Rookies

Morning arrived gently.

The forest whispered with dew-damp leaves and early birdsong. The cabin, once a silent sanctuary, now stirred with familiar life.

Selena swept the porch while humming softly.

Lio stood outside with a spear and fished at the stream with far more focus than skill.

Lia and Lana were combing each other's hair near the steps, giggling about who looked more like a princess.

And inside, Hina sat upright on her cot, brushing her pink hair with careful strokes, trying to hide her occasional winces. Her body was still weak, but her eyes, once cloudy and numb, held focus now. Determination. A quiet fire.

She had joined the morning routine. Slowly, but surely.

Though still pale and thin, she walked slowly now, guided by Selena's hand. She washed her face without prompting. She ate quietly, thanked Selena, and helped fold the sheets.

They all moved with the unspoken rhythm Red had taught them, discipline without commands, survival without desperation.

They were becoming people again.

And all of it began with Red.

He'd left at dawn.

Armor strapped, sword sheathed, hair tied. No words. Just a glance at Selena that meant: I'm going to town.

She nodded, already preparing food for when he returned.

As always.

Silverhaven's walls loomed against the pale sky as Red crossed the eastern road.

The city buzzed with its usual noise, adventurers comparing minor victories, merchants opening stalls, townsfolk hurrying to claim early produce.

Red stepped through the Guild's wide doors, heading for the quest board.

He didn't expect much.

But today was different.

[GOBLIN NEST CONFIRMED – Farmstead Ruins, 5KM East of Whispering Pines]

Red's eyes narrowed.

His home was barely five kilometers from that trail.

Too close.

Too dangerous.

The red stamp across the bottom read: Danger to civilians: HIGH.

Without a second thought, he turned on his heel, quest slip in hand.

He moved through the market with practiced urgency, collecting basic supplies.

Bandages. Salve. Two red potions. One orange. One bread pouch. No overpacking.

Then straight to the mount stables.

"Urgent?" the stablehand asked.

"Kokoroko. The fastest one," he said, voice cold and quick.

The stablemaster blinked. "Y-Yeah, yes, sir!"

Red didn't wait for a saddle. He mounted the moment reins were thrown his way and rode hard, down the forest trail, through Whispering Pines, toward the jagged hills where the abandoned farmstead stood.

He found the nest before he saw it.

Blood in the grass.

Bootprints. Drag marks.

Claw marks are too small to be a beast.

Goblins.

He dismounted and unsheathed his sword in one fluid motion.

The Kokoroko chirped once and stayed back, sensing the shift in air.

Red moved like a specter.

He rounded the collapsed barn, slashed beams, shattered fencing, and that's where he saw her.

A lone adventurer. Young. Maybe seventeen. Armor scraped. One boot is missing. Her dagger snapped near her fingers. Her shoulder bled, the gash deep. She clutched it while her other hand held a burning torch, trying to fend off three snarling goblins.

Behind her lay two more, already dead, but she was at her limit.

One of the goblins lunged.

She screamed, not in fear, but in rage.

And then… she blinked.

Because the goblin's head was gone.

Red stood between her and the monsters now.

And for the first time in that girl's life, she witnessed a massacre done in silence.

Red moved like death given form.

He didn't shout. Didn't hesitate. His sword moved faster than the eye could follow.

One goblin - throat pierced. 

Two - split from groin to chest. 

Three - turned to meat before its shriek reached air.

He slaughtered them all. Every single one. Quick. Clean. No delay.

By the time the last goblin dropped, the girl had collapsed onto her back, panting, shaking.

Still alive.

He approached.

Her body tensed, instinct screaming to fight, but her arms wouldn't move.

And then his shadow covered her.

Red knelt, reached into his pouch, and uncorked a red potion. He pressed it into her hand.

Red: "Drink."

She stared at him, dazed, then obeyed.

The potion surged into her system. Not enough to fully mend, but enough to stop the bleeding. To breathe again.

"Y-you… you saved me…?" she gasped, voice hoarse.

He stood, wiping his blade on a dead goblin's tunic.

Then turned.

The girl forced herself to sit up, wincing.

"My name's Rika," she said, voice small but proud. "I… I thought I could handle this nest myself."

He said nothing.

"…Guess that was stupid, I thought… I was going to die." she laughed breathlessly.

Still, there was defiance in her eyes. Fire.

But even that gave way to awe as she looked at him.

"You saved me," she whispered. "You actually… saved me."

He gave a slight nod.

And then began walking back toward his mount.

She didn't move right away.

But her eyes stayed on him.

And something else stirred there.

Admiration.

Gratitude.

And something deeper.

From that moment on, Rika never forgot him.

The man who arrived at the edge of death. The sword without a sound. The warrior who saved her with neither praise nor demand.

Rika kept glancing at him, unsure what to say. Her cheeks were red. Her breath was uneven.

How could someone like him exist?

Silent, deadly… but he came. He saved her.

She knew, from that moment forward, she'd follow him. Even if he never looked her way, even if he never said more than five words to her in one sitting…

She would find a reason to stay close.

And maybe…

She already had.