Chapter 26: Chapter 25 - Fighting the Unknown

Milo:

I’d been on edge since we left Jin-hoon’s hut. The forest felt wrong—too still, too aware. The sharp whizz of an arrow slicing through the air confirmed it. We weren’t just being followed. We were being hunted.

I shoved Orla down behind a tree, my heart pounding. My hand gripped the bow on my back, the solid weight reminding me it was my best chance. I wasn’t defenseless, but I wasn’t invincible either. I nocked an arrow, muscles tense as I scanned the treeline, searching for movement.

“Stay low,” I muttered.

Orla pressed herself closer, practically clinging to my leg as Raven’s warm breath ghosted over my shoulder. The horse would be fine, but Orla’s fingers dug into the hem of my robe, trembling. I could feel her fear, and it only made my grip on the bow tighten.

Then I saw them—figures slipping through the trees, barely visible, but definitely there. Bandits, cloaked in black. I had a feeling it was more then animals, but seeing them now only sharpened my focus.

Sang-min crouched near his cart beside us, his expression grim, any trace of his earlier humor gone. “How many?”

“Three,” I said. “Maybe more.”

"Milo... what do we do? This is insane." Orla's voice was barely a whisper.

I met her gaze. "We can't outrun them."

"Yeah, I figured, considering how ready you are with that bow."

"So we fight."

"Fight? Are you serious?" she whispered sharply. "Unlike you, I didn’t exactly show up here armed."

"Next chance we get, we’ll find you something. A knife, at least."

"Milo, I'm not a killer."

"Neither am I, but this isn’t a dream. It’s real, and we have to survive."

She let out a shaky breath. "I know. I just don’t get why you had a weapon from the start and I didn’t."

A branch snapped underfoot, the sharp crack cutting through the silence. I shushed her, muscles tensing as I strained to catch where it came from.

"Stay close. Stay quiet."

She swallowed hard, then nodded.

Sang-min, meanwhile, pulled out two daggers, twirling them with way too much ease for my liking before catching them both. He grinned, that playful energy creeping back. “Good. It’s been a while since I’ve had some action.”

Ending up in this mess was one thing, but Sang-min being excited about it made me hesitate. If I hadn't already thought he resembled Yoo, now I was sure he had some of his personality too. This was getting stranger by the minute.

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The bandits crept closer, blending into the dark. I kept my bow drawn.

“Who's out there?” I called out.

I heard whispers.

There were definitely three of them.

"I said, who's out there? Last chance."

A rough laugh came from the trees. One of them stepped forward, hood low. “And what’s a kid like you gonna do, huh?”

I stepped out from the dense brush and onto the path. Orla’s faint, "Milo, no," reached my ears, but I was already drawing back the bowstring. Too late. The arrow flew.

It hit him in the shoulder, his scream echoing through the trees. He stumbled back, dropping his weapon and clutching the wound. The other two rushed forward, but I was faster. I knocked another arrow, firing it at one of the attackers. It grazed his leg, making him falter just long enough for me to grab another arrow from my quiver.

Sang-min was already in the fight, moving faster than I expected. He dodged his sword swing and slammed his fist into a bandit’s jaw. The guy crumpled.

The third bandit came at me with a sword, but I blocked it with my bow and sidestepped. Before he could swing again, I had another arrow drawn and released in one smooth motion. It struck his shoulder, knocking him off balance and sending his sword clattering to the ground. His eyes widened, realizing he was done for.

I aimed another arrow at him, keeping steady. His chest heaved, and he stared at me like he didn’t know what just happened. One flick of my wrist, and the arrow hit him squarely in his chest, dropping him to the ground. He groaned, clutching his wound, too weak to fight.

I stood still, bow raised again with another arrow at the ready, scanning the shadows. No movement. Each shot had counted tonight, and I wasn’t about to waste another.

Sang-min finished off his guy with a quick jab of his dagger through the heart, then flashed a grin as he wiped his brow. “Not bad with that bow of yours—impressive.”

I didn’t respond, just kept my eyes on the treeline, still listening for any signs of movement. My grip tightened on my bow, every muscle tense. But the forest was silent again.

“Let’s move,” I said quietly, slinging the bow over my shoulder. “We need to get out of here before more show up.”

Orla nodded, quickly grabbing Raven’s reins as we started moving again. But even as we pushed forward, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t over yet.

We moved carefully, the tension in the air thick after the fight. Sang-min, unusually quiet now, pulled his cart behind him, eyes flicking between the dark shapes in the trees. Orla stuck close to Raven, her face tense. The night felt heavier than before, every small sound making us all jumpy.

“You think there’ll be more of them?” Orla asked quietly, her voice breaking the silence.

I glanced over at her before looking back to the trees. “Maybe.”

Sang-min exhaled sharply. "Something’s off. The forest is dangerous, yeah, but thieves don’t normally ambush travelers on this road." He shook his head, scanning the trees. "There are villages nearby. Word spreads fast. They wouldn’t risk it unless they had a reason. Usually, they stick to their own territory—unless they’re after something, or someone." He frowned. " This... this feels planned."

I glanced at him. “What do you mean?”

He shook his head. “Don’t know. But if they’re targeting us, this isn’t just about stealing coin anymore.”

Orla’s voice was shaky when she finally spoke. “Do… do you think they’re actually after us?”

The thought alone sent my pulse racing, unease prickling at my skin. If someone—or something—was after us, it changed everything. And it wasn’t impossible. It felt like we’d been hunted since the moment we woke up here. I had to keep my head, though. If Orla saw through me, it would only make things worse.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, my eyes fixed on the darkened treeline, avoiding hers.

The silence between us stretched. The forest felt heavier, thicker. Something about this wasn’t right.

“We keep moving,” I said finally. “No stopping till we find somewhere safe.”

Sang-min nodded. “There’s another clearing a little off the main trail. Not my favorite spot, but it’s more secluded. We’ll have a better chance of staying off the radar.”

I wasn’t keen on stopping, but the night was getting too dark, and stumbling around blind wasn’t an option.

©Sky Mincharo