Sunlight tore through the leaves and struck Arin straight in the eyes.
He groaned and rolled onto his side, blinking awake. Laughter drifted from the riverbank, warm and alive, carried by the crackle of a campfire.
He was late.
When Arin reached the fire, everyone was already seated, eating and talking like old friends. Hanase noticed him first.
"You're awake," she said flatly.
"I was going to introduce us," Arin muttered.
She didn't even look at him. "I already did. You're late."
Arin slumped. "Defeated before breakfast…"
Hanase sighed, then gestured toward the group. "Now sit and listen."
Arin straightened immediately.
"This is Askiro," she continued, indicating a brown-haired girl sharpening a blade near the water. "Assassin."
Askiro glanced up, eyes sharp, then went back to her work.
Hanase motioned to a broad-shouldered man with black hair and an easy grin. "Their tank. Hugoruo."
He raised a hand. "Nice to meet you."
"And their mage," she added, pointing to a blonde man who waved enthusiastically. "Dephore."
Arin squinted. "He's… small. Like you."
A fist cracked into his skull.
He hit the ground hard.
Hanase smiled sweetly. "And that," she said, "is their leader. Leiofa. Swordsman-assassin hybrid."
A black-haired man crouched beside Arin and waved. "Sorry about that."
Arin sat up, rubbing his head. "Nice to meet you…"
Hanase finished, pointing at him. "And this is our incompetent leader. Arin. Swordsman-mage hybrid."
"Incompetent feels harsh," Arin muttered.
They laughed.
The mood stayed light as they packed up camp and continued down the forest path. After a while, Arin glanced at the group ahead of him.
"It's a long walk," he said. "Mind telling us your story?"
Leiofa hesitated.
"It's not a happy one," he said.
"That's fine," Arin replied. "We'll listen."
Leiofa exhaled slowly.
"We're all from the same village," he began. "Two years ago… it was peaceful. Sunny. We were just kids, playing."
His voice hardened.
"Then we heard screaming."
The forest seemed quieter as he spoke.
"When we ran back, there was an orc standing in the village square. Bodies everywhere."
"My father was an adventurer. The only one who could fight."
Leiofa's hands clenched.
"He held the orc leader back so we could run. He told us we'd meet again… after he won."
No one interrupted.
"We waited for hours. When we returned, the village was gone. Houses destroyed. Fields burned. Everyone dead."
His voice dropped.
"We searched all night. Found our families by morning."
Silence followed.
"That's when we decided," Leiofa said quietly. "If we don't fight monsters… people like us will keep losing everything."
No one spoke.
Arin stared ahead at the path, jaw tight.
"…I'm glad you're here," he said at last.
And they kept walking.