“Ryn!”

  When he opened his eyes, Lilia was shaking him awake, insistent.

  “Hunting,” she said, arms crossed. “We’ve been living off dried fruit and herbs for too long… I just— I think we need something real to eat.”

  Ariel raised a brow.

  “Especially since we’ve been running around nonstop,” Lilia said quickly, glancing between them. “We… we won’t last like this. Now that Ryn’s awake, maybe we can actually fix that.”

  Ryn just stood there, still half dazed, while Lilia pressed her case.

  Ariel quickly realized it was pointless to argue—once Lilia decided something, there was no stopping her.

  She looked at Ryn for backup. He only shrugged.

  Ariel let out a long sigh. "Ryn could barely walk yesterday."

  "I can stand. I can hold a blade." He glanced between them. "You two drive it into position. I'll finish it."

  Ariel's eyes narrowed. "You're serious?"

  Ryn met her stare, then looked at Lilia before turning back. "We need the food."

  For a moment, Ariel just stared at him, her jaw tight. Then she pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long breath.

  "Fine," she muttered. "Hunting it is."

  Lilia's face lit up with quiet triumph as she turned toward the temple entrance.

  Ariel shot Ryn one more look—half exasperation, half resignation. He offered another shrug.

  She shook her head and followed Lilia. Right now, hunting didn't sound so bad. At least not compared to everything they'd already survived.

  ***

  Before setting out, Ryn needed to get some things ready.

  Neither Lilia nor Ariel had any real idea what they were doing, which meant it was up to him to handle the preparations.

  he reached for his sword, the once silver blade he'd been given by him, now rust-streaked.

  The blade felt wrong in his left hand. Too heavy on one side, the balance all wrong. He tried a practice swing and nearly dropped it, his grip slipping on the worn leather. Behind him, he heard Lilia stop mending clothes.

  "Ryn, are you okay?" she asked carefully.

  "Fine," he replied, adjusting his grip.

  He tried another swing. Better. Still wrong, but better. It would have to be enough.

  But as his fingers brushed the hilt, something caught his eye.

  Right beside Ariel’s necklace, resting neatly among their few belongings, was a ring.

  Ryn froze. His breath hitched.

  That ring—

  He snatched it up instantly, his pulse quickening.

  “Where did you find this?”

  Both Ariel and Lilia turned, startled. They had been busy readying what little gear they had, Lilia trying to mend their torn clothes while Ariel sharpened a makeshift spear by sharpening a stick with a fragment of stone.

  Lilia blinked, her voice hesitant. “Oh, that— I almost forgot about it.”

  Ariel straightened, glancing at Lilia before speaking. “Lilia found it in a piece of fish. It was… inside it.”

  Ryn’s grip tightened on the ring. “A piece of fish?” he muttered under his breath, brows knitting.

  That didn’t make any sense.

  He remembered this ring. He remembered it almost clearly, This was the relic that had dropped when he slayed the aberration back in solvara

  He swallowed hard.

  It shouldn’t be here.

  It couldn’t be here.

  His stomach turned.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Lilia noticed the way his hand had gone still, the tension creeping into his shoulders.

  “…Is something wrong?” she asked carefully.

  Ryn didn’t answer right away. He stared down at the black ring in his palm

  “This ring…” His voice came quite. “It shouldn’t be here. It was given to Eldric. There’s no way it should’ve ended up here, let alone inside a piece of fish, “

  For a long moment, no one spoke. Only the quiet hum of wind moving through the ruined hall filled the space.

  Ryn finally exhaled, slow and tired. “…Forget it.”

  He let the ring fall back into the cart with a dull clink.

  There was nothing he could do about it now.

  Gripping his sword by the hilt, he turned away, though, for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, he didn’t leave the ring behind entirely.

  He paused

  And tucked it into the pocket of his torn trousers instead.

  ***

  The three of them stepped out through the towering temple doors.

  Ryn squinted as sunlight hit his face, bright.

  Lilia stood beside him, her eyes wide, a grin tugging at her lips. She looked far too excited for someone who was supposed to be preparing to hunt.

  Ariel, on the other hand, was quiet, her expression calm but distant. She was holding her right arm again, fingers brushing over the cloth that hid her arm. The gesture was subtle, but Ryn noticed it, and the question pressed at the back of his throat. He didn’t ask.

  Lilia noticed Ariel’s distant stare and nudged her, whispering something into her ear.

  Ariel let out a small laugh, quiet.

  They agreed to stay close to the temple, following the hills that surrounded it. The ground sloped gently, scattered with patches of wildflowers and shrubs. It didn’t take long before they found the tracks again — hoofprints, fresh and clustered.

  And after half an hour of moving quietly through the underbrush, they spotted them, a small herd of wild boars grazing near a cluster of fruit trees.

  Lilia crouched low, eyes gleaming. “P-Perfect,” she whispered.

  Ryn sighed, resting a hand on his sword. “You sound too happy about this.”

  But even he couldn’t help the faint spark of focus that flickered inside him.

  The plan was simple — and Ryn liked simple.

  Lilia and Ariel would slip to either side, nudge one of the boars away from the herd and drive it toward the rocks, corner it; Ryn would be waiting at the gap to finish it. Even with one arm, he could still manage to that.

  He wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. Hunting, running around, Ariel — it felt reckless. He shook his head. Focus.

  They crouched low behind a bramble, breath held. Ryn made a slow finger-count, three, two…

  The world narrowed to the dry rasp of grass and the far, mindless chewing of the herd.

  One !

  Lilia and Ariel sprang.

  ***

  Lilia had been the one to suggest the hunt.

  Part of her hoped it would distract Ariel, give her something else to think about besides pain and guilt…for her to finally open up. The other part wanted to bring them together again, after all the tension.

  It might’ve sounded strange, even to her… but she just wanted things to feel normal again’

  Somehow, chasing wild animals through the hills felt like the best way to do that.

  She hadn’t expected to actually enjoy it.

  Her heart pounded with a strange, reckless joy as she ran through the tall grass, her hands gripped on her sharpened stick.

  A grin tugged at her lips before she could stop it.

  The herd of boars broke into chaos the moment they caught scent of humans. Heavy bodies scattered in every direction, their snorts echoing through the hills. Lilia and Ariel darted after one of them, a broad, scarred creature with dark bristles and sharp, yellowed tusks.

  “Left!” Lilia shouted, veering sharply.

  Ariel matched her movement with surprising precision. For someone still recovering, she moved fast, unnaturally fast, her hair flashing gold as she sprinted ahead. Together, they drove the creature toward a narrow incline, just like Ryn had planned.

  The boar realized too late it was being cornered. It turned suddenly, roaring in blind fury, and charged.

  Lilia froze for a heartbeat. She stumbled back, slipping on wet grass, her arms thrown up too late to stop what was coming.

  The creature lunged.

  Its tusks flashed like knives —

  —and then it was knocked aside.

  Ariel moved in a blur — slamming her shoulder into the beast with a force that sent it reeling sideways. The impact cracked through the air, her feet skidding as she tried to stop

  “Lilia!” she shouted, glancing back.

  “I’m fine!” Lilia gasped, though her heart was still hammering in her throat.

  The boar, wild and furious, staggered to its feet, only to find Ryn waiting.

  He stepped from behind the rocks, sword raised high.For an instant, the light caught the blade, dull but unwavering.

  The weight of the sword felt wrong in his single hand, but the motion was instinct.

  The blade came down in a clean, merciless arc. The sound of it striking flesh cut through the hillside in a single, sharp note. The boar’s momentum carried it forward another step before it collapsed with a shuddering thud, blood steaming against the cool earth.

  Silence followed.

  Lilia stood frozen, chest heaving, the smell of iron heavy in the air. Ariel straightened beside her, her expression unreadable.

  Then, finally, Ryn exhaled, letting the sword fall to his side.

  He gave lilia a sidelong stare

  “Someone remind me why I listen to you.” he said.

  Ariel and Lilia couldn’t help but laugh, shaky but real laughter.