Two days had passed since we separated from Draka and started our journey to the Highlands.
"So why are we going to the Highlands again?" I asked.
Kora walked ahead of me, glancing back. "The Highlands is the only country where adventurers can take their exams."
"Why not Drakva?"
"The concept of guilds and adventurers is its own entity. It isn't owned by any nation. The main base is the Highlands because that's where it all started. Anyone can become an adventurer if they pass the exam and get their rank."
"So I have to pass this exam to get a rank." I thought for a moment. "What's your rank, anyway?"
"I'm C-rank. My old guild was B-rank, but after the Black Forest… I decided to disband it."
I caught up to her at the top of a grassy hill. "So what's your goal now?"
Kora stopped abruptly. "My goal?"
"Why not? You're still here. Still fighting."
She was quiet for a moment. Then: "I want to accomplish what my old guild wanted. Reach S-rank. And grow stronger."
"I believe in you."
She looked at me, something soft flickering in her green eyes. "Thanks."
We continued walking through the flat valley, the path growing narrower. "How far are we, anyway? And where exactly are we going?"
Kora pulled a map from the leather bag at her side and studied it carefully.
"We're heading to Hoax Port. It's in the Farothorn Commonwealth. The travel there will take about two days."
"TWO DAYS of walking?!" My knees wobbled just hearing that. "I don't think my legs can take it."
Before dawn, we heard it—a constant creaking and rumbling ahead. I squinted. An unusual silhouette emerged from the growing light.
The smell hit first. Old fur. Worn leather. Wood.
"What's that?" I pointed.
Kora followed my gaze, and her face lit up. "Thank the gods. A wagon."
I side-eyed her. "So you didn't want to walk that long either."
She was already rummaging through her satchel, the steel plates on her shoulders catching the early sunlight. "Okay. Twenty copper coins. That should be enough to ask the rider to take us."
The wagon finally rolled closer.
It wasn't pulled by horses. The creature was something else entirely—a bird's head on a body shaped like a horse, covered in gray feathers. Its legs ended in something between hooves and talons. It moved with an odd, graceful rhythm.
The rider was an old man in a faded farmer's hat and a worn tunic. His eyes narrowed as soon as he saw us.
"Kada khan," he said, his voice raspy.
Kora removed her witch hat and bowed slightly. "Kada khan da-los."
I immediately copied her.
So "kada khan" is a greeting. Noted.
They spoke for a moment in their language. Kora showed him the small bag of coins. The old man nodded, then glanced at me—more than once. Studying me.
Finally, Kora turned with a bright smile. "Get in the wagon."
Inside, we found two thick fur blankets and a clay pot with a large silver spoon resting beside it. I settled onto one of the wooden benches, feeling every bump as the wagon lurched forward.
"What did you tell him?" I asked.
"I gave him the copper. It's fine—I still have enough saved for the sailing trip to the Highlands."
"So how long is the ride now?"
"About a day. We'll arrive around sunrise."
"Still better than walking."
My eyes grew heavy. I let them close, listening to birdsong and the rustle of passing leaves.
---
I woke in black waters again.
The familiar darkness stretched in every direction. I stood, searching.
A figure approached—purple, wreathed in flame. Larger than before.
"Is that you again?" I reached out.
The figure grew clearer with each step. A jaguar. But massive—bigger than an elephant. Purple fire danced along its fur in shifting shades of violet and lavender. As it drew closer, the flames dimmed, softening.
It leaned into my outstretched hand and purred.
The sound rumbled through me, deep and warm. Its fiery fur was soft. Comfortable. Familiar.
"So you're calm around me," I whispered.
Fire spread from the beast to my hand, then crawled up my arm, across my shoulder, until my whole body was wrapped in purple flame. It didn't burn. It felt like coming home.
Then the jaguar pulled away.
It walked into the darkness without looking back. Its silhouette shrank, smaller and smaller, until the purple was just a pinprick.
Gone.
My heart felt quiet. Peaceful.
"Thanks," I murmured.
---
A nudge on my shoulder.
I blinked. Kora's face hovered above me, her green coat a soft contrast against the dark wooden walls of the wagon.
"Did I wake you? Sorry." Her voice was barely a whisper. She held one of the fur blankets. "I just wanted to put this over you. So you could sleep more comfortably."
"It's okay." I took the blanket from her. "Thanks."
We both settled back, wrapped in our own furs. Through a gap in the wagon's curtains, I could see the night sky. Different from Earth's sky—the stars arranged wrong, the darkness somehow deeper. It stirred something in me. Not fear, exactly. But awareness.
Like my fight-or-flight was always humming, even in peace.
I turned my head. Kora was already asleep, her hat tilted over her face, the blanket pulled up but not quite reaching her shoulders. She looked small like that. Peaceful.
Watching her like this, I felt something I couldn't quite name. We'd only known each other a year, but I would fight monsters for her. Die for her, maybe. Back on Earth, I'd had friends. People I laughed with. People I called myself lucky to have.
But Kora? She'd seen me at my worst. Watched me train until I collapsed. Pulled me out of berserker rages. Tried to teach me her language even when I butchered every word.
She was real in a way I couldn't explain.
I closed my eyes, claymore resting across my lap. Ready. Always ready now.
This peace—I enjoyed it. I knew it wouldn't last. This life was storms interrupted by moments like this.
But that was okay.
I was ready.