The night was covering the world, a feeble light from stars illuminated the horizon even as the false light of the moon helped give a more open view. For most creatures, this moment of the night was a territory too strange for them. It was a domain only a few entered and thrived in. Darkness was the source of many fears after all.
In the forest where the wilderness took back its right, and was moving around as some predator chased after their prey, a crunch resonated, the step of someone stepping on a broken branch. Thanks to the previously silent atmosphere, this simple sound was almost deafening. All the predators turned in unison, and then, as if they had all decided at the same time, began to scamper and flee from the zone, eager to vanish as fast as possible.
"Sol, you should learn how to move in the darkness."
"I do know how it. But moving into the forest is different. I feel like there is some branch wherever I walk."
"He is right, Setsuna. Do you really expect him to be able to master such a skill suddenly?"
"Once again I can, I just don't really see the necessity. I can smash anyone without having to hide and those who can smash me would still be able to find me easily."
"Basic knowledge should be mandatory. You never know when it can be useful."
"Hum true."
Sol, Setsuna, and Lilin were walking together calmly in the forest. The night was the time when the beasts became the most active as they searched for food and could unleash their full power. But Those same beasts could only stay in silence and hide as deeply as possible in front of the overwhelming power those three were showing off. There was no pride left and no desire to even try to compete for they knew they would be crushed.
"So, now Sol, what is the goal exactly?"
Currently, Sol was wearing simple leather pants and a shirt. It was simple to move in and at least resistant enough to not tear to shred at the slightest movement. He had given up on the armor. It wasn't particularly hard for him to use but he realized that he worked around with speed and while he didn't mind a slow and careful fight, this wouldn't do in the long run.
It was even more since that armor was actually weaker than his own body once he transformed. This made us once again understand why Dragons were not particularly interested in armor as it gave no protection to them. The same went for armor and weapons in general.
Only a renowned Blacksmith could even try to create something like this, and even with the right material, the chances of failure were extremely high.
In his opinion, the only mortal with skill enough to be distinguished was none other than the dwarf, Theresa. Though for clothes he could also try to have contact with Milaris. She had been talented enough to receive a weapon from the goddesses themselves.
'Hehe, once the blueprint is ready perhaps I Will find a better weapon?'
He was quite happy with his current divine weapon, but sometimes having something simpler and straightforward was also good. He didn't care what weapon it was.
"Well, Like I said we are chasing after a treasure. Though we might face some small difficulties."
"What do you mean by small difficulties?"
"I honestly don't know. I just know that the two of you need to be there and that this would help you grow. I imagine there will perhaps be some legendary weapon, or perhaps something different. I don't have a perfect reading on this matter."
Setsuna shared a glance with Lilin, "And the reason you should go alone is..."
"We can't always have the adult with us, right? Don't you think it would be interesting? An adventure of our own. Just the three of us. Though it will be quite short."
Lilin gave a smile and nodded, "I always wanted to adventure with you. I regret not taking you with me when I left."
"Heh. If the prince suddenly vanished people would riot. But yeah, it would have been interesting."
Setsuna meanwhile clenched her fist, "Is this why you gave me an ultimatum?"
She could guess that Sol had a reason to impose such a clear time limit. She did not fear this as she was sure that she would find her way. Her hesitation and self-doubt mostly died and now she believed that she could walk forward without looking behind.
"Fate is telling me that this is the best opportunity you will get. I will be candid. While I do not think that whatever is about to happen will be threatening physically, I do not know what will happen mentally. So you still have a choice. You can choose to go down or stay."
Setsuna did not cower under his gaze, "You seem to have forgotten but not long ago I was more or less your teacher."
Sol smiled, "Indeed you were and I learned much under you. This is why I believe in you. There is no way that someone who was my teacher will be unable to break through her limit without outside help. So stay strong and fight. The two of us are waiting for you on the other end."
He held his fist and only after Setsuna fist-bumped in return did he start to walk away. Lilin, who had stayed silent through all of this, finally asked the question she had always been dying to ask since leaving the camp.
"So...Where do we go exactly?"
Sol gave a confident smile and placed his hands on his hips before letting out a loud laugh. The laugh lasted for quite some time before he finally stopped and grinned.
"I do not know. He spoke with absolute assurance and confidence. Almost as if he was even proud.
Looking at him speechlessly, Setsuna, for the first time in her life, started to wonder if she should just hit him a little bit. Just a little.
