The forest was quiet again.
Ginro exhaled slowly, the shadows around him retreating into nothingness. When he turned to Seraphina, he forced a soft smile... awkward, but warm enough.
"Let's… get your belongings," he said.
Seraphina nodded, still shaken, but grateful. They returned to the wrecked carriage. Ginro helped her gather the scattered bags, jewelry cases, and the hidden pouch of money beneath the seat.
When everything was packed, Seraphina paused. She looked around. at her maids lying still beneath tattered cloaks, and at the knights who once swore their lives to her.
Her voice trembled.
"They were loyal to the end… and I couldn't protect them."
Ginro lowered his head. "I'm… sorry."
She wiped her tears and faced him. "Ginro… what will you do now?"
Ginro hesitated.
"I don't know. I've been living in the woods."
It was a lie, and Seraphina knew instantly... his eyes avoided hers, his voice too stiff. But she didn't press him.
Ginro brushed off the dirt from his borrowed clothes. "Somehow i… need a companion. Someone who can tell me about this world."
Seraphina blinked in surprise. "Everyone in Elyndorath the world they currently lives knows about it. Even children."
Ginro stiffened, unable to answer.
Then seraphina smiled gently, despite her exhaustion. "…But I also need company. I'm heading to the southern kingdom Luminaris. i hope They may give me asylum."
Ginro offered his arm.
"Then… shall we travel together?"
Her silver eyes softened. "Yes. I'd like that."
They began walking along the forest path.
-After a while they traveled-
"So," Ginro began to ask, "what's the world like?"
Seraphina took a deep breath.
"Elyndorath is divided into four kingdoms. My home, Ardelune, lies in the east. We're ruled by tradition and the teachings of the light."
She counted with her fingers.
"To the south is Luminaris, a rich kingdom blessed by the God of Life. To the west is Valoria, the Kingdom of Heroes blessed by balance. And to the north is Gravemorne, a barbaric land blessed by death."
Ginro frowned. "Then… what else lives in this world?" Ginro asked quietly. "Are there… dangerous creatures?"
Seraphina let out a soft laugh. "Monsters are real, of course. This forest is full of them. As for angels… the gods watch over the world, but they hardly ever show themselves."
Ginro looked around at the towering, shadow-choked trees. "Still… why does anyone even travel through a place like this? If it's this dangerous, shouldn't there be safer paths elsewhere?"
Her face fell.
"Because assassins would be waiting there. My siblings want me dead… and they'd expect me to take the safer paths."
Ginro winced. "But this… was even more dangerous."
Seraphina froze... thinking of her loyal dead.
"I know…" she whispered.
-Meanwhile back at the East Kingdom, Ardelune-
At the ruined carriage, assassins surveyed the bodies.
"No sight of the princess," one muttered. "Return to His Highness, Prince Caelum Ardevere. He'll be-"
A shadow fell over them. A tall figure, nothing but darkness and burning red eyes.
"What," the shadow growled, "are you looking for?"
The assassins leapt back- too late.
The shadow surged.
In an instant, they were reduced to torn silhouettes on the ground.
"You dare interfere…" the figure hissed, "…with the growth of the Abyssborne."
The shadow dissolved into the wind holding a power sealed rune.
-Back to Ginro & Seraphina-
Ginro rubbed his temples.
"And what about angels? The gods? who are they?"
Seraphina seemed puzzled again.
"You really don't know…"
"There are four Supreme Gods, each protecting one kingdom."
"Tell me their names," Ginro asked.
She began:
"The first is the Goddess of Light, Lady Solarieth Luminae, protector of Ardelune… and the most beautiful and powerful of all."
Ginro felt something inside him tighten. A familiar warmth… and a familiar pain. He didn't know why.
Seraphina continued:
"To the south is the God of Life, Aeris Vitalion. To the west, the God of Balance, Eryndor Valeis. To the north, the God of Death, Morthak Riven."
She hesitated- her voice dropping.
"And at the center… the Demon Kingdom- Umbrafell."
Ginro felt a chill crawl through his spine.
He looked to his right. towering in the far distance across the horizon was a black, obsidian-red tower, pulsing like a massive heartbeat.
A memory stabbed through his mind-
Chains. Screaming angels. A cavern of darkness. And a woman's voice calling his name- "Ginro…"
He fell to his knees.
"Ginro?!" Seraphina cried, rushing beside him.
He gritted his teeth. "I'm… fine. I think."
But he wasn't.
Something was calling him. Something inside that tower.
But then. A roar ripped through the forest.
Trees crashed down, thunderous footsteps shaking the ground.
"W-What is that?!" Seraphina gasped.
A hulking Minotaur burst from the trees, towering, muscles bulging, rage in its glowing eyes. It charged like a living avalanche.
Ginro tried to stand. but his body refused to move. No instinct. No shadow. Nothing.
"Not now…!" he hissed.
The Minotaur lifted its axe to crush them.
Seraphina leapt in front of Ginro, spreading her arms.
A radiant golden light exploded from her body.
"Blessing: Aethergrace!" Her power buff pulsed outward, strengthening her body and erecting a shimmering barrier around them.
Ginro's eyes widened. "S-Seraphina?!"
She glared fiercely at the monster. "This time… I'll protect you."
The Minotaur roared and brought its massive weapon down. The clash of divine light and brute force shook the entire forest.