Kael’s feet crunched on the broken leaves, each step growing heavier with the weight of the journey. After days of trekking through the untamed wilderness, they arrived at the edge of a dense forest—a stark contrast to the harsh wastelands they had just crossed.

  “We’ll rest here,” Gethru said, his booming voice breaking the stillness of the woods.

  The trees whispered in the wind, and though Kael felt a chill, it wasn’t the biting cold. Instead, there was something ancient about this place, as though the woods themselves had witnessed countless seasons pass and countless lives come and go. Kael felt the weight of his mission pressing in, but in the presence of the forest’s quiet majesty, a small part of him found solace. Not much, but enough to steady his heart for the challenges yet to come. Gethru led him to a small clearing where an ancient stone well stood. The stones were worn with age, the moss creeping up around their edges, yet the well still looked sturdy. A firepit lay nearby, its stones blackened with the remnants of past fires. Gethru immediately began gathering wood, his rough hands moving swiftly to start a fire.

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  “Rest, little one,” Gethru said, gesturing to a nearby log. “I will cook.”

  Kael nodded, taking the opportunity to sit and observe their surroundings. The forest was eerily quiet except for the crackling of the fire and the occasional snap of a twig in the distance. He could feel the magic of the forest in his bones, and he couldn’t help but wonder if there was truth to the legends of old—the stories of mystical creatures that once roamed these lands, before the world became as harsh as it was now.

  “You will need to rest well, Kael,” Gethru said, as he prepared something in a pot over the fire. “There is much ahead.” Kael’s stomach turned at the thought. He had never asked for any of this. He was just a boy, thrust into a war he did not understand, with a destiny that felt too heavy for his shoulders. Deep down, he knew it was true. This was his path, whether he wanted it or not. And he would walk it. For his people. For his village. For his father. The fire crackled in the silence, and for a moment, Kael allowed himself to rest, to close his eyes and imagine the day when this journey would finally be over.