Visionless

"Run! I have to run!" I gasp, my voice barely a whisper as I sprint through the dark forest. Behind me, heavy footsteps crash through the undergrowth, shaking the ground with each step.

"It's catching up!" The rumbling grows louder, closing in, and the forest stretches out endlessly before me, like a twisted maze with no escape. Hot, fetid breath hits the back of my neck, and my skin crawls. Desperate, I dive out of the way just as a chilling sound—like teeth chattering—echoes in the darkness.

"Get up, I have to get up!" I struggle to rise, but when I look down, terror grips me. My feet are gone—only bloody stumps remain. "Agh! Aaaaahh!" The scream tears from my throat as the agony finally sinks in. The creature looms closer, its mouth smeared with fresh blood. Then I see its face, familiar yet grotesque: the wanted man I'd decapitated, now a decaying corpse crawling with pus and maggots. His mouth has become a nightmare—a snake-like maw lined with rows of teeth from countless creatures, stretching deep down an impossibly long throat. The monstrous head connects to a body lurking somewhere unseen in the shadows.

It leans closer, and its mouth opens, releasing a voice like a thousand whispers and growls, both human and animal, speaking as one.

"You don't belong here... Get out."

__________

"Kid—oi, kid… wake up already. My arms are getting tired," Ren muttered, lightly shaking the boy in his arms. But the kid was out cold, and Ren's patience was wearing thin. With an exasperated sigh, he mumbled, "Why'd you have to go and knock yourself out like that?"

Just as he was debating whether to give the kid another shake, he felt the boy stir. "Finally!" Ren muttered, a spark of relief crossing his face.

The boy's eyelids twitched, then opened slowly, revealing a pair of wide, brown eyes that fixed directly onto Ren's face. The recognition—or maybe the shock—in the boy's gaze was instant. 

Without a word, the boy let out a terrified yell and, with more force than Ren expected, punched him squarely in the nose.

"Ah! What the hell, kid!" Ren staggered back, instinctively releasing his hold. His hands flew up to his nose, which stung painfully. "Is that any way to say thanks?" he growled, a mix of irritation and surprise in his voice.

Adam didn't answer. Instead, he scrambled backward until his shoulders hit the cold stone of the alcove wall, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. He looked around, taking in his surroundings to ground himself—yes, he was still in the alcove, sheltered from the downpour that beat relentlessly against the rocks outside. Yet, his gaze kept snapping back to the monster in front of him, who was now sitting cross-legged, rubbing his bruised nose and watching him with a strange mixture of patience and concern.

The creature sighed, his voice rumbling with a strange, gravelly resonance. "Look… listen, kid. I'm sorry for scarin' ya," he said, his tone almost gentle, though his voice still sounded otherworldly. "I didn't mean to. Just try to calm down. I'm not gonna hurt ya, I swear… Lion's promise."

Adam blinked, his heart still hammering in his chest. "Lion's… promise?" he managed to stammer, the absurdity of the phrase almost pulling him out of his panic.

The creature gave a small, awkward grin—if it could be called that—revealing sharp teeth that seemed almost too big for his mouth. "Yeah," he replied. "Where I come from, that means somethin'. It's a promise we don't break." He paused, folding his hands in his lap and watching Adam carefully. "I know I look… well, not the way you're used to. But I'm not here to harm you. Got it?"

Adam hesitated, his breathing beginning to slow as he processed the creature's words. There was something oddly reassuring in the steady way he spoke, in the calmness of his posture.

After a long, tense silence, Adam finally nodded, though he kept his back pressed to the rock. "You swear? Really?" he whispered, still not entirely convinced but willing to listen.

"Swear on my mane," the creature said solemnly, as if it were the highest vow he could offer.

"…Tigers have manes?" Adam asked, frowning in confusion.

"What?" Ren replied, equally baffled. "No, it's just a figure of speech."

"Oh," Adam mumbled, still clutching the wall at his back.

Ren cocked his head and asked, "So, you planning to keep hugging that wall forever, or…?"

"Maybe," Adam replied cautiously. "Are you… are you the same as the one in the forest, or are you different?"

Ren blinked, momentarily at a loss. He glanced toward the darkened forest outside, confirming there was no one else nearby. Then he looked back at Adam, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What are you talking about? Have you seen other beastfolk around here? In the Holy Empire?" His voice held a note of urgency. "Where?"

Adam's brows knitted together in confusion. "You're not… you're not the monster from the forest?"

Ren stared at him, considering this, then sighed. "I don't know, kid. Why don't you tell me what this 'monster' looked like, and I'll see if I know 'em?"

"Well…" Adam began, recounting the terrifying details of his encounter in the forest—the twisted form, the monstrous face, and the bone-chilling chattering of teeth.

When he finished, Ren's brow furrowed, his ears flicking back thoughtfully. "I have no clue what that thing might've been, but it sure as hell isn't one of us beastfolk," he said, looking at Adam with a mix of disbelief and reluctant concern. The kid's fear at seeing him, though, did lend some truth to his story.

"Anyway," Ren continued after a pause, "you still haven't told me your name."

"Oh, right. It's… Adam." He hesitated slightly, glancing down as he spoke.

Ren raised an eyebrow. "You sound a bit unsure, but alright, Adam. Nice to meet you. I'm Ren, as you might remember," he added, keeping his voice calm and even, trying to ease the boy's nerves.

Adam narrowed his eyes. "I've decided to trust that you're not the monster from the forest, so you can stop treating me like I'm some little kid," he huffed, crossing his arms.

Ren stifled a chuckle. "Alright, fair enough."

(Wait, am I actually a kid… or do I just look like one?) Adam sighed, trying to shake off the thought. "Anyway," he said, "you mentioned you were headed to the city?"

Ren nodded. "Yep, the capital." Then, with a curious look, he asked, "You're not from around here, are you?"

Adam's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, uh… yeah. How'd you guess?"

Ren snorted, or at least made a sound somewhere between a snort and a growl. "Well, it wasn't too hard. Before you passed out, you were talking about 'not going to the capital'… only to say you were actually heading to the capital. And besides, you don't seem too familiar with the language."

Adam blinked, taking that in. "Oh… yeah, I guess that makes sense, huh?" 

Ren nodded with a knowing grin.

Ren chuckled, "That, and the fact you're not exactly disgusted or scared of me now that you know I'm not the monster from the forest."

Adam tilted his head, genuinely curious. "Why would I be scared?"

Ren laughed, a deep, rumbling sound. "See, that's what I mean. You're clearly not from the Empire, or you'd be treating beastfolk like monsters just like most folks around here. Which makes me wonder… where are you actually from?"

(You wouldn't get it. It's, uh, a whole different world.) Adam thought, then settled on a simpler answer. "Far away." 

Ren raised an eyebrow, amused by the vagueness, but nodded. "Fair enough. Far away it is."

ren and adam sat in the alcove till the sun started seting.

"This rain is... not normal, is it?" Adam asked, eyeing the downpour outside the alcove. 

Ren glanced up at the sky. "Nope. It's the middle of summer. There shouldn't be any rain unless a severe weather calamity has occurred."

"A *what* calamity?" Adam blinked, his confusion deepening. "Is that common? Stuff like this just happens?"

Ren shrugged casually. "They're very infrequent and, generally, not that bad anymore. We call them calamities because they used to be much worse, to the point they could wipe out entire civilizations in just a few days."

Adam stared at him, wide-eyed, concern overtaking his features. "Wait, what? That sounds... terrifying. Do you get them often?"

Ren chuckled lightly, seeing Adam's worry. "Hey, don't stress. Like I said, they haven't been that bad in centuries. The last major one was over 300 years ago, so it's really not something to lose sleep over. We just kept the name for old times' sake, I guess."

"Well... that's kinda reassuring, I guess," Adam sighed, relaxing a little. He turned his attention back to the forest as the light began to fade. "Looks like we'll be camping here tonight. Hey, Ren, pass me my satchel. I think I have a fire starter in there, if I remember correctly."

Ren handed him the satchel, and Adam rummaged through it, his fingers brushing over various items until he found what he was looking for. "Aha! There it is!" he said triumphantly, pulling out a small piece of rock. It looked plain enough, but it was supposed to be some sort of fire starter, at least according to the merchant who sold it to him.

He took out his knife, messing with the rock until sparks flew, and he grinned when it worked. "Finally," he muttered, then reached into the satchel again, pulling out a small, round metal box. Inside was a flammable material designed for quick fires, especially useful in places where wood or coal wasn't readily available. Adam struck the fire starter again, and the flame quickly came to life, dancing in the cool night air.

Ren watched, impressed. "Oh, neat. Should've thought of getting something like that myself," he said with a hint of envy. "I'm usually just good with matches or starting fires the old-fashioned way."

As Adam settled down by the campfire, savoring the small but growing warmth, he noticed Ren still standing a few steps away. "Aren't you cold? You should get closer," he suggested.

Ren shrugged, then finally sat down closer to the fire. "Sooo… you mentioned something about this empire not exactly being friendly toward beastfolk. What's that all about?" Adam asked, his curiosity piqued.

Ren closed his eyes for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, then scratched his chin and sighed. "How much do you know about the Empire?"

"Not a thing," Adam admitted.

Ren let out a resigned sigh. "Alright, then. Let's start from the beginning. Right now, we're in the Holy Empire of Veldr. It stretches from here all the way to the Quezar Mountains and is one of the three main powers in this world. The other two are the Has Republic and the Adventurers' Guild."

He paused, casting a glance at Adam to ensure he was following. "The Empire is split into two major factions: the royal family and the Church of Fera, the Goddess of Love. About thirteen years ago, the Church declared all beastfolk unwelcome within the Empire. The Queen, who leads the royal family, opposed this decree, but the Church's influence is... vast. Since then, beastfolk have been attacked, ostracized, and treated as second-class citizens. We're forbidden from worshipping, especially within the Church of Fera, and barred from entering religious buildings—even those of our own faith. Owning land is almost impossible. If any beastfolk did manage to buy land, the Church or its followers would sabotage them until they forfeited it. The human locals, fanatically devoted to the Church, treat us with suspicion and hate."

Ren's voice had shifted from an impersonal explanation to a tone layered with frustration. "I grew up in a small temple dedicated to the Goddess of Truth and Justice. Back then, things were... tolerable. We weren't treated like monsters. I trained there until I found work as a mercenary. But when I heard about the Church of Fera's decree, I rushed back to my old temple. By the time I got there, it was burned to the ground. Luckily, no one died, but it was enough for the other beastfolk and me to know we weren't welcome anymore. We decided to leave for the Has Republic, where beastfolk heritage is not only accepted but valued."

Ren's gaze turned thoughtful as he added, "Now, I'm on my way to Erak, one of the Empire's four capitals. It's the southernmost one and is the site of one of the largest temples dedicated to the major deities—though it was probably converted to a Church of Fera temple in recent years."

Ren stopped, looking at Adam with a raised eyebrow. "Hope you were listening, 'cause I'm not repeating any of that."

Adam nodded, thinking, *Ren sure likes to talk*. But as he mulled over everything Ren had said, a question popped into his head. "Wait—if the Empire's so hostile toward beastfolk, why are you even going there?" 

Ren paused, eyeing Adam as if deciding how much to reveal. Finally, he spoke. "I'm going to see someone. An old friend. We grew up together in the same temple. they were human, so they didn't face the same trouble I did. Last I heard, she'd found work in the capital, so I'm going there to check on her. Just to make sure she's okay…"

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you go from calling them 'they' to 'she' halfway through that?"

Ren's eyes widened, looking taken aback. "How'd you know she was a girl?"

Adam just stared at him, deadpan. "Dude, you switched pronouns right in the middle of your sentence."

Ren blinked in confusion, then shook his head. "No, I didn't…"

They stared at each other for a few silent seconds until something dawned on Adam. "Oh! Wait a sec, I think I know what's going on." He reached down, fishing out a small green gem from his pocket. The gem glowed faintly, its liquid core swirling. "This is a translation device. I think it's causing the pronoun mix-up."

Ren eyed the gem, then shrugged. "Makes sense." He fell silent, his gaze unfocused, as if deep in thought.

Ren gave Adam a hopeful look. "Hey, kid, wanna come with me to the capital? I'll help you get there. In exchange, just let me borrow you as a translator for a while. Deal?"

Adam studied him, weighing the offer. *I mean, I don't fully trust him yet... but he doesn't seem like he has bad intentions. Plus,* he thought with a smirk, *what better protection than a giant, talking tiger on two legs?* 

"Alright, deal," Adam said, trying to keep his tone nonchalant. "But don't expect me to cover for you if you say anything weird."

Ren grinned, his sharp teeth glinting in the firelight. "Wouldn't dream of it. Now, let's get some rest—we've got a long road ahead."