The forest felt unusually vacant.

  The Mana Zone usually filled him with tension as if something, somewhere was watching him at all times. But today, the woods were as quiet as a church on Kanab.

  Paley walked in the center of their loose formation, his senses stretched thin like a net, trying to catch any hint of movement. To his left, Hig swatted a fly on his neck, the leather of his armour creaking. To his right, Adimia marched with his sword out, swinging at ferns theatrically to stave off his boredom. And right behind Paley was Reben, looking disappointed.

  "It doesn't make sense," Hig muttered, stopping to inspect a patch of trampled mushrooms. "We've been walking for two hours. Even a Tier I ecosystem can't be emptied out. I mean it can. But it'd take years of hunting and a whole bunch of hunters."

  "Maybe they're on holiday," Adimia suggested, decapitating a dandelion.

  "Yeah, totally." Hig sighed, adjusting his expensive belt where he kept his runestones. "They're monsters. They need to eat. There's so much flora here. If they aren't here, it could be that something made them leave."

  "Hm," Reben piped up, "maybe they just saw Paley coming."

  Paley flinched, missing a step.

  Reben grinned, "Think about it. He wiped out a Fulguron nest and also a Weynsoo. Those are Tier IIs! Maybe word got out. Watch out for the black-haired hooman."

  Adimia snorted with laughter. "Yeah. Paley's the King of the Forest now."

  It was a joke. Just a funny observation. But Paley found it uncomfortable. Was he that scary?

  "Well, if we can't hunt for coin, we could hunt for lunch," Paley said. He pointed through the trees where the sunlight was fracturing off water. "The lake is just there."

  The tension of the hunt dissolved the moment they hit the water. It was a beautiful day, one of the last few late summer afternoons they had left, begging to be wasted on unproductiveness.

  Adimia shucked off his boots. "The one who catches most fish wins. Loser carries everything home."

  "I don't have a fishing rod," Hig pointed out.

  "Use your hands, noble boy!" Adimia splashed into the shallows

  Hig, trying to maintain his dignity, stood knee-deep in the water, attempting to grab minnows awkwardly and failing miserably. Reben sat on a dry rock, trying to capitalise on the smaller fish that were easier to catch in bulk; Adimia never specified size, only number.

  Adimia was brute-forcing his way around the lake, jumping at the slightest movement in hopes it was a fish. He caught more lakeweed than fish.

  Paley stood a little further out. The water was cool against his calves. He closed his eyes, feeling the currents. He created a large circumference of earth around him and began closing it, forcing the fish toward him.

  Thump.

  All types of fish collided with his calves and he created a sharp pick of earth to spike their brains for instant, humane kills. By the end of it, he was scooping up dozens of fish and tossing them onto the bank.

  "Hey!" Adimia yelled, soaked to the bone and holding nothing but a handful of mud and more lakeweed. "That's cheating! You can't use magic!"

  "You didn't say no magic," Paley called back, grinning. He moved and created another circumference. Twenty five more fish. "This is winning, brother."

  "It's cheating!" Adimia charged him, sending a spray of water into the air at Paley, who didn't dodge. He laughed, a genuine, unburdened sound, and splashed Adimia back.

  By late afternoon, Paley had a pile of fish, all magical due to the Mana Zone. Adimia had one, which he claimed was the "King of Fish" despite it being the size of his thumb. Hig had wrinkled fingers.

  "Let's head back," Paley said, stringing the catch together. "Mother can make that lemon glaze you're obsessed with, Adimia."

  "Oh, yes!" Adimia pumped his fist, shivering.

  They walked back to the cottage, the golden hour lighting up the world in the tones of honey. In their hunger and exhaustion, amidst the chatter, none of them noticed the sword and shield leaning against the wide oak tree by the water's edge before they left.

  Dinner was loud. The cottage had Hig join them since the boys had invited him. The young noble sat between Teerom and Reben, looking around the cluttered room that was their kitchen and living room.

  "Dude, you know the Battle of Black and White was hinted all the way back when Calina found Aneros in the coloseum?" Teerom said, tearing a piece of bread.

  "What? How so?" Hig's eyes lit up; as soon as they found out they shared Aneros as their idolised hero, their conversation did not stop.

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  Paley watched them, smiling as he chewed his fish. Teerom had found a proper friend outside of the orphanage who shared his passion for Aneros' heroics. Jurie always listened to his rants but she couldn't have these two-way exchanges with him.

  "This is the best fish I've ever had," Hig said later, wiping his mouth with a napkin Madella had provided. He stood up, bowing slightly to her. "Than you, Mrs. Madella. And thank you, Paley."

  "You're welcome anytime, Hig." Madella beamed.

  "I should get going," Hig said. He looked at the door, hesitating. He didn't want to leave the warmth of this house for the cold, empty halls of his own estate. "I... I really had fun today."

  "See you later, Hig!" Bacha waved from the floor where she was playing with Amasha.

  As Hig stepped out, Adimia suddenly slapped his hands to his sides. His face went pale.

  "My sword," Adimia whispered. "I left it," He said, his voice rising in panic. "By the tree. The shield too. Argh! I can't believe I forgot them!"

  "We can get it tomorrow," Reben said sensibly.

  "No!" Adimia was already putting his boots on. "That sword cost three weeks of Paley's hard work. And the shield... Teerom reinforced that for me. If it rains, they'll rust. If anyone else finds it..."

  He threw the door open and bolted into the night.

  Paley came downstairs just then after finishing up in the bathroom. "Where'd Adimia go?"

  "He left his sword in the forest." Reben explained.

  "Paley, could you go get him before he gets himself hurt? Only you can outrun that boy." Madella requested.

  Paley sighed. "And he's supposed to be the older brother." He opened the door and enhanced his body with Strength Magic.

  "Be careful," Madella warned.

  Paley ran. He moved faster than Adimia, his vision keen even at night. He expected to catch his brother quickly, but Adimia was nowhere to be seen.

  By the time Paley reached the Mana Zone, it had been 10 minutes and he began to worry.

  "Adimia!" Paley shouted.

  Silence.

  "Adimia, where are you!"

  Nothing.

  Panic pricked at Paley's chest. Even if the monsters really were scared of him, they wouldn't be scared of Adimia, a magicless boy. He pushed deeper into the woods, heading toward the lake. That's where Adimia must have gone. The canopy blocked out the moon, plunging the world into darkness.

  He reached the lake.

  "Adimia?"

  He stopped.

  There was a light in the water.

  It wasn't the reflection of the moon. It was a soft, pearlescent glow, radiating from beneath the surface of the black water, turning the ripples into rings of silver. It was mesmerizing. Beautiful.

  Paley stepped closer to the reeds, drawn by it.

  The surface broke.

  A girl rose from the water.

  She was... light. That was the only way Paley could describe her. Her skin seemed to be made of moonlight, glowing with an ethereal luminescence that lit up the reeds around her. Her hair was wet, slicked back, cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall of white silk.

  She turned.

  Eyes the color of a bruised sunset - a deep, vivid magenta - locked onto his.

  Paley's lungs stalled. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She looked like a piece of the stars that had fallen onto the world. He stared, unable to look away, caught in the sheer radiance of her. She stared back, intrigued by him, by his face, his eyes, his magic, and something in her eyes conveyed that perhaps she even saw his soul. As if with familiarity.

  Then, he realized she was bathing.

  The heat rushed so fast to his face it made him dizzy. He had intruded. He was staring. It was wrong. Every instinct of decency screamed at him to turn around, to run, to close his eyes.

  'I'm sorry,' he thought, panic seizing him. 'I didn't meant to-'

  The girls' eyes went wide. A flush of pink bloomed on her cheeks, distinct even beyond her glow.

  She squeaked - a very human sound - and dove, vanishing beneath the surface of the water.

  She didn't vanish. She was glowing after all.

  Paley stood there, mortified, watching a bright, person-shaped blob of light huddled at the bottom of the shallow lake, knees pulled to her chest, clearly thinking she was hidden. It was so innocent, so clumsy, that it broke the tension of the moment entirely. It was adorable.

  He hesitated. Should he leave? Should he apologize?

  Curiosity, that fatal flaw, made him lean over the water's edge.

  The blob of light moved. She realized her mistake.

  The water erupted. A torrent of liquid, controlled and heavy, shot up from the lake like a geyser. It slammed into Paley, soaking him instantly and forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut against the sting of the spray.

  When he wiped the water from his face and opened his eyes, the lake was dark. The light was gone.

  "Paley!"

  He jumped, spinning around, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs.

  Adimia crashed through the bushes, clutching his sword and shield to his chest like it was his baby. He was breathless with a face scratched by branches.

  "I found them!" Adimia gasped, holding up the gear. "They were right by the tree." He looked up to identify it was Lunisa in the sky, "Thank Lunisa. I thought... whoa, why are you wet?"

  Paley stood there, dripping. He looked back at the empty, dark lake. The magenta eyes and the glowing skin was burned into his retinas. He felt a heavy, sinking stone of guilt in his gut. He had invaded her privacy even if accidentally. He had scared her.

  "I... slipped," Paley whispered.

  "Tsk tsk, clumsy boy," Adimia laughed, the relief of finding his sword and shield making him giddy. "Come on. Let's go home before mother gets worried."

  They walked back through the woods. The silence was companionable now. Adimia hummed a tune, swinging his sword occasionally.

  Paley remained quiet, wringing out the hem of his tunic. He was skinny, barely any muscle adorned his body.

  "Hey, Paley?" Adimia asked after a while.

  "Yeah?"

  Adimia didn't look at him. He looked straight ahead, his grip on his shield tightening. "Thanks for coming after me. I know I'm an idiot sometimes. Running off like that."

  "You're not an idiot," Paley said compassionately. "You just care about your stuff."

  "It's not just stuff," Adimia murmured. "It's... it's how I keep up with you. If I lose this sword, I'm just... Adimia again."

  "You say that as if 'Adimia' is bad. Besides, you're always Adimia, sword or no sword." Paley said.

  Adimia smiled. He bumped his shoulder against Paley's. "I'm glad you're my brother, Paley. Even if you're a show-off who cheats at fishing."

  "Didn't cheat," Paley bumped him back. "I'm just better."

  "In your dreams, A4."

  "What did you call me, Baldy?"

  They bickered all the way back to the cottage, their voices drifting up into the starry sky. But Paley kept glancing back over his shoulder, toward the dark tree line, wondering about the girl made of light, and hoping that she wasn't too afraid of the boy with the red eyes.