Kian Goldmaul POV

  We walk through the forest, with Niko keeping me within arm’s reach at all times.

  “When you see the rabbits, do not make any noise,” he says quietly. “If you startle it, it will run, and chasing it alongside you without magic would be quite troublesome.”

  We continue in silence for a few more seconds, the forest sounds filling the gap—rustling leaves, distant birds. Then Niko speaks again, this time even quieter, his voice barely more than a whisper.

  “We’re only three dozen meters away now. Like I said, don’t make any noises. When we reach it, I’ll talk to you telepathically. Do you know how to use telepathic magic?”

  I shake my head slightly. “No, I don’t.”

  “Thought so. Just don’t make any noises. Although they aren’t mutated, their hearing is still pretty strong. I’ll shoot when we reach twenty meters and while it’s clearly in my view. Eye view.”

  He pauses briefly, then adds, “Before we reach it, don’t be nervous. If you even are—which you surprisingly don’t seem to be. Even eight- to twelve-year-olds from knight families usually get nervous their first time.”

  “Eight to twelve?” I ask, trying to keep my voice low. “So did I go for my trial early?”

  I say it jokingly, but there’s a hint of curiosity behind it.

  “You could say so,” he replies. “Anyway, don’t make any noises from now on. I can see the rabbit from our position.”

  This time, his voice doesn’t come from the his mouth. It appeared directly inside my head.

  It’s strange—hearing words without sound, so clear and direct, like a thought that isn’t my own. I instinctively nod.

  I follow the direction Niko is looking toward, scanning carefully. After a few seconds, I spot them—a small group of rabbits resting. Some are laying down, others lazily chewing on plants, completely unaware of us.

  Niko reaches behind his back and takes out his bow.

  “This bow is outdated compared to military bows,” he explains quietly. “It’s mostly used for new recruits, so they can get used to handling one before switching to the real thing.”

  He points to the bow as he speaks. “The difference is mainly the length, the zoom,” he taps the bow’s zoom mechanism, “and especially the pull weight. That part matters most.”

  “Guns are mandatory, but some magic works better with a bow than with a gun. And the stronger you get, the better a bow becomes. At some point, surpassing the maximum speed of a gun becomes easy—casual. For now, though, you won’t be able to use this one. Even most new recruits need at least a month of training just to pull its string and shoot properly.”

  He glances at me. “You don’t need to worry about that. The bow your father provided should be able to pierce all non-mutated animals, and even some mutated ones.”

  He shifts his focus back to the clearing. “Alright, back to hunting. I’ll be using a normal arrow. As for the target—the one closest to us. It’s lying down and eating at the same time. Looks like it’s a lazy one.”

  I look back at the group and quickly spot the rabbit he’s referring to.

  “I’ll aim for the head. When I’m about to shoot, I’ll say ‘Air.’ Keep your eyes on the rabbit.”

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  He takes an arrow from behind his back, sets it on the bowstring, and takes aim. After a few seconds, he inhales softly, pulls the string back to its maximum, and then—

  “Air.”

  He releases. The arrow flies instantly, slicing through the air and piercing the rabbit straight through the head. The body barely twitches.

  At the sound, the rest of the rabbits scatter, fleeing in all directions.

  “Alright, let’s go get the reward,” he says, placing the bow back on his shoulder.

  “Did you feel any discomfort?” he asks as we start walking.

  “No, not really.”

  He nods once. “Good. Since that’s the case, we’ll go for a mutated one before leaving.”

  After hearing that, I ask, “Can you explain the difference between a normal animal and a mutated one?”

  “Well, the difference can be quite big, at least most of the time.”

  “Mutations have several grades, but there’s no need to get into that right now. You’ll learn it more thoroughly in the academy.”

  We reach the dead rabbit. Niko grabs it by the head and pulls the arrow out the other side. Even after piercing through the skull and into the ground, the arrowhead shows no damage whatsoever.

  “I’ll explain it roughly,” he continues. “Some animals gain traits after prolonged evolution under exposure to Veythar, or by being born special. From what I heard from Ronan, your flames don’t produce a visual form, which puts you in the latter category—since neither your father nor your mother has that trait.”

  “Evolved races get different names but remain under the same species they evolved from, unless they look so different that no resemblance remains, even when there’s proof they’re from certain existing species.”

  “Mutated animals are common. Unlike humans, most of the time they look no different from their parents. But when there is a difference, it’s usually extreme—either far stronger or far weaker.”

  “Mutations can result in higher speed, tougher skin, faster reflexes, heightened smell, or hearing. Of course, it goes beyond just that, but let’s stay on the surface for now.”

  “Mutation usually happens due to extremely repetitive activity. Unlike most humans, animals live repetitive routines, which is why mutation is more common among them.”

  “For rabbits, the most common mutation enhances speed, jumping, and hearing—often all three in a single mutation.”

  “All animal mutations are locked to the physical body. Unlike us, they don’t have cores or anything similar, so they cannot use magic in any way. If you ever see an ‘animal’ using magic, it’s without a doubt a human in disguise.”

  That last part makes me curious. “If that’s the case, are there animals stronger than a full-fledged soldier?”

  Niko nods immediately. “Yes. There are. Though they went through massive evolution over ten thousand years. That’s especially true for underwater creatures. In our country, however, such creatures are extremely uncommon. As for ones as strong as, or stronger than, knights—they don’t exist here. Except, of course, in the sea.”

  “If so, wouldn’t the sea be a dead zone because of how dangerous it is?” I ask as we walk toward the next prey.

  He shakes his head. “No, not really. They aren’t hostile, and they don’t come close to shores. As for transportation, we haven’t used the sea for hundreds of years. Instead, we use portals to connect between countries.”

  I nod. After another minute, Niko stops and speaks telepathically again.

  “Alright. At the location I’m pointing at, there’s a rabbit. It has speed and jumping mutations. It’s the one closest to that tree.”

  I look where he indicates and quickly find it. Just like he said, it looks no different from the others.

  “I’ll purposely miss the shot so you can see its speed.”

  He draws his bow again, takes aim, and fires—this time without saying “Air.”

  The arrow misses. Instantly, the mutated rabbit bolts. Its speed is unbelievable—at least ten times faster than the others. In less than a second, it’s gone, vanishing behind trees and completely leaving my field of view.

  “Well, you saw that,” Niko says. “I doubt I need to explain further. Let’s find another one. That one will probably run for a couple of kilometers, and there’s another nearby.”

  I nod.

  “The one we’re going for now has speed, jumping, and hearing. Stay silent from now on. I’ll have to shoot it from sixty meters. Even a dozen meters closer and it would notice us. You can use zooming magic to see the rabbit.”

  After walking for twenty minutes, we reach it.

  “Alright. It’s the grayish one laying next to the largest tree,” he says inside my mind.

  I nod after spotting it.

  After a few dozen seconds—

  “Air.”

  The arrow flies and hits the target cleanly in the head.

  “Alright. Let’s take it and return home.”

  Chapter End