Intervention

The first two days were really peaceful. No animals, no Elysians, just me and the forest. That allowed me to get a proper rest, and take care of my wounds. "The scars… There's even one on my cheek, but my body doesn't fare any better… Haah… It's not like I'm looking for a husband anyway, though mother might not be happy", I said to myself. The medicine blended the scars with my skin, though they were visible. Fortunately, no other injuries were there. The pain disappeared already, and my body returned to normal. Moreover, I was finally free to continue my training and journey.

There was no guilt in my mind, there was no way I'd feel guilty about such people. They weren't innocent, but more importantly, they were after my life for no reason. That alone made their lives worthless. Though I told myself one thing, 'I'd always try to be peaceful. If those on my path insist on taking me out, I'll fight back'.

That was probably the same resolution Tara had in mind. She didn't kill people, but she would if someone threatened her life. I finally understood that, after these events. Killing was bad, but only when done to innocent people. Those who actively pursued someone else's life, especially innocent, had no right to complain about their losses. That was the resolution born inside of me, after these events took place.

After these two days, animals began popping up. That was good news, since my food supply was running dry. My water supply was even worse. I only had two bottles left, and no river in sight. Though slightly worrying, I treaded north-west towards my destination. 'I'm not sure how far away the sea is, but I'm sure no village would have a map of this place. No villager could survive inside this forest, at least not until they broke past their limits'.

I was also worried about those Elysians. The chances were, we wouldn't cross paths anymore. Though there were similar chances we would. The biggest mystery to me was their presence. Whether there were more of them or not, was secondary. The primary question was why were they inside that forest to begin with. 'I don't know much about Elysians, though they seem to be breeding with animals. Maybe they come here to do just that? This would make sense, although they are Humans. How can a Human have a relationship with a bear, or a wolf?'.

My mother was half Furian, but she was essentially Human too. That was why my parents could have kids. Just like my father explained, if his wife was a Shade, they wouldn't be able to have kids. Therefore, how could a bear and a Human have kids? There were too many questions in my mind, but no answers whatsoever. 'Perhaps my theory is wrong, but then how are they able to change forms like that? Hmmm, I'm either missing something, or they really love animals'.

Either way, my journey had to continue. With the animals present once more, my progress suffered. I had to watch out for larger groups of animals, and there were many of them. For some reason, they avoided the area I came from, but bunched together just outside. Groups of twenty to thirty bears or wolves were not uncommon. Moreover, there were usually two or three silver variants in those groups.

Two days later though, I noticed something else entirely. 'That wolf… it's not only silver and huge, it has faint flames burning on its body…'. The wolf passed by me very quickly, it didn't even bother with a Human. Though its speed alone told me the wolf was much stronger than me. Not only that, a wolf with flames burning on its body wasn't something I'd expect. 'He had to be on fire… but how? I mean, are there Elysians here? Maybe Humans… Maybe it's the work of the two masters. Still, that doesn't change how fast and big that wolf was'.

Moreover, that huge wolf was heading north. 'If that thing was real, maybe the Elysians are looking for such creatures? From what I remember, that leader guy had black fur, not brown. In other words, he transformed into a black bear state. Therefore, this would make sense. Such a wolf would indeed interest Elysians… Does that mean the Elysian Empire has no such creatures?', I asked myself.

Soon after the wolf, I heard more noise inside the forest. This was my queue to hide. I had no knowledge what was coming towards me, but that forest taught me to not take anything lightly. I hid in the trees, and waited quietly. "It went that way. Don't let it escape", man with a thick voice said. 'Elysians!', I exclaimed in my mind. They had to be, otherwise they could only be Humans. No matter who they were, they were chasing that wolf.

'They are heading towards the north as well, and their speed… I can't fight against them. Each and every one of them is stronger...', before I could finish that thought, my instincts told me to run. "Swoosh!.. Swoosh! Crack..", my hiding place was assaulted by a dozen arrows. These shots were not weak either. The trunk of the tree split in a few areas, after taking the arrows head on.

The moment my feet touched the ground, more arrows came my way. I was barely able to find cover behind a thick tree, otherwise my body would gain a few additional holes. "Filia, you get rid of that pesky Human, we will continue the chase", the same male voice ordered. 'I'm in deep trouble. This archer is nothing like those two women. Her accuracy and strength is deadly', I thought while more arrows struck the tree.

There was nothing in my bag that could defeat her. The Voltic Orb was gone, my Rune drawing brushes were unavailable. This was the worst possible case that could happen. That archer wasn't stupid either. She stopped shooting, and probably changed position. I couldn't hear or see her, but I was sure she was getting closer.

I made a mad dash towards another tree, but the archer was on me already. "Swoosh!.. Swoosh!...", the arrows flew my way, damaging all the trees in their path. "What do you want!? I did nothing to you, so why are you attacking me!?", I shouted, but there was no answer. She was there to kill me, no amount of persuasion would change that.

My instincts flared up once more, making me jump forward, leaving the cover of that tree. "Tsuk.. Tsuk.. Tsuk..", a few arrows pierced the side of the trunk. There was no time to think about stuff, I rolled on the ground before springing back to my feet.

More arrows flew my way, but it was only a matter of time before one of them finally hit me. I didn't even know where that archer was, her positioning was too good. She was a real archer, unlike the two women from the previous group. I could feel the arrows getting closer and closer. If not for my instincts, I'd die a few times over. Then suddenly, a loud "Agh!" sounded from behind me, and the arrows stopped.

No matter what she did, I refused to stop or even look behind. Whatever tricks she was playing, I wouldn't fall for them. "Why are you in such a rush?", a familiar voice sounded next to me. "Master Yater!", I exclaimed, shocked. "Well, it wouldn't be right for these people to bully our little Anna. That archer alone would be enough to kill you, so I took her out myself", he replied with a smile.

"They are Elysians! They want something here, and there must be more of them. I barely escaped with my life, and…", master Yater stopped me. "Calm down, Anna. We know about these Elysians. We wouldn't interfere, just like we didn't with the previous group. Provided they were a bit stronger or at your level".

"This woman was the weakest of the group, and yet she almost reached her Inner Limits stage. Don't worry though, Irwin already rushed after them. Knowing him, they shouldn't last even a few seconds", he added. "Why are they here? This forest belongs to the Endrosian Empire, right? What are Elysians doing here, why are they attacking people?", I asked before he could leave.

"Hehe, we might tell you, once you get to the sea. Now, don't expect any help, Anna. Your Voltic Orb is gone, so be on the lookout. Also, you haven't taken my words very seriously. The Art of Stealth is very useful in such situations. If you actually practiced it well, you wouldn't have so many issues. That bird, the group of Elysians, none of that would pose you so many problems. Now, off you go. You don't have that far to the sea", he replied before disappearing.

'Damn, I wanted more answers… Anyway, they know about Elysians. That alone is a good thing, but they will not interfere with my fights or save me. Only when the enemy is overwhelmingly strong will they take action. Perhaps not ideal, but at least my death won't be unjust and without a struggle... Fine! I'll continue. I'll get to the sea, and I'll try to do something about that Art of Stealth', I thought.