Chapter 20: The Lesson Beyond the Forest
1021 Words
Morning arrived gently over Dorothy's cottage.
Golden sunlight filtered through the towering trees, painting dancing patterns across the small wooden porch.
The scent of fresh bread drifted through the cool air.
Somewhere nearby, birds argued noisily over a handful of berries.
Inside the cottage...
Echo reached for the last piece of bread on the table.
"So..."
"...It's finally mine."
Just as his fingers touched it...
The bread disappeared.
Echo slowly looked across the table.
Kodie calmly chewed.
"...Good bread."
Echo stared.
"...You planned that."
Kodie swallowed.
"...Maybe."
"You've stolen my breakfast three mornings in a row."
"...You're improving."
"...That's not a compliment!"
Mira covered her mouth as another quiet laugh escaped her.
A few weeks ago...
She would have apologized for laughing.
Now...
She simply laughed.
Dorothy noticed.
She said nothing.
But the gentle smile on her face became just a little warmer.
---
Breakfast ended with the usual cheerful chaos.
Echo dramatically declared that one day he would invent a spell that protected bread from Kodie.
Kodie nodded thoughtfully.
"...Then I'll steal the spell."
Echo pointed accusingly.
"...You're impossible."
"...I've heard that before."
Dorothy chuckled softly.
"I believe the training ground is waiting."
---
The forest welcomed them with cool shade.
Morning dew still clung to every blade of grass.
Wooden practice dummies stood quietly beneath the ancient oak.
Echo eagerly picked up his wooden sword.
"...Alright!"
"No distractions today."
"I'll finally land a hit on someone."
Dorothy raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Echo nodded confidently.
"I'm ready."
"...Good."
She stepped forward.
"Then show me."
Echo immediately took his stance.
His grip was steadier than before.
His breathing calmer.
His feet no longer shuffled nervously.
Dorothy noticed every improvement.
"...Better."
Echo smiled proudly.
"I've been practicing."
"Then begin."
Without hesitation...
Echo dashed forward.
His first swing cut cleanly through the air.
Dorothy turned slightly.
The sword missed by barely a finger's width.
Echo quickly recovered.
Instead of attacking wildly again...
He circled.
Watching.
Waiting.
Dorothy smiled.
"...Excellent."
"You've stopped chasing victory."
"You're beginning to observe."
Encouraged...
Echo attacked again.
Clack!
The wooden swords collided.
Echo grinned.
"I blocked it!"
Before the excitement could settle...
Dorothy gently twisted her wrist.
Echo's sword slipped from his hands and landed harmlessly in the grass.
"..."
He stared.
"...How?"
Dorothy picked up the fallen sword and handed it back.
"A sword is held by your hands."
"...But controlled by your balance."
Echo nodded slowly.
"I'll remember that."
---
Not far away...
Mira practiced reinforcing her blade.
A soft emerald glow wrapped around the wooden sword.
Smooth.
Steady.
Every attempt lasted longer than the last.
Kodie...
Sat beneath a tree.
Eyes closed.
Echo sighed.
"...Ma'am."
"He's sleeping."
Dorothy glanced toward him.
"...No."
Echo frowned.
"...He definitely is."
Without opening his eyes...
Kodie quietly spoke.
"...I can hear both of you."
Echo blinked.
"...That's somehow even stranger."
Dorothy smiled.
"Some people sharpen their focus..."
"...Differently."
---
The peaceful morning continued.
Until...
A flock of birds suddenly burst from the forest.
Dozens of them.
Flying in every direction.
Echo looked up.
"...That's unusual."
Then came another sound.
Hoofbeats.
Fast.
Far too fast.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
The horse wasn't travelling.
It was running for its life.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Dorothy slowly turned toward the forest path.
Her smile disappeared.
Not dramatically.
Simply...
Gone.
The horse emerged between the trees.
Foam covered its mouth.
Its breathing was ragged.
Before it had fully stopped...
The rider jumped down.
Echo recognized him immediately.
"...Edric?"
His usually tidy clothes were stained with dust.
One sleeve had been torn.
There was dried blood across his gloves.
Whether it belonged to him...
Or someone else...
No one could tell.
Edric barely caught his breath before lowering himself onto one knee.
Not as a noble.
Not as a merchant.
As a student seeking his teacher.
"Master Dorothy..."
"...Please."
"Help us."
Silence filled the clearing.
Even the birds had stopped singing.
Dorothy stepped closer.
Her voice remained calm.
But it carried a quiet urgency.
"...Who is hurt?"
Echo noticed something.
She hadn't asked...
"What happened?"
She had asked...
"Who is hurt?"
Edric clenched his fists.
"The village of Greenhollow..."
"...It was attacked before dawn."
"The guards managed to drive the monsters away..."
"...But many people were injured."
"Our healers..."
"...They're exhausted."
"They've done everything they can."
His voice shook.
"...Please..."
"...We don't have much time."
Echo instinctively reached for his sword.
"We'll defeat those monsters!"
Dorothy looked at him.
Her expression was neither harsh nor disappointed.
Only serious.
"No."
Echo froze.
"...What?"
"Our first duty..."
She looked toward the frightened horse.
"...Is to save those who can still be saved."
Those words settled heavily inside Echo's heart.
Dorothy walked calmly back to the cottage.
A few moments later...
She returned carrying only a weathered leather satchel.
Bandages.
Healing herbs.
Small glass bottles.
Simple tools.
No grand weapon.
No shining armor.
Echo looked around.
"...Ma'am..."
"...Aren't you taking your staff?"
Dorothy gently raised the walking stick already resting in her hand.
A small smile returned to her face.
"...I already have it."
Echo stared.
"...That?"
Edric quietly smiled for the first time since arriving.
"...It has always been enough."
Echo looked between the two of them.
Questions filled his mind.
But none felt important enough to ask.
Dorothy faced her three students.
"This is no longer a lesson within these woods."
She paused.
The breeze carried the scent of smoke from somewhere far away.
"But..."
"...It may become the greatest lesson you've experienced."
Echo tightened his grip on the wooden sword.
Mira quietly nodded.
Kodie stood without a word.
For the first time since they had met...
There wasn't a trace of sleepiness in his eyes.
The four of them stepped beyond the familiar forest path.
Behind them...
Dorothy's cottage slowly disappeared among the trees.
Ahead...
A thin column of black smoke rose into the sky.
Echo swallowed.
He had dreamed of leaving the forest.
He hadn't imagined...
It would begin like this.
---
End of Chapter 20
«The safest place in the world is the one you eventually have to leave...
...because beyond it lies the reason you trained in the first place.»
- Writer
