The immediate aftermath of the battle settled over the clearing. Snow fell slowly through the air while the three agents inspected the unconscious students. Mithra and Melo continued treating them, while Athena checked their condition.
Arthur approached Red. "You said you have a safe zone nearby?"
Red nodded. "Yes. It’s deeper in the northern Everglades."
Arthur immediately asked several practical questions. How far was it? How many people were there? What kind of defenses did it have? Did they have medicine? Could they communicate with the outside?
Red explained that it was a temporary Greenroot shelter established after the abnormal activity in the northern Everglades began increasing. It had defensive barriers, medical supplies, food and water, along with enough equipment to keep a group of survivors alive for an extended period of time.
Arthur listened carefully. "How secure is it?"
"The barrier is strong enough to keep ordinary Beasts out," Red answered. "We also have people watching the surrounding area."
"And medicine?"
"Enough for the injured we’ve found so far."
Arthur nodded. "What about communication?"
Red’s expression became slightly more serious. "That’s more difficult. The mana disturbances interfere with long-range communication, so we haven’t been able to maintain a reliable connection with the outside."
Arthur thought about that for a moment before asking, "Who is already there?"
"We’ve brought several Beast Tamers who entered the Everglades to explore before the situation became this dangerous," Red explained. "Some were separated from their groups. Others were injured. We’ve also found a few people wandering alone after losing contact with their teams."
Arthur glanced toward the unconscious students. "So you’ve been gathering survivors."
"Anyone we can find," Red replied.
Arthur looked at the agents for another moment. Their answers were simple, but there was something he noticed while they spoke.
The three clearly weren’t improvising.
Red handled the decisions.
Blue checked the injured.
Green kept watch over the surroundings.
They moved like people who had done this before.
Arthur quietly thought, So this isn’t their first rescue.
He looked toward the forest, then asked the question that naturally followed. "If Greenroot already knew this place was dangerous, why are people still coming in?"
Red paused. Blue glanced toward him. Green quietly looked away.
Red explained that the Everglades hadn’t always been this dangerous. The situation had changed rapidly, and communication with the outside had become unreliable.
Arthur thought about that. "Unreliable?"
Red nodded. "The mana disturbances interfere with long-range communication."
Arthur nodded, then said, "So why didn’t Greenroot send a warning telling people not to enter?"
Silence.
Blue’s expression slowly changed.
Green looked down at the snow.
Arthur was quiet for a few seconds. He looked toward the forest where the corrupted Beasts had appeared, then toward the students they had just rescued. "If you’ve already established a safe zone," he said, "then you’ve been aware that this place was becoming dangerous for some time."
Red nodded. "Yes."
Arthur tilted his head slightly. "Then I don’t understand something." He looked genuinely puzzled. "If Greenroot knew the Everglades was becoming dangerous, why were people still being allowed to enter? That seems like something you should have stopped."
Red tried to explain that Greenroot had been attempting to determine the cause before issuing a full restriction. Arthur listened without interrupting. Then he asked, "Did you know there were people attacking villages?"
That immediately changed Luna’s expression. The agents exchanged looks. Red admitted they’d known dangerous groups were active in the region, but they hadn’t realized Luna’s village would be targeted.
Arthur nodded. "So you didn’t know."
Red shook his head.
Arthur thought for a moment. "What about Jakō?"
The three agents became quiet.
Arthur gestured toward the sky. "He’s a Silver Rank Beast Tamer. He came flying in on a gigantic Water Long Serpent Dragon, attacked us, destroyed part of the cavern, and then left." He paused. "You didn’t notice him?"
Blue’s shoulders slowly dropped. Green crouched and began idly poking the snow.
Arthur watched him. "Why are you doing that?"
Green didn’t answer. Blue also lowered his head.
Arthur continued. "If Greenroot was already investigating the area, shouldn’t someone have noticed a Silver Rank Beast Tamer moving around with a Beast that large?"
Blue poked the snow harder. Mithra immediately looked away. Sun bit the inside of his cheek. Athena’s shoulders trembled slightly. Luna covered her mouth.
Arthur remained completely oblivious. He then added, "And if you had noticed him earlier, maybe you could have stopped him before he attacked Luna’s village."
Green’s hand stopped moving. Blue looked like he was reconsidering every decision that had led him here.
Red finally sighed. "You really don’t mince words."
Arthur blinked. "What did I do?"
The entire group struggled not to laugh. Sun turned away. Mithra covered her mouth. Athena suddenly became extremely interested in her notebook. Even Luna smiled.
Blue muttered, "You listed every mistake we’ve made."
Arthur considered that for a moment. "Oh." He looked toward Red, then Blue, then Green. "I wasn’t trying to."
Blue’s expression slowly collapsed. "That’s worse."
Arthur blinked. "Why?"
Green, who had been quietly poking the snow again, finally looked up. "Because you said it like you were reading a report."
Arthur looked at him. "Would you rather I lied?"
Green immediately looked back down. "No."
Arthur nodded. "Then I don’t see the problem."
Sun finally couldn’t hold it anymore and let out a laugh. Mithra covered her mouth, while Athena’s shoulders shook as she tried to hide her amusement behind her notebook. Even Luna smiled.
Red simply rubbed his forehead. "I have a feeling you’re going to be difficult."
Arthur looked genuinely confused. "I’ve been pretty cooperative."
Blue stared at him. "That’s what worries me."
Red finally gave them a more complete explanation. Greenroot had been investigating the northern Everglades for some time, but the situation had changed far faster than they had anticipated. Their information had been incomplete, their communications had become unreliable, and the strange disturbances made it difficult to determine which threats were connected to one another.
Arthur listened without interrupting. After a moment, he asked, "How long have you been investigating this place?"
Red was silent for a brief moment. "Long enough."
Arthur tilted his head. "That’s not a number."
Blue’s mouth twitched. Green looked toward Red.
Red simply answered, "Long enough to know that something is wrong here."
Arthur studied him for a moment. "But not what."
Red didn’t answer.
Arthur smiled faintly. "I see." He didn’t press any further. There was clearly something Greenroot knew that they weren’t ready to discuss. Arthur could live with that. For now.
And so he simply nodded. "That makes more sense."
Blue slowly lifted his head. "Thank you."
Arthur looked at him. "You still should have sent a stronger warning."
Blue immediately lowered his head again. Green resumed poking the snow. Red closed his eyes briefly. "...We’ll keep that in mind."
Sun finally laughed.
Mithra finished checking one of the students. "They’re stable for now, but they need proper treatment."
Red immediately responded. "Then we’ll take them to the safe zone."
Arthur looked toward the students. "Can you take all of them?"
Red nodded. "Yes."
Mithra looked relieved. "Good."
Melo gently kept the students calm with her dream mist while the agents carefully prepared to carry them.
Arthur watched as the three agents prepared the students for transport. There was no confusion between them. Red organized who would carry which student, Blue checked their condition one final time, and Green continued watching the surrounding forest while helping secure the injured.
Arthur quietly observed them. They weren’t simply claiming to be rescuers. They had clearly done this before. That answered one of his earlier concerns. Whatever else Greenroot might be hiding, the safe zone was real, and these three genuinely intended to keep the students alive.
Mithra noticed Arthur watching them. "They seem trustworthy."
Arthur nodded. "I think so."
As they prepared to leave, Arthur asked, "How many people are at the safe zone?"
Red gave him an approximate number. Several Beast Tamers. A few Greenroot personnel. Some injured explorers. And other survivors they’d rescued.
Arthur asked, "Anyone from Pathfinder Academy?"
Red explained that they hadn’t confirmed the location of the Academy professors yet.
Arthur nodded, and that immediately gave him another objective. "Can you look for them?"
Green answered, "We’ll search for them."
Arthur looked toward the unconscious students. "If you find their professors, bring them to the safe zone too."
Green nodded. "We will."
Red then looked toward Arthur. "You should come with us."
Arthur considered it. The safe zone would be safer. It would also give them access to information about the Everglades. But Arthur had another objective. He shook his head. "We still need to find our friends." He glanced toward Luna. "And there’s something we need to find for her."
Luna looked at him. The agents became slightly curious, but Arthur didn’t mention the Mirror. He didn’t even hint at what it was.
Red watched him for a moment before deciding not to pry. "Then be careful."
Arthur smiled. "We will."
Blue added, "We’ll come back."
Arthur nodded. "Good."
Green looked toward the forest. "If we find your professors or the others, we’ll bring them to the safe zone."
Arthur smiled. "Thanks."
Before leaving, Luna quietly looked toward the rescued students. Her gaze remained on them for several seconds.
Arthur noticed but didn’t say anything.
Mithra gently placed a hand on Luna’s shoulder. "They’re going to be okay."
Luna nodded slowly. "I hope so."
Mithra smiled. "They have people looking after them now."
Luna looked toward the Greenroot agents carrying the students. Then she lowered her eyes. "That’s good."
There was a faint sadness in her expression, but this time it wasn’t the same helplessness she’d shown before.
Someone had come to help them.
And this time, Luna was watching them leave alive.
Star tilted its head at the agents, wiggling with a mixture of wonder and confusion.
Eden noticed. "Star is watching them."
Arthur looked down. "Are you curious too?"
Star wiggled.
Arthur smiled and gently rubbed the top of Star’s soft body. "We’ll figure it out later."
Star bounced happily in his hands.
Sun glanced over. "You’re really attached to that thing already."
Arthur looked down at Star. "It’s useful."
Sun raised an eyebrow.
Arthur paused. "And cute."
Sun sighed. "Of course."
Red took the lead while Blue and Green carefully carried the students. Before leaving, Blue looked back. "Try not to get into trouble."
Arthur thought about it. "I’ll try."
Sun immediately said, "He won’t."
Arthur looked at him. "I might."
Sun sighed. "See?"
Blue laughed. Even Green’s shoulders moved slightly with amusement.
Red shook his head. "Be careful."
The three agents disappeared into the snowy forest with the rescued students. Arthur watched until they were gone, and the forest became quiet again, the snow settling softly over the tracks they’d left behind.
Eden watched the direction they’d disappeared. "I liked them."
Sun raised an eyebrow. "You don’t even know them."
Eden answered immediately. "They helped us."
Arthur smiled. "That’s enough for Eden."
Sun sighed. "Apparently."
Mithra chuckled. Athena closed her notebook. "She’s not wrong."
Vedas looked toward the distant forest. "They were strong too."
Arthur nodded. "Very."
He watched the snow where the agents had disappeared. Greenroot was investigating the Everglades and they knew more than they were saying. And there were clearly more people trapped somewhere in this place.
Arthur couldn’t help wondering how much larger the situation had become while they were separated. But whatever Greenroot was hiding could wait.
They had their own objective.
Arthur looked toward Luna. "Ready?"
Luna took a breath, then nodded. "Yes."
Arthur smiled. They had survived Jakō. They had rescued students. They’d gained an unexpected ally in Greenroot. But their original objective hadn’t changed. The next Mirror was still somewhere ahead.
Arthur took out the compass. At first nothing happened. Then, click. The needle moved. Everyone looked down. It wasn’t pointing toward the Greenroot safe zone. It wasn’t pointing toward the direction the agents had left. It pointed deeper into the White Frontier.
Luna’s expression changed. "The second Mirror..."
Arthur’s eyes brightened. "Looks like it knows where we’re going."
Luna looked toward the distant snow-covered landscape. "That’s much farther away."
Arthur grinned. "Good."
The group began moving again.
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