“Iris!”
Anya jolted awake, her heart still pounding wildly.
She sat up and realized that the only one by her side was Zephyra, who was hugging her knees and saying nothing, along with the pile of flickering firewood.
Her splitting headache made her rub her temples without thinking.
“You’ve been muttering all night,” Zephyra noticed she was awake, casually pulled a dry twig from beside her feet and tossed it into the fire, sending a shower of sparks into the air. “This Iris… is she someone important to you?”
Anya swallowed, her throat dry and burning.
“She’s a very important friend, but now, we have to part ways.” Her voice was very soft, tinged with a sorrow even she hadn’t noticed herself.
“Do you have any water left?” Anya’s throat felt like it was on fire after just waking up.
“There’s only a bit left, won’t last till morning.” Zephyra shook the water pouch at her waist, producing a faint sloshing sound, then tossed it straight over. “Looks like we’ll need to get up early tomorrow and look for a water source.”
Anya accepted the pouch, took just a tiny sip to moisten her throat, then walked back to the fire and handed it back.
“You go get some sleep, I’ll take the second half of the night.” Her tone was flat, impossible to read.
“Alright, then I’ll take you up on that.” Zephyra didn’t stand on ceremony, nodded, and went to lie down on a haystack. She soon fell completely silent.
The campfire crackled, the flickering flames casting moving shadows on Anya’s face, making it seem as if there were two little flames dancing in her beautiful eyes as well.
She drifted into thought; she’d seen Zephyra’s strength firsthand.
Her magic was nothing special, but when it came to sheer force, she could pin enemies down and thrash them with ease.
It was just… the sight of her swinging that staff around like a club was anything but elegant.
Thinking of this, Anya couldn’t help the twitch at the corner of her mouth. She shook her head and casually tossed another stick into the fire.
At that moment, she caught a faint rustling from the grass around them.
Anya instantly went on alert.
Magic Beast again? She glanced at the sleeping Zephyra, deciding to check it out herself.
If it was just a small animal, it would be fine. But if it was a repeat of what happened this morning…
She subconsciously reached for her back, only to find it empty.
Here, she didn’t have a handy weapon. If something happened, she’d have to fight bare-handed, which put her at a huge disadvantage.
She held her breath, carefully parted the bushes in front of her, but saw nothing outside.
“Probably just a rabbit or something.” She let out a breath and shrugged, turning to head back.
But the renewed disturbance behind her made her hair stand on end.
The wind had shifted, bringing a strange scent—someone was closing in quickly!
“Who’s there!” Anya spun around, only to see a shadow gliding from the trees like a phantom, stopping right at the tip of her nose. The posture made it obvious—this was a sneak attack.
“Who are you?” Anya quickly stepped back, adopting a fighting stance, her eyes instantly cold.
“I…” The other person clearly hadn’t expected Anya to react so fast. There was a hint of fear in her crisp, girlish voice.
“A girl?” Anya paused. Dressed all in black, she’d assumed it was some burly thug, not a young woman.
“I… I’m just a little hungry and wanted to find something to eat.” The black-cloaked girl’s voice trembled on the verge of tears, sounding utterly pitiful. “I saw your fire here and just… just came over to have a look.”
“Oh?” Anya raised an eyebrow, but her gaze fell on the girl’s right hand hidden behind her back. “Is that so? But sneaking around like this doesn’t seem very friendly.”
The girl in the cloak stiffened, bowing her head lower, like a child whose secret had been discovered.
“If you really are just hungry,” Anya’s tone softened a little, “we can share a bit of food with you. But sneaking up on me like this? I can’t just forgive that so easily.”
“Sorry…” The girl’s voice grew even quieter. “I… I was afraid you were bad people, so… I had no other choice.”
Anya was silent for a moment, then suddenly found it all rather funny. She waved her hand, giving a clear signal: “Go on, then. Next time you try this, I won’t be so nice.”
The girl in the black cloak slowly looked up, her face bloodless and lips as pale as paper. In the night, Anya couldn’t see her features clearly.
She hesitated, then quietly asked, “Then… the water? Can I have a little? I’m really, really thirsty.”
“Miss,” Anya spread her hands, a hint of helplessness in her voice, “we’re running out of water ourselves. Besides, isn’t there a river over there? You can go fetch some yourself.”
She wasn’t some saint. How could she give away such a scarce resource for free?
Besides, with the way the girl acted just now, who knew what she had hidden in her hand—it might even be a ** or something.
“But… but there are a lot of Magic Beasts by the river. I can’t go alone…” The girl tried to argue.
“That’s your problem.” Anya cut her off mercilessly.
“Alright then…” The girl sighed, lingering on the warmth of the campfire before turning away, vanishing soundlessly into the darkness.
Anya sat back down by the fire to continue her watch.
The night was deep, yet the moon was unusually bright, bathing the forest in silver light.
All around, there was only the chirp of insects and the whisper of wind, with the occasional beast’s roar echoing from somewhere far away.
Such a starry sky, such tranquility—she had never seen this back in the Northern Border.
Anya lay down, hands behind her head, quietly enjoying the rare beauty of the moment.
Sadly, the peace did not last long.
“Looks like there’s a fire over there, should we check it out?” a young man’s voice broke the silence.
“Check your ass! Let’s just go rob them, what are you getting so polite for?” a rough voice retorted instantly.
“Boss!” The young man parted the bushes first, spotting Anya lying by the fire. His eyes went wide and he couldn’t help but swallow.
“What are you dawdling for? Just go for it when you see someone!” The middle-aged man behind him emerged, voice full of impatience.
“Boss, look!” The young man pointed at Anya, leering. “She’s a beauty!”
“Never seen a woman before? You useless wretch!” The middle-aged man slapped him on the back of the head, cursing.
But when he saw Anya’s face himself, he, too, paused in shock.
There was no denying it—Anya’s looks were truly stunning. Even in the Imperial Capital, she would catch any man’s eye, let alone these two obvious thugs.
“Boss, why are you staring too?” The young man rubbed his aching head, confused.
The middle-aged man didn’t answer. His gaze had already shifted to the sleeping Zephyra, and a naked desire flickered in his eyes.
“Brat, that one’s mine.” He pointed at Anya, then at Zephyra. “That one’s good too, you take her. Remember, don’t kill her.”
“Got it, boss!” The young man rubbed his hands together in excitement, leering as he walked toward Zephyra.
Anya felt completely ignored, a wave of anger rising within her.
“So, you’re not even going to acknowledge me?” Her voice was icy cold.
“Hahaha, just a little girl—think I’m scared?” The middle-aged man sneered, licking his lips and grinning lecherously. “Be a good girl and maybe I’ll spare your life when I’m done.”
“Pervert! Scum!” Anya spat.
“That’s it! I like feisty ones like you!” The man only grew more excited. “You’ll be begging for mercy soon enough!”
With that, he reached out his filthy hands, trying to grab Anya.
Anya had already seen these two had no real ability—neither magic nor battle aura, just two thugs a bit stronger than regular people.
She snorted, not even bothering to tangle with such trash.
Her body flashed, dodging his grab, then her foot landed squarely between the man’s legs.
“Urgh—!” The man let out a pig-like screech, clutching his groin as he collapsed, face turning deathly pale.
“You… you dare kick me! I’ll kill you!” he croaked, struggling to get up.
“Uncle,” Anya folded her arms, mocking him, “if you don’t have the guts, don’t act tough.”
She nodded at the man behind him. “And you’ve messed with the wrong person. Her temper upon waking is… not something you want to experience.”
The man hadn’t even realized what was happening when a bloodcurdling scream came from behind him.
He whipped around, only to see Zephyra pinning the young man to the ground, her Staff raised high as she hammered him over and over.
“Dare to wake me up! I’ll beat you! Beat you! Beat you…” Zephyra shouted as she swung, her rage turning her wild.
The young man’s face was bruised and bloodied, hardly able to even cry out anymore.
“What… what kind of monster is this?” the middle-aged man trembled in terror at the sight, his knees knocking together.
“Zephyra,” Anya walked over, smiling, “looks like you’re not done yet. There’s still one more here.”
At her words, Zephyra turned, her gaze falling on the half-dead, trembling man beside Anya. The fire in her eyes only blazed higher.
“D-don’t come any closer!” the man stammered, shrinking back, but Anya stomped on his ankle.
“Don’t be in such a rush to leave, sir.” Anya crouched down and patted his face, smiling sweetly. “Until Zephyra has calmed down, you’re not going anywhere.”
Yet another round of soul-shattering screams split the night, sending flocks of birds flying from the forest.
No one knew how much time passed, but the two men were left beaten half to death by Zephyra. The young man even fainted, unconscious.
“Sir, are you alright?” Anya went over to the middle-aged man, crouched down, and asked in a voice of “concern”.
Alright, your head!
The man cursed Anya a thousand times in his heart, but forced a smile uglier than crying.
“Both of you, ladies, today we were blind and offended you. Please… have mercy, let us go.”
“Oh?” Anya raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise. “Really? But I recall someone just now saying I’d be begging for mercy?”
The man cursed silently, but could only grit his teeth and say, “That was… that was nonsense, just a joke. We were blind and offended you, please… please forgive us.”
Anya only shook her head. Standing up, she looked down at him, her gaze as cold as a blade.
“Forgive you?” She laughed lightly, then raised her foot and stomped hard on his crotch.
“But I don’t feel like forgiving you.” Her voice was soft, yet it sent chills down the spine. “Especially after the way you looked at me just now—it was disgusting.”
“Ah—!!!”
The man’s scream was the most piercing of the night, his body curling up like a shrimp as sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Don’t move.” Anya warned coldly. “If you move again, you can forget about keeping your hands.”
Zephyra, standing to the side, shivered as she watched this side of Anya.
She realized that maybe she never truly understood this seemingly calm companion.
Zephyra’s rage had mostly burned out after that beating.
But Anya’s fury—was only just beginning to ignite.