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We followed Alan away from the camp and into the tree line.

We walked for a few minutes until we encountered a large, flat rock about the size of a small table. Above it was a bright red residue that emitted a dim glow.

Beside the rock was another, small enough to be held in one's hand. Along its jagged edge was more residue.

"Hmmmm," Barik hummed and knelt down, "this is from a crushed aether crystal, albeit a small one."

"Why would someone grind something like that up?" Alan asked while peering over Barik's shoulder.

Barik turned his neck toward Alan. "For a kick of spice to your food...or volatile powder. A bomb, to put things simply."

Barik then stepped to his feet and away from the rock. "It looks like whoever did this didn't have much, so I doubt they can do anything malicious with it."

"What should we do? Should we head back?" I cocked my head toward Mizuno.

She was the assigned leader of this mission, which made her word law. So, though I felt uneasy and wanted to return to camp to verify if any among us had any aether crystals, I'd follow Mizuno's word without question.

She stared at the residue, then finalized her decision. "Just in case... Alan, I want you to head back to camp and warn the others about this. Search all of the new recruits that I brought with me."

"A-Are you sure?" Alan replied. "Will you have enough manpower to raid the farm without me?"

"It'll be fine. We'll make do." She raised an arm and pointed in the camp's direction. "Go, tell General Furuya about this. He'll know what to do from there."

She didn't specify, but I knew how harshly suspicious individuals were dealt with during a war, especially during times of desperation, like a food shortage. Either they'd be killed... Or they'd be tortured for information and then killed.

My heart raced with worry, especially for the three I'd been indebted to. I couldn't bear the thought of those who had helped me being falsely accused and sentenced to death. And after all I had been through to protect them, I refused to let their lives be cut short just as we had finally found a supposed safe haven.

The memory of being stabbed in the gut while fighting to keep them alive only fueled my determination to ensure their right to a fair trial.

"Wait!" I stopped Alan as he began leaving. "If there is a traitor, you can't punish them; I want a chance to look into it first. Can you promise me this?" I looked at Mizuno.

She crossed her arms beneath her cloak. "There are rules, and there are consequences. If someone within the camp was responsible for this and had malicious intentions, they'll be dealt with accordingly."

I eyed her, and my expression tightened. "Promise me, Mizuno. Nobody will be killed until I've had the chance to investigate it." I wouldn't budge until I got a guarantee I was satisfied with.

Seeing my stubbornness, Mizuno relented with a sigh and, without turning her head, addressed Alan. "Alan! Make a request on my behalf that none of the rookies be harmed if one turns out to be guilty."

"Understood!" Alan saluted. However, before he could dash off, he was given a surprise hug by Joseph.

"Be careful, brother," Joseph said with a face of worry. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Absolutely, bro!" Alan gave a goofy grin. Their goodbyes concluded, and Alan began his fast trek in the camp's direction. At his pace, I estimated he'd be there within the day.

"Thank you, Mizuno," I gave a sincere bow.

She turned away from me and gestured for us to move forward. "We're not savages, Sato. Even without my request, General Furuya wouldn't execute anyone unless under the harshest circumstances."

Still, I gave her another heartfelt bow in appreciation before once again following her lead.

***

Several more hours passed as the afternoon became evening and the evening became night.

To supplement our rations, we managed to forage a few handfuls of large berries and a rabbit. Though we encountered many other critters, squirrels especially, it was an impossible effort to catch them. Without Suda and her expertise with a bow, acquiring game was exponentially harder.

Even Mizuno, who seemed adept with a bow when I'd first encountered her, couldn't hit such small targets reliably.

Still, the food we did gather allowed us to save the night's food ration. Which was a definite win.

We finished setting up our camp for the night and formed a circle around a dim fire.

"You think my brother's at Freehaven yet?" Joseph asked while staring into the fire. "You think he's alright?"

"I'm sure your brother's fine," I eased. "With how fast he was running, I'd even say he made it there before sunset."

Joseph smiled forlornly and returned to devouring a chunk of roasted brown rabbit flesh.

"You know...you really care about your brother? Don't you?" I asked. After witnessing Joseph's perpetual state of annoyance and frustration toward his brother, I figured he would've been happy to see him gone.

Joseph recoiled at the question. "Me? No! It's just...that idiot is always getting himself into trouble! Since our mo-..." he paused, clenched his fists over his lap, and grimaced.

After a few moments of silence, Joseph inhaled, then exhaled deeply. "Ever since it was just us two, he kept making reckless decisions. So I have to babysit him ALL the time, or he'll get himself killed!"

A piece of my mind focused on where Joseph had cut himself short.

Both brothers looked fairly young, and it was apparent they had no other family, given they left the camp without saying much in the way of farewells.

"Is it just you and your brother?" I questioned. Though I was pretty sure I knew the answer.

Joseph refrained from speaking but nodded silently in agreement.

"I'm... I'm sorry... Can I ask how long?" I wasn't sure why I was asking these questions. I guess I just wanted to learn more about the people I would fight with.

"Sure, whatever," Joseph hunched over and rested his head on his knees.

"Our mom died when we were ten. She died of disease and overwork. That was seven years ago."

"And your dad?"

"We never knew our dad," Joseph sighed, "the bastard left after getting mom pregnant. Apparently, he moved to a town called Brussix on the continent's western side. Or that's what I heard before my brother and I fled Blackwood three years ago... That bastard..."

Joseph's muscles seized up as his face became red with subdued anger. But that soon subsided as the time for bed fast approached.

With the pale crescent moon high in the sky, everyone soon found their beds and drifted to unconsciousness.

When I started setting down mine, I was stopped by Barik. He gripped my shoulder tightly and nodded to the small clearing beside the camp.

"Training," he said stoically.