The road leading out of the forest was narrow and overgrown, little more than a path beaten by wild animals and time. Kahel walked slowly, his feet dragging with every step, yet his eyes were alert. Each sound caught his attention. Every shadow felt alive.
Velka trotted beside him, tail swaying low, ears twitching at every movement in the brush.
After two more days of walking, the trees began to thin, replaced by patches of field and stone fences. The air smelled cleaner, touched with the distant scent of bread and smoke. Ahead, nestled between rolling hills, stood a modest town surrounded by wooden walls and simple gates.
Kahel's eyes narrowed as he approached.
It wasn't large, no more than a few hundred people at most, but after days in the wild, it felt like another world. The sound of hammers echoed from a blacksmith's forge. Children laughed in the distance. Market stalls lined the main street, filled with fruits, tools, and worn fabrics. It was noisy, colorful, and alive.
Kahel pulled up the hood of his cloak, hiding his face as best he could. His clothes were torn and stained. He looked like a traveler, maybe even a vagrant. He drew a few glances as he entered, but no one said anything. Townsfolk were used to the odd stranger passing through.
His stomach growled, and he moved toward a bakery stand, eyeing the fresh bread laid out in rows. His hand reached for a coin pouch, and remembered it was empty. His face tensed. He stepped back slowly and turned away.
That was when he saw her.
She stood near the center of the street, speaking with an older merchant, her posture relaxed but elegant. She wore a crimson robe, clean and lined with faint golden stitching. A simple silver ornament hung from her belt. Her black hair was tied in a loose braid, and her skin was pale, smooth, untouched by hard labor. Her eyes were the color of burning coals, calm, sharp, and utterly focused.
A cultivator.
Kahel could sense it. The faint pressure in the air around her. The way people instinctively gave her space. She wasn't from this town. She didn't belong to this world of bakers and cobblers. She came from somewhere else. Somewhere higher.
Her gaze flicked to him for only a moment. But that single look pinned him in place.
Then she turned away, continuing her conversation.
Kahel exhaled slowly. Velka growled softly beside him.
"I know," Kahel muttered. "She's strong."
He watched for a moment longer, then walked toward the well in the town square. He drew a bucket of water and drank, washing the taste of dust and smoke from his mouth.
The girl in red finished speaking with the merchant and walked past him without a word. Kahel hesitated.
Then followed.
She turned into a quieter street near the edge of the town, where the noise of the market faded behind them. She stopped beneath a large tree and looked over her shoulder.
"You've been staring at me," she said, her voice calm but firm.
Kahel stopped a few steps away. Velka sat beside him, ears alert.
"I noticed your cultivation," he replied. "It's hard to miss."
She raised an eyebrow. "You're a cultivator too?"
"Barely," Kahel admitted. "I just broke through. Body Tempering stage."
She looked him up and down, eyes lingering briefly on his bandaged shoulder and bruised arms.
"You're either stupid," she said, "or fearless."
Kahel shrugged. "Is there a difference?"
That made her smile, just barely. "Name?"
"Kahel."
She tilted her head slightly. "Arla."
Kahel nodded slowly. "You're stronger than me."
"Yes," she said without hesitation.
He didn't argue.
"What brings you to this place?" Kahel asked.
"I could ask you the same."
"I'm... exploring," Kahel answered after a moment. "Learning about the world."
She considered that for a moment, then stepped closer.
"Don't follow people like me unless you're prepared to get hurt," she said. "Some cultivators won't tolerate being approached."
"I'm not most people," Kahel said quietly.
Her eyes studied him again. Then she turned, walking back toward the town's main road.
"You're not wrong about that," she said over her shoulder.
Kahel watched her go, something stirring inside him. He wasn't sure what it was. Curiosity, admiration, maybe a flicker of competition.
She was the first cultivator he had met outside of Thalen. And she had shown him something simple but important.
The world was bigger than he imagined.
He knelt down, petting Velka behind the ears.
"We need to get stronger," he murmured. "Much stronger."
Velka gave a quiet yap of agreement.
Kahel stood and looked out over the rooftops, the sun dipping low behind the hills.
This was only the beginning.