One second. Maybe two.

That’s all the time their eye contact took - Ash lying flat on the top of the hill, white-haired girl standing in the middle of the wolf circle, both of them unmoving when the world kept revolving around them.

Until the wolf started to move.

"Rinna, look out!"

It was the black-haired girl’s voice that sliced through the air, sharp and desperate, but it was already too late. Too late - the moment of distraction had already cost her.

The animal jumped in a flash of teeth and claws, covering the distance between the girl who was shouting at Rinna and Rinna herself with one leap and slamming into her with an incredible speed.

Rinna fell to the ground with a thud. The wolf’s weight crushed her to the road below as she tried to defend her throat with her trembling arms.

Her wand was somewhere in the dirt, crimson eyes wide and arms shaking with efforts to push the beast back.

The black-haired girl was already running towards Rinna with full force.

Three wolves cut across her path. They spread out in a coordinated formation, predators trained for exactly this, and the black-haired girl stopped in her tracks, her sword already rising up in front of her.

And then Ash was on his feet.

He wasn’t making a conscious decision to join the battle. He couldn’t even think about it.

Something was happening beneath rationality, something that was faster than thinking or reasoning - and he was getting to his feet, already raising the ♥ 3 of Heart card. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

It was warm in his palms, a familiar feeling, golden surface of the card with the sigil of Flame Lance clearly visible.

He aimed it straight at the wolf, sitting on top of Rinna.

At the grey mass of fur instead of the girl lying under it.

"Flame Lance."

The card dissolved.

His flame lance differed from the ones he’d shot before. It was significantly bigger – he could actually see that now – and more powerful.

Instead of shooting directly in front of him, the weapon spun as it was traveling in midair, tracing a spiral shape in its movement.

It pierced the wolf cleanly.

Through one side and out the other, spinning rapidly and causing extra damage because of that spin.

The wolf was dead instantly, falling sideways without crushing Rinna to the ground - she had already pushed it off herself by the time it landed.

[✦Fang Wolf Defeated✦]

[Rewards]

[EXP + 200]

[SP + 30]

[★LOOT DROPPED★]

> Magic Stone x1

> Wolf Fang x2

[⚠NOTICE⚠]

[Storage: 20 / 20]

[Cannot store loot from Fang Wolf]

[Free up some space]

She was already getting to her feet and cleaning herself of dust and wolf debris from her dress.

Two of the wolves fell to her sword. The last fled back into the grassland.

There was silence.

The black-haired girl lowered her sword after a brief moment of inspection of the road and the grassland around her, then turned to see whether Rinna was alright.

"Are you okay, Rinna?" the black-haired girl reached her in a few quick strides and extended her hand.

"Uhm - y-yeah," Rinna answered as she brushed her dress again, trying to make sure no dirt was stuck on it. "I’m alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Lissa. I’m absolutely alright." Her smile was genuine, relaxed. "Completely perfect."

She looked down at her dress and resumed the process of cleaning it with her palms and then picked up her wand.

"Tell me, what just happened?" Lissa asked.

"It’s... I saw someone." Rinna lifted her hand and showed a distant point where Ash had been watching her from. "Up there."

Lissa turned towards the indicated spot.

Her sword was ready before she had even finished her turn, already pointing at Ash in the same motion.

"Hey." Her voice carried easily up the slope, clear and without any particular warmth. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"L-Lissa!" Rinna grabbed the black-haired girl by her sword arm. "Don’t point it at him like that! I don’t think he’s dangerous."

Lissa didn’t lower her sword.

Ash started walking towards the place where the two girls were standing.

He stepped off the grass onto the firm road beneath him, and soon he stood face to face with the two girls and the carriage they had come from, the old man in the driver’s seat watching everything.