Echoes on the Road to Axel
The road back to Axel stretched beneath the fading orange sky, a ribbon of dirt winding through the whispering trees. The wagon creaked as it rolled along, wheels leaving faint tracks in the dust. Kazuma sat at the front, reins in hand, humming a victory tune that sounded more smug than heroic.
"Another successful quest!" he declared proudly. "No casualties, minimal property damage, and Megumin only blew up half the forest this time. I'd call that progress."
"Half the forest is still half the forest, Kazuma," Aqua muttered, sipping from her canteen with a pout. "And I was the one who purified the bandit corpses, so I deserve most of the credit."
Ruko walked beside the wagon, his cloak shifting with the breeze. His expression was neutral, eyes half-lidded as if lost in thought. The faint hum from his weapon had quieted after the fight, leaving only a residual pulse he could feel deep in his chest. Like a heartbeat that wasn't entirely his own.
Megumin leaned over the side of the wagon. "Ruko, you were pretty impressive back there. Your movements were so fast, I almost thought you were casting magic."
He glanced up. "Just instincts."
"Instincts, huh?" Kazuma gave a half-laugh. "More like borderline superhuman. You took down four bandits before I even drew my sword."
Ruko smirked faintly. "Guess I'm just efficient."
"Efficiently scary," Aqua whispered, earning a glare from him.
The group's laughter filled the dusty road, echoing faintly into the woods. For all their chaos and constant bickering, there was something weirdly peaceful about moments like these. Simple, human noise. No ruins, no memories, no strange whispers from his weapon—just the warmth of a road home.
Yet, that feeling didn't last.
---
By the time the gates of Axel came into view, twilight had settled over the town. The air carried a strange tension—barely noticeable, like static beneath the surface. Ruko paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes. The flow of mana around the city felt… disturbed. Not dangerous, but unnatural.
"You feel that?" he muttered. Kazuma blinked. "Feel what?"
Ruko hesitated, then shook his head. "Nothing. Probably just tired."
They passed through the gates, the guards giving lazy nods. Axel was alive as ever—adventurers shouting about quests, merchants selling overpriced food, and Aqua immediately running toward the tavern yelling, "Drinks on Kazumaaa!"
Kazuma's face paled. "Wait, what?! I didn't agree to that!"
Megumin chuckled as the two chased each other down the street. Darkness sighed, then looked at Ruko. "You know, for someone who doesn't talk much, you fit right in."
He raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"
She smiled faintly. "You fight well. Reliable. People like that are rare."
Ruko didn't reply, but something about her words lingered. Reliable… It was a strange word for someone who couldn't even trust his own memories.
He exhaled slowly. "Thanks, I guess."
---
That night, the tavern was loud and full of laughter. Aqua had already passed out with a mug still in hand, Megumin was bragging about how she "strategically" used her explosion spell, and Kazuma was too tired to argue.
Ruko sat at the corner table, quiet, swirling his drink. His reflection on the liquid surface seemed… different. There was always this faint, distorted shimmer—like the world itself was bending slightly around him.
A waitress passed by, smiling politely. "You look deep in thought. Trouble?"
He smiled weakly. "Something like that."
As she left, he leaned back, eyes drifting to the window. The moon hung high, bright and cold. He could almost hear a whisper—soft, melodic, feminine. A faint echo in his mind.
> "Keep moving forward, Ruko. The past will catch up soon enough."
He froze, grip tightening on the mug. That voice… it wasn't Yew wait how did i know it was yew causeshe nevertalk before. It wasn't familiar either, yet it felt close. The air seemed to still around him for a moment, and then—just as suddenly—it was gone.
---
The next morning came with the usual chaos.
Kazuma kicked open his door. "Ruko! We've got a new quest!"
"Morning to you too," Ruko muttered, sitting up.
"Some weird disturbance near the old mine outside town. The guild said something's been eating mana crystals. Probably a monster. Easy pay."
"Or a trap," Ruko replied, pulling on his gloves.
Kazuma shrugged. "Eh, we'll see. We've survived worse."
Downstairs, Aqua was hungover, Darkness looked way too excited at the idea of "facing danger underground," and Megumin was already chanting spells before breakfast.
Ruko watched them quietly as they prepared. Something about this quest felt… off. Like another thread pulling him toward something unseen.
He grabbed his weapon and followed them out.
---
The mine was half-collapsed and eerily silent. The deeper they went, the colder it got. Their torchlight flickered across cracked stone walls, revealing faint carvings—symbols that made Ruko's chest tighten.
They were the same as the ones he saw in the ruins.
He froze.
Kazuma looked back. "What is it?"
"…Nothing," Ruko lied. But his fingers brushed the markings as they passed. The faint hum in his weapon returned, stronger now.
A whisper followed, threading through his thoughts.
> "The fragments remember you… even when you don't."
He inhaled sharply. The memory flickered—a flash of blue light, a hand reaching out, a seal breaking—and then darkness. His pulse raced, and for a second, he thought he saw the shape of someone at the tunnel's end.
Female. Smiling.
But when he blinked, it was gone.
---
Hours later, they emerged from the mine with the crystal intact and the monster defeated. Another quest done, another day survived.
Kazuma cheered. "See? Easy money!"
Aqua yawned. "I still think we should've negotiated for more payment."
Darkness chuckled. "You two never change."
Ruko stood a bit apart, looking back at the mine entrance. That feeling of something watching hadn't left him.
He whispered under his breath, "Featherine… who is that and what's connection with that voice?"
---
Far beyond the world's veil, Featherine leaned back in her chair of swirling light. The screen before her glowed faintly with Ruko's silhouette.
"So he's starting to feel it," she said softly, a small, knowing smile tugging at her lips. "Piece by piece, the game unfolds. You're walking the path I built… yet somehow, you still surprise me, Ruko."
The stars around her shimmered like chess pieces on a vast cosmic board.
"This world is still young," she murmured. "But every choice… every hesitation… will shape the end but i wont intervene till ur ready huhuhuhu."
Her voice faded into the void, leaving only the faint hum of something vast and timeless stirring in the dark.
---
The wind blew softly through Axel that night, carrying whispers no one could hear.
And beneath that peaceful noise, Ruko's forgotten memories stirred—just faintly enough to remind him that something ancient was still waiting.
Watching and Calling.