Chapter 15 Welcome Home

It was a situation like this that he thanked the gods for the elbow grease he put into studying magic as he was placed with a perfect environment: the rocky walls that made up the grimy prison were perfect for him to forge his own path out.

As he placed his palm against the damp, rugged surface of the wall, the stone carved itself out into a path for the young boy as he held a surprised smile, looking at his hand as if in shock of what he was capable of.

Nature magic really is amazing, isn’t it? He thought.

Stepping out of the room, he had to trudge his way uphill of a muddy, grass mound, gripping onto the verdant tendrils to hoist himself up. The short legs he had as an eleven-year-old boy made summiting the small hill feel like ascending a mountain.

Glancing back, he saw that the place he was kept in seemed to be an abandoned dungeon of sorts, that was clung onto by overgrowth and loomed over by a tall tree.

“…Phew…”

Exhaling as he felt the freedom of fresh air brush against his skin, he looked up to the starry night sky above with an expression not exactly inhabiting respite.

“Where…am I?” He asked himself.

Beyond the hill he stood on from his escape, all he could see was a dense gathering of trees into a forest that he didn’t recognize at all.

As he stood atop the hill, he looked back as a loud noise met his ears–the sealed door had been busted in.

“The brat escaped!”

“Well, go after him!”

–The angered yells of the kidnappers met his ears as his heart began thumping; through his veins, his blood ran hot with anxiety.

“Crap…!”

He slid down the other side of the hill, taking off into the unknown woods. All he could do was run forward without any semblance of direction, holding his arms in front of him as the low-hanging branches whipped against him and left small cuts on him.

“Ngh–!”

Running forward without paying any mind to his surroundings, his left foot caught onto a protruding root, causing him to tumble down a hill within the forest as the fallen branches cut and tugged on his clothes.

“…Grhh…” He groaned.

Picking himself up, he spit out the leaf that had slipped between his lips, checking his arms that were cut and bleeding, but it wasn’t anything too bad.

“Where is he?!”

“I’m breaking the brat’s legs when I get my hands on him!”

–He could still hear his pursuers in the near distance behind him, prompting him to continue moving on frantically.

Listening to leaves and twigs being crunched beneath the boots of the abhorrent men made him panic only more as he hurried forward, running without any sense of direction. The dense foliage made it impossible to navigate while he used his arms to forcibly carve a path for himself.

Up ahead, he could see it now–a clearing in the trees.

There…! He thought hopefully.

Rushing through the trees with a spirited thump of his heart, he stopped for a moment, putting his hands on his knees as he huffed for air.

“Are you lost, boy?”

“–“

He looked up to see a man on a dark horse, who was dressed in umber leather and a verdant cloak that matched the forest’s essence. The man had a kind smile on his face, though he looked confused by his presence.

The horse was large–much larger than horse’s from Earth, likely twice as big and covered in sable fluff.

“I-I…two men…!” He stammered out.

“Breathe now, boy. You’re alright now,” the smiling man assured him, reaching down to pat his head, “I’m Rubert. What’s your name, lad?”

Rubert didn’t look like much; his garments weren’t overly lavish, but not tattered either. He had shaggy, ginger hair beneath his hood and green eyes that seemed to shine under the moonlight.

“…Emilio.”

After hearing that his surname must’ve made him a target to the kidnappers, he was hesitant to give it out so freely.

“Emilio,” Rubert nodded, “I’m a ranger. I’m on patrol right now, you see.”

“–“

“Well, Emilio, are your parents around?” Rubert asked.

He shook his head, “…I don’t know where I am…but–there are men after me!”

“Men after you? Where are you from, lad?”

“Yeah, I-I think they’re traffickers…I live in Yullim.”

Rubert’s expression shifted to dismay, “I see…Get on then, lad. I’ll take you into town.”

As he looked up at the extended hand from the man on horseback, he hesitated for a moment. It was so quiet; the field was silent and the stars quietly spectated from up above.

“Is there a problem?”

“N-no.”

Grabbing onto the man’s hand, he was hoisted up onto the horse’s back as well with Rubert tugging on the reins.

“Hold on, lad,” Rubert advised him.

He nodded, holding onto the man’s green cloak as the black-furred horse began to trot gallop forward through the night.

After such an experience, he didn’t know whether or not he wanted to cry or vomit, feeling as though he just avoided a monstrous fate.

Closing his eyes tightly, he gripped onto the verdant fabric while listening to the gallops of the fluffy horse.

“…Where are we, anyway?” He asked.

As he opened his eyes, he once again realized he didn’t have any clue as to where he had wound up.

It was more forest ground; colossal trees loomed overhead, vines hung low, and birds chirped from atop the branches.

“–“

He didn’t receive an answer. As he looked up at the ranger’s back for a moment, confused as to why he wasn’t replied to, he realized he probably spoke too quietly, unable to be heard over the mighty steps of the equine.

“Where are we?” He asked again, but louder.

Rubert glanced back at him, looking forward again before answering, “Oh, we’re south of Yullim right now.”

“…I see…”

There was something swirling in his gut; an unease that he couldn’t quite place as all he could do was sit on the horse’s back as it moved forward through the night.

He kept his head down, making sure that if they passed by his pursuers by some stray chance, he wouldn’t be recognized.

“We’re here.”

Already? He thought.

Beneath him, he could feel the steed coming to a stop. It was eerily quiet for supposedly being back in town, but it was late, after all.

“–“

As he raised his head and opened his eyes, his heart sank.

The sight of eroded stone, latched onto by the roots of nature around it; it was all too familiar and recent to him.

“Why…?”

It was all he could stammer out through the lump in his throat.

Why’re we back here?! He thought.

As he looked up at the ranger’s back, or whoever the smiling man was that led him here, he was met with that same smile, only twisted with malice as Rubert turned back to look at him.

“Welcome home,” the smiling man told him, sounding out the words twistedly.