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The sun shone as bright as ever as the three made their way through the sea of trees. Per their prior agreement, it was Erin’s turn to handle the reins. She gave her utmost attention to the road but her eyes were closed. Though Lyra and Siv had nothing but confidence in her ability to navigate the wagon, the passers-by glanced at them with worry. They were on a highway leading to Sephrodia Valley.

They had come out of the small road an hour ago and merged on the main road. They slowly came across other travellers along the way. Some offered them nothing more than a glance of curiosity while some were much daring in their expression for their curiosity. These daring expressions had left a terrible taste in Erin’s mouth. Her solution was to close her eyes and let her other senses guide her and wade the wagon through the pretentious intrigued passers-by. It worked. The peculiarity of her actions intimidated many and to those that weren’t intimidated, they gave up in their pursuit for her attention when they received no response.

As noon came, Erin took a turn from the straight road, down to a narrower and quieter path. This path was without other presences but merely more mellow, which Erin appreciated wholeheartedly.

“Our stalker is truly persistent, mistress,” Siv said, glancing towards the rear every once in a while.

“This kind of commitment… feels like a man chasing his love,” Lyra chimed in. She immediately frowned at her own words. “Could our stalker be the Augur who you saved, Erin?”

“If it’s him, then I’ll be extremely impressed by how far he has advanced his skills in such a short period of time.”

“But do you believe it’s him?” Lyra asked again.

“...I don’t,” Erin answered with her eyes still kept closed. “He is direct and forthcoming. He never resorts to something as discreet as stalking.”

“Certainly not discreet to us,” Siv said.

“They followed us this far. How much further will they follow us?” Lyra asked.

“Until opportunity presents itself,” Erin said. “There must be something heavy and huge at stake for the stalker to be this committed. Might be personal.”

“Our stalker is under duress?”

“Or our stalker is simply infatuated with this sort of activity.” Erin scoffed. “I don’t know which is worse.”

Lyra sighed, slumping back on her seat. “There’s just always something one after another.”

“This is how life is. It’s tedious sometimes but… it staves off dullness.”

“Staves off? Stave?” Lyra questioned with her brows raised.

“It means “avoid” or “prevent”. You should definitely read more,” Siv said.

“I’m not a scholar, Siv. I don’t have that kind of commitment in me. My mind would just wander off everything I try to even read a page.”

“What if it’s something I wrote?” Erin asked.

“You wrote something for me?” Lyra asked back.

“It’s just an “if”, Lyra. If I’m the author, would you read it?”

Lyra chuckled. “Definitely,” she answered. “My commitment to you… I see it as an incredible honour. So… when will you start writing?”

“Maybe tonight?”

“Hold that thought, mistress,” Siv said. Her gaze narrowed into the distance. “Someone else is following us.”

“Could it be Velkan?” Lyra asked.

Siv shook her head. “Unlikely. I know Velkan’s scent. This isn’t him.”

Erin took in the smell of the air. “I don’t smell anything.”

“That’s because he’s hiding his scent amidst nature. I didn’t grow up amidst bricks and stones but the wilderness. I know what a carcass is supposed to smell like. This person masked his scent with it. I can still smell the freshness of his own flesh underneath the carcass’ scent”

“Curious. I have long caught the scent but I thought it was just an animal which had gone through its dead peers in search of food.”

“Animals are not as filthy as most would believe. They have a different way of cleaning themselves. Our new stalker knew little about this topic. He is not used to the wilderness. Our old stalker seems to have noticed and is trying to tell us.”

“Now this is getting interesting,” Erin mused. “Our old friend worries for us.”

“Disregarding that, what’s to do about our new friend?” Lyra asked.

“Hmm...” Erin mulled. “I’m starting to feel his bloodlust. Either he’s letting it known intentionally or he doesn’t know his bloodlust is leaking. Either way, don’t stop the wagon. We’ll let him come to us.”

Lyra and Siv nodded.

The three resumed their journey with the appearance of a group of ignorant greenhorns that thought they were above the world and everything else. As soon as they let their vulnerability show, they all felt their stalker advancing on them at an alarming rate. In addition, the other travellers they passed by were giving them predatory gazes, as if thinking they could somehow be taken advantage of. For the sake of luring out their stalker, Erin resisted herself from intimidating those rude eyes. They prepared for the eventual attack but the stalker stopped just before he could reveal himself.

“Did he find out we were pretending?” Lyra asked.

“No,” Erin answered. “There are still people around us. Whatever he wishes to do, he intends to go about it without witnesses.”

“Well met, travellers,” a sudden voice spoke to them from beside them.

Erin turned to meet the boorish person who intruded upon them. She saw a man in simple but well-knead clothes. He had two horses pulling a carriage filled with piles of items. Siv and Lyra looked ready to jump at the man but Erin stopped them.

“What do you want?” Erin asked the man bluntly.

“Now now, lassie. I’m just a humble peddler looking for some coin,” the man explained, offering the three a bright smile that only turned out suspicious. “I am Jon and I can see that you three are in dire need of some of my wares to aid you in your journey.”

“And how did you come about with that conclusion?”

Jon chuckled. “Your wagon is barren save for your companions and packs of clothes.”

“It is enough.”

“That’s what they always say. By “they”, I meant greenhorns. You don’t even have a map or a compass. How about those two for the price of one?”

“I am a Fae, good sir. I have my spells.”

“Yes, you do but… do you intend to rely on your spells for the rest of your journey? What if you run out of Mana and become lost?”

“Then that will be my problem, not yours.”

The man laughed. “As a decent man, I see that as my problem too; a problem that I could have prevented if I had managed to convince you.”

“No,” Erin said sternly.

“Come now, lassie. How about I throw in some provisions? This is an incredible bargain, just for you since I find you to be prettier than even the noble ladies I know.”

“I am well aware of that but my mind won’t be changed. Now, scamper off.”

“Milady, please. This is more for your own good than it is mine.”

“The answer is still no, chuckles,” Lyra said, pulling out a knife instead of nocking an arrow. “Leave us alone.”

The man recoiled with his hands raised. “Alright alright, you made your point, lassie. I won’t be bothering the lot of you no more.” The man pulled on his horses and slowly distanced himself away from them.

“Nice touch there, Lyra,” Erin praised.

“Was it?”

“You pulled out a dagger instead of your bow. This will give our stalker the wrong notion of your abilities.”

“Our stalker won’t be that naive, could he?”

Erin shrugged. “We’ll see.”

As the three waited for that moment, the time between noon and dusk eventually came. The people on the road gradually lessened until it was just them on the road. Even the self-proclaimed humble peddler from before had turned into a different path. Their stalker immediately made his way to their wagon without the slightest care of the noise he was making.

“He’s eagre,” Siv remarked.

“Too eagre,” Erin added.

Lyra readied her bow but without an arrow nocked.

Their horses came to a sudden stop. The horses began to shriek as if fear had encroached on them. The horses flailed around, raising and kicking their hooves at the empty air.

Erin took a whiff of the air. Her face soured into a grimace. “What is that smell?”

Siv also grimaced and covered her nose. “I don’t know this scent.”

When they heard noises from their back, they turned around but found nothing.

“It’s moving fast,” Erin said. “Whatever was stalking us, it is no longer a man but a beast.”

Lyra raised an eyebrow. “The man turned into a beast?”

“That’s the only conclusion I could come to.”

“A Skinwalker, perhaps,” Siv said.

“Skinwalker?”

“A Mancer with the ability to wear the skin of their fallen foes. There exists a religious group that worships the Divine known as Mordius, the Primal Maw. Mordius’ apostles have that kind of power.”

“A Divine Apostle...” Erin mused. “It has finally begun...”

“This is what the Guardian warned us about, isn’t it, mistress?”

Erin nodded. “Unfortunately, it might very well be.”

“Could this man be an ally of the apostles you slew?” Lyra asked.

“Their Divine was named Zack. This one’s different.”

“Strange,” Lyra said. “I expect a Divine Apostle to feel more threatening. This one feels… dull. Even now, I can vaguely guess where he will attack from and how he will attack.”

“Probably merely a novice to the belief who’s still afraid of his own shadow. I can smell his restlessness… his trepidation.”

“But he’s also resolute,” Siv said.

The sound of twigs snapping bounced between the trees.

“He’s coming,” Erin said.

A log flew at the wagon from the depths of the forest. Erin signalled Siv and Lyra to stand down and got off the wagon. A sharp glint of the sun could be seen for a split second and the wind split with a screeching noise. The log fell before Erin’s feet, cut into half.

“His strength is nothing remarkable and his aim is a little off,” Erin remarked. She took a deep breath and stepped off the road. “Wait there,” she relayed the two and trod further into the trees.

Erin took another whiff of the air. This time, she caught the peculiar scent. Had Siv not told her, she wouldn’t have known. She thanked Siv in her heart and followed the scent. As she trod closer to the scent, the carrier of the scent distanced himself further away from her. As she began to run, so did the carrier. The possibility of a trap appeared in his mind but she continued giving chase. Her right foot snapped a string tied to a small branch. The branch flew off as other branches twisted and turned. A creak resounded from her right. Without giving a glance, she drew her sabre and slashed to her right, cleaving a log into half.

The Skinwalker had stopped running after his trap failed to even hurt Erin. She could tell the Skinwalker was slowly making his way to her. She could still smell his fear but more than that, he was unrelenting in spite of his fear.

Erin waited patiently with her sword drawn and alas, a boy emerged from the trees, dressed in typical greenhorn adventurer apparel. As their eyes met, Erin somehow felt it in her bones that the boy in front of her was indeed an apostle of a Divine.

“Didn’t expect someone so young,” Erin said.

“I’m old enough,” the boy answered. “I also didn’t expect someone like you to be such a beautiful woman.”

“Someone like me?”

“Devils from ruined worlds.”

“I see… Someone has been slandering me.”

“They would not lie.”

“And you are so sure?”

“Enough words. As the Apostle of Mordius, it is my duty and honour to rid this world of devils like you.”

Erin sighed. “You really wish to do this? Know that you are not even half of my match. Leave now.”

The boy scoffed. “You’re as arrogant as they say. Pity that you didn’t bring your friends. I did,” the boy said and snapped his finger.

A wolf in the shape of a human emerged from the shadows of the trees. Something fell from the trees. Going by the print of the soil, Erin surmised it to be an unseeable sort of snake monster with a length of a hundred feet.

“You do not want to do this,” Erin warned them. “The outcome would be something undesirable by us both but for my own perseverance, it will be.”

“It’s not a matter of want. It’s a matter of need,” the boy retorted. “I dedicate your death to the continuity of the world’s perseverance.”

Erin sighed again, tightening her grip around her sword. “You were warned.”