Chapter 21
Leaving the Forest of no Return
Date: Unknown (39th day of the Journey)
He quickened his pace to catch up.
Elise glanced back at Hyoren as she walked.
Her silver hair swayed with each step. Her ears twitched occasionally. Scanning for danger even as she spoke.
"I can't teach you more about magic. But at least I can tell you about the elements of Aethell."
She held up her hand. Counting on her fingers.
"Aethell can be attuned into six distinct elements. Fire, water, earth, wind, light, and dark."
Six distinct elements. Hyoren filed the information away. Another classic fantasy trope.
"Six elements. Okay, Elise."
He thought for a moment. The logic of RPGs came to mind. Rock-paper-scissors balance. Elemental weaknesses.
"I guess there are elemental weaknesses? Opposing elements? Like fire is weak to water? And light and dark defeat each other?"
He waited for the familiar logic. Fire beats wind. Water beats fire. Light and dark cancel each other out. Standard RPG fare.
Elise shook her head.
"No, Hyoren. There is no such thing as opposing elements."
She stepped over a gnarled root. Her movements were fluid.
"Each element is distinct. There is no weakness. Water magic can extinguish fire, as fire magic can boil and evaporate water."
Hyoren's step faltered. Processing. Then hurriedly caught up to Elise.
This world's magic. The Attunement of Aethell seemed to work on a different system. No element defeated another. No rock-paper-scissors balance.
A ball of water could crush a flame. But a blade of fire could slice through a stream. It depended on the skill of the user. Not the element of the magic.
"Okay… No opposing elements. That was... fair."
He thought about the implications. Battles wouldn't be decided by elemental matchups. They would be decided by skill. By creativity. By raw power.
He quickened his pace to walk beside her.
"So my important question. Can anyone learn magic?"
She leaped over a dead log. Landed gracefully on the other side.
"Yes. With a caveat."
She pushed aside a low-hanging branch. Held it for Hyoren.
"Basically, anyone can learn how to attune into any element. The Attunement of Aethell rewards hard workers."
She glanced at him.
"You remember the chant. Remember the runes. Keep practicing to attune the Aethell and release the magic. And eventually, you will learn the magic."
It always came back to the grind. You put in the hours, you get the power.
It was a philosophy he could get behind. A philosophy where hard workers could defeat geniuses. Where effort mattered more than talent. Where hard-working geniuses would rule the world.
"Then what's the caveat, Elise?"
She followed the trail near the river again.
The water flowed smoothly. Clear and cold. Fish darted beneath the surface. A Red Pike Fish jumped near them. Breaking the surface. Splashing back down.
The sound made her head turn around. But she quickly resumed walking.
"There is something called Attunement Level."
She held up her hand. As if measuring something invisible.
"It's basically a measurement to see how easy it is to attune into a specific element. How the element loves the user."
She spread her fingers.
"Everyone is born with different levels. It's measured from zero percent to one hundred percent."
Hyoren's face showed instant understanding—affinity, talent—the natural inclination toward certain elements.
"Someone with one hundred Attunement Level on an element would have an easier time using that element. The attunement will be easier. The process requires less Aethell."
The prodigy. The one who could snap their fingers and make it rain. Like an anime protagonist.
"What about the one with zero level? They still can use the element, right? What's going to happen when they try to use said element?"
Elise scanned the surrounding forest. It was still. Peaceful. The wind rustled the leaves. No sign of danger.
She turned around. Walked backwards. Facing Hyoren. She gestured to her body.
"Yes, they can."
She pointed to herself.
"For example, I got zero attunement level on fire, earth, light, and dark elements. I can still use those elements, sure."
She shook her head.
"But, for example, when I try to learn fire magic, the process will cost me a lot of Aethell to cast. My brain will be overloaded with a huge runic array. It will take me a few minutes to chant."
She held up a finger.
"But if I actually persist and keep training, I will eventually be able to use it as fluently as someone with one hundred attunement level."
She turned forward again. Jumped over a small stream feeding the river. Landed on the other side.
"The difference between me and someone with one hundred level will be the effort and time required to master. Aethell will reward hard workers, Hyoren. They will."
She glanced back.
"But most people won't bother. They will focus on elements that they have higher attunement level in."
She spread her hands.
"And there are no people with zero attunement level on all element. Each person would at least have one element with high attunement level. Aethell is balanced and fair."
Elise let Hyoren digest the concept of magic. She continued walking. Following the river. Picking the easiest path. Scanning for danger.
Hyoren followed her closely by instinct. But his mind was somewhere else.
"But well…" Elise's voice broke through his thoughts.
"Of course there are genius talents. People who are attuned to multiple elements. And their attunement level is high too."
She shook her head.
"But they are very rare. A rare genius."
Hyoren barely heard her. He was thinking. The possibilities.
Even if he had zero affinity for everything. Even if he got zero on every Attunement Level. He could still learn magic.
It would just take a hundred times the effort. A hundred times the chant practice. A hundred times the failure.
He looked at his hands. Calloused. Rough from weeks of survival.
He had killed hundreds of rabbits for a single level. He had thrown thousands of stones for a single skill. He had endured thirty-eight days of isolation.
Effort wasn't a variable he was afraid of.
If the system was truly fair, then his willingness to suffer through the grind would be his ultimate weapon. He didn't need to be a prodigy. He just needed to persist.
***
They walked leisurely. Continuing their journey. The forest thinned around them. The river flowed beside them.
For a while, they walked in silence. Elise let Hyoren digest all the information about Attunement of Aethell.
He looked up at the sky. The dual suns hung overhead. They had already started leaving their zenith. The afternoon was stretching toward evening.
But something caught his attention. The two suns were different from what he remembered.
"Hey, Elise..."
Elise glanced back. Her stride didn't slow.
"What is it, Hyoren?"
Hyoren stared at the sky. Trying to remember. The first day in this world. Thirty-nine days ago. The confusion. But he remembered the sky. He remembered the suns.
"Now that I look at it again… The suns are different from when I remember thirty-nine days ago. Back then, Luna, the silver one, was smaller. But now..."
He trailed off.
"It's bigger than Sol."
She looked up at the sky. Her eyes narrowed. She was calculating something. Counting days in her head.
"That's because we're already past mid-autumn, Hyoren."
Hyoren remembered. The conversation from yesterday. Elise's explanation about the seasons. The changing suns.
"Ah, right…. The closer we are to winter, Luna will keep getting bigger. And when winter arrives, Sol will be gone completely?"
With thumbs up, Elise nodded with affirmation.
"That's correct!"
She turned around. Started walking again. Hyoren caught up. Walking beside her now instead of behind.
"So it's already past mid-autumn. I'm still clueless about the date."
Elise glanced at him. She raised an eyebrow.
"Should I teach you about the date, Hyoren? You'll receive weird looks if you don't know the current date in town."
Hyoren bowed slightly.
“Please do Elise.”
Elise raised her hands. Counting.
"Today is Day 22 of Harvest Moon Month, 1024 of Aethellgard Concord Year."
She pushed through a stubborn bush. Using her sword to part the branches. Hyoren helped with his spear. Cutting away the thickest stems.
"Thanks, Hyoren... And back to my explanation."
She held up her hand. Counting again.
"One day consists of twenty-four hours. A full cycle of dual suns' rise and set."
She ticked off her fingers.
"One week is six days. Starting with Sol Day, Luna Day, Braveman Day, Wisdom Day, Unity Day, and lastly, Rest Day."
She looked at him. Making sure he was following.
"One month is thirty days. And we have twelve months."
They continued walking side by side. The clearing beside the river stretched ahead. The ground was smooth. Easy to traverse.
"The start of a new year is start of summer."
She gestured broadly.
"Solrise, Verdantwake, and Sol's Heart."
She held up three fingers. Then added three more.
"Then comes autumn. Crownfire, Harvestmoon, and Grimleaf."
Three more fingers.
"Cold winter comes next. Lunaeve, Frostfall, and Deepwinter."
Then she clapped her hands.
"And lastly, the season of blooming. Spring. Firstthaw, Bloomtide, and the last month of the year, Highsun."
Hyoren digested the concept of time.
The structure was familiar. Not much different from Earth. Twenty-four hours in a day. Six days in a week. Thirty days in a month. Twelve months in a year.
Even the names of the days resonated with concepts he understood. Sol and Luna were obvious. The themes of bravery, wisdom, unity, and rest were universal values.
"Today is Day 22 of Harvestmoon. So when I met you, two days ago, it was Day 20."
He thought back. Counting the days.
"So this means I was transported into this world on Day 13 of Crownfire."
Elise smiled beside him. The splash of river and rustle accompanied their step.
"You learn quickly, Hyoren. That's correct. If you arrived in this world thirty-nine days ago, that date was Day 13 of Crownfire. Early autumn."
She looked up at the sky. At Luna, the silver sun, now larger than its golden companion.
"No wonder you saw Luna was smaller back then."
Hyoren nodded. The thought about the date finally grounded him.
In a world of dual suns, monsters, and magic stones, the passage of time was a constant he could hold onto. A framework he could understand. A piece of normalcy in this strange new reality.
***
They continued walking toward the north.
They strayed a bit from the river, but the sound of flowing water still reached their ears. A guide through the wilderness.
Elise scanned the surrounding area. Her ears twitched. Her eyes moved from shadow to shadow.
"We should reach the forest edge soon, Hyoren. Today we haven't encountered a single goblin. Or even seen their trace."
Hyoren walked beside her. He nodded in agreement.
He adjusted the carcass strapped to his bag. Their dinner — a horned rabbit he had caught a few moments ago.
"That's great. I'm already sick of smelling those goblin musk and dumps. I'm glad..."
He paused. Gestured at the peaceful forest around them.
"We only saw horned rabbits and ants today."
Elise chuckled softly.
"Fufu... your wish will be granted soon. We should not encounter any goblin patrol anymore..."
Her playful tone vanished instantly. Her eyes widened. Her head snapped to the left.
"Elise, what's wrong?"
Hyoren noticed the change in his companion. The shift from relaxed to alert. The sudden tension in her shoulders.
"Shuuush, Hyoren. Goblins. Wait… let's go to that ridge so we can get a clear view."
She crouched low. Moving silently toward a small rise in the terrain. A few meters off the path. Her footsteps made no sound on the forest floor.
Hyoren followed suit. His heart rate picked up. He matched her movements.
They crept up the slope. Keeping their heads below the line of underbrush. Using the terrain as cover.
They reached the top of the small ridge. Hyoren looked down. Below them, in a small clearing about fifty meters away, was a group of goblins.
But it wasn't the disorganized hunting party. They weren't foraging. They were moving in a rough formation.
"Weird. This is weird."
Elise whispered the words, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Elise, you just said there won't be a goblin patrol?"
She bit her thumb. Her voice was tight.
"That's why it's weird. Especially... that is not a normal patrol. That is almost like a scouting party. A warband."
She swallowed hard.
"Similar to the group which caught me."
Her voice was tight with concern. Scouting parties meant they were looking for something specific, or they were clearing the way for something much bigger.
Hyoren examined the group of goblins. He counted. Fifteen goblins total.
Twelve regular goblins. Armed with crude sticks and wooden clubs. Three goblin fighters with rusty dagger or swords.
And the leader. A single Goblin Warrior. An axe strapped to its hip. Standing at the rear.
Elise's voice trembled slightly.
"Goblin Warrior warband should never venture this far…"
Hyoren glanced at her. He could see her shoulder trembling. She was still biting her thumb.
Was she still traumatized from being caught by a similar goblin group? Or was there something else?
The wind shifted. A sudden gust blew from their backs. The gust swept through the clearing. Carrying their scent downward.
It was a mistake. A lapse in their awareness. One of the goblin fighters raised its head. Sniffing the air.
Then it looked up. Directly at the ridge where Hyoren and Elise were hiding. Its black eyes locked onto them.
It just raised its sword and let out a piercing shriek that echoed through the trees.
"This is bad! It noticed us, Hyoren!"
The fight was inevitable. The fighter had already yelled. Alarmed the other goblins.
The goblins snapped into action. Their weapons raised. They began to charge toward the ridge.
"Elise, stay back! Try to reduce their numbers first!"
He didn't wait for her confirmation. He trusted her completely.
He ran to meet the goblin charge.
The cocky Warrior stood in the back. Unmoving. Watching. Waiting for its minions to do their job.
This was similar to the group that had almost killed him before. The group that required him to go all out. To use nectar. To push himself to the brink.
And even then, he had barely won. Gushing wounds and broken spear. But this time, he was not alone.
He trusted her. He continued charging.
One fighter in front of him. Two goblins trying to flank him.
He trusted Elise. He ignored the flanking goblins. Focused on the fighter.
"Double Shot!"
The two goblins trying to flank Hyoren fell. Elise's arrows protruding from their chests.
He met the fighter. It swung its sword. He caught the blow with the crossguard of his spear. Metal clashed against metal. He pivoted. Using the fighter's momentum against it. The fighter lost its balance.
He swung his spear. The blade caught the fighter's neck. Sliced through the carotid artery. The fighter tumbled with blood sprayed from its neck.
He didn't check. He was already aiming at another fighter.
“Piercing Thrust.”
He lunged forward. Closing the three-meter gap instantly. His spear pierced the fighter's heart.
He yanked the spear free. Swung it in a wide arc. The blade slashed through a goblin on his left. Killing it instantly.
He turned to face another fighter. But it was already tumbling. An arrow jutted from its head.
Hyoren scanned his surroundings. Five goblins were running toward the ridge. They had trie to attack Elise.
"She should be able to handle five goblins alone," he trusted Elise.
He locked his eyes on the Warrior. It finally lost its patience. It roared. It started charging toward him.
"I need to clear the small fry first."
Instead of engaging the Warrior, Hyoren aimed at the goblin on the far left.
"Piercing Thrust."
He evaded the Warrior's charge using his skill. Dashed past the Warrior.
His spear lodged into another goblin's chest.
He yanked his spear tip free. Slashed toward his left. Another goblin fell.
Now he faced the Warrior. Flanked by two goblins. But as he was trying to decide which goblin to aim first. Those two goblins had already tumbled down. Arrow lodged in their skull.
“Only Warrior left. As Expected of Elise.”
The Warrior roared again. It charged. Swinging its axe. Hyoren parried the axe with his spear's crossguard. The two weapons locked. He tried to break free. To create distance.
But before he could—he heard Elise's shout.
"Charge Arrow!"
An arrow flew and struck the Warrior in the back. Pierced through.
The force behind the Warrior's axe suddenly weakened. The creature fell.
Hyoren lowered his spear. Wiped the sweat from his brow. He looked at Elise.
She was already walking over to him. But her expression was grim. Deep furrows on her brow.
"Good work, Elise… The warband that almost killed me before... it's dead within a few minutes."
She looked at the goblin warrior.
"As I said before, unless I was careless, this forest is not a problem for me."
Elise scanned the surrounding area. Her expression was still stern. Her shoulders still trembled slightly.
"Goblin warbands on this scale near the forest edge… This is not normal."
She turned to Hyoren.
"Quickly gather the magic stones. We should hurry to reach the forest exit."
Hyoren didn't argue. He moved from corpse to corpse. Pulling magic stones from the bodies. Adding them to his pouch.
Elise retrieved her arrows. One by one. Pulling them from goblin corpses. Wiping them clean. Returning them to her quiver.
She picked up the Warrior's axe. Examined it.
"Decent quality. But cumbersome weapon. Heavy. And neither of us uses axes."
She tossed it to the ground.
"Just throw it away, Hyoren."
Hyoren nodded. He dug a small hole. Buried the axe. Covered it with dirt. So no other goblin could use it.
They moved. Abandoning their casual pace and relaxed stride.
They finally reached the forest edge when the suns were almost set. Elise finally slowed her brisk step.
Hyoren followed behind her. His breath came in steady rhythm. The weight of the rabbit carcass on his back had grown heavier over the hours.
"Phew... Look."
Hyoren followed her gaze.
The dense trees gave way to a vast expanse of open grassland. The horizon stretched endlessly before them. Broken only by a few twisted branches and swaying leaves of small trees. The grass swayed in the evening breeze.
They had left the Forest of No Return behind them.
Hyoren just stood there.
He had spent his first month on another world inside that forest. Thirty-nine days of isolation and survival.
And now, seeing the vast openness of the grassland—he felt liberated.