The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Nido trudged alongside General Au, arms behind his head, eyes flicking nervously to Heiminbrand’s hilt swinging from his belt.
“So… just checking,” he said. “Is it normal for a legendary weapon to, uh… only sprout a dagger-sized blade? Like, do I need to blow on it or something?”
“Hilarious,” Heiminbrand replied with a yawn. “The blade grows with your willpower, not with carbon dioxide mixed with spit. You want more sword? Grow a spine.”
“That’s reassuring,” Nido muttered, sighing. “I mean, I did hit the dragon in the eye, but still… dagger.”
“You did well,” General Au said, not looking back. “A clean strike to a critical point. That takes precision and instinct.”
Nido blinked. “Wait… was that a compliment?”
“It was a fact.”
“I’ll take it.”
(He left out the part where he closed his eyes and just threw it, praying to every god he vaguely remembered.)
They paused near a tree where Au handed him a golden-wrapped snack.
Nido peeled it open. “Sugary goo filled with mystery jelly? Yes, please.”
He took a bite. His anxiety melted like frosting. “Okay, I’m emotionally stable again.”
A sudden rustle came from the bushes.
Nido yelped and clutched his chest—until a chubby rabbit hopped out and blinked at them like they were the weird ones.
“...You were ready to faint,” Au said flatly.
“Rabbits are shifty!” Nido snapped. “They’ve seen things.”
That night, they made camp under a wide oak tree. The forest hummed with insects and soft wind.
Nido snored softly.
But General Au didn’t.
Snap.
His eyes opened. A branch had broken—just beyond the treeline.
He caught a glimpse: a shadow, tall and fast, slipping between trees.
He rose, armor silent, and shook Nido gently. “Wake up. We’re not alone.”
“Wh—what?!” Nido jolted up. “Is it a ghost? Please don’t say ghost—”
“It was a figure. Watching.”
“Okay, that’s worse! Where’s Heiminbrand—?”
He reached to his side.
His hand hit nothing.
His eyes widened. “He’s gone.”
Nido froze.
Then, dramatically:
“Heiminbrand’s been kidnapped!”
End of Chapter 7.
ns216.73.217.22da2
and then Add to home screen.