Morning arrived quietly.
*Too quietly.*
Chrono stood at the edge of the forest, staring toward the distant mountains. Behind him, the ancient entrance remained buried beneath layers of stone. Nothing moved. Nothing happened.
Yet Chrono couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.
The voice from the darkness remained in his mind.
*"You came early."*
He had replayed those words countless times throughout the night. Who had spoken? How did it know him? And what did *early* mean?
Chrono glanced at the black arrowhead in his hand. It was completely ordinary now. No glow. No reaction. Nothing.
"Annoying."
Gran sat beside him, tail slowly moving against the ground. The newly created fox-like creature rested between Gran's front legs, its nine tails curled around its body.
Chrono looked at it. "You really aren't leaving him, are you?"
The fox looked up. "Ky."
Gran's ears perked. Chrono sighed. "Fine."
Glask approached from behind. "My lord."
Chrono turned.
"We should continue toward the eastern settlement."
"I know." Chrono looked toward the road. "If the ancient structure is connected to the destroyed villages, someone might know something."
He began walking. Gran followed. The fox followed Gran. Glask followed everyone.
---
For several hours, nothing unusual happened. The forest gradually became less dense. The road widened. Eventually, signs of civilization appeared — a wooden cart, a few abandoned tools, fresh footprints.
Chrono stopped. He crouched. "These are recent."
Gran sniffed the ground. Then looked ahead.
Chrono stood. "Someone's nearby."
A voice suddenly came from the road.
"Are you lost?"
Chrono immediately looked up.
A man stood several meters away — carrying a simple wooden staff and a traveler's pack. His clothing was plain. Dark trousers. A light coat. Nothing remarkable. He appeared to be in his late twenties. His expression was friendly.
He raised one hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
Chrono studied him carefully.
The man smiled. "My name is Elias." He pointed toward the road. "If you're heading east, you're going the wrong way."
Chrono raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"The bridge ahead collapsed yesterday." Elias pointed toward another road. "There's a temporary crossing about half an hour north."
Chrono looked at him. "You know the area?"
"I travel through here often." Elias smiled. "Mostly for work."
Gran approached him. Elias immediately crouched. "Oh." He looked at Gran. "Beautiful creature."
Gran sniffed him. Elias extended his hand. "May I?"
Gran sniffed again. Then allowed him to touch his head.
Chrono watched silently. Elias laughed softly. "Friendly."
Gran's tail moved once.
*He doesn't usually trust strangers this quickly.*
The fox suddenly peeked from behind Gran. Elias noticed it. His eyes widened slightly. "Oh." He crouched lower. "And what are you?"
The fox stared at him. Elias didn't reach for it. Instead, he simply smiled. "Don't worry. I won't touch you."
The fox relaxed.
Chrono noticed something. Elias had positioned himself so that his body wasn't directly facing the creature. A non-threatening posture. Good social instinct. *Nothing strange.*
Elias stood. "Are you traveling together?"
"Something like that." Chrono didn't elaborate.
Elias nodded. "Fair enough." He looked toward the distant mountains. "These days, it's probably safer not to travel alone."
Chrono glanced at him. "Why?"
Elias's expression became slightly more serious. "Bandits." A pause. "And beasts." He smiled again. "Nothing you should worry about if you're careful."
Chrono nodded.
---
The conversation ended naturally. They continued down the road. Elias happened to walk in the same direction.
For a while, the group traveled together. He was surprisingly easy to talk to — he knew the surrounding settlements, which roads were safe, where travelers could find food and shelter. Glask seemed to appreciate his knowledge. Gran tolerated him. The fox eventually stopped hiding.
Chrono remained cautious. But nothing about Elias felt threatening.
At midday, they stopped beside a stream. Elias opened his pack. "I have some dried meat." He tossed a piece toward Gran. Gran caught it. The fox stared.
Elias smiled. "Don't worry." He gave another piece to the fox. It cautiously approached. Then ate.
Chrono watched. "You're good with animals."
"Animals are honest." Elias smiled. "They don't pretend to be something they're not."
Chrono looked at him. "Humans do?"
"Sometimes." Elias shrugged. "Everyone has reasons for hiding things."
He said it casually. Almost jokingly.
Chrono didn't respond.
---
Then Elias suddenly looked toward the forest. His expression changed — *only for a moment.* Chrono noticed.
"What?"
Elias smiled. "Nothing."
A branch snapped somewhere in the trees. Gran immediately stood, his body lowering. Glask reached for his weapon. Chrono slowly rose.
"Bandits?"
Elias shook his head. "No." His voice was calm. "Three."
Chrono paused.
Elias pointed toward the trees. "One is behind that large oak." He pointed toward another location. "One is hiding in the bushes." Then he pointed slightly farther away. "And the last one is waiting behind the hill."
Chrono stared at him.
Elias smiled. "Sorry." He scratched the back of his head. "I spend a lot of time traveling."
Chrono activated his perception.
A moment later — he detected them. Three people. *Exactly where Elias had indicated.*
Interesting.
The three figures suddenly emerged. One shouted. "Give us your belongings!"
Elias sighed. "See?" He looked at Chrono. "Bandits."
Chrono almost laughed.
The encounter ended quickly. The three attackers fled after realizing they had chosen the wrong group. Elias didn't chase them. He simply watched them disappear.
Then he smiled. "At least nobody was hurt."
Chrono looked at him. "You're surprisingly calm."
Elias shrugged. "Running away is sometimes the smartest choice."
Chrono nodded. *That answer made sense.*
---
Eventually, they reached a fork in the road. Elias stopped.
"This is where we separate."
Chrono nodded. "Thanks for the directions."
"My pleasure." Elias smiled. Then he looked at the little fox. "Take care of your friends."
The fox tilted its head.
Elias turned and walked away.
Chrono watched him disappear down the road. Gran remained still — ears raised.
Chrono looked at him. "What?"
Gran stared at the direction Elias had gone. Then sniffed the air.
Chrono frowned. "Something?"
Gran growled quietly.
Chrono's eyes narrowed. He looked back toward the road. There was nothing there. Just trees. Wind. Silence.
---
Several hours later — Elias walked alone.
The friendly smile *disappeared.*
His footsteps became quieter. He stopped. Looked behind him. Nothing.
He continued.
After another hundred meters, he suddenly stepped off the road. He entered the forest. Then stopped beside a tree.
A small bird flew away from a nearby branch. Elias watched it disappear.
He smiled. "Interesting."
He crouched. There were footprints in the soil — Gran's, Chrono's, Glask's, the fox's.
Elias touched one of them. His expression remained calm. "They're traveling toward the mountains."
He stood. Then looked toward the distant horizon.
The smile returned. *"How convenient."*
He adjusted his pack and continued walking.
Nothing about his behavior suggested malice. Nothing suggested danger. Nothing suggested that the man walking alone through the forest had already memorized the number of people in Chrono's group, their walking order, their preferred positions, the distance between them, and which member reacted first whenever danger appeared.
He simply continued down the road.
*A friendly traveler. A harmless stranger.*
At least — that's what everyone believed.
---
Far behind him, a rabbit suddenly froze.
Elias stopped. He turned his head. The rabbit stared at him. For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Elias smiled.
The rabbit *fled.*
Elias watched it disappear into the trees.
"Run."
He chuckled softly. "That's what you're supposed to do."
Then he continued walking.