A few hours had passed.
Leo had been walking alongside the wolf clan, deeper into the forest. The thick canopy above dimmed the light, and the quiet had stretched too long.
Finally, Leo broke the silence.
"So let me get this straight..."
"You guys are trying to get to the moon... because of a children's song?"
Kieran stopped in his tracks and slowly turned his head, his glare sharp enough to cut stone.
"It's not just a song."
"It was written by our god, Mobius."
Leo blinked, then scoffed.
"Wow. That's even dumber than I thought."
"What's next? You planning to ride a magical squirrel up there?"
Kieran didn't respond at first. He turned back around and resumed walking.
"That..."
"Is what you're going to help us figure out."
Leo stared at him for a second before muttering under his breath.
"Great. I joined a cult of moon-chasing werewolves."
"What could possibly go wrong?"
Leo sighs, the weight of the silence making the forest seem even quieter. After a few moments, he starts to follow them, his steps reluctant but steady.
"Then tell me, why are we here?" he asks, his voice tinged with frustration.
Kieran glances back at him, eyes sharp.
"Do you know about the Golden Era?"
Leo furrows his brow, uncertainty creeping in.
"Not much about it. I remember it had something to do with gods civilizing the lower beings."
Kieran nods, his tone a little more serious now.
"Yes, when the gods came to our world, our god—Mobius—built a kingdom, hidden deep within this forest, meant only for those of the wolf race."
Leo pauses, eyeing Kieran skeptically.
"A kingdom? In this forest? That sounds... hard to believe." His tone is half-amused, half-curious.
Kieran says,
"We were strong enough to build our own empire once."
He glances back at Leo, his voice tinged with bitterness.
"You humans... you destroyed it."
Leo halts, his footsteps faltering. He lets out a dry laugh,
"We did that?"
He exhales heavily, rubbing his forehead.
"I really need to catch up on history."
They continue walking for hours, the tension thick between them. Finally, they reach the camp. Leo parts the thick grasses and stares in awe at the sight.
"For a camp," he mutters,
"Isn't this a bit much? It looks more like a small town."
Before he can finish, Sasha strides past him, her shoulder brushing his. Leo stumbles slightly, then steadies himself as Sasha glances over her shoulder, her voice sharp.
"Of course it's big."
She looks him up and down with a raised brow.
"There are at least 300 of us living here."
She takes a step ahead, her words cutting through the air.
"Unlike your kind, we don't leave anyone behind."
Leo slightly tilts his head, agreeing, as he says,
"Fair enough."
Then, with the others, Leo enters the camp. As he slowly walks inside, he feels their gazes burning into him. He thinks to himself,
"Looks like they don't like humans, huh?"
As they both walk into the deeper part of the camp, Kieran glances sideways at Leo and asks calmly,
"So, do you have any idea where we should start looking?"
Leo stops for a second, his face twisting into a mix of annoyance and disbelief.
"No!" he snaps.
"What do you think I am, some kind of divine compass? You expect me to magically pull the location out of thin air? It's not like you guys gave me anything remotely useful to work with."
Kieran keeps his cool, voice steady as he replies,
"I was just asking. Since, you know... we don't have much time left."
Leo rolls his eyes and exhales sharply,
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
He pauses, then adds with a bit more composure,
"For starters, we need someone who knows this forest better than any of us."
Kieran raises an eyebrow.
"And where exactly are we supposed to find that someone?"
Leo looks at him like it's obvious.
"Why do you think I saved that guy?"
Kieran's eyes narrow as realization hits.
"...Adrian?"
After a few minutes, Leo approaches the center of the camp, where Adrian and Goldy are locked in cages. The atmosphere is heavy, tension rising with each step. As Leo walks in, he spots Goldy in the front cage.
Leo glances at him and says,
"Are you doing well, Goldy?"
Goldy doesn't respond, his eyes cold and lifeless. He looks at Leo for a brief moment, then shifts his gaze downward, as if trying to ignore him.
Leo takes a deep breath and turns his attention to Adrian, who is glaring fiercely at him. As Leo gets closer, Adrian spits out through gritted teeth,
"Damn traitor"
The disdain in his voice is unmistakable.
Leo walked up to the cage with a cocky grin.
"Come on now, no need to be so salty."
He crouched in front of Adrian, his eyes locking with the knight's.
"Let's not forget—you'd be six feet under if I hadn't opened my mouth for you."
Adrian looked away, jaw tight with frustration.
"Tch… why the hell did you help me?"
Leo's grin faded. His tone dropped, quieter… honest.
"Because I need you."
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
Leo continued, voice steady.
"They're looking for something in this forest—something big. But here's the catch... they're outsiders. This isn't their land. They don't know the terrain, the people, or even where to start."
Adrian turned to face him again, suspicious.
"And you do?"
Leo leaned back a little, resting his arm on his knee.
"Nope." He let out a short breath.
"I've never stepped out of the empire. Ever."
His gaze darkened, and the smirk vanished.
"You know how it is… A cursed kid with no name walking around where no one recognizes him? I'd be hunted down before sunset."
Adrian's expression shifted, the fire in his eyes softening just a bit.
He understood. What he mennt?
Leo rose to his feet slowly, brushing the dirt off his hands. His gaze stayed fixed on Adrian.
"That's why my father never let me step outside the empire walls."
His tone was calm, but there was something heavy behind it.
"Being a Radiance meant safety. But only within those walls."
He crouched slightly, just enough to meet Adrian's eyes.
"But you... you're a royal knight. You've seen the world outside. You've traveled, learned the terrain."
He smiled faintly.
"That makes you my best shot."
"So tell me, Adrian... are you in?"
Adrian's hands tightened into fists. His voice cracked through gritted teeth.
"No."
"They butchered my Comrades right in front of me."
He glared at Leo like he wanted to rip the cage apart.
"And now you want me to help them?!"
Leo chuckled dryly, shaking his head.
"Your comrades? You mean him?"
He nodded toward Goldy, who sat in the corner with a blank stare.
"The guy who nearly gutted a child without hesitation?"
Adrian slammed his fist against the bars.
"Because you forced him to!"
Leo didn't blink.
"And because of that, the kid's alive."
He stepped closer.
"Let me ask you something—"
His voice dropped, colder now.
"Do you really believe he wouldn't have done it anyway?"
Adrian froze.
Leo's stare pierced through him.
"You were there, Adrian. You saw the look in his eyes."
"He wasn't hesitating. He was calculating."
Adrian's jaw clenched, but his words never came.
Leo turned away from the cage.
As he walked toward the exit, his voice echoed behind him.
"Wanting to protect your people… that's noble, Adrian."
He paused at the doorway, not looking back.
"But doing the right thing for the wrong people?"
"That'll eat you alive."
He stepped out into the cool night air.
Kieran was there, leaning casually against the wooden wall, arms crossed.
"So," he asked without looking at Leo, "do you think he'll help?"
Leo glanced at him with a smirk.
"He will."
Time ticked by slowly.
Leo sat alone on a mossy log, elbows on his knees, fingers loosely interlocked as his gaze bored into the dirt. His mind spun in quiet frustration, his brows furrowed like he was trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces.
A small shadow moved beside him.
"You look like your brain's about to explode."
Alya's voice was soft, teasing. She stood nearby, arms behind her back, swaying slightly on her heels.
Leo turned his head, giving her a sideways glance before muttering,
"Just... thinking."
"About what?"
He sighed, dragging a hand down his face.
"How the hell are we gonna find it?"
"Oh! You mean the thing that's in the moon?"
Leo gave a dry laugh, leaning back and stretching his legs.
"Yeah. That old fairy tale."
His voice was dripping with skepticism.
"The thing-in-the-moon nonsense."
Alya puffed her cheeks, clearly not amused.
"It's not nonsense! It is in the moon!"
He raised an eyebrow at her, unimpressed.
"Alright then, Miss Believer. What exactly is 'it'?"
She opened her mouth confidently—then froze. Her eyes dropped to the ground.
"...I don't know."
Leo tilted his head, smirking.
"Didn't think so."
A moment passed.
"Hey."
He glanced back at her.
"What's the song really about?"
"Huh? What song?"
"The one your god—Mobius, right?—the one he supposedly left behind."
Recognition sparked in her eyes.
"Oh! That song!"
Leo nodded slowly.
"Think you can sing it?"
Her whole face lit up.
"Of course!"
With a sudden burst of excitement, she dashed over to a large rock nearby. Hopping up onto it, she took a dramatic stance—feet apart, arms slightly raised like a performer ready to take the stage.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath…
…and began to sing
With her angelic voice, Alya began to sing.
Her tone was soft at first—like a whisper carried by the wind—then slowly grew, weaving through the trees and pulling the silence into something sacred.
> "Come to me
When you're alone and fear creeps,
Come to the moon—no need to weep,
I'll guard what you must keep."
Leo blinked, his heart strangely still. He didn't believe in gods, but something about the way she sang... it made the forest hush.
> "Follow the moon
When you are lost, let moonlight guide,
Follow the path where old ones died,
There you'll be safe by my side."
Her voice trembled slightly on the last line, not from fear—but from something deeper. Faith. Belief. Maybe even memory.
> "Rest now
When you are tired of all the fight,
Just follow the moon through the night,
I'll watch you under my sight."
She finished with her eyes still closed, arms falling gently to her sides.
A few seconds of silence followed. Even the breeze paused as if holding its breath.
Leo stood there, eyes on her, unsure what to say.
And for the first time… maybe just a little…
He wondered if the moon really was hiding something.