Chapter Thirty-Seven — The Mask Revealed
All eyes turned toward Niral, who suddenly found himself the centre of attention.
"What? I only said she's the only one missing," he replied.
Daniel gave him a sidelong smile. "Poor thing… no courage at all."
Azrian waved his hand for calm. "Don't butt into things that don't concern you, Daniel."
Daniel persisted. "I'm intervening because I see the truth… even a novice can read it."
Niral tried to keep his composure, but when Daniel's next line fell into the circle of their gazes he didn't know how to answer. Lucas asked, "How did you know?"
Daniel answered with the ease of an old proverb. "The language of the eyes… the most honest tongue in the world."
Then he turned to Niral. "A piece of advice: take the first step, however hard. It's better than watching yourself suffer in silence."
Niral raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
He looked to the others for their reaction and found their silent assent. He thought for a long moment, while Daniel wouldn't let him linger, offering a mischievous grin.
"So… when's the wedding?"
Before the sentence finished, Lucas and Azrian each landed two quick taps on him, while Lucas protested, "What? I only mean hurry things along."
Laughter filled the table, and the mood lightened—until they heard soft steps approaching. Risha appeared, carrying a small bag, breathing a little quickly.
"Sorry… I'm a bit late," she said with a smile.
"No problem, we weren't discussing anything important," Azrian replied.
Daniel chimed in with a grin. "Just social niceties."
Once the whole group had gathered, orders were placed as if they were racing against appetite: roasted meat over embers, a sticky rice-like side infused with wild herbs—simple food that tasted like a feast after their exertions.
After the meal and a few jokes to ease the tension leftover from previous missions, they returned to the matter at hand. After long debate, everyone finally agreed to take the Thick-Carrier contract. The decision had not been easy—each had reservations—but excitement won over caution.
A week later, fully prepared—training done, gear upgraded, provisions replenished—their personal screens reflected the change in their strength:
[Name: Daniel]
[Age: 22]
[Orn Heart: Lightning Mana]
[First Circle: 31% complete]
[Strength: 9]
[Speed: 8]
[Endurance: 9]
[Mana: 3,1 points]
[Nira: Lightning Strike — Uses: 10]
[Name: Lucas]
[Age: 20]
[Orn Heart: Earth Mana]
[First Circle: 22% complete]
[Strength: 7]
[Speed: 8]
[Endurance: 8]
[Mana: 2,2 points]
[Nira: Stone Hide — Uses: 10]
Daniel had replaced his paralysis nira with the Lightning Strike.
They gathered at the kingdom gate for the usual quick preparations—equipment checks, belt fastenings, the small notebooks where they tucked maps and notes. The sun hung high and warm over their armour. Daniel broke the silence with a sly smile.
"Looks like our little lovestruck bird… still hasn't said what's in his heart."
Lucas smiled back. "Yes, seems that way."
The muster completed, Malik inspected everyone's gear with a professional eye—checking pouches, feeling for antidote bottles as if assuring a life before handing it over. They rode out, covering roughly three kilometres across sand whose squeal under the horses' hooves matched the golden dust the wind kicked up—an opening fit for an adventure on the kingdom's frontier.
Suddenly three fast shadows appeared behind them, approaching from the kingdom's direction—their faces wrapped in thin cloth. Their few steps promised violence, not greeting. Two more figures trailed at a distance. A hiss of surprise passed among the group; only Niral registered the two men immediately from a single movement—he recognised them as his personal guards.
Someone at the rear cried out sharply, "Your Highness! Watch out!"
Nobody understood the warning then, but Niral did not hesitate. He stepped forward and stood face to face with the three attackers. He raised his hands, and after a brief, measured beat a blade of wind formed—sharp and luminous, gleaming as if carved from sorcerous light itself. Azrian, Malik and Risha stared in astonishment; none of them had seen a skill manifest at that scale and intensity. Skills usually matched the wielder's level: the higher the level, the longer, wider and stronger the effect. Niral's blade looked like an order above what they had come to expect.
They noticed something else immediately: Azrian's own blade reached roughly one metre in length, but Niral's rivalled it many times over in density and extension. Azrian, Malik and Risha drew back a step; the realisation settled on them: Niral possessed four mana circles. They took one involuntary step backward. Daniel and Lucas were stunned into silence—they had no idea why Niral had been hiding this power.
Niral lifted the wind blade; it cut a clear lane between him and the three attackers. The blade flew out with terrifying speed, stretching far beyond what a third-level skill should allow—an arrow of air that pressed against sight and hearing.
At that moment, the man on the right strode toward the blade with a peculiar calm and raised both hands. A thin black wall sprang up—matte and light-absorbing, about two metres tall and twice as long as it was thick, devouring light itself. It wasn't a simple shield; it absorbed any energy that struck it. The wind blade met the dark barrier and, in an instant, began to melt into the blackness as though the shield had peeled away its fire and swallowed it. Silence fell; the quick conclusion dawned on them: this fighter walked the path of Shadow—these three were not from their kingdom.
No sooner had the shock settled than another shout came from the rear. One of the two men who had been trailing them called out, "Your Highness!" He had conjured a massive fire orb—like a tiny sun prepared to annihilate whatever it met. He hesitated, then angled the dark shield toward it. As with the wind blade, the moment the fire struck the shield it began to disintegrate, the orb collapsing and the flames dissolving as though the shield simply consumed their heat. In moments the shield itself was gone as if it had evaporated in a controlled fashion.
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Skills in the Chapter
[Nira: Fireball]
[Mana: Fire Element]
[Type: Long-range Attack]
[Rank: D]
[Level: 4]
[More details »]
...
[Nira: Wind Blade]
[Mana: Wind Element]
[Type: Long-range Attack]
[Rank: D]
[Level: 4]
[More details »]
....
[Nira: Shield of Darkness]
[Mana: Darkness Element]
[Type: Defense]
[Rank: B]
[Level: 4]
[More details »]