Ando woke up with a strange feeling—the haven was quiet, but something had clearly changed. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked around. The light penetrating through the translucent walls had the same purple hue as yesterday. It seemed that time here wasn''t moving at all.


    Hop was sitting by the bluish fire, thoughtfully studying her handmade map. Hearing the rustling, she looked up.


    "Sleep well?" she asked, folding the map.


    "I wouldn''t say that," Ando rubbed his eyes. "How long did I sleep?"


    "About eight hours," Hop shrugged. "Although it''s hard to tell here. Time flows differently in glass artifacts. While you were sleeping, I walked around the haven. Didn''t notice anyone suspicious."


    "So what now?" Ando got up from the cot, which immediately dissolved into the air, turning into a misty haze.


    Hop approached the wall, forming a transparent "window" in it. "Either we return to the artifact exit, and you go your own way. Or..."


    "Or what?" Ando came closer, examining the purple sky and turquoise trees through the "window."


    "Or we try to pass the trial," she pointed toward the distant hill where yesterday they had seen the Glass Guardian. "But for that, you need to learn to at least not run away in fear at the sight of danger."


    "Hey! I wasn''t running away in fear," Ando protested. "I just... okay, I was running. But did you see them? They wanted to eat me!"


    Hop snorted.


    "Yeah, sure. But if we''re going to face the boss, you''ll have to learn how to fight."


    "Will you... help me?" Ando asked cautiously, remembering yesterday''s conversation. "Do you have any weapons or those abilities of yours?"


    Hop silently rolled up the left sleeve of her black jacket. Ando saw nothing unusual on the pale skin of her forearm.


    "And?" he looked at her in confusion. "What am I supposed to see?"


    "Wait," Hop ran her right hand over her forearm, and suddenly a glowing bluish symbol appeared on her skin, resembling an intricate geometric pattern. "Can you see it now?"


    "Holy crap! What is that?" Ando involuntarily stepped back.


    "A Seeker''s symbol," Hop smiled slightly, clearly pleased with his reaction. "It appears after completing an artifact. It''s like... a mark showing that you''ve received a trophy."


    She lightly touched the glowing symbol with her finger, and something resembling a translucent cloud appeared before her, inside which floated a dagger with a curved blade, as if created from pure glass.


    "These are my belongings," Hop explained, noticing Ando''s amazed look. "All the trophies I''ve received are stored here."


    She reached toward the cloud, and the dagger seemed to slide into her palm on its own, becoming fully material. The cloud disappeared.


    "Whoa!" Ando stared at the shimmering blade. "Is that magic?"


    "Call it what you want," Hop twirled the dagger in her hand. "The important thing is that it works. So far I have only one symbol and one weapon—this dagger. I got it in my first artifact. A weapon symbol, the most basic one."


    "What other types are there?" Ando couldn''t take his eyes off the shimmering blade.


    "Seven types in total: weapon, defense, magic, knowledge, resource, utility, and biological," Hop listed. "The guys I went with to that first artifact told me this. They themselves had three or four symbols each."


    She touched her forearm again, and the dagger disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.


    "I want that," Ando exhaled.


    "What exactly?" Hop lowered her sleeve, hiding the faded symbol.


    "To learn how to fight, of course. And a symbol like that," Ando straightened up. "I don''t want to just leave this place. I want to learn more about this... world."


    Hop studied his face for several seconds, as if assessing the seriousness of his intentions.


    "Alright," she finally nodded. "Let''s try. But you''ll need a weapon. My dagger won''t be enough."


    "And where do we get weapons?" Ando looked around. "Is there a store here? Some kind of armory?"


    "We''ll have to acquire one," Hop unfolded her map again. "Not far from here, I saw a group of glass goblins. Small creatures, but dangerous when there are many. They have clubs—primitive weapons, but suitable for a start."


    "Goblins?" Ando swallowed. "Like in Harry Potter?"


    "Something like that," Hop nodded. "Except these are white and glow from within. I think we could lure one away from the group and attack. If we do everything right, the others won''t even notice."


    "And if they do notice?" Ando nervously rubbed his neck.


    "Then we''ll run so fast our heels will be flashing," Hop folded the map. "Ready?"


    Ando took a deep breath. Part of him was screaming that this was complete nonsense and he needed to find a way out of this strange world as soon as possible. But another part, the one that always pushed him toward adventure and trouble, was eager to learn more.


    "Let''s go," he nodded.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    They carefully made their way through thickets of white plants. Hop walked ahead, frequently stopping to listen. Ando followed her, trying to step just as silently, but he wasn''t very successful.


    "Remember," Hop whispered, crouching behind a large glass boulder, "no sudden movements. They react more to movement than to sound."


    Ando nodded, focusing his gaze through the gap between the rocks. In a small depression between hills, strange structures could be seen, resembling crudely made huts of glass protrusions. Around them scurried small creatures—no taller than a meter, with disproportionately large heads and thin arms and legs. Their white skin glowed from within with a pale blue light, and their eyes—bright yellow.


    "What ugly things, are those them?" whispered Ando.


    "Yes," Hop nodded. "White goblins. Some have clubs, see?"


    Ando looked closer and noticed that some of the creatures indeed carried something like clubs made of glass material.


    "We need to lure one here," Hop pointed to an empty space between the boulders. "I''ll hide behind that rock. You''ll distract the goblin, make it chase you, and lead it here. I''ll attack from behind."


    "Awesome? Why do I have to be the bait?" Ando protested.


    "Because I have a weapon, and I know how to use it," Hop cut him off. "But if you want, we can switch. Maybe you''ll talk them to death, and I''ll do the running."


    "Fine, fine," Ando muttered. "I get it. How do I attract its attention?"


    "Just show yourself and wave," Hop suggested. "They''re curious; one will likely separate from the group to check."


    Ando took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart.


    "Let''s do it," he nodded. "I''m ready."


    Hop silently squeezed his shoulder and slipped behind the adjacent boulder, practically merging with the shadow. Ando was left alone, and the silence around suddenly seemed deafening.


    Gathering his courage, he slowly straightened up, stepping out of hiding, and waved. For a second nothing happened, and then one of the goblins turned its head in his direction. Yellow eyes stared directly at Ando, and the creature made a strange clicking sound.


    "Hey goblin. Hi! Come here!" called Ando, immediately mentally berating himself for the stupidity. Of course, the goblin didn''t understand his words.


    But it worked. The creature uncertainly moved in his direction, clutching a glass club in its hand. A couple more goblins turned their heads but didn''t follow the first one.


    Ando took several steps back, continuing to keep the goblin in his sight. It quickened its pace, clearly interested in him.


    "Come on, just a bit more," Ando whispered, continuing to retreat.


    And then something happened that he didn''t expect. The goblin suddenly darted forward with incredible speed, rushing at him, swinging its club. The yellow eyes flared brighter, and a piercing squeal erupted from its throat.


    "Damn! It''s running!" yelled Ando, instantly forgetting all of Hop''s instructions.


    He turned and ran, not watching where he was going, completely forgetting about the agreed ambush spot. Behind him, he could hear the patter of small feet and clicking sounds. The goblin turned out to be much faster than one might think, looking at its thin legs.


    "Hop!" Ando shouted in panic, jumping over a small stream. "Hop, help!"


    A loud slap and a squeal sounded behind his back. Ando sharply turned around and saw that the goblin was lying on the ground, and Hop was standing over it with a dagger in her hand.


    "I told you to lead it to that open area," she said irritably, looking at Ando. "Were you trying to wake up the entire artifact with your yelling?"


    "It just charged so suddenly," Ando justified himself, trying to catch his breath. "How was I supposed to know they were so quick!"


    Hop sighed and leaned down toward the goblin. The creature wasn''t moving, and its body strangely began to crumble, as if it consisted of tiny fragments. After a few seconds, only a small handful of sparkling white dust and a glass club remained.


    "Grab the weapon and let''s go," Hop commanded. "The others are surely coming toward the noise."


    Ando hurriedly grabbed the club—it was surprisingly light for its size—and rushed after Hop, who had already disappeared among the trees.


    "Hop... Wait!"


    They ran without stopping until they reached the safety of the haven. Only then did Ando allow himself to collapse onto one of the seats, trying to catch his breath.


    "Damn, I thought it was going to eat me," he exhaled.


    "They don''t eat humans, as far as I know," Hop sat down beside him. "But they can beat you to death. You were lucky I managed to intercept it."


    "Thank you," Ando thanked her sincerely.


    Hop nodded and took the club from him for inspection.


    "It''ll do," she assessed. "Light but sturdy. Perfect for training."


    "What kind of training?" Ando was still trying to control his breathing.


    "What did you think?" Hop returned the club to him. "That you''d go straight for the boss? First, you need to learn at least the basics. Stance, strikes, defense. And most importantly—not to wet your pants at the sight of an opponent."


    Ando lowered his eyes in embarrassment.


    "I messed everything up, didn''t I?" he asked quietly.


    "It''ll do for the first time," Hop unexpectedly replied softly. "Everyone starts with mistakes. The main thing is to learn from them."


    She stood up and went to the center of the haven.


    "Let''s start with the proper stance," she said, taking a fighting pose. "Feet shoulder-width apart, left foot slightly forward. Distribute your weight evenly..."


    They spent the next three days training. Hop turned out to be a demanding but patient teacher. She showed Ando basic stances, strikes, and blocks, making him repeat the same movements for hours until they began to happen automatically.


    To the surprise of both, Ando picked things up quickly. By the end of the first day, he could properly hold the club and deliver simple strikes without losing balance. By the end of the second, he confidently blocked Hop''s attacks and even tried to counterattack.


    "You''re good," Hop said on the evening of the third day as they sat by the bluish fire. "I''ve never seen anyone learn so quickly."


    "Maybe I just have a good teacher," Ando smiled, twirling the club in his hand.


    Over these days, he had grown accustomed to the weapon; it felt almost like an extension of his arm. The glass surface of the club strangely adapted to his grip, becoming slightly rough in the places where his fingers touched it.


    "It''s not just that," Hop looked at him thoughtfully. "You seem to have... an innate talent or something. There are rumors about Seekers who intuitively sense artifacts and adapt more easily to them. That''s what they told me in the previous artifact."


    "Who were you with there?" asked Ando, suddenly realizing that he knew almost nothing about Hop''s past.


    "Three guys from my town," Hop shrugged. "They were about five years older than me and already had experience with artifacts. One of them, Max, noticed how I was looking at a strange door in a neighboring house—it turned out to be an artifact that ordinary people don''t see. He brought his friends, and they suggested I go with them. They said people like me were rare."


    "And you just went with random guys into some unknown world?" Ando was surprised.


    "Didn''t you?" Hop smirked.


    "I didn''t know where I was going," Ando objected. "I just stumbled upon the artifact by accident."


    "And I was tired of ordinary life," Hop said quietly, looking at the flame. "Of school, of parents who couldn''t care less about me. When a chance appeared to see something... different, I grabbed it."


    They fell silent. Ando thought for the first time about how much he actually didn''t know about the world of artifacts and about his companion.


    "In any case," Hop finally said, standing up, "I think you''re prepared enough to try something more serious than training. Tomorrow we could return to the goblin settlement and test your skills in action."


    "Aren''t they on high alert after our last visit?" Ando asked doubtfully.


    "Three days have passed," Hop shrugged. "They''ve probably forgotten. Besides, we have a better plan now. I''ll show you tomorrow."


    She went to her cot and lay down, turning toward the wall. The conversation was over.


    Ando sat by the fire for some time, thinking about everything that had happened during these days. About artifacts, about symbols, about the strange creatures inhabiting this world. And about the mysteries that seemed to surround him from all sides.


    He rubbed his wrist, imagining how one day a glowing symbol might appear there. A pleasant shiver ran through his body at the thought.


    Tomorrow, he thought, lying down on his cot. Tomorrow I''ll take another step toward unraveling all of this.


    And with this thought, Ando fell asleep.