Favored by God

The forest was quiet, except for the soft crunch of leaves beneath our feet. Maya led the way, her hand occasionally sparking with magical energy that danced between her fingers like restless fireflies. Rowan followed close behind, his eyes constantly scanning the treeline.

"Keep it down," I whispered, stepping carefully to minimize the sound of my movement. "We don't want to scare off our prey."

Maya rolled her eyes. "You worry too much, Kai. I've got this under control."

We'd been tracking a pack of low-level forest wolves for the past hour. These weren't the massive, mythical beasts of legend, but smaller, more manageable creatures that made perfect training targets for Maya's growing magical abilities.

Rowan nudged me, pointing to a series of tracks. "Look. They're close."

I nodded, my hand instinctively moving to the training sword at my hip. Despite Ms. Clementine's warnings about sneaking out, these hunting trips had become something of a ritual for us. Maya needed practical experience with her magic, and Rowan and I had learned that supporting her was easier than trying to stop her.

Suddenly, Maya froze. Her hand shot up, signaling us to stop. A low growl echoed through the trees—not from us, but from something ahead.

"Three wolves," Maya whispered, her voice barely audible. "Two adults, one juvenile."

Rowan grinned. "My turn?"

Rowan, who had recently developed his magic, was an air-type mage with enough potential to become truly formidable in the future. While not quite on Maya's level, it was something he was proud of and eager to demonstrate at every opportunity.

As for me, I was still waiting to awaken my magical abilities. Ms. Clementine kept reassuring me that it would happen soon, but until then, I compensated with my sword skills.

Rowan moved silently, creeping up on the wolves. Suddenly, he raised his hands, and the wolves were whisked into the air, suspended and struggling.

"NOW, MAYA!" he screamed.

Maya's hands erupted with her signature "fire bullets"—small, intense balls of flame that moved at incredible speeds. The flames were so powerful they would have intimidated even experienced mages. With pinpoint accuracy, she scorched the three wolves, eliminating them with no apparent difficulty.

"Woohoo! Did you see that, Kai?" Maya asked, jumping in the air with a smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Yeah, I saw. That was really awesome, Maya," I responded, my voice supportive but distant.

I never participated in the actual killing. I didn't want to take any life—not even animals. The memories of what I had done in my past life haunted me. That dark, broken part of myself was something I wished to never see again.

We spent a while longer walking and talking in the forest before heading back to the orphanage, careful to avoid being caught. By the time we returned, it was nearly dinner time, and we quickly got ourselves ready to eat.