The next morning was unremarkable— nothing special. I woke up and prepared the fire. Alvin woke up a bit later than usual. Maybe he couldn't sleep last night because of his excitement.

  The forest wasn't the same anymore. The frosty environment turned into a green, lush forest with all kinds of plants and wildlife. From now on, food would no longer be a worry.

  I took a look at my fridge. By now it was almost melted. My way of preserving raw meat was gone now, and I had to figure out another way to store meat.

  Alvin stepped out of his hut with two boar legs. He must have heard me preparing the fire. The meat got slowly roasted above our open fireplace as we began our language training sessions. In the afternoon we both practiced. He experimented with spells, while I focused on my dagger-throwing skills. Every now and then I infused my dagger with my mana, but it got repelled by the cold steel.

  The claws from that wolf were stored inside my hut, and I knew that I couldn't work on them for now.

  Alvin's spells gradually needed less mana to be cast. I decided to bring in some spell training sessions every now and then to not lag behind Alvin too much.

  Time slipped by blissfully and with it, we grew more experienced and stronger. Two months had passed and we both wanted to see what challenges the forest had for us. We knew of the existence of magic beasts, as I told Alvin of my experience.

  We ventured into the forest again. This time we got deeper than ever before. We encountered all manner of creatures, even a brown bear. But normal beasts weren't a problem for the two of us, as the bear couldn't last for one exchange. We took some meat for later.

  A week into our small adventure, we finally found our target. This beast looked like a boar. Upon closer inspection, we could see that all kinds of plants grew on its hide, and everywhere it went, plants began to grow at a pace visible to the eye. This specimen seemed to have a gentle nature. When it spotted us, it didn't panic and just normally proceeded to walk through the pine forest.

  We both had searched for a week before encountering a magic beast, and we surely wouldn't let this chance slip. Alvin's voice coursed through the forest. It was a sound that seemed foreign to the forest, as the boar gave Alvin a glance. It saw a spear made out of water coursing through the air towards itself. The boar roared as a wall out of vines appeared and blocked the water spear.

  The boar couldn't see us through the wall. I quickly used this chance to activate Moonlight Veil. The gentle embrace of the cloak calmed my heart as the world seemed a bit dreamy through my lenses. I hurried towards the boar, as I chanted Moon's Disk. Alvin didn't wait to do nothing as he materialized Water Nails. Both of our spells directly hit the boar, as it let out a painful cry. On one side, there were a dozen holes in its hide, where blood was streaming out. On the other side, there was one big nasty slash, that made its way to its sturdy bone. If it was a normal boar, Moon's Disk would have cut it in two, and Water Nails would have penetrated through it. The magic boar was still alive and struggling. But its wounds were closed by the plants on its back. Alvin and I didn't stop our assault until the boar stopped breathing.

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  We slowly approached the lifeless body. It was almost unrecognizable. It didn't seem like anything of value was left on it, except its two remaining tusks. Vitality was streaming out of the tusks. The boar's meat and hide became nutrients for the tusks as they both grew larger, ending up at an arm's length. Alvin and I took one for ourselves and moved on.

  We exchanged some words while wandering through the forest. It was all about what this world may have in store for us. I myself wasn't sure about my future. I knew I strived for freedom, yet I also didn't want to distance myself from friends and people that are dear to me. But I was even more keen on not letting myself get restricted by others because of their expectations of me. I wanted to live true to my feeling. Alvin seemed to be an energetic person, with his active nature, but I knew that deep down he was still being insecure.

  "Alvin, what is your goal?" I asked him to continue our conversation.

  We walked side by side as Alvin stopped moving when I asked him this question. He seemed to be lost in thought.

  I didn't know that this question would take him long to ponder about. He looked up to the sky. I followed his gaze and saw the setting sun. Alvin only let a tired sigh out as he said:

  "Let's rest for today, we haven't even practiced Aldovian yet."

  He clearly avoided answering my question, but I did not pry further. Both of us gathered some wood to make a campfire. Previously we took some hides and furs with us to have something to sleep on.

  The sun no longer hung in the sky, as the moon had taken its turn. The night sky was clear—not a single cloud was in sight. The air was still a bit chilly, but with a fire and fur blankets, we both could practice and talk with one another. Alvin even initiated the conversation. He spoke in Aldovian.

  "You've asked me earlier what my goal is, right?"

  I answered back in Aldovian. My hands were raised as I gestured while speaking.

  "Yes, but you don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable."

  Alvin let out a small chuckle. He again looked at the night sky, his gaze lingered on the moon. His face was illuminated by the moonlight. Even in a child's body, his face bore the marks of a hardened soul. For a moment, his golden eyes seemed vulnerable, and his long dark-blue hair hung still in the night air.

  "No, I'll answer your question. But before I do that, you'll have to listen to a story of mine first."

  Alvin paused for a bit. It was likely he had to organize his mind. I gave him his time as I stretched out my arms to heat myself up. Ever since I was born into this world, I hadn't cut my hair. It was already longer than at any time in my previous life, as it was already at chest length.

  Alvin slowly looked from the moon to me as he began to tell me his story.

  "In my previous life, I lived on a planet named Terra. There was no magic there. I had a loving family and a great future planned out for me. My parents were farmers and wanted me to marry the daughter of the local blacksmith. She was a kind girl and I wouldn't have minded spending my life with her. Our village didn't have to fight with starvation, as the local noble was a kind man and even helped our village during winter. We all lived blissfully in our small community. At my 17th birthday, I got engaged with the girl and we were ready to marry and establish a family. Our lives were truly spent in joy. But someday, even if someone hates it, there was change. Rumors of the neighboring country wanting to invade our Empire through the territory of our noble spread. We all became anxious and prayed that they were just baseless rumors. They weren't. Hundreds of soldiers pillaged our stocks and raped our women. My fiancée was also raped and then brutally murdered in front of my eyes. Those men enjoyed our despair. In the end, they killed my fiancée and family before stabbing me and leaving me to die a dog's death. Even if I had survived the wound, I would have died of starvation."

  I glanced at Alvin—his eyes were red and brimming with unshed tears.

  I stood up and sat beside him. I didn't say anything. I just wanted him to know that I was there. I didn't want to spout some meaningless words, as anything I would say would be of no help. Alvin didn't seem to be bothered by my presence as he wiped his tears. We both observed the night sky before Alvin said something again.

  "That's why... I don't want to be someone minor anymore. People that have no real power can't defend their loved ones, no, they can't defend even themselves. No, I don't just want to be better than minor, I want to be someone that others don't dare to offend."

  Alvin had his own ambitions. He was hurt. I could empathize with him for a bit.

  "Nestor,"

  Alvin said, as he looked at me.

  "What is your goal, Nestor?" Alvin asked, his voice soft but unwavering, as the flames flickered between us.