The mountains had become predictable.
That thought bothered Toji more than the freezing wind biting at his face.
He stood atop a rocky cliff just as the sun began to rise, overlooking an endless sea of forests stretching toward the horizon. Somewhere beyond those trees were villages, roads, and cities. Somewhere beyond them was the rest of the DC Universe.
Behind him was the life he had known for four years.
Ahead of him...
Something new.
He tightened the straps of the worn leather pack resting on his back.
It wasn't much.
A flint.
A waterskin.
A hunting knife gifted to him by an old hunter.
A few strips of dried meat.
And a crude spear he had carved himself years ago, replacing it whenever it wore out.
"...Guess it's time."
The mountains had taught him almost everything they could.
The same predators.
The same terrain.
The same hardships.
He still trained every day, but the changes had become slower. His body still adapted, but it no longer changed as dramatically from climbing the same cliffs or fighting the same beasts.
He needed something different.
Something unknown.
He smiled to himself.
"I've officially run out of things to punch."
His journey began with a run.
Of course it did.
Walking was too slow.
He leaped from rock to rock, sprinted through forests, crossed rivers without slowing down, and climbed steep cliffs whenever the terrain demanded it.
Hours passed.
His breathing remained steady.
The mountain air no longer bothered him.
The cold no longer seeped into his bones.
His feet landed instinctively on stable ground even when loose rocks shifted beneath him.
Years of repetition had made movement feel... natural.
Near midday, he stopped beside a stream to drink.
The water was crystal clear.
As he cupped it in his hands, he caught a glimpse of his reflection.
Messy black hair.
Bright green eyes.
A lean face that still looked young despite the hardness in his expression.
"...Still ugly."
He stared another second.
"...Nah."
He smirked.
"I'm at least a seven."
The stream, unfortunately, refused to compliment him.
The further he traveled, the more signs of civilization appeared.
An old axe mark on a tree.
A narrow dirt trail.
Footprints.
Human footprints.
Fresh.
He crouched beside them.
Four people.
Two adults.
Two children.
Probably a family.
They had passed through within the last day.
Toji smiled faintly.
Humans.
He hadn't completely avoided people during the last four years, but encounters had always been brief.
A meal shared.
A short conversation.
Then everyone went their separate ways.
He preferred it that way.
People complicated things.
Animals only wanted to eat you.
Humans...
Humans wanted explanations.
Near evening, he heard shouting.
Not angry shouting.
Panicked shouting.
Without thinking, Toji ran toward the sound.
He found three merchants standing beside an overturned wagon.
One of the horses had broken free and disappeared into the forest.
The remaining horse was refusing to move.
One merchant was trying to lift the wagon by himself.
It wasn't going well.
"...Push with your legs."
The three men jumped.
One spun around so fast he nearly fell over.
"W-Where did you come from?!"
Toji pointed toward the trees.
"...There."
"...That's not what I meant."
"I know."
"..."
One of the older merchants rubbed his forehead.
"...Kid."
"Yeah?"
"Can you help us?"
Toji looked at the wagon.
Then at the merchant.
"...Sure."
He grabbed the side of the cart.
The wood creaked.
With one smooth motion, he lifted it just high enough for the others to shove a rock beneath the wheel.
The merchants froze.
"..."
"..."
"...Kid."
"Yeah?"
"...How old are you?"
Toji thought about it.
"Ten."
"..."
"...I refuse to believe that."
Ten minutes later, the wagon was back on the road.
The missing horse had also been found.
Apparently it had wandered only a few hundred meters away.
The oldest merchant handed Toji a warm loaf of bread.
"For your help."
Toji accepted it immediately.
"...Thanks."
He tore off a large piece.
Soft.
Warm.
Fresh.
His eyes widened.
"..."
The merchant laughed.
"When's the last time you had bread?"
"..."
Toji continued chewing.
"...I don't remember."
"That long?"
"I've mostly been eating whatever I can catch."
"..."
"...You lived in the mountains?"
"Yeah."
The merchants exchanged looks.
One whispered quietly.
"...Do you think he's that Ghost Child people talk about?"
The oldest man blinked.
"...Actually..."
He looked back at Toji.
"You ever fight a giant bear?"
Toji swallowed.
"...Maybe."
"..."
"...It was one time."
They offered him a ride.
He declined.
"I prefer walking."
The youngest merchant looked confused.
"...Walking?"
Toji nodded.
"...Running."
"...You're weird."
"I've been told."
Two days later...
He reached his first proper village.
It wasn't large.
Just a collection of wooden houses surrounded by farmland.
Smoke rose from chimneys.
Children played in the streets.
Dogs barked happily.
Toji stood at the entrance for nearly five minutes.
"..."
"...How do I do this again?"
He had spent four years talking to birds more often than people.
Social interaction suddenly felt... difficult.
A little girl noticed him first.
She pointed.
"Mom!"
The woman looked over.
Her eyes widened.
A filthy child wearing animal hide clothing was standing awkwardly near the village entrance.
"...Honey."
"...Yes?"
"...Go play somewhere else."
Within minutes...
Half the village had noticed him.
An elderly man approached carefully.
"You lost, son?"
"...Probably."
"Where are your parents?"
"...Dead."
"..."
"...I'm sensing a pattern."
The old man blinked.
"What?"
"...Nothing."
An hour later...
Toji had accidentally become the center of attention.
Someone had given him a bowl of stew.
Someone else had handed him clean clothes.
A grandmother insisted on cutting his overgrown hair.
"I can do it myself."
"You absolutely cannot."
"...Fair."
Thirty minutes later...
His hair actually looked decent.
He stared at his reflection in a polished metal tray.
"..."
"...I look civilized."
The grandmother smiled proudly.
"There."
"You look like a proper young man now."
Toji tilted his head.
"I kind of miss looking homeless."
She laughed so hard she nearly dropped the scissors.
The biggest surprise came during dinner.
Money.
He had completely forgotten about money.
The innkeeper smiled kindly.
"That'll be twelve dollars."
"..."
Toji stared.
"...Right."
The innkeeper waited.
"..."
"...Hypothetically."
"...Yes?"
"...If someone spent four years in the mountains..."
"..."
"...Would they still need money?"
"...Yes."
"Darn."
The innkeeper sighed.
"Can you work?"
Toji nodded immediately.
"I can hunt."
"I can chop wood."
"I can carry heavy things."
"I can fix fences."
"...Can you wash dishes?"
Toji looked offended.
"...I survived a five-ton... a really, really big bear."
The innkeeper crossed his arms.
"...So?"
"..."
"...Fair enough."
He spent the next two hours washing dishes.
"...This is somehow harder than fighting predators."
The cook laughed.
"First job?"
"...Yeah."
"You'll survive."
"I certainly hope so."
That night...
He slept indoors for the first time in years.
The bed felt...
Wrong.
Too soft.
He couldn't sleep.
After an hour, he gave up.
He grabbed his blanket.
Walked outside.
And climbed onto the inn's roof.
The cool night air greeted him.
"...Much better."
He fell asleep almost immediately.
The next morning...
The innkeeper found him lying peacefully on the roof.
"..."
"...Why?"
Toji opened one eye.
"The ceiling was too close."
"..."
"...You slept on my roof."
"It was comfortable."
"..."
The innkeeper sighed deeply.
"I don't get paid enough for this."
For the next week, Toji stayed in the village.
He worked during the day.
Training before sunrise.
Running through nearby forests.
Practicing with his spear.
Lifting logs for the lumber mill simply because it doubled as strength training.
The villagers quickly realized something.
The strange mountain boy...
Never stopped training.
One lumberjack watched him carrying three logs at once.
"...Kid."
"Yeah?"
"Why are you smiling?"
"This is fun."
"..."
"...You're terrifying."
One evening, a blacksmith asked him,
"So what's your dream?"
Toji looked toward the distant mountains.
Then beyond them.
"I don't know."
The blacksmith raised an eyebrow.
"You don't know?"
"I know one thing."
"What's that?"
Toji smiled faintly.
"I never want to be too weak to protect my own life again."
The smile disappeared.
"So..."
"I'll keep getting stronger."
The blacksmith nodded slowly.
He didn't fully understand the boy.
But he respected the determination in his voice.
A week later...
Toji stood at the edge of the village.
His clothes were cleaner.
His pack was fuller.
The villagers waved goodbye.
"You can stay longer!"
"Come back sometime!"
"Try sleeping in a bed next time!"
Toji laughed.
"...No promises."
He turned toward the road leading away from the village.
Somewhere beyond it lay a much larger world.
Heroes.
Villains.
Mysteries.
Challenges he couldn't even imagine.
His journey through the wilderness had ended.
His journey through the DC Universe...
Was only just beginning.