The next morning began with disappointment.

A familiar enemy.

Seraphina hated it.

Especially before breakfast.

"The request is gone."

She stared at the board.

Then stared harder.

As if sufficient determination might force the paper to reappear.

It did not.

The universe remained stubborn.

Kael looked unsurprised.

"Someone accepted it."

"How."

"They met the requirements."

"Rude."

"That’s not rude."

"It feels rude."

The wolf investigation request was gone.

Twenty-five gold.

Gone.

Vanished.

Stolen by competence.

A tragedy.

The guild worker from yesterday looked up nervously.

"You mean the eastern road request?"

"Yes."

"It was taken before sunrise."

Seraphina placed a hand over her heart.

The betrayal was immediate.

And personal.

"We never even had a chance."

"You weren’t qualified."

"Details."

"They were very important details."

Several adventurers nearby laughed.

One of them raised his mug.

"Move faster next time."

Seraphina narrowed her eyes.

A challenge.

An unnecessary challenge.

The worst kind.

Kael immediately stepped between them.

"No."

"I didn’t do anything."

"You were about to."

"That is speculation."

"It is experience."

Fair.

Very fair.

The guild master emerged from his office.

Tired.

Annoyed.

Already regretting the day.

A professional.

"You two."

Seraphina pointed at herself.

"Us?"

"No. The other pair causing trouble."

There was no other pair.

The guild master tossed a folded paper onto the counter.

Kael caught it.

Read it.

Paused.

Read it again.

Seraphina leaned over.

"What is it?"

"A hunting request."

"Oh?"

"Low risk."

"Oh?"

"Normal."

"Oh?"

"No mysteries."

"Oh?"

"No crows."

Her excitement immediately died.

The guild master looked satisfied.

"Excellent."

Seraphina stared at the paper.

Then at him.

Then back at the paper.

The reward was modest.

Not terrible.

Not amazing.

Enough money for travel.

Enough money for food.

Enough money to survive.

The target?

Ironhorn Boars.

Seraphina frowned.

"That sounds less cool than wolves."

"It is."

"Then why are we doing it?"

"Because boars pay."

An excellent argument.

A painful argument.

But an excellent one.

Three hours later—

They were leaving town.

Again.

Not dramatically.

Not heroically.

Not while escaping explosions.

A surprisingly rare experience.

The road stretched ahead.

Fields rolled across the countryside.

A warm breeze carried the scent of grass and wildflowers.

For once—

Everything felt peaceful.

Naturally, Seraphina distrusted it immediately.

"This feels suspicious."

"It’s a road."

"Exactly."

Kael chose not to ask for clarification.

Past experience suggested disappointment.

A merchant wagon passed them.

The driver waved.

Seraphina waved back.

Then noticed something.

A small wooden charm hung beneath the wagon.

Black feathers.

Twisted string.

Strange symbols.

Her eyes narrowed.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

"What’s that?"

The merchant looked surprised.

Then glanced at the charm.

"Oh."

His expression changed slightly.

Not fear.

Unease.

"Protection charm."

"Against what?"

The merchant hesitated.

Then laughed awkwardly.

"Crows."

Silence.

Kael looked at him.

The merchant looked away.

Immediately suspicious.

"People have been buying those recently."

The merchant scratched his cheek.

"Probably nonsense."

Probably.

Maybe.

Possibly.

The least trustworthy word in existence.

The wagon continued down the road.

Leaving silence behind.

Seraphina watched it disappear.

Then looked toward the distant mountains.

The same mountains from the guild reports.

The same direction the wolves had supposedly been moving.

A strange feeling settled in her chest.

Not fear.

Curiosity.

The dangerous cousin of fear.

"Aina."

"Hm?"

"Don’t."

"I didn’t say anything."

"You were thinking something."

"I always think things."

"Exactly."

They continued walking.

The next town wouldn’t be reached until evening.

Which meant several hours of travel.

Several hours of peace.

Several hours where absolutely nothing should happen.

A massive boar burst from a bush.

The bush exploded.

Literally.

Leaves flew everywhere.

Birds scattered.

Something screamed.

Possibly the bush.

The Ironhorn Boar charged directly at them.

Huge.

Fast.

Angry.

And completely unconcerned with scheduling.

Seraphina blinked.

Then pointed.

"Kael."

"Yes."

"I found the quest."

"It’s finding us."

"That’s teamwork."

The boar accelerated.

Kael drew his sword.

Seraphina cracked her knuckles.

And somewhere high above—

A black crow landed on a branch.

The Ironhorn Boar hit the road like a charging boulder.

Not fast.

Violent.

There was a difference.

The ground shook beneath its weight.

Dirt exploded behind its hooves.

A merchant wagon farther down the road immediately turned around.

An excellent survival decision.

Kael moved first.

His sword flashed from its sheath.

Steel caught sunlight.

The boar lowered its head.

The iron-colored horns gleamed.

Then it charged.

Seraphina stepped aside.

The beast rushed past.

Wind blasted through her hair.

For a brief moment she caught the smell of dirt, mud, and old blood.

This wasn’t some academy exercise.

This thing was dangerous.

The boar twisted surprisingly fast.

Too fast.

Its rear legs dug into the earth.

The entire creature pivoted.

Then charged again.

"Oh."

Seraphina blinked.

"That’s mildly concerning."

"Mildly?"

Kael asked.

The boar smashed through a small tree.

The tree lost.

Completely.

The creature wasn’t intelligent.

But it was experienced.

Scars covered its hide.

Old wounds.

Old battles.

This wasn’t some random animal.

It had survived.

Many times.

Kael stepped forward.

The boar lunged.

His sword cut downward.

A clean strike.

Blood sprayed.

Not much.

The wound wasn’t deep enough.

The boar barely slowed.

"That is unfortunate."

Seraphina commented.

Then the monster targeted her.

Immediately.

Aggressively.

Personally.

"Why me?"

The boar offered no explanation.

Rude.

She jumped.

The horns tore through the space she’d occupied half a second earlier.

A nearby rock exploded.

Actual exploded.

Pieces scattered everywhere.

For once—

Seraphina stopped joking.

Just briefly.

Because if those horns hit a person—

There wouldn’t be much person left.

The realization excited her.

A little.

"Aina."

Kael’s voice was sharp.

"Focus."

"That is what I’m doing."

"You were smiling."

"That’s unrelated."

"It absolutely is not."

The boar attacked again.

Then again.

Then again.

Relentless.

No hesitation.

No fear.

Just pure aggression.

A normal team would’ve struggled.

A lot.

But Seraphina wasn’t normal.

Which caused many problems.

And solved several others.

The fourth charge came.

She didn’t dodge.

Kael’s eyes widened.

"Seraphina!"

Too late.

The boar was already there.

Its horn aimed directly at her chest.

The impact should have been devastating.

Should have.

Instead—

Seraphina grabbed the horn.

Silence.

The boar continued pushing.

Its muscles bulged.

The ground cracked beneath her boots.

Dirt scattered.

Trees shook.

Birds fled.

And Seraphina—

Stayed exactly where she was.

The boar looked confused.

A reasonable reaction.

"So."

Seraphina said.

Holding a creature several times her weight in place.

"Have you considered calming down?"

The boar rejected diplomacy.

It pushed harder.

Nothing happened.

A traveler walking along a nearby hill stopped.

Looked.

Looked again.

Then slowly removed his glasses.

"No."

He whispered.

Below him—

Seraphina lifted the boar.

Not slightly.

Not metaphorically.

Actually lifted it.

The world paused.

Kael covered his face.

The traveler covered his face.

Even the boar looked offended.

Then Seraphina threw it.

The monster crashed through three trees.

A boulder.

Half a hillside.

And finally stopped moving.

Silence.

A leaf drifted through the air.

Slowly.

Peacefully.

As if it hadn’t just witnessed nonsense.

The traveler approached carefully.

Very carefully.

The way one approaches either a legend or a disaster.

Sometimes both.

He looked at the destroyed hillside.

Then at Seraphina.

Then at Kael.

"...Was that legal?"

Kael answered immediately.

"No."

"Kael."

"It wasn’t."

The traveler laughed.

Actually laughed.

Not nervous laughter.

Genuine laughter.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Most people feared strange things.

This man seemed entertained by them.

"Name?"

He asked.

Seraphina crossed her arms proudly.

"Seraphina Valois."

The man’s eyebrows rose.

Just slightly.

A tiny reaction.

Easy to miss.

But Kael noticed.

And suddenly—

The road didn’t feel quite as ordinary anymore.

The traveler stared at Seraphina for several seconds.

Long enough to become awkward.

Long enough for Kael’s hand to drift toward his sword.

Long enough for Seraphina to become suspicious.

"What?"

The traveler blinked.

Then laughed.

A little too quickly.

"A misunderstanding."

Kael didn’t relax.

Neither did Seraphina.

"You looked surprised."

"I was."

"Why?"

The traveler hesitated.

Interesting.

People usually answered immediately.

People hiding things didn’t.

Instead of replying, he looked toward the dead boar.

Then the destroyed trees.

Then the ruined hillside.

Then back to Seraphina.

"...Actually, never mind."

Seraphina narrowed her eyes.

That was the worst possible answer.

"No."

The traveler sighed.

"I knew someone with the same surname."

"Oh."

A pause.

"Did they also throw wildlife through forests?"

"No."

"Then it probably wasn’t me."

The traveler laughed again.

Genuine this time.

"My name is Rowan."

Kael noticed something.

No family name.

Just Rowan.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

People omitted surnames for reasons.

Sometimes harmless.

Sometimes not.

Rowan crouched beside the boar.

His expression shifted immediately.

The amusement disappeared.

Professional.

Focused.

Careful.

His fingers brushed against one of the wounds.

Then stopped.

"Hm."

That single sound drew both their attention.

"What?"

Rowan looked up.

Something about his face had changed.

The easygoing attitude was gone.

"This is strange."

Seraphina immediately became interested.

Dangerously interested.

"I like strange."

"I noticed."

Rowan pointed toward the boar’s shoulder.

A section hidden beneath the coarse fur.

Easy to miss.

Kael crouched beside him.

Then froze.

There was another wound.

Older.

Far older.

Not from today’s battle.

Not from another animal.

Not from a hunter.

A symbol had been carved there.

Not deeply.

Not enough to kill.

Just enough to mark.

Seraphina crouched immediately.

"What is that?"

The symbol resembled a twisted circle.

Three lines crossing through it.

Almost like a crown.

Almost.

But not quite.

Something about it felt familiar.

Not recognizable.

Just familiar.

Like a memory she couldn’t quite reach.

Rowan’s voice lowered.

"Have you seen this before?"

"No."

Kael answered first.

Because he had.

Sort of.

Not the symbol.

The feeling.

The merchant’s charm.

The stories.

The wolves.

The rumors.

Everything suddenly felt connected.

But not in a way he understood.

Rowan stood slowly.

Then looked toward the distant mountains.

"That’s the third one."

Silence.

"The third what?"

Seraphina asked.

"The third marked monster I’ve seen this month."

The wind seemed colder.

Just slightly.

Seraphina’s excitement immediately doubled.

Kael noticed.

And suffered.

"A conspiracy."

"No."

"A secret organization."

"No."

"A mysterious cult."

"No."

"A villain."

Rowan paused.

"...Maybe."

Seraphina gasped.

Kael wanted to leave.

Immediately.

Right now.

This second.

Before her curiosity evolved into another disaster.

Unfortunately—

The universe hated him.

Because another sound echoed from deeper within the forest.

A distant roar.

Not a boar.

Not a wolf.

Something larger.

Something angry.

The birds exploded from the treetops.

Hundreds of them.

Even Rowan’s expression tightened.

"That’s not supposed to be here."

Kael looked at him.

"What isn’t?"

Rowan didn’t answer immediately.

For the first time since meeting him—

He looked genuinely worried.

Then he said two words.

"Runhorn Bear."

Silence.

Seraphina’s eyes sparkled.

"Oh."

Kael already knew that tone.

And that was the real problem.

Because she didn’t sound afraid.

She sounded interested.

Very interested.

Far too interested.

Somewhere beyond the trees—

The roar came again.

Closer this time.

And whatever had marked the boar...

Might have marked that creature too.