backdrop of the dark forest.
—
Adrian stopped.
Something wasn't right.
He took a step back.
Then another.
And looked again.
The house—
Was gone.
Only forest remained.
Dense.
Silent.
Empty.
—
His eyes narrowed.
"...Not concealment."
He muttered under his breath.
"In this world…"
"That would be magic."
—
He stood there, thinking.
Analyzing.
Calculating.
—
Meanwhile—
Brittany had already run ahead.
Her voice rang out, bright and full of relief:
"Grandma! I'm back!"
—
The door opened.
An elderly woman stepped out.
Kind face.
Gentle expression.
But her complexion—
Too flushed.
Unnaturally so.
—
She smiled at Brittany.
Then—
She saw Adrian.
—
Everything changed.
—
Her body tensed instantly.
Her instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, she pulled Brittany behind her.
Shielding her.
Protecting her.
—
She was injured.
Her magic weakened.
Even the protective spell over the village had started to fail.
The hunter she had called for help—
Hadn't arrived yet.
This—
Was the worst possible moment.
—
If an enemy had come now—
She wouldn't be able to stop it.
Not fully.
Not safely.
—
And if she failed—
Brittany would die with her.
—
Her grip tightened.
Her mind raced.
Spells.
Options.
Last resorts.
Even if it meant dying—
She would fight.
—
Then—
She saw him clearly.
—
The armor.
Gilded.
Engraved.
Immaculate.
The red cloak behind him shifting slightly in the wind.
—
And suddenly—
She froze.
—
This was no ordinary man.