The hero they threw away.

The Banished Forest whispered of secrets long buried.

High above the moss-covered floor, Andrew crouched in silence. Cloaked in the shadows of the treetops, he watched the group that dared to enter this cursed place. Their boots sank into wet leaves. Their eyes darted in every direction.

His former classmates.

They had no idea he was near. They weren't here for him—no, they were searching for another. The so-called "banished knight," the one exiled before Andrew. A mission handed down by the very priestess who had betrayed him.

Andrew's grip tightened on a branch. He had pieced it together the moment he heard them mention the knight. This wasn't redemption—it was desperation. The priestess had realized her mistake.

She hadn't meant to exile him, not really. She'd wanted to show dominance. To cast out someone "expendable" for her little display of power. But she had exiled the one student whose class had no match—an unregistered, misunderstood role labeled "Strategist." Useless in her eyes. Dangerous in truth.

From his perch, Andrew observed Leah kneel by a trail of footprints. Her long hair was tied back, her robes faintly glowing with detection magic.

"He passed through here," she said. "The knight. His stride is consistent. Heavy armor, disciplined gait."

Mario sneered. "Maybe he's already dead."

Leah didn't look at him. "He isn't."

Andrew studied her carefully. She was calm, focused. But there was tension behind her words. Maybe guilt. Maybe more.

A younger student pointed toward a ridge. "Do you think Andrew is… still alive?"

Leah stood. "That's not why we're here."

"But"

"He was a Strategist," Mario interrupted. "Even if he's alive, what would he do? Plan us a retreat?"

Laughter rippled through a few of them.

Andrew's eyes narrowed. *They still don't understand. A strategist doesn't retreat. He wins before the battle begins.*

Leah turned sharply. "He was misjudged."

Andrew blinked. That… almost sounded like an apology.

"But we're not here for him," she added, voice firm. "We're here for the knight. The priestess gave the order herself."

*Of course she did,* Andrew thought. *She can't let her mistake show. She'll retrieve the knight and pretend this never happened.*

He melted deeper into the tree canopy as the group passed beneath him. He could have spoken. Revealed himself. But not yet. He needed to understand more. He needed time to prepare.

He watched them go—his past walking through his present, oblivious to the storm it had left behind.

*Let them find their knight,* Andrew thought. *I'm building something far greater.*

*And next time, they won't see me coming.*