Lord of Death" sat upon his throne in solemn silence. Suddenly, his eyes caught the faint outline of an approaching figure. A sarcastic smile crept onto his lips as he whispered, "So... the rat has finally decided to leave its hole."
Maurice advanced with measured steps, then bowed with profound respect, saying:
— "I offer my homage and greetings to the Lord of Death."
His master scrutinized him with a piercing gaze and asked:
— "Where have you been all this time?"
Maurice replied with a voice that carried traces of weariness:
— "The wound inflicted by the Lord of Demons was slowly healing, but in the last confrontation, (Andre) dealt me a fatal blow. I hovered between life and death, so I needed a long time to recover."
The Lord of Death narrowed his eyes, questioning:
— "Hmm... was his power truly capable of inflicting all that damage?"
Maurice retorted with surprise:
— "My lord, you also felt that power, did you not?"
The Lord of Death said:
— "Are you referring to that energy that appeared for a few seconds and then vanished? When that boy arrived, the aura emanating from him had completely disappeared. However, when he fought my skeletal armies, he was able to use his power to a very small extent."
Maurice concluded:
— "Then, that power has been sealed again."
At this, the Lord of Death asked with a meaningful tone:
— "It is true that I grant you freedom of action when I do not need you, but do you know who else visited me?"
— "I do not, my lord."
The Lord of Death's smile widened:
— "You say you don't know? But you know him well, you have dealt with him before... it is (Falek)."
As soon as the name was uttered, a shiver of tension ran through Maurice's body, and he stammered:
— "Did you say (Falek)? May I know the reason for his visit, my lord?"
The Lord of Death replied calmly:
— "He was observing (Andre)... Do you understand what that means?"
— "Falek's appearance in the open means colossal troubles are on the horizon... But why (Andre) specifically?"
The Lord of Death continued, revealing a dangerous secret:
— "Do you know that he was the one who convinced the Lord of Demons to abandon his pact?"
Maurice was astonished and said:
— "Then... he intends to choose the Lord of Demons?"
The Lord of Death was puzzled:
— "Choose him? For what purpose?"
Maurice explained his perspective:
— "In the last confrontation, (Andre) unleashed immense power, unlike anything I had ever witnessed. When I looked at him, I saw two conflicting sides: black and white. Two energies warring within him, and whichever triumphs will be able to control the body."
The Lord of Death sighed thoughtfully:
— "So that's it... (Falek) intends to harness both powers for the Lord of Demons, and that's why the latter abandoned the pact. What are you planning, (Falek)? We shall know soon enough... But now, Maurice, you have complete freedom to do as you please."
Maurice could not believe his ears:
— "You grant me my freedom?"
— "Yes."
Maurice stood and requested leave, and his master granted it. No sooner had he left than the "Observer," who had been tasked with monitoring Maurice, approached and asked:
— "May I ask a question, my lord? Why did you grant him his freedom?"
The Lord of Death replied cunningly:
— "Simply because he will be our key to uncovering (Falek)'s plan. All that has been said now is merely the tip of the iceberg, and Maurice is its extension."
The Observer asked:
— "Why are you interested in what (Falek) will do, my lord?"
He replied concisely:
— "Just curiosity."
Chapter Two: A Lesson in the Forest
Deep in the desolate forest, Andre and Ian were preparing for a hunt. Ian spoke seriously:
— "Since this is your first hunt with me inside the forest, follow me and don't act foolishly."
Andre replied with excessive confidence:
— "Follow you? I've been roaming the forest alone for two weeks, and you tell me to follow you?"
Ian smiled sarcastically:
— "Two weeks? What confidence... All right, let's go."
The two set off until they encountered a strange "Lemur" beast, a creature with a sharp, sword-like bone protruding from its back. Ian said:
— "This is an easy beast; finish it off."
Andre gripped his sword and said proudly:
— "With pleasure."
Before he could finish his sentence, Ian's sword had instantaneously clashed with the sharp bone of the Lemur, preventing it from piercing Andre's body. Ian stepped back and scolded:
— "It would have killed you if I hadn't intervened... Have you ever faced a beast with such speed before?"
— "No."
Ian explained:
— "The forest teems with hundreds of types of beasts, like the Lemur that almost killed you just now. It uses camouflage around us, so be careful."
Andre replied:
— "But I don't sense its presence!"
Ian pushed his companion aside and fended off the Lemur's continuous attacks, saying:
— "That's because you have no sensory perception or (mana), which is why you couldn't sense me when we first met."
Andre bristled with anger, gripping his sword and using "Earth Power," which caused the surrounding bushes to swallow the beast and reveal its location. When the Lemur reappeared, Andre unleashed a volley of small blades that pierced the beast's body and killed it. Then he said proudly:
— "But I have a working mind."
Ian approached the Lemur's corpse, and when he saw poison dripping from the blades, he turned to Andre and hit him on the head, shouting:
— "You fool! You're poisoning the food, you idiot!"
Andre gaped:
— "Huh? Are we going to eat the Lemur?"
— "Of course! We're in a forest, why do you think we're hunting? For decoration? Answer me!"
Ian angrily removed the blades, then dug a hole and buried the Lemur in it, saying:
— "Listen, Andre, if you don't want to starve, never use poisoned tools, understand?"
Andre nodded his head:
— "Understood."
Ian hit him again:
— "That doesn't look like it at all."
Ian sighed, then added, advising:
— "If you can't sense magic, use your instincts... Understood?"
Chapter Three: The Black Stone
The two continued their journey until they found a strange sight: a group of monstrous bears guarding something. Curiosity got the better of them, and they decided to attack.
The bears' reaction was swift; one of them launched an icy wave towards them. Andre deflected the attack with his sword, while Ian charged, unleashing three fiery attacks that brought down one of the bears.
Two remained, so Andre activated his ice power, freezing them in place. Then both he and Ian plunged their swords into the hearts of the two beasts.
When the battle ended, they went to see what the bears had been guarding. They found a black stone that seemed unremarkable. They decided to take it, but suddenly, a small stone shot out at lightning speed, hitting the black stone and shattering it into pieces.
Andre was stunned, but Ian knew the perpetrator, exclaiming:
— "Why did you destroy it?"
A gruff voice answered them:
— "Because that stone would have drawn all the beasts of the forest towards you."
Ian laughed:
— "Is it another trap from them?"
The old "Master Lao" appeared, smiling, and said:
— "Have you become clever, Ian?"
Ian retorted playfully:
— "And was I ever foolish before, Master Lao?"