The sword in his hand tightened.
Vincent unleashed another wave of mana, and a denser, more ferocious dark purple vortex formed once more. Nolan immediately imbued his sword with an almost uncontrollable, dark aura of mana.
He leaped forward and slashed straight at the vortex.
But—
His sword was stopped.
The vortex vanished instantly, and Vincent appeared calmly right in front of Nolan. Vincent gripped the blade of Nolan's sword with one hand, holding it as if it weighed nothing.
They were too close.
Suddenly, Vincent's purple eyes radiated a dense light. Its reflection slipped into Nolan's brown eyes, and instantly, his consciousness was shaken.
The world collapsed.
Nolan felt himself floating in a dark abyss again, his body swaying before falling freely. Then—clang!—he knelt on the cold floor.
His gaze fell on the broken glass of milk scattered on the floor.
In front of him, his mother, Anna, sat in a chair by the window, staring blankly outside. The dim light enveloped the room, making it silent and oppressive. Anna slowly stood up and stepped closer.
But the shadow darkened.
The face changed.
Catherine appeared in Anna's place, her gaze cold and contemptuous. Without warning, she slapped Nolan hard across the face.
The impact threw him back into the dark abyss.
Emptiness greeted him.
The black hands reappeared, grabbing and clawing at him from all directions. Nolan turned his head, trying to escape—and for a moment, he saw something behind him.
A figure with a dark face and large, glowing white eyes.
But before he could recognize it, the figure vanished, swallowed by the darkness.
The next instant, Nolan returned to reality as if he had traveled a long distance. Sweat beaded on his face, and his breathing was slightly labored. He regained full consciousness when he realized that Vincent was still holding his sword.
However, something was different.
The man's purple eyes no longer glowed as they had before.
A moment later, Vincent vanished from his sight and reappeared a few steps ahead, keeping his distance. The oppressive, threatening dark mana aura had completely subsided, as if it had never existed. The man in the black coat now looked normal, staring at Nolan with a blank expression.
"Antares would surely be proud of you," Vincent said calmly. "You're quite brave."
One of Nolan's eyebrows rose. He kept a tight grip on his sword. Vincent's sudden change in demeanor only heightened his vigilance. Just moments ago, the man had trapped him in his domain, testing and threatening him for suspecting his true identity. Now, he spoke as if it were all a passing thought.
"You still want to point your sword at me?" Vincent asked.
Nolan exhaled softly. He lowered his sword and returned it to his storage bracelet.
"Uncle," Nolan said calmly. "You truly know how to surprise me. After not seeing your nephew for so long, you've chosen to bluff him."
Vincent snorted softly. "If you think it's just a bluff, I'll remember that. And, for some reason, I like it."
Although the situation seemed safe, Nolan wasn't careless at all. Vincent wasn't the type to act without reason. Someone as sharp and powerful as Vincent couldn't possibly trap, test, and then stop without purpose.
Precisely because Vincent had paused, Nolan felt even more wary.
The black-robed man swung his hand in the air. Instantly, the bridge with a black, scaled dragon pattern disappeared. The dark, void space filled with purple light spots disappeared without a trace.
The scenery around Nolan changed again.
He was standing in the middle of a dense forest, back in his original spot.
Selena and Julian stood where they were, seemingly oblivious to what had just happened.
"Hey, Nolan, where have you been?" Julian asked from beside him. "We were walking together. I was just arguing with Selena when you and Mentor Vincent suddenly disappeared."
Nolan glanced at them, his expression calm.
"Muscle brain, didn't you see?" Selena said irritably. "Nolan is inside Mentor Vincent's domain. Only certain Sentinels can form domains. Once you rise to Sequence 2, you can also create domains, though there are obvious differences."
"Oh? What differences?" Julian asked innocently.
"The difference," Selena continued, crossing her arms, "is that the small domain you can create, the Simple Domain, is different from Mentor Vincent's domain. The domain we just saw is called the Perfect Domain."
Julian nodded, though it was clear from his expression that he wouldn't remember Selena's explanation for long.
"So, Nolan," Julian said, turning around with an exaggeratedly worried expression, "you were with Mentor Vincent just now, right?" What were you doing? Were you also given an oppressive test like we were?"
"Yes," Nolan replied, his tone deliberately dramatic. "A very oppressive test."
His eyes briefly glanced at Vincent, who stood with his back to them, his posture straight and showing no interest in the conversation.
"Before you go on a mission," Vincent said flatly, "I want to see how you handle a situation. Especially when it comes to... what I'm going to give you."
"You mean," Julian swallowed, "we're going to be tested again?"
"Isn't that great?" Selena interjected with a mischievous, lopsided smile. "You were so enthusiastic and wanted to be strong yourself."
Julian, who had looked miserable, shook his head as if to shake off his despair. Then he clenched his fists again. "Of course I'm ready."
Vincent pressed the bracelet on his wrist. A holographic screen appeared before his eyes, displaying a map of the region with one area at the edge glowing red. Nolan didn't get a chance to see it clearly, as the screen quickly disappeared.
"The Snake Goddess Organization," Vincent said, "is collaborating with the Daemon race. Their headquarters has been discovered. The Aurora Association is sending a full mission signal to all Sentinels, both Guild and Independent."
Vincent pressed the bracelet again. "You can see the information."
A holographic screen appeared and floated in front of Nolan. Selena and Julian immediately approached and stared at the displayed information.
"How could the Tiger Guild act so recklessly?" Selena muttered, narrowing her eyes as she read the data. "They were one of the Nine Guilds, yet they brought all their Sentinels to raid the Snake Goddess Organization's headquarters and were repulsed."
His voice dropped as he read the last line.
"Some of their members were seriously injured," he continued quietly. "Some were killed."
"Are we going there for the next test?" Selena asked quietly. Her hands trembled, though she tried to hide it.
"But we only raided and captured the Dark Sentinels. There's no way we're being asked to face a high-level daemon," Julian said, trying to sound optimistic.
Nolan turned his head toward Vincent, who had his back to them. The man with long, flowing black hair stood calmly, his black robes trailing down to the ground.
In Nolan's eyes, Vincent wasn't the type of mentor who would be generous or gently teach his students. Direct intervention seemed impossible. Vincent was as dangerous as Catherine. Despite being his father's eldest brother, there were too many secrets hidden behind his demeanor. Nolan couldn't fathom his true intentions; all he could do was remain vigilant.
Suddenly, a purple portal appeared before them. It was darker and more intense than the previous one.
Vincent stepped inside without looking back.
Selena and Julian looked hesitant, as if battling their own thoughts. Meanwhile, Nolan wasn't afraid of the danger that awaited him. This world never promised peace. No matter where he was, danger was always present.
Nolan clenched his fists. Without hesitation, he stepped into the portal. A moment later, Selena and Julian followed behind him.
The transition happened incredibly quickly.
As soon as he exited the portal, Nolan found himself standing on the edge of a snow-covered cliff. The sharp, craggy peaks of the hills stretched before them, covered in a thick layer of ice and snow.
"Where's Mentor Vincent? I don't see him—"
Selena was cut off.
A massive wave crashed down on them.
The snow rolled in like a ferocious white avalanche. The raging snow swept Nolan's body along. He could hear Selena and Julian screaming not too far away.
Without wasting any time, Nolan took something out of his storage bracelet.
He threw a bright blue box into the air. The box glowed and its lid opened by itself. Blue chains emerged from within and snaked through the air, rapidly extending.
At the same time, Nolan activated a transparent protective spell that enveloped his body just before the avalanche hit.
However, amidst the dark, chaotic snowstorm, Nolan had no idea where Selena and Julian were or if they had activated their protection.
Even as he was tossed about in the raging snowstorm, Nolan remained calm. He reached out for the blue chains that continued to move and extend before him.
"Find them," he commanded.