The room was almost completely swallowed by darkness. There were no windows, no candles, and barely enough light to make out the shape of the walls. Somewhere near the center of the room, a faint glow hovered in the distance—the Orb, its surface reflecting dim, shifting images. Even that light was weak, leaving most of the room hidden beyond its reach.
After two days of silence, something finally stirred.
The man watching over the Orb slowly opened his eyes. His movements were sluggish, and his already deep, groany voice carried the weight of someone who had only just woken from a long sleep.
"Servants."
Two sets of footsteps approached from the darkness.
"Yes, master."
The man remained seated, his attention still fixed on the barely visible Orb. "What has happened during these days? Lucas… and the Kingdom?"
One of the servants stepped forward. "Lucas went on a mission with Vivian. During that mission, Vivian was kidnapped and taken to a castle. We have been unable to locate her since. Even the Orb cannot see where she is."
The man remained silent.
"Lucas was already injured from a previous battle with Vivian when he encountered Leo. He fought him despite his condition. His growth with Fire Style has been considerable, but…" The servant paused briefly. "He lost badly to Leo."
"And where is Lucas now?"
"Someone found him after the battle and rescued him. We do not know exactly who they are. They took him somewhere concealed from our perception. Without your energy, master, the Orb cannot see through areas that have been concealed."
A faint chuckle escaped the man's throat.
"Things have gotten interesting, haven't they?"
The second servant stepped forward. "The gates are also under constant attack. Nearly all of the lower-level warriors have been sent on missions to protect them."
"I see."
The man turned his attention back toward the Orb. Its dim surface shifted, showing scattered visions of the Kingdom's gates. Warriors could be seen fighting across several locations, holding back the attacks.
"They are no threat. Our lower-level warriors are enough for them."
His gaze remained on the Orb for a moment longer before he spoke again.
"Where is…"
There was a pause.
"Gordon?"
The name carried a different weight when he said it, as though even the brief hesitation before speaking it meant something.
The servant answered immediately. "He has been concealing his presence well. We only managed to locate him once, in one of the woods far from the surrounding lands. He was with his trainee."
"And?"
"The young boy is showing considerable progress. Gordon appears to be working on something new with him."
The man's expression seemed to change slightly.
"Did he make it to five-star?"
"He has not been assessed yet, master. Nor has he gone on a mission that would allow us to determine whether he has reached that level. But he is working toward becoming stronger. We would need to see him in battle to know for certain."
The man let out a quiet sigh.
"Fine, then…"
The servant hesitated before speaking again. "Master, don't you need an update on Auranis?"
The man looked toward the Orb with curiosity. "Yeah… about that?"
The servant answered, "Firen has been guarding the perimeter. He has remained there, waiting for their King to arrive."
The man said nothing.
For several seconds, the only light in the room came from the Orb, its surface continuing to shift through distant images.
Then the man finally spoke.
"That will be all. Go back."
The two servants bowed.
"Yes, master."
Their footsteps slowly faded into the darkness, leaving the man alone once again with the faint glow of the Orb.
Outside the gates of the Kingdom of Dragons, Jennie and Jason had already traveled several miles away. The massive walls of the Outer Sector were now distant behind them, while the road ahead stretched through the open land. With no immediate sign of Lucas or Vivian, they had little choice but to continue searching and hope they were moving in the right direction.
Jennie reached behind her back and pulled out her spear, keeping it firmly in one hand. She spun it around a few times, watching the weapon move effortlessly through her fingers before letting out a tired sigh. "Man... How does Shawn do this?"
Jason looked over at her, his curiosity immediately taking over. "Did you just try concealing power? I've heard that's a high-level technique."
"Yeah... Something like that." Jennie continued staring at her spear, trying once again to make its presence disappear. "As part of the Stealth Unit, I should be able to do this or what am I even worth for?"
Jason's expression lit up. "Are you really in the Stealth Unit?"
Jennie placed her spear back on her back. "Yeah... But when I have my mask on, right now I am just another 2-star warrior."
Jason thought about that for a moment before suddenly speaking again. "Why don't you try fusing with your weapon?"
Jennie stopped walking, surprised. "Fusing...?"
"Yes, multiple high-level warriors generate back their entire weapon using their energy," Jason explained, clearly excited to share what he knew. "Like 5-star Rank 3 Hero Louis, his sword breaks often during battle but he generates it back on his hand. I've studied about this long ago at the academy."
Jennie chuckled. "That's one hell of a thing to remember."
She raised her hand and focused on it, attempting to produce her spear in her palm. For a moment, she waited, expecting the weapon to form.
Nothing happened.
Jennie tried again, but her palm remained empty. She looked at it for a moment before lowering her hand, a little disappointed.
Jennie walked for a while in silence before glancing toward Jason. "Hmm... Jason, do you ever wonder why people keep attacking our Kingdom even after being aware that we're too strong with our manpower? Like, look at it. They're trying to find an opening just to the Outer Gate, yet they're getting overwhelmed by low-level warriors."
Jason looked ahead as he thought about it. "Well, from what I've studied, most wars in history happened for different reasons. Some people wanted to conquer something, some wanted to prove something, and others attacked out of jealousy or pride." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Maybe these attackers have some ultimate goal we don't know about. Or maybe they're just trying to steal supplies from the Outer Sector since that's where most of our resources are."
Jennie listened intently before responding, "But everyone knows no one can breach through our guards."
"Certainly," Jason said as they continued walking.
After some time, Jennie noticed an apple hanging from a nearby tree. She looked at it for a moment before turning toward Jason. "Jason, can you get that for me?"
Jason reached for one of the knives he carried and threw it toward the apple, but the knife completely missed its target.
Jennie looked at him before asking again, "Jason, get the fruit."
Jason grabbed another knife and prepared himself. This time, as he threw it, Jennie raised her hand and used Wind Style to create a small current around the weapon, curling the wind around its trajectory and guiding the knife toward the apple. The knife struck the fruit, sending it falling from the tree.
Jason quickly caught the falling apple before it hit the ground. He then cut it into pieces with his knife and handed a few of them to Jennie, who took them as they continued walking.
---
Lucas was unconscious, the same battle replaying inside his mind over and over again. Leo's attacks, the overwhelming difference in their strength, the moment his sword broke—everything repeated without end until, slowly, Lucas began to wake. His eyes opened little by little, his vision blurry at first before gradually becoming clearer. He tried to move, but his body felt heavy, as though even waking up required more strength than he had left.
"Le-Leo...."
Lucas's eyes finally opened fully. He looked around, immediately realizing that he was somewhere unfamiliar. The room was small and plain, containing little more than the place he had been lying on. It wasn't exactly a proper bed, more like a simple raised platform covered with sheets and padding. There were a few containers of medicine and other healing supplies placed along the corridors outside the room, while the faint scent of herbs lingered in the air. Lucas slowly looked around, trying to recognize his surroundings, but one thing was certain—it wasn't his house.
And it wasn't Vivian's either.
Lucas slowly pushed himself upright, his eyes rising as the realization returned to him.
"Master.... She's still in danger."
He threw the sheets away and immediately got off the bed, ignoring the pain that ran through his injured body as he moved toward the room's exit. Before he could get any farther, a voice broke the silence.
"You are not leaving so easy."
Lucas stopped and turned toward the voice. It belonged to a man older than him, with a small amount of facial hair beginning to grow across his face. He looked somewhat like a medic, and Lucas quickly realized that he was the same man who had been taking care of him.
Lucas stared past him for a moment before his eyes shifted toward the wall behind him. His clothes were there, along with his torn jacket and his broken sword. He looked down at them, guilt and disappointment settling over his face as he remembered how helpless he had been against Leo. After a moment, he looked back toward the man.
"There is someone who'd like to meet you." Lucas gulped and slowly began walking toward him.
"Don't be nervous," the man said.
"I am Lucas... Who are you?"
The man looked at him for a moment before answering.
"I am... Elias."
Lucas glanced around the unfamiliar surroundings again. "So, is this the Kingdom of Dragons...?"
The man shook his head. "Not at all... This is—"