" Oww!! "

  " Hold still! "

  " I'd like to see you do this. "

  " Listen boy, I was in the army, I know how to take care of a dislocated shoulder. "

  " Just be carefull with it ok? Ow! "

  " What's with all the whining!? I thought you couldn't feel pain anymore. "

  " I don't know, it's a reflex! "

  " Ok, just hold still for a second. "

  Richard took a deep breath and placed his palm on Konnor's shoulder.

  " The joint of the shoulder is one of the most mobile yet unstable of the human body, luckily for you, the head of the bone popped out forward and it's the easiest to put back. We are both gonna count to three, and at three I'm going to push it very hard back into place ok? "

  " Ok ... "

  " Let's go, one. "

  " One... "

  " two. "

  " two.. AHH! "

  " There we go, brand new! "

  " Where was the three?!?! "

  " If I didn't take you by surprise you would have tensed up and it may have made the process harder. Now I'm gonna make you a sling, hold your arm against yourself. "

  Konnor took a deep breath and looked up, the sun was starting to set on the forest of Milivelle, the two of them tried to keep advancing further into the forest after their encounter with the hunter and the bear mother. This part of the forest was way more lively as they had seen some animals roaming around, it seems the part of the forest they entered was the hunting ground of the giant bears which explained the lack of life. At dusk, smaller animals started wandering around their camp, fireflies were flying through the air, crickets were starting their chant for the night. This part of the forest had a completely different vibe to it. Once the sling was in place, Richard gave some water to his friend before starting a fire.

  " So Richard, what happened back there? Who was that guy? "

  " I don't know, he was using poison arrows and they knocked me out but he wasn't trying to kill us. "

  " Yeah, before you found me fighting the giant bear I made a smaller one run away and he was about to help me fight it even though he was the one who threw me down there. "

  " He also said something interesting. 'I will protect her sanctuary from all of you'. We are going to have to fight him again, he is guarding something but my guts is telling me we should look into it. "

  " Yeah whatever you say, honestly I'm beat right now and I just want to sleep. "

  " Take a rest, tomorrow we are gonna do some recon of the region, we might be here for longer than expected. "

  Richard spent most of the night installing contraptions to keep wildlife away from their camp and managed to close his eyes for a few hours of rest and peace. The next day, they both started to do some recon for their basic needs, a few hours away from their current camp they finally stumbled upon a river. Thanks to the time he spent with Isabella, Richard was aware of the different herbs and plants he needed to help Konnor's wound heal faster. Letting him at the camp to rest he would spend the rest of the day hunting for food and the required plants. When night came they would both share the information they could acquire during the day. A few days went by before they felt rested enough to break camp. Early in the morning once their bags were packed they started heading west back where they first encountered the hunter. His right arm still in a sling, Konnor was observing the forest around him, the air was still fresh from the rain of the previous night, he took a deep breath and filled his nostrils with the scent of wet pine, the ground and leaves were still covered by the morning dew. Squirrels around them were climbing to high trees and jumping from branches to branches. Spring time had arrived in the forest of Milivelle. The leaves were turning a bright orange color, the sun was up early in the morning while birds were seen parading in the sky. " This place isn't so bad when you aren't getting chased by bears. "

  They decided to take a break at a high point that was topping a large part of the forest, from there they had a clear view of where they were heading. Far into the distance they could see what looked like extinct volcanoes. The forest was truly giving a sense of vertigo once they realised the size of it. Sat on a rock, Richard was scanning the horizon for their next stop. Sitting a bit below, Konnor was tending to the horse.

  " Hey Rich', we have been walking in here for days and everything looks the same. We haven't even found traces of this old man, this forest is so damn gigantic that finding a person is like looking for a needle in a haystack. "

  " I know but do you belive me if I tell you I have a feeling we are getting close? "

  " What if I say 'bullshit'? "

  " Well you don't have to believe me. "

  " I said what if. I trust you, you are the magic one after all. "

  Richard paused and looked at his right hand. " I have the same feeling as when I broke the rune, she was here. "

  " I can't explain it but there are remains of her magic in the direction of these mountains, the closer we get to them, the closer we get to her."

  Konnor stood up and dusted himself off.

  " Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go, I can't wait to get back to my bed at the inn. "

  Richard walked past him with a smirk on his face.

  " Are you sure you are only missing the bed and not who is in it? "

  Konnor turned red as beetroots.

  " Maybe .. "

  " It's alright young man, I'm not one to judge, love who you want to love. "

  " It's not love!! I just never expected to feel what I'm feeling and I don't know how to explain it to him ... I don't even know how to explain it to myself! "

  " Don't overthink it, once you get back you will have plenty of time to explain yourself. Let's go . "

  " Right behind you. "

  At nightfall, they set camp at a creek. Richard took the first nightshift and spent it trying to pinpoint Isabella's magic residues. He walked on the edges of the water while trying to sense her. " Come on, I can feel she is in this forest, if only there was a way for me to fo- '' His thoughts were interrupted by rustling in the bushes next to him followed by a beast cries of pain, he froze in place, ready to fight. He decided to investigate the noise. Carefully taking out his dagger, he approached the bush, what he saw on the other side had him stuck in awe. A woman-shaped translucent figure was kneeled next to a wounded deer, it was heavily bleeding from its side, Richard approached this situation carefully. " What is this creature? ". Richard threaded carefully to the figure but maintained a safe distance before engaging in a conversation, it didn't seem like it was what had hurt the deer.

  " Hello? "

  Taken by surprise, the creature stood up in an instant and took a stance to protect the deer, she then started hissing at Richard in an attempt to intimidate him. He could now better see her features, she looked like a young woman with a juvenile face. Her 'hair' was constantly moving like the wind was blowing it. Her eyes were like two yellow beads in the center of a dark abyss, but nothing else could be described. She looked like she was made of mist.

  " Wow wow calm down! I'm not trying to hurt you ok? "

  To punctuate what he said, Richard slowly sheeted his dagger back and showed both his palm to the creature while staying at a safe distance. This small act was not enough for it to relax in his presence. Walking to the side while maintaining eye contact, Richard was trying to reassure her, he placed his hand on his chest and spoke in a soft voice.

  " My name is Richard, I'm looking for someone. "

  " ... "

  " She is a young woman, like you, almost like you. "

  She tilted her head to the side. "I don't think she speaks the common tongue .. " . She held out her palm in front of her like she wanted him to stop. Richard halted his movement and waited for her next move, she carefully walked towards him, her gaze fixed on him and trying to catch any sudden movement. She then placed her hand on her chest and a faint voice, almost a whisper came from between her lips.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  " Mia. "

  Richard had a slight smile and realised she mimicked his gesture when he introduced himself.

  " Happy to meet you Mia. "

  Her mouth trembled in a strange fashion as if she was trying to move her face in a way she never did before. " Is she trying to smile back? ". She ended up smiling while showing all her teeth, they seemed to be razor sharp. This vision was a mix of awkwardness from her unusual reaction and some fascination for this strange being so friendly to her. Behind her the deer let out another painful complaint and Mia went back to tend to it, this time Richard followed suit. From up close he could now see the deer had been attacked by a predator and was losing quite a lot of blood. They both kneeled next to the animal. " Poor thing, better put it out of its misery. " . He then pulled out his dagger to mercy kill the animal but was stopped by Mia grabbing his wrist, this time she was showing her teeth in an aggressive manner.

  " No! "

  " Why not? It's suffering!"

  " Not kill, save. "

  She then made him drop his dagger and instead put his hand on the wound, he could feel the stained fur of the animal under his hand and its jerky breathing. He then felt a faint warm sensation on his palm and saw that Mia had closed her eyes and was breathing slower. " She can use magic. Interesting. I guess I'm gonna try to help in some way." Focusing on his hand, Richard used his magic to help Mia in her healing process, it was not like he was healing the animal himself but he was landing some of his own mana to her. After a few minutes spent in complete silence, Mia took her hand off the deer's side and observed the healed wound. A scar that showed like a patch of teared skin was left but at least the animal wasn't bleeding anymore. Richard looked at her and once again she smiled with all her teeth.

  " Saved! "

  " You did great. Well it was nice meeting you but I must resume my shift and I'm still looking for my friend. "

  She tilted her head to the side and clearly she was having trouble understanding all of his words. He started walking away and waved at her. She stood there, looking at him getting away. " What a strange encounter. ". He took a few steps and turned around to the sight of Mia peeking at him from behind a tree. He resumed his shift and kept on seeing her from the corner of his eyes, she didn't seem lost or helpless, she was just curious to see another being that wasn't one of her kind being able to use magic. Finally he came back to camp and woke up Konnor so he could get some rest.

  " Hey, wake up Kony. "

  " Hmm already? Ok O'm getting up. "

  He stood up and stretched a little bit, meanwhile Richard took some branches to rekindle the fire. Konnor yawned and scratched his eyes.

  " So Richard did you see anything inter- Oh WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?! "

  Konnor screamed in terror and was pointing at the darkness in front of him, all he could see was yellow eyes and the reflection of sharp teeth peeking at him from behind the tree, Richard turned around and laughed at his friend.

  " Calm down young man, I met this young girl on my walk and she followed me here. " He turned towards the forest and smiled at Mia. " Come say hello. ".

  A few seconds passed and the translucid figure appeared from the forest, the light of the fire reflecting off her skin was making her appear almost orange. Once again she was mimicking the waving and smiling of Richard. Obviously, Konnor was still in shock from meeting her.

  " Why is she looking at me like this? Does she want to eat me? "

  " No, she is ... smiling. "

  " Well can she stop? She could frighten the creator himself. "

  Mia approached the young man and started making circles around him, observing him under all angles. Finally, she stopped a foot away from him and placed her hand on her chest.

  " Mia. "

  The boy looked at Richard

  " Just tell her your name. "

  " Konnor ... "

  " Koor? "

  " No, Konnor."

  She tilted her head to the side and pointed at his face with a huge smile.

  " Koko! "

  " Oh by the creator ... "

  Mia was now jumping around the camp in excitement of meeting a new friend.

  " Koko! Koko! Koko! "

  Konnor let out a deep sigh and started walking away into the forest.

  " I'm going on my shift, I can't handle this thing for now. "

  " Don't go too far! "

  " Yeah yeah. "

  He took a few steps into the forest before he was stopped by Mia calling his name.

  " Kokoooooooooooo! "

  He turned around to see her waving energetically at him from the camp, he waved back and smiled. " Ok she is a bit cute. "

  Mia turned around and looked at Richard while pointing the direction in which the young man went.

  " Koko? "

  " Don't worry about him, just sit down. "

  Richard sat and used his cape as a blanket, Mia tilted her head to the side and sat down right next to him. Exhausted from his day, Richard closed his eyes and hoped to fall into a dream quickly. Before he could, he felt a soothing warm sensation against his arm, he opened his eyes and saw Mia snuggling against him, she also seemed tired. Richard closed his eyes again and fell asleep.

  " Richard, Richard come find me. "

  " Bella! Bella, where are you?! "

  " Come find me. "

  " Oh no this is the same nightmare, everything is repeating. She is always so different when I find her and she always ends up killing me. "

  Once again Richard was walking through a frozen forest. Until Isabella caught up to him, he was feeling the cold getting to him again, again he was ready to give his life to her. A warm and strong light emerged from the sky and started to warm him up, fireflies started appearing around him. He could feel his body shake, trying to move away from Isabella's grasp. When he finally broke free he woke up. It was dawn when he opened his eyes, he saw Mia desperately shaking him to wake him up. The sensation of warmth he felt was Mia. He moved from a laid down position to sitting against the tree and gently patted Mia's head.

  " Thank you Mia, I'm alright. "

  She looked at him worried and slowly she placed her hand on his forehead " What is she doi- " Images started flashing in his mind, among those images were images of Isabella strolling through the forest. Once she was done he gasped for air and coughed. He looked at Mia with surprise.

  " You.. you saw the girl I'm looking for? "

  Mia looked at him and pointed towards the forest.

  " Friend. "

  " Yes she is a friend, can you lead me to her? "

  Mia nodded in approval, Richard's hope was finally back, at the same moment, Konnor came back from his shift.

  " I'm back, this part of the forest is quiet, except for that thing there. "

  Mia stood up and started running towards konnor, he barely had time to react that she was jumping on him.

  " Koko! "

  " Ouch my arm! Richard Get her off me! "

  Richard laugh filled the space as he watched his friend trying to wrestle away from the creature's grasp.

  " Konnor, she showed me a vision of Isabella, she saw her! "

  " Really? That's great news, do you think she can lead us to her? "

  " That's our only lead, I think somehow when I dreamed I thought of Bella and she may have recognized her. " Richard looked towards the rising sun and decided there was no time to lose. He turned towards Mia and gently grabbed her by the shoulders. " Can you lead us to my friend? "

  Mia simply nodded at him.

  " Perfect, start packing young man, today is gonna be a long day. "

  " Yes sir! "

  They dismantled their camp and set out as fast as possible, they ate a quick breakfast as they were following Mia through the forest. After half a day of walking, the trio decided to have a break near a waterfall. Richard took the saddle off his horse to let it roam for a bit. Meanwhile Konnor layed down to rest near the water but his peace was short lived as Mia was constantly trying to hug him or splashing water on him.

  " Richaaaard! She is putting water on me! "

  " Kokoooo! "

  " She is ruining my cast!! "

  Richard had a deep sigh.

  " Children please behave. "

  " Tell that to her! I just want to relax. "

  " Well first come here, your cast is a bit loose so come over here so I can tighten it. "

  " Ok .. "

  Konnor walked back to where Richard was standing, Richard then pointed towards a tree stump and asked him to sit down. Mia joined the two of them and watched the process with interest.

  " Listen to me boy, we are getting closer to Bella, but when we get close enough I want you to stay away. "

  " Why? "

  " For your safety, your skin is hard as steel but you're not invincible. "

  " I know that already, I can take care of myself just fine. "

  " I'm serious, there is no discussion, Mia will lead us to her but you have to stay out of danger. "

  " Why do you insist so much on my safety now? "

  " Because I'm responsible for you, I guess you remind me of how I was with Malik when we were younger. As much as he was a big brother to me, I hope I can somehow be the same to someone."

  " I already had a brother, you killed him... remember? "

  Richard paused for a moment.

  " Yes, and I will atone for this for as long as I live and I promise to make sure you are unscasthed. So please listen to me when I give you instructions young man. I already hurt a dear friend once and I wish to avoid it. "

  " You mean Malik? "

  Richard simply nodded as he finished tightening the cast.

  " Malik told me about the story in the mine. "

  " Oh. "

  " Yeah but it's not the same, his own mistakes led him here and you actually saved him. "

  Richard stared at the boy with surprise.

  " What did he tell you? "

  " That you had a simple mission, you were discovered and you got caught up in a mine and you had to cut his arm and he was kind of mad at you for doing it etc etc. "

  " Malik you idiot .. "

  " What? "

  " He lied, he probably was trying to teach you some weird lesson but one thing about Malik is that he is the most unreliable storyteller ever. "

  " So what's the real story? "

  " Back then, I ... we were different men. For reasons I cannot expose to you I needed to prove myself and I needed to stand out to our commanders so I could join the king's special division. I took this mission and I went alone without warning Malik, he was not supposed to come with me that night but he was worried. Long story short, I kill the target but he had a wife and child, when I say I was a different person I mean that back then I had no hesitation in taking the decision to extinct this man lineage right here and there. "

  The both of them remained silent for a few seconds.

  " Richard, did you do it? "

  " I was going to but Malik stopped me, the commander's wife called for the guards so we ran out as fast as we could. We rushed into the mine and I thought at the time it would be a good idea to throw flames at our pursuers. The thing I did not realise is that this mine was emitting flammable gases. So the second I shot flames, the gas ignited and the mine started collapsing on us. Malik pushed me out of the way and if it wasn't for him, I would have been crushed. I spent hours and hours digging. When I found him he was completely stuck, I offered to go back to our camp to look for help but he knew he would not last this long in there. " Richard paused and let out a heavy sigh. " He was the one suggesting to cut his arm off, I told him it would mess all his efforts to become an elite soldier, the army was ruthless and they would probably deem him useless and have him either work on trenches or just some peasant work. Back then he said 'Listen, I can't feel anything in my arm, it's not salvageable anyway, just cut it off!'. So I did, I carried him on my shoulders, he weighed less than the guilt I had with me. And I still carry it with me to this day, everytime I see him I'm reminded that my mistake cost him years of work and for what? For a petty recognition from someone who didn't even care I existed. "

  Konnor took a few seconds to process what he had just learned, meanwhile Mia was looking around at insects crawling on the rotten wood of a tree.

  " Rich' you can't blame yourself for a decision like this, shit happens I guess, same for my brother, things happened because of the way we decided to live our lives. And you cannot blame yourself for Isabella's decision to leave without telling you, I know you are desperate to see her again but as much as you don't want me hurt, I don't want you to push yourself too hard. When we were at her house I did not recognize you, to me you were always this meticulous, calculated and smart guy. Back then you looked obsessed as you spent hours pushing against a door. Promise me you wont die trying to get to her. "

  Richard held out his hand to shake hands.

  " I promise. "

  Konnor shook his hand and Mia decided to jump in and grab both their hands.

  " Gwaa! "

  The two men started laughing at her cuteness. Setting out after their break, they were now going deeper into the forest and getting closer to their objective than they ever were before. Their search as well as their journey was coming to an end.