Sowhere in the continent of Nahua.
The jungles were dense and sprawling. The thick canopy blocked most of the sunlight, leaving the forest floor dim and humid. Gargantuan trees with wide roots towered above, while thick vines and creepers hung like impenetrable curtains.
There was so much moisture and humidity in the air, it felt suffocating even to breathe. Moreover, the constant buzz of insects and the distant calls of beasts constantly echoed in the air.
Rivers and streams cut through the forest, their banks crowded with thick vegetation and the occasional beast that stopped by to satiate their thirst. Visibility was low beyond a few dozen feet, and each step was obstructed by tangled roots, thick ferns, and thorny bushes.
The jungle was as dangerous as it was vast. Despite it all, three figures—a human, a gno, and a beast—journeyed forward relentlessly.
Berger comfortably sat atop Blackie and enjoyed the flavor of tobacco as he smoked from his long, wooden pipe. The mysterious blackwolf was calm and collected, as if he wasn’t treading through one of the most dangerous places on the continent, but a tranquil backyard.
Edward, however...
"Fuck!" He cursed under his breath, hacking at the thick vines obstructing his way forward.
Agitated, he threw the twin machetes to the ground, then turned around and glanced at the gno with an aggrieved look on his face.
"Old Man Berger!" He called out. "Can’t we just... you know, fly or sothing? Must we really do this? It’s getting tiring!"
"We must do this," said the grumpy old gno with a flat expression.
"Why?!" Edward was exasperated. He’d been doing the sa thing for months now, anwhile, the gno was happily puffing on tobacco.
"Because I said so," Berger replied, unamused.
Edward bit his lower lip in utter frustration. He wanted to curse his heart out. But in the end, he turned to Blackie and urged, "Co on, say sothing!"
The wolf tilted his head, perplexed. "What do you want to say?"
Edward was dumbfounded. "Say that you want to just fly away! I’m tired of cutting down trees already! I’ve been doing the sa thing for who knows how many months now! I’d thought I’d co here and fight bad guys! Not this!"
Blackie sighed. "So young, and brash, and naive."
"Are you seriously not taking my side in this?" Edward asked, wide-eyed.
He gritted his teeth, then looked towards the gno. "Old Man, tell sothing... are we lost?"
Berger rolled his eyes. "Boy, you must take for a fool."
Edward looked at the gno with squinted eyes. With a dubious look on his face, he asked again, "No, seriously. Are we lost?"
Berger deeply looked at the blue-eyed youth. The next mont, his hand turned into a blur, and...
Pow!
"Gahh!" Edward fell to his knees, massaging his head. "W-what was that for?!"
"Boy, you are disrespectful to your elders." Berger harrumphed. He took a puff from the long pipe, then added, "We’re headed in the right direction. Now, shut up and do as I say."
Edward’s eyes beca teary as he felt the pain on his forehead. He couldn’t help but wonder:
What was that just now?! I couldn’t see him coming at all... Damn it, it hurts!
With a heart full of grievance, he rose to his feet and continued to clear the path ahead.
Seeing the youth on the verge of tears, Berger’s lips curled into an amused smirk. He exhaled a cloud of smoke to the side, then said:
"The sun is setting, boy. Find a place to camp."
Edward glanced at the gno with pursed lips. Then, he turned around and grumbled, "...Fine."
***
The gentle crackle of burning wood echoed softly as the three sat around the fire.
Of course, the duty to set up camp had fallen to Edward—who wasn’t the least bit happy about it. But it’s not like he could allow the gno or the wolf to do sothing like that. They were both like family to him and were his elders. As such, he had to be the one to do it.
Still, Edward didn’t miss the chance to express his dissatisfaction. Tearing a large chunk of at with his teeth, he watched the old gno with squinted eyes. Berger casually read a book as he sat leaning against Blackie, who was sprawled behind him with his eyes closed.
Edward’s eyes narrowed with each passing second until finally Berger said to him:
"Do you want another beating?"
The blue-eyed youth imdiately looked away. "I didn’t say anything."
Berger sighed and put away the book. He packed fresh tobacco into the bowl of his pipe, lit it, and drew in a long breath. Exhaling a cloud of smoke upwards, he said:
"We’re getting closer to our destination. Within this week... we’ll reach our destination within this week."
Edward’s eyes lit up. "Finally!"
"Don’t get too excited, boy." The gno reprimanded. "We might have to fight against powerful enemies there."
"Don’t worry about it, old man." Edward grinned. "I’ve never shied away from a fight!"
"You should be terrified," said the elderly gno, his tone grim. "There’s a possibility that we may have to face a Mana Core-level existence. More than one even..."
Edward’s grin froze.
"Old man..." he called out, his voice barely a whisper. "You still haven’t told what we’re going to do. Why have we co here?"
When Berger had reached out to the blue-eyed youth months ago, he had said that they were going to set out to help Adam. Initially, Edward thought that he would finally be able to et Adam in Nahua, but that couldn’t be far from the truth.
Even now, he didn’t truly know what it was that they were doing. Just that it was going to help Adam greatly. As such, he agreed to join the gno without hesitation.
But now, after realizing that he might have to possibly face off against multiple Mana Core Magi, he couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive. He wondered what it was that Adam was doing that involved even Mana Core-level existences.
Snap!
Berger snapped his fingers and created an invisible barrier around them. He then looked Edward in the eye and solemnly said:
"We’re going to save the world, boy."
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