Kaienley felt it—no, heard it.
He heard the vague noise of the fabric in space distorting, as if the dimension itself was fractured by the surrounding mana.
And in the rift that was opened in space, the Horned was pulled in at a speed incomprehensible for their mortal eyes.
Since Maeyurai didn't have his Sense Boost on, he couldn't see it.
"What happened?" asked Maeyurai as he glanced at the ground where the Horned was formerly present.
"There's someone else hiding in the dark," replied Kaienley as he searched around his surroundings cautiously. His Sense Boost was still activated, listening for any strange noise.
Maeyurai's puzzled gaze shifted to Kaienley.
"Huh? Someone else? Why?"
"I just feel that there is," Kaienley answered. His posture straightened as he looked around the road. "But another strange thing is the fact that this place is empty, where there were so many people running around earlier."
"My hearing has never failed before," Kaienley continued. "But I can't hear anyone's footsteps within meters—not even a single voice."
In his life, Kaienley had always heard footsteps or the heartbeats of other people whenever he used his Sense Boost in the city—no matter how empty the area around was. Such a foreign situation he was set in was enough to leave him disoriented.
From the bustling pulsations of the city to this desolate, quiet road.
"Looking back into it," said Kaienley, his eyes gleaming in realization as he gazed at Maeyurai, "the noises suddenly warped when I passed through the smoke, like something had cut the sounds abruptly. No wonder why I felt strange earlier."
"Where did the Spawn even come from?"
"Even I don't know. I didn't even hear it walk around beforehand."
Maeyurai looked around to find where the Horned came from. His eyes landed on the broken wall, where the first large explosion occurred.
"It came from that way," said Maeyurai as he walked towards the cracked wall surrounded by dozens of debris. "Let's investigate here just in case."
Kaienley nodded and followed Maeyurai. "We should," he blinked, his back aching slightly from the repeated crashes earlier.
Past the wall, there was only a narrow alley. The wall served as the dead-end for the street, but it was forcefully torn apart by the Horned a few minutes ago.
It's as if the Horned was looking for a way out—or something else. Either way, the situation was complicated.
Maeyurai's eyes wandered around the dark alley, trying to elicit some sort of idea over what possibly happened before the Horned attacked.
Without looking back at Kaienley behind him, he asked, "Do you hear something?"
The quiet Kaienley's Sense Boost was still activated, deliberately listening for anything. He raised his hand up to indicate that he's still observing.
With how hushed Kaienley was, Maeyurai looked over his shoulder to sneak a glance. After he saw Kaienley's raised hand, he continued forward, his eyes roving the surroundings.
For Kaienley's hearing, it was incredibly quiet for a few seconds—until he heard several footsteps. Footsteps of two people, to be exact.
The subtle sound of boots tapping against the ground immediately caught his attention. His head snapped to look behind him, to where the hole in the wall was—and there they were, two people in a brown, hooded robe, their faces concealed.
Kaienley's eyes landed over the two individuals in brown. His mouth sharply opened, followed by his voice.
"Maeyurai!" he gasped before sprinting towards the two mysterious individuals.
In front, Maeyurai abruptly stopped walking and immediately glanced back to catch a glimpse of Kaienley. "What is it?" asked he in a slightly alarmed tone as his eyes darted towards the hastily running Kaienley.
One of the brown-robed stranger's faces slowly twisted, their head facing Kaienley as if directly looking at him. While the other one turned away before suddenly vanishing.
Kaienley gritted his teeth before attempting to use the technique he's trying to learn.
"Sky Leap," he muttered as he stood on his toes—but the technique didn't activate. He did, however, manage to propel himself forward slightly, at least managing to reach the brown-robed stranger who stayed behind.
His hand extended towards the stranger with the intent to grasp and immobilize them to the ground.
The stranger in a brown robe didn't even react to him—as if Kaienley were a bug.
Kaienley's hand gripped the stranger's shoulder tightly, making sure not to let go. Then, he brought his other arm forward and struck the stranger's chest.
Wham!
It was like Kaienley hit a brick wall.
His elbow merely stopped on the stranger's chest, not even budging him slightly. He looked under the person's hood and saw nothing. It was like the abyss gazed back at him.
A man of no face. His gaze locked on to Kaienley with intent, and it wasn't a pleasant one.
Kaienley released the man impulsively and took a step back. He stood upright but made sure to keep his guard up.
The height of Kaienley and the middle-aged man differed, with the latter person standing at a height of 5'11, which was two inches taller.
The distressed Kaienley froze momentarily, his eyes still in place, closely watching the faceless stranger in front of him. He could feel the intense mana that the person in front of him radiated.
"It's even stronger than Master's..." Kaienley muttered with quivered lips as his legs started to tremble.
A beat of silence. Then came a flash of light.
Bang!
In the alley, Maeyurai already anticipated that something was wrong and had conjured both a fire bow and a fire arrow before shooting the man in a brown robe.
Although, it wasn't as effective as what Maeyurai initially thought it would be.
After the fire dissipated, it was clear that the man in the robe had blocked it with his palm—not even a single burn could be seen on his hand.
"It seems we've found two escapees," said the man. His voice was deep, just what you would expect to hear from a war veteran.
His voice carried so much power that both Maeyurai and Kaienley froze. As he glanced between the two intently, he continued to speak.
"Teenagers with potential, acting like a prideful cub without his mommy. Should I abduct the two of you myself?"
Right after he finished, he released his mana in its purest, innate form—one without an Affinity. He portrayed his dominance; his aura sprawled all over the air like a spreading toxin.
At the back, Maeyurai felt his immense aura despite being dozens of meters away. Like they stood in close proximity.
This crushing sensation...
This feels familiar...!
It reminds me of... Wency?
What is he doing here?!
Maeyurai's eyes stared at the robed man intensely. Or Wency, who he assumed to be underneath that brown hood. Then, he activated his Sense Boost, a vertical slit appearing in his left eye.
But as soon as he blinked, the man was gone, followed by an unconscious Kaienley falling to the ground slowly.
"Huh?" Maeyurai gasped, frantically looking around for where the stranger could've possibly gone. He found none but realized that he hadn't checked one place yet.
He turned around anxiously, ignoring the fact that Kaienley was knocked out immediately. In this kind of situation, his own safety was the top priority.
"Interesting," said the man of no face, his back facing Maeyurai as he walked past him. He was so ridiculously fast that Maeyurai didn't see him pass by. "Jhullien was right; you two were indeed here," added the man as he continued walking away.
With gritted teeth, Maeyurai called him to stop. "Wency! Stop right there!"
The man stopped a few meters away from Maeyurai; his posture didn't waver.
"Wency?" he asked. "Wency, Wency, Wency," the man repeated, trying to get used to how it rolls off his tongue or possibly to recall anyone with such a name.
"Why do you call me so?" he turned around. "For I am not one of them. In fact, we work against that trivial group."
"Y—you're not Wency...?" said Maeyurai, his voice stammering in surprise. But that wasn't the only thing—as the pressure that the man in front of him emitted abruptly spiked in density. It felt crushing.
The man slowly turned his body, his fingers intertwined together, resting behind him.
"The world is dense, filled with life and death. It is vibrant and monochrome, but such is the way of living—like a dance of sin and righteousness. But you, dear █████████, represent neither of what I've said."
The man paused as if he collected his thoughts.
"You are a hollow husk of no past, a vessel of no true soul."
Dear... What now?
I couldn't hear it... What did he say?
It's like the sound just distorted the moment it entered my eardrums.
"What are you talking about?" Maeyurai blinked, his eyes trying to discern what's underneath the hood. But it was pitch black, as if there was a dark wall covering the man's face.
The mysterious man let out a low chuckle, his shoulders slightly rising up and down. "You cannot see my face, can't you?" he asked as he raised his hand, moving it across his face like wiping something off.
"You are simply far too weak."
And for a split second, Maeyurai caught a glimpse of his face—and the wicked smile plastered on his face.
A beat passed by, followed by the coo of the pigeons above.
The man disappeared instantly without any anticipation, the same way that the Horned and the other robed person earlier did.
The distressed Maeyurai turned around as he looked for Kaienley. He saw his gold hair splayed across the ground, his unconscious face soundly resting. With swift, wide strides, Maeyurai headed over in his direction to wake him up.
"Kaienley!" he called early on from the first step, attempting to rouse the sleeping Kaienley.
Maeyurai knelt before Kaienley when he reached him and immediately shook his shoulders roughly. "Wake up, will you?!" he demanded, lightly tapping Kaienley's cheek with four of his fingers.
But Kaienley was knocked out cold. Whatever the man in the brown robe did to him, it was strong, not to mention swift as well.
With no other options left, Maeyurai lifted Kaienley's upper body and hoisted him over his back to carry him. "Let's get you up," said Maeyurai as he stood up slowly, trying to maintain balance so that Kaienley wouldn't fall off.
"I need to bring him somewhere safe," he muttered under his breath.
"Bring him exactly where?"
A familiar, feminine voice asked out loud. It came from behind Maeyurai.
Due to curiosity, Maeyurai glanced over his shoulder, his eyes making contact with the female that had just arrived.
"Sanrovina?" asked Maeyurai as he slowly turned around to face her, Kaienley still on his back. "Would you mind helping me out with this guy?"
Behind him, Sanrovina stood silently, her katana woven and attached to her waist. She didn't reply immediately but instead gave Maeyurai a glare of denial.
"I would help you, but not that person on your back."
Maeyurai's face twisted in confusion. Her answer was both expected and unexpected to him. "What? What do you mean you won't help Kaienley?"
Sanrovina flicked her hair up as she shook her head incredulously. "Hmph," she scoffed. "I despise the person you're carrying on your back. As much as I'd like to help you both out, I have a deal I've made with Kaienley that restricts me from helping him myself."
Her gaze locked on to Maeyurai, glancing at Kaienley's face for a moment occasionally. Maeyurai, upon hearing her answer, cocked his head in further confusion.
"Huh? You hate him, and you also want to help him... But you don't want to at the same time? How conflicting!"
Sanrovina turned away from Maeyurai with a contrived sass, her tall frame moving awkwardly. "If you're going to keep asking questions, I might as well just leave you both behind."
Maeyurai simply stared at her broad back.
"Okay, okay!" said he. "Sorry, Sanrovina, but can I really ask for your help now?"
The tall Sanrovina stopped in her tracks. Her head tipped forward, and with an exasperated sigh, she turned around to face him and replied, "Fine, but I won't be doing anything to help that numbskull on your shoulders. Just follow me."
The unexpected reply surprised Maeyurai. "Oh..." he muttered. "Alright, I'll come with you."
Maeyurai carried the unconscious Kaienley on his back, tracing the steps of Sanrovina in front of him.
They had been walking for the past five minutes, but there were still no people around—like the entire city had been abandoned. The disappearance of the civilian's presence is abrupt and something that both Sanrovina and Maeyurai couldn't adapt to.
"This is strange," Maeyurai uttered as his gaze wandered around their surroundings, his steps precise and gentle to not tip Kaienley over.
"It is," Sanrovina replied. "I was just walking around, and when I blinked—everyone was gone."
Hushed it was, as the frequencies of the wind passed by like a symphony. Maeyurai was deep in thought, his head slightly slanted in reflection.
After a moment of walking, he'd open his mouth to state whatever he's got in his mind.
"Sanrovina," called Maeyurai. His voice softly caressed the ears of the lady in front of him. "Is it possible that we weren't taken along with the missing people because we have denser mana?"
Maeyurai's words had Sanrovina intrigued. She faltered for a moment, but not too long to the point that she'd fall back from leading the way.
"You're right, it's possible the perpetrator only took the weak," she said without turning her head to look back. "While everyone can awaken and use mana, not everyone has the wish to utilize it, which leads to the point that their mana diminishes over time, turning almost nonexistent—unlike us Invokers, who train it on a regular basis and nurture it to become stronger."
"Wait, that happens?" asked the perplexed Maeyurai.
So the reason why I grew so fast in power is because I've been training my mana every day ever since I got my awakening!
"It does," Sanrovina answered shortly after. "There's a reason why people choose to become a Mundane, and there's also a reason why people choose to become an Invoker. It's a crucial choice, if you ask me."
Before letting Maeyurai ask another question, Sanrovina continued, "Do you not know?"
A simple question left Maeyurai speechless, struck like a bat to the head. He was reminded of how little he knew of the world, much less how naive he was.
"I mean... people never told me," Maeyurai replied in a tentative tone. He didn't want to look like a numbskull in front of Sanrovina.
"That's fine," Sanrovina sighed. "I'll tell you. It's because the Mundanes, or normal humans, who choose not to train their mana have their own beliefs they follow. We Invokers and the Mundanes are visibly at peace, but in the darker sides of this world, there are conflicts that happen in the distribution of power, culture, and interest."
"Some Mundanes call the Invokers greedy for power, and they say that mana is dangerous if left uncontrolled. But the most common cause of the Mundanes' rise in population is the lack of interest and limitations."
"If you were to ask me about my reason to become an Invoker," Sanrovina added. "I simply want to protect myself. It's simple, really. While the Mundanes around me choose to live normally like the primitive humans, I choose to become stronger so I can be different, so I can protect those I love."
"Like family?" Maeyurai butted in.
"Yes," Sanrovina replied. "But they're gone now."
Oh...
I shouldn't have asked. I probably just spoiled the mood.
Maybe I should loosen the tension...
"We share a similar motive, Sanrovina. I also want to become stronger to protect the ones I care about."
Sanrovina gave him a knowing nod as she led the way forward. "I see, it seems most Invokers have a similar motivation."
Silence hung in the air as the tension slipped away like a newspaper carried by the wind. Maeyurai—who carried Kaienley on his back—kept a blank expression as he searched the surroundings for a different presence.
Not long after, people finally show up in different buildings, sometimes on the road just passing by. It was strange; none of these people knew about the disappearance of the others.
But of course, both Sanrovina and Maeyurai didn't want to cause a commotion and decided to keep it within the two of them—or three, if one would include Kaienley.
Sanrovina sharply stopped in her tracks before turning to her left, her gaze shifting to the seemingly abandoned building nearby. It had two stories. It looked abandoned, but the way that Sanrovina walked in the house like it was hers stated otherwise.
Several foul words were displayed on the wall, yet Sanrovina merely entered the building without a care.
"Come inside, make it quick," said Sanrovina as he kept the door open for Maeyurai.
However, Maeyurai faltered as he stared at the walls of the abandoned-looking building.
"Hey... Sanrovina... Is this really your home?" asked Maeyurai, his attention never leaving the paints and words splattered all over the wall and windows. Upon closer inspection, the windows themselves were barricaded on the outside, as if made to cover those inside the house.
"It is; hurry up and get in before anyone sees us," Sanrovina replied with urgency.
What the hell am I looking at...?
This... This is horrible!
Who is writing these on Sanrovina's house? And why isn't she doing anything?! This is making me angry.
"Okay—okay," Maeyurai shook his head as he jogged past the door, closed by Sanrovina immediately after.