Horus felt an unseen gaze pressing against his back. It lingered just long enough to make his breath hitch, then vanished as if it had never existed. The forest remained silent and indifferent. He told himself it was exhaustion playing tricks on his mind, yet his hand never
strayed far from his weapon. After half a day of travel, they finally reached a village. By the time they arrived, the sun
had already sunk below the horizon. Fatigue weighed heavily on them, leaving no strength
to continue. They decided to rest for the night and search for a healer at dawn.
With the rise of the sun, they began asking the villagers about a healer.
No one answered.
Instead, mocking laughter followed them wherever they went. Their worn clothes and
rough appearance drew cruel words. Some villagers even tried to force them toward the
dumping grounds the place where waste and unwanted things were thrown away.
Horus begged them. He pleaded for help, for anything that might save his friend's life. They turned away.
Left alone at the edge of the village, they noticed a small boy being beaten by a group of
children his own age. The boys mocked him for having no family and played with the
scraps of junk he carried.
Horus could not watch any longer.
He stepped forward and flashed his katana.
The sight alone was enough to send the boys fleeing. As silence returned, Ziva knelt
beside the injured child and reached out to heal him. The boy recoiled in fear.
"No—no! I don't have any money!" he screamed. "I can't pay you!"
Horus gently struck the boy to stop his panic without harming him. Ziva continued healing,
but the strain showed quickly. Continuous use of her power, long travel, and lack of proper
food took their toll. Moments later, her legs gave out.
"You need to rest," Horus said quietly.
When the boy awoke, he stared at his body in disbelief. His wounds were gone.Fear replaced shock. He grabbed Horus's clothes and began begging.
"Please don't
charge me! I don't have anything to give!"
Horus knelt in front of him. "I want nothing from you."
The boy froze in disbelief.
After a while, he asked quietly, "The lady… the one who healed me. Can I see her?"
"She passed out from exhaustion," Horus replied. "She's resting nearby."
Horus then asked his name.
"Ray," the boy said.
As they spoke, Horus asked, "Why didn't you fight back those boys earlier?"
Ray's voice broke. Tears spilled as he confessed that he was born with a strange
illness one that prevented him from growing strong. His father had tried to create a cure.
"He died while trying," Ray whispered.
Suddenly, a voice called out sharply.
"Horus!"
Ziva stood unsteadily, panic in her eyes. "Cato's condition is getting worse. We need a
healer now. Seeing Cato's state, Ray's expression changed. He bolted forward. "I know someone!" he shouted. "Follow me!"
After running for a while, they entered a cave. There, Ray revealed something strange a
vehicle unlike anything they had ever seen. He urged them inside.
"The doctor lives near the hills," Ray said. "It's far. Hold tight."
In mere moments, they arrived before a tall, abandoned-looking tower.
They rushed inside, shouting for help.
An old man well into his nineties stepped out of a room, complaining about the noise. But
when he saw Cato's condition, his expression hardened. Without another word, he carried
Cato into a room and began treatment.
After some time, the old man returned"He will survive," he said. "But it will take time before he can walk again."
Then his gaze turned sharp as it fell on Ziva.
"You let a man in this condition deteriorate, despite being an advanced healer?"
Ziva lowered her eyes. "I… never attended a healer institute. I'm not officially ranked."
The old man froze.
"What?"
Shock crossed his face. Without hesitation, he offered, "Become my disciple."Ziva shook her head. "I don't want to be bound to one place. I want to travel and learn
different ways to cure illness across the world."
She paused.
"But," she said softly, "teach me more. So next time… I won't fail. So I can save my friend."
The old man did not answer immediately. Instead, he handed Ziva a bucket of water and
pointed toward the hill behind the tower.
"If you wish to learn healing," he said, "then first learn patience."
Each morning, Ziva followed him through the abandoned tower and into the fields beyond.
He taught her not through books, but through experience. She learned how to sense the
flow of life within the body how healing was not about forcing power outward, but guiding
what already existed.
"Your healing is raw," the old man told her. "Powerful, but careless. You heal wounds, yet
you drain yourself."
Under his guidance, Ziva learned control. She practiced healing leaves without wilting
them, closing shallow cuts without exhausting herself, and mending broken bones using
only a fraction of her strength. Slowly, her power became steadier calmer.
At night, the old man spoke of medicine, herbs, and techniques used before healer ranks
existed. Ziva listened closely, storing every word.
Meanwhile, Horus trained alone.
Behind the tower, he practiced his sword forms from sunrise to sunset. Each swing was
precise and controlled. Each step was measured. He trained not only his body, but his
mind.The unseen gaze he had felt in the forest never left him. Sometimes, during training, he
would suddenly stop, his hand tightening on his blade, certain that something was
watching. Yet when he turned, there was nothing—only wind and silence.
He pushed himself harder.
He trained while exhausted. He trained while injured. He trained until his hands bled and
his muscles screamed in protest. Strength alone was not enough. If he was to protect
them, he needed more.
On rare occasions, the old man watched him train.
"You fight as if you expect the world to betray you," the healer said.
Horus continued training without replying.
After a few days, Cato was ready to continue the journey.
As they prepared to leave, Ray stood in front of them, looking down. Ziva asked why he
seemed so sad.
Through tears, Ray admitted they were the first friends he had ever had. Just like his
parents, they were leaving him behind.
Suddenly, Horus stepped forward.
"you are coming with us," he said.
Ray's eyes widened in disbelief then filled with joy.
Soon, all four of them entered the vehicle and set off toward the Continent of Wind, leaving
the Neutral Island behind.