Zane frowned as Aidan parried his strike. It was too easy to notice Aidan's change—he had a troubled look on his face and dark circles under his eyes, unlike his usual smile when sparring. Zane hesitated for a moment before lowering his wooden sword. Aidan stopped mid-movement, looking at Zane in confusion.
"Look," Zane said firmly, crossing his arms. "I know something's eating at you. You don't have to handle it alone, you know." He stepped forward, standing just a sword's length away from Aidan. "While I probably can't fix whatever it is, I've got two ears that work just fine."
Aidan scratched his cheek as a wry smile formed on his face. "Is it... that noticeable?" he asked softly, his voice trailing off at the end and his eyes wandering away.
Zane shot Aidan an incredulous look before dramatically slapping him on the shoulder "Aidan! Of course it's noticeable. Ever since Captain Matthew left us to spar, you've been zoning out—like your brain's off fighting a war somewhere else." he huffed before adding, "Now, if you don't mind, do tell me what you're thinking."
Zane's expression turned a bit smug as he said, "Why not tell me? It's not like you have many people your age like me."
Aidan rubbed his face and gestured toward the lone tree at the edge of the training ground.
"Let's talk over there," Aidan said, his eyes glancing toward Zane and the tree.
"So, tell me—what is it?" Zane asked, his expression curious as they sat across from each other.
"I've been having a nightmare, Zane," Aidan sighed, pausing before continuing. "For two months straight. It's like… a vision. A dark forest. The trees stretch as high as the sky, and there's no light anywhere. Just cold. And not the kind you imagine—I feel it. As if I'm really there."
Zane, who had never seen Aidan like this, couldn't help but feel a slight chill crawl down the back of his neck.
Aidan crossed his arms as he leaned a bit forward before continuing, his voice heavy. "Zane, the big part is, I see a temple with strange engravings while a calling seems to call for me ove—"
"You mean a temple is calling you from a dark forest?" Zane interrupted, his voice filled with bewilderment and confusion as his jaw tightened.
"I don't know," Aidan muttered, shaking his head as a contemplative look crossed his face. He shifted his position, now facing the training ground as recruits trained. "I did consider it, Zane. But when I checked for any record of something like this… I found nothing. I even asked Captain Jack. According to him, there's never been a case of visions tied to the Dark Forest."
After seeing the vision countless times, Aidan had formed a few guesses. If such a place truly existed, it had to be in the Dark Forest. The surroundings in the vision—twisted trees, the biting cold, the suffocating darkness—they all pointed to the same conclusion.
Zane did not comment but rubbed his chin as his eyes locked on the sky before questioning, "Why not tell our father, Aidan?"
"I did, Zane, but he didn't find anything."
Zane opened his mouth, then closed it. Words failed him—what could he say to a nightmare like that?
Aidan remained silent, Zane's gaze drifted.
He glanced at the sky then at Aidan and remembered the day of their meeting, which had gone much differently than what he had expected. The first time wasn't on the training ground but when Aidan was passing by near him once.
Servant's paused mid-step as Aidan passed through the outer castle. Zane had been one of them then, offering a nervous bow and a quick glance like the rest.
But he'd noticed something the others didn't. Aidan's steps carried purpose. There was a rhythm to his movement, a quiet resolve in each stride—unlike any noble Zane had seen before, and in that moment, Zane found Aidan intriguing, it wasn't just the nobility that Aidan carried but something more than it.
Zane ruffled his brown hair, his thoughts drifting to the past. He had grown up in the slums—an orphan with no one to rely on but himself. That life had taught him when to retreat, when to step forward, and, more importantly, who to trust.
And his instincts told him one thing clearly—Aidan was someone he could trust. Someone he could one day call a true friend, the kind you'd risk your life for. Not like the scum he'd left behind in the gutters.
He sighed as he stood up, putting a hand on Aidan's shoulder before going in front of Aidan and saying, "Trust your instincts, Aidan. That's how I live—and it hasn't failed me yet." Zane had a half-smile on his face before he continued, "You have a father who is a fourth-rank being. I doubt anyone has the balls to hurt you in the castle, so it might just be a nightmare—nothing more, nothing less."
Aidan nodded as he, too, stood up, intending to go to his library and check if he could find something.
Both of them bid farewell to each other as Zane went to the outer castle and Aidan to the inner castle.
The soft echo of their footsteps rang before the servants' chatter took its place.
Aidan, lost in thought, walked toward the inner castle, his steps silent as he passed through the quiet garden. He didn't notice the pair of eyes watching him from the shaded bench beneath a flowering tree.
A woman sat there, a hand resting gently on her slightly bulging stomach, a servant at her side. Her eyes, previously dull with boredom, lit up with curiosity as they landed on Aidan. A small smile tugged at her lips as she raised her hand and beckoned the servant closer.
"I want to speak with Aidan. Ask him if he's free—and if so, why not join me for a while?"
The servant bowed and quickly moved to follow Aidan, catching up to him near the garden path.
"Young Master Aidan," the servant called softly. "Your aunt requests your company, if you're free."
Aidan paused and looked up, his eyes finding the familiar woman waving gently from the garden bench. A warm smile played on her face.
A curious look appeared on Aidan face, aunt violet had never talk to him like this or called or shown interest. Then why now?