After dawn broke, Rin quietly woke Selin so she could enter the cave without the others noticing. Selin took on the task of waking everyone; as soon as they were up she began gathering the bedding while Mona and Lina worked together to prepare breakfast.
Rin entered the cave and saw joy lighting everyone's faces. They had fallen asleep after hearing a cheerful story about the Sword of the Sky, which had made them welcome the day with energy and cheer. Rin sat on his bench beside Oran and Leon, waiting for breakfast, while Theron and Selin sat opposite them, and Lina and Mona took the other seats.
When Mona and Lina finished the food, everyone sat down to eat, hopeful for a happy day — they had decided to go out together. Mona and Lina were tired of staying in the cave and of always being busy with cooking and cleaning, so Leon suggested they go out for some recreation.
After they ate, Mona and Lina enthusiastically helped Selin clean up. Once everyone was ready, Rin led the group, Selin followed, and the others trailed behind.
Mona watched Rin and Selin walking side by side, then turned to Lina and asked, "Don't you think Rin and Selin have gotten close to each other?"
Lina smiled gently and replied, "They've been through a lot together, and I noticed Rin is smiling again… maybe they've fallen in love."
Mona was surprised by Lina's words, then looked at them sadly and said, "Perhaps that's true… it does seem they've fallen in love."
Silence settled between them before they rejoined the others and continued on their way.
They stopped from time to time to gather supplies, fruit, and water. As evening approached, Oran suggested returning to the cave since darkness was falling. No one objected, and they soon began the journey back up the mountain.
Suddenly, Rin, Oran, and Leon all stopped at once, causing alarm among the others. Selin looked at them worriedly and asked, "What's wrong, Rin? You really scared me!"
But Rin ignored her question and said aloud, "Did you feel that too?"
Oran and Leon answered together, "Yes — there's another user nearby."
Theron, Mona, and Lina's expressions turned serious. Selin, anxious and tense, said, "Please speak, Rin — what's happening?"
Rin looked at her reassuringly. "Don't worry. It seems there's another user close by, but they're still weak."
Oran agreed, "Yes, their aura isn't strong."
Leon suggested eagerly, "Why don't we go check on them? We can bring them with us — the gate is about to open, and it would be a pity if they died when we could save them."
Everyone agreed and began moving cautiously toward the user, with Leon in the lead and excitement written on his face.
Both Rin and Leon were still mentally exhausted from their battle with the lightning disaster wolf. They had drained much of their strength; life seemed to fade slightly from their eyes before returning gradually — especially Rin's, thanks to Selin's efforts to bring back his smile — while Leon needed more time to fully recover.
With every step they took, the other user tried desperately to run away.
This continued until the sun set and the crimson moon rose, when Oran suggested they stop. "They're so scared of us — we can't catch them at this rate."
Rin agreed, "Remember, Leon, when Oran first came to us, we froze in our tracks… remember?"
Leon replied, "Of course I remember… but wait, I have a plan! Stay here; I'll fly straight to them and catch them. You can stay to protect the others — just wait for me."
Before Oran could respond, Leon leapt into the air and sped away.
At that moment, demonic monsters began appearing, worrying Rin and Oran. Rin muttered to himself, "Don't be late, please, Leon… before things get worse."
Meanwhile, Leon landed on the ground where the other user finally surrendered. He had been running in desperation until his legs gave out and he collapsed, gasping beside a girl about his age.
Leon approached them, and the young man shouted angrily, "Stay away! What do you want from us?"
He held the girl with one arm while gripping a sword in the other.
But when Leon got closer, his expression suddenly changed to surprise and he shouted, "The prince… and the princess? What are you doing here? This place is extremely dangerous at this hour!"
The boy and the girl breathed a sigh of relief; Leon recognized them at once.
The young man was Prince Erenor, and the princess was Aritha — children of King Valoran and Queen Valera, rulers of the Green Plains region and the city of Verona.
Prince Erenor was handsome, with short black hair, dark eyes, and a long, elegant nose. Princess Aritha was extraordinarily beautiful, with long blonde hair and blue eyes that rivaled Selin's.
Erenor spoke cautiously, "Why should we trust you? What guarantees you won't harm us?"
He said this while Aritha hid behind him, trembling with fear.
Leon answered confidently, "The choice is yours. Either come with me and be safe, or stay out here in the open amid this disaster until I leave."
Erenor looked at Aritha and asked, "What do you think? Shall we go with him?"
Aritha hesitated before replying, "We have no choice — let's trust him."
The prince turned to Leon and said seriously, "We'll trust you. I hope you do not disappoint us."
They began walking with him toward where Rin and the others were.
A sense of worry crept into everyone's hearts. Lina asked anxiously, "Rin, Leon's taking a long time — will he be okay?"
Rin reassured her, "Don't worry. Leon is strong and able to endure."
No sooner had he said this than Leon stepped out from the trees. Rin greeted him, "It took you long — what happened? Did you find them?"
Leon smiled, "Don't worry, I'm fine… you can come out now."
Everyone looked behind Leon with curiosity, and at that moment Prince Erenor and Princess Aritha emerged from their hiding place.
Rin, Mona, and Lina's eyes widened in shock, while the others showed no reaction — they were from different regions and didn't recognize them.
But the real surprise came when the eyes of the three — Rin, Mona, and Lina — met Erenor and Aritha; shock registered on all their faces.
Rin asked politely, "What are you doing here? This place is very dangerous at this hour."
Before the prince could answer, Leon interjected, "Prince Erenor is also a user like us."
Rin and the others were clearly stunned. Before anyone could ask more, Oran said seriously, "We must return to the cave immediately — these silent fugitives could be attacked at any moment."
Leon nodded, "Alright, Your Highnesses, let's go. This place is too dangerous; we can continue our conversation inside the cave."
The prince nodded in agreement, took the princess's hand, and followed the group. No one objected, and they hurried up the mountain toward the cave.
Throughout the way, everyone kept silent until some strange creatures began gathering around them. Panic spread as they remembered the last time, when those creatures seemed countless.
But this time Oran, Rin, and Leon were able to dispatch them quickly, and they continued on their way without delay.
Finally, the group reached the mountain and began climbing toward the cave. Erenor and Aritha panted from exhaustion, while Lina, Mona, and Selin — accustomed to travel and camping — showed no signs of fatigue.
When they entered the cave, the prince and princess were struck by how orderly it was, as if it had been inhabited for a long time.
The group followed and sat on the benches, while Erenor and Aritha remained standing at the cave entrance until Rin invited them to sit.
Oran had already cut several logs and Rin placed them beside the stone benches so everyone could sit comfortably.
Once everyone had settled, Leon asked, "So, what happened to you two, and where were you headed?"
Erenor bowed his head in sorrow and said in a trembling voice, "I suppose you already know… the city of Verona has completely collapsed. We were slaughtered by the demonic lightning wolves. No one survived — there were only scattered corpses, and perhaps even bones floating on the surface from decay. I saw my parents being devoured before my eyes in the most horrific way… the family bridge, Valinor, collapsed while they tried to protect us. They didn't care for themselves; they sacrificed everything for us, even death."
He paused to catch his breath, then continued, choking, "We wanted to come back and give them a proper funeral… but we couldn't find their bodies. They were completely burned — nothing remained."
A heavy silence filled the cave; no one dared speak.
After we fled through the palace's sewage tunnel, we stayed there until dawn, and with dawn the catastrophe passed. For a moment we thought it was over, but it was a false hope.
Our illusions were soon shattered when we were besieged by hordes of the demonic lightning wolves. At that moment, a mysterious sword fell from the sky in front of me. I didn't know where it came from or how it arrived, and I had no luxury of thought. I grabbed the sword though I was on the verge of losing consciousness, but I could not give in. If I blacked out, Aritha and I would have perished, and I would not allow that.
I endured the pain and began swinging the sword, cutting through the monsters with decisive strikes. I felt a strange exhilaration as I killed them — an indescribable sensation. To crush those who annihilated your people… I swore to rebuild the city, to restore life to normal, to avenge these demonic creatures, and to discover their origin.
We were heading to the western desert to seek help from the royal family, specifically King Ethan, who owed my parents an old favor. I hoped he would not turn his back on us — I needed his support to rebuild the city. I also plan to establish towns throughout the Green Plains and watch over them day and night to protect them from these creatures. But first and foremost, I must become stronger. You must have noticed my weakness… that's all I have now.
Silence fell over everyone, and sorrow marked their faces. Leon then spoke up,
"By the way, you said the sword fell on you from the sky — did it have any number on it?"
Erenor replied, "It had the number 500, and now it's 700."
Rin and Leon exchanged astonished looks. Rin said, "So this applies to me only?"
Leon answered, "It seems so."
Then Leon turned to Erenor, "But… isn't that number very low? Months have passed since the catastrophe, yet your level only rose by two hundred. Didn't you say you would avenge those monsters? Or were those words just anger?"
Erenor responded firmly, "I didn't want to expose Aritha to danger while I sought revenge, especially after the second ordeal, the Silent Golden Sword fugitive. When we hid in the cave, he dug an underground tunnel to reach us. If I hadn't been there, Aritha would have already died. Do you understand now?"
Leon nodded in understanding, "You're right. Even we, the strong, suffered from this — what about you?"
Then Rin spoke, "We understand your situation, and we offer our condolences for your parents. But we are also heading to the western desert. You may accompany us if you wish."
Erenor hesitated for a moment, then replied firmly, "I agree. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving me."
He added, "Can you tell me what happened to you? Or what you know about the current situation?"
Leon began explaining their experiences, including the legends surrounding the 'Sword of the Sky.'
While they were talking, Selin and Mona helped Lina prepare dinner. After a while Selin brought out the dishes. The meal was rich with venison and other ingredients and fruits gathered during the journey.
Everyone sat down to eat, and Erenor and Aritha couldn't hide their amazement at the delicious food. Erenor said, "We haven't tasted food this good since the catastrophe. I thank everyone who helped prepare these dishes!"
Mona smiled, "No need to thank us — you can eat as much as you want!"
Aritha also expressed her gratitude to the girls and to Leon for rescuing them, making Leon blush. He tried to respond modestly, "No need to thank me… if we had known you were alive, we would have come to rescue you immediately."
Aritha smiled at him before finishing her meal.
Rin looked at Leon playfully, teasing him for his shyness, but Leon didn't give him the chance to speak.
Preparing to sleep
After dinner, Mona and Selin cleaned the place while Lina began arranging the bedding. She said, "It seems we don't have enough bedding for Erenor and Aritha…"
Erenor was about to speak, but Leon interrupted, "Don't worry, we'll stay outside to keep watch, and you can sleep in our place."
Aritha protested, "But… we are guests. It's not acceptable for us to take your places!"
Leon reassured her, "Don't worry. We cannot sleep anyway after fighting that giant wolf. We've pushed our bodies beyond human limits. Rin will stay awake outside the cave all night, and I'll lie down away from this world. So rest easy."
Aritha's eyes filled with tears, but she managed a sad smile, "Still, we thank you for your kindness."
No one objected, because they all knew Leon and Rin couldn't sleep.
Once everyone was ready for sleep, Leon and Rin left the cave and sat at its edge, looking at the crimson moon.
Leon sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Rin. It seems I ruined everything for you."
Rin looked at him puzzled, "What are you talking about?"
Leon laughed, "It seems I'm the one who will keep you company tonight, not Selin!"
Rin stared at him in surprise, then said quietly, "If you only knew… I thought no one had noticed her with me."
Leon smirked, "Oh, of course. But don't worry, I'm the only one who noticed. The others are asleep, but I'll stay awake for a while, haha!"
Rin laughed, "So you were watching me? And what about you — didn't you turn red every time you looked at the princess? Huh?"
Leon froze, then Rin burst out laughing, "What now? Did the cat catch your tongue?"
Leon began shoving Rin to silence him, then finally admitted begrudgingly, "Okay… I admit it. She's very beautiful… and kind too. Who wouldn't be taken with her?"
They stopped teasing each other and sat quietly, gazing at the crimson moon until it vanished at dawn.
Setting off for the Western Desert
At sunrise Leon stood and said, "I'll go wake them."
Rin nodded, "Alright."
Everyone woke and began preparing; the girls made breakfast. After eating, Oran firmly packed their belongings, and the group set off on their journey toward the Western Desert, unaware of the surprises that awaited them there…