"What I lack right now is information," Zhu said, leaning back against the stone bench and staring into the flickering embers of the campfire.
It was the second night after Faral had gained his body and Zhu had successfully stabilized her core. They had decided to rest, as the previous day had been exhausting for everyone. Now, they gathered around the fire to learn, reflect, and map out their next steps.
"My foster parents kept me working at home," Zhu continued. "I didn't get to go to school. I taught myself how to read from old, discarded newspapers I used to clean the windows with... so you have to understand that my knowledge of this world is pretty limited."
A heavy silence fell over the campsite. Mara's heart swelled with sudden, aching compassion—especially because of how completely detached and casual the young girl sounded while admitting it.
Zhu's story hit far too close to home. Mara knew that feeling all too well. Coming from an impoverished family with eleven children, Mara had been child number nine—and the fifth daughter. When her family couldn't afford to feed everyone, she had been sold off. She had learned to read only because the madam who bought her found it convenient for running daily errands.
It was during one of those very errands that Mara had met her first client...
Mara gave her head a quick, subtle shake to dispel the lingering memories. Pushing the dark thoughts away, she refocused on the present, listening as Herkid began to explain the region's geography to Zhu.
"Greenveil is what's known as a low-mana town," Herkid began. He crouched and picked up a stick, using its tip to draw a circle in the dirt between them. "Settlements like this are usually found along the outer margins of hollow forests. The mana around them is relatively weak compared to what you'd find deeper inside."
Zhu leaned forward to examine the circle.
"The forests are usually named after the settlements near them," Herkid continued.
"Wait. So that's why Greenveil's hollow forest is called Hollowveil!" She clapped her hands as understanding bloomed across her face.
Herkid smiled, clearly delighted by her enthusiasm. "Exactly."
"But how were they formed?"
His smile faded slightly as he considered the question. "Hollow forests are remnants of ancient wars. Hundreds of years ago, powerful mana users and monsters fought battles that devastated entire regions. The mana released during those conflicts corrupted the surrounding environment. In some places, the damage was so severe that the mana never returned to its natural state."
He used the stick to draw several smaller circles inside the first.
"Over time, the corrupted zones spread and altered the surrounding ecosystem. Plants mutated, beasts changed, and new monsters appeared. Eventually, these regions became what we now call hollow forests."
Zhu stared at the drawing. "So they're basically scars left behind by ancient battles?"
"That's one way to put it." Herkid nodded. "And unlike ordinary scars, these ones can still hurt you." He pointed toward the largest circle. "Hollow forests have different levels of corruption. The outer margins are usually less dangerous, while the deeper regions can be deadly even to experienced adventurers. But don't assume the edges are safe. A corrupted beast can wander beyond its usual territory, and some plants are dangerous long before you notice anything unusual about them."
"What happens if someone stays inside too long?"
"The corrupted mana begins to affect their mana core. At first, they might experience fluctuations or lose control over their abilities. Continued exposure can cause much worse damage."
Zhu's expression grew serious. "And people still go in there?"
"Of course." Herkid gave a short laugh. "Hollow forests are dangerous, but they're also rich in resources—rare herbs, monster materials, valuable plants, and all sorts of things merchants are willing to pay a fortune for." He tapped the stick against the dirt. "One successful expedition can turn a poor adventurer into a wealthy one. That's why people keep going back, even when they know the risks."
"But they could die."
"They could." Herkid's expression turned solemn. "Parties lose members all the time. Sometimes it's a monster, sometimes it's a mistake, and sometimes someone survives the forest only to discover that the corruption has permanently damaged their core."
For a moment, Zhu said nothing. She looked down at the circles drawn in the dirt. "So the forest offers people a chance to become rich, but it can take everything from them."
Herkid regarded her with renewed respect. "Now you're beginning to understand."
Zhu paused, her eyes turning toward Faral. "But... we've been in here for weeks and we're fine, right?" She looked at Mara and Herkid to confirm.
As if the realization had only just struck them, Mara covered her mouth in shock. They had been so busy surviving and solving one crisis after another that the fact they hadn't turned into corrupted creatures had completely flown past them.
"Right..." Herkid whispered in disbelief.
Slowly, everyone's eyes shifted toward Faral. By instinct, they all knew he was the reason.
Faral's lips curved into a slight, faint smile. "Your conclusions are correct. As a Guardian, I command a degree of control over the atmospheric mana. I have been filtering the corrupted mana around us."
"Oh," Zhu breathed softly. "Oh..."
Her voice trailed off. Ever since she had jumped off that bridge and plummeted into the Hollowveil Forest, he had been quietly filtering the toxic air for her—long before he ever possessed a body of his own.
Tears sprang to her eyes. She had suffered so much ever since the day the Wang family had married her off like cattle. At first, Faral had just been a voice in her mind, yet through every trial and challenge, he had been silently shielding her without ever asking for credit or acknowledgment.
She broke down, crying softly. Faral held her steady, offering comfort like an unyielding pillar.
Zhu wept for a while until she finally took a deep breath, pressing her face into his chest. "Thank you, Faral," she whispered. She said nothing more, but those four words carried a depth of gratitude that felt bottomless.
"You're welcome, girl," Faral replied. His tone was as cool and composed as ever, yet beneath it lay a warmth that was no less profound.
The fire crackled softly in the quiet night, sending a shower of orange sparks drifting up toward the dark canopy of the forest.
For a long moment, neither Mara nor Herkid moved. The sudden shift from a casual lesson in geography to such a raw, quiet display of emotion left them both frozen in place.
Mara slowly lowered her hand from her mouth, her chest aching as she watched Zhu press her face against Faral's chest. The sight of the fierce, absurdly powerful young girl breaking down like an ordinary child struck a tender chord deep inside Mara. She knew what it was like to carry the weight of the world on young shoulders—to fight every single day just to survive, only to realize that someone had been quietly keeping the storm at bay all along.
A soft, wistful smile touched Mara's lips. She looked at Faral—this terrifying, ancient entity who could cut down monsters without blinking—holding the girl with such patient, grounded warmth.
She isn't alone anymore, Mara thought, her eyes glistening faintly in the firelight. Goddess knows she deserves at least that much.
Beside her, Herkid slowly let go of the stick he had been holding. It tumbled into the dirt, forgotten. He stared at Faral, his jaw slack and his eyes wide with a mix of awe and lingering disbelief.
As an experienced adventurer, Herkid had spent years listening to veterans warn about the insidious, creeping poison of Hollowveil's corruption. He had seen strong men lose their minds to core instability after spending just a week too long near the inner boundary. Yet here they were, deep inside the forest, breathing air as pure as a mountain breeze—all because the entity sitting across from him was effortlessly bending the corrupted atmospheric mana to his will as if it were child's play.
Herkid swallowed hard, a sudden chill running down his spine before settling into deep reverence. A Guardian... To filter an entire campsite's atmosphere continuously, passively, without a single word of complaint or grandstanding—it was a level of control and power that defied everything Herkid knew about mana manipulation.
He exchanged a quick, silent glance with Mara. Herkid gave a small, solemn nod, communicating a unspoken agreement: We owe this man—and this girl—our lives several times over.
Clearing his throat softly so as not to interrupt the quiet moment, Herkid picked up a couple of dry logs from the pile and gently fed them into the fire. The flames licked at the fresh wood, casting a warmer, brighter glow over the four of them.
"Well," Herkid said, his voice unusually soft, carrying a gentle humor to break the heavy tension without ruining the warmth. "I suppose that explains why my old joints haven't been aching like they usually do in places like this."
Mara let out a breathless, quiet laugh, wiping a stray tear from her cheek before looking up at Faral and Zhu.
"Thank you, Faral," Mara said softly, her voice filled with sincere, deep respect. "To both of you. You brought us into your circle, and you've been protecting us without us even knowing it."
Herkid bowed his head slightly toward Faral from across the embers. "Aye. A debt like that isn't easily repaid, but as long as we're traveling together, you won't have to worry about the camp, the cooking, or watching your backs while you rest."
Faral looked up, his dark eyes meeting Herkid's and Mara's in turn. He gave a single, slow nod—a simple acknowledgment between allies.
Zhu sniffled, her shoulders easing as she slowly pulled back from Faral's chest. She wiped her face with the back of her sleeve, her cheeks slightly flushed from crying, but a small, genuinely happy smile broke through her tears as she looked around at the three of them.