The forest didn't relax when the Black Iron agents turned away.
Their boots struck the dirt road in steady rhythm, metal scraping stone, armor shifting with each step. Even as distance grew between them, their voices carried through the fog, sharp enough to cut.
BLACK IRON AGENT 2
you saw it right
BLACK IRON AGENT 1
those girls weren't alone there guy we were looking for was with them
Connor stayed still behind the trees, muscles locked, spine pressed against rough bark. His breath felt too loud inside his chest. The ground beneath his boots seemed tense, like it was listening.
BLACK IRON AGENT 2
yeah but you saw his burnt face didn't you, you do know he feets the description of Connor and you know the rules
The name landed wrong. Too close. Too real.
BLACK IRON AGENT 1
You really think he's still alive?
A pause followed, heavy enough to bend the air.
BLACK IRON CAPTAIN
he is based on what we saw
Connor's fingers curled slowly, nails digging into damp soil. Dirt packed beneath them, cold and familiar. The forest around him didn't move. Even the fog seemed to slow.
BLACK IRON AGENT 2
That kid…
they said he wiped out a whole patrol.
The road went quiet for half a breath.
BLACK IRON CAPTAIN
Not just wiped them out.
Boots stopped.
BLACK IRON CAPTAIN
They were found buried alive.
Crushed from the inside.
Something deep in Connor's chest twisted.
BLACK IRON AGENT 1
…Earth user?
BLACK IRON CAPTAIN
Earth.
Fire.
and more he is know as the irregular irregular.
The word irregular echoed longer than it should have. Connor's hand pressed harder into the dirt, and for just a second, the ground beneath him responded—barely perceptible, a faint tremor that died as quickly as it was born.
BLACK IRON CAPTAIN
Villagers called him a curse.
Said the ground screamed when he fought.
The forest swallowed the words.
BLACK IRON AGENT 2
So why didn't we engage?
Footsteps shifted. Armor creaked.
BLACK IRON CAPTAIN
Because orders came from above.
The fog thinned just enough for Connor to glimpse the man's silhouette ahead—Captain Alexander—broad shoulders, unyielding posture, a presence that didn't need shouting to command fear.
BLACK IRON CAPTAIN
"If you see him…
report.
Do not fight."
The sentence carried weight. The kind that pressed down on everyone who heard it.
BLACK IRON AGENT 1
…Even Stage 2 units?
BLACK IRON CAPTAIN
Especially them.
Boots resumed their rhythm.
Metal faded into distance.
The forest exhaled—slow, uneasy.
Moments passed before Connor moved.
He drew in a sharp breath, then let it out through clenched teeth.
Connor
…Tch.
Tomora watched him from a few steps away, eyes narrowed, reading the tension written into Connor's posture. He tilted his head slightly, voice casual but sharp enough to cut through the quiet.
Tomora
Buried alive, huh?
Connor didn't answer.
The silence stretched. Patricia stepped closer, her shadow overlapping Connor's.
Patricia
Connor…
Connor turned, forcing his mouth upward into something resembling a smile. It didn't reach his eyes.
Connor
Guess I left an impression.
Jer's gaze lingered on the road the agents had vanished down. Her voice dropped, not wanting to disturb whatever fragile balance held the moment together.
Jer
They weren't scared of him.
Tala stood apart from the group, arms wrapped around herself, eyes unfocused. The words slipped out of her before she could stop them.
Tala
…They were terrified.
Yora studied Connor openly now. Not fear—something deeper. Something cautious. Curious.
Yora
Is it true?
Connor met her eyes. For a moment, something old and raw flickered behind his stare.
Connor
I don't remember all of it.
The forest felt tighter.
Connor
Just the screaming.
No one spoke.
The fog drifted lazily between the trees, uncaring.
Tomora clicked his tongue, breaking the weight like a stone through glass.
Tomora
Hah.
Every head turned toward him.
Tomora
Good.
Connor blinked, caught off guard.
Tomora
Means you survived something worse than them.
Connor stared at him for a second—then a faint smirk tugged at his mouth.
Connor
You've got a messed-up way of comforting people.
Tomora
Shut up.
The group began moving again, boots crunching softly against leaves and soil. The road ahead twisted between trees like a scar through the forest.
Connor walked near the back now.
Each step he took left a subtle mark. Not visible at first glance. Just hairline fractures spreading beneath the dirt, reacting to something buried deep inside him.
Tala lagged behind.
Her gaze stayed fixed on the path the Black Iron agents had taken. On the place where Captain Alexander had stood.
Her father.
The title tasted bitter now.
She remembered his voice—not the one he used with soldiers, but the one from long ago. The one that had told her to stand tall. To be strong. To trust the Iron.
Her fingers tightened at her sides.
The forest didn't offer comfort.
Above them, branches creaked softly, and somewhere deep below, the earth shifted—just enough to remind the world that some things, once awakened, never truly slept.