Seraphina raised her trembling hand, golden glyphs circling her wrist."Blessing: Aethergrace."
A radiant barrier bloomed around her just as the raging minotaur charged.The moment its massive axe struck the shimmering shield
The force rebounded instantly. The creature was hurled backwards, its chest splitting open as the reflected damage tore through its body.
Ginro froze in shock."H–How did…?"
The minotaur roared again, furious and hurt. It lunged. Seraphina gritted her teeth and reinforced her barrier.
"Aethergrace! Reflective Ward!"
The second strike bounced back twice as strong. The minotaur collapsed, muscles twitching, before its immense body slumped to the forest floor. dead.
Seraphina exhaled heavily, sweat dripping down her pale face. Her legs shook from exhaustion, but she smiled weakly.
"We… we're safe."
Ginro watched her, amazed. "Princess… what was that?"
She steadied her breath. "That was a Blessing. Only special individuals have it. Mine creates shields that reflect any damage dealt to me."
Ginro blinked, confused. "A… blessing?"
She nodded.
"There are many types. strength, magic, healing, sensory, even elemental. Only the royal bloodlines and are born with them. Except the Hero Kingdom, anyone there can awaken their blessings, but only after proving themselves."
She lowered her voice. "Demons have something different, Burials. Dark powers born from the abyss."
Ginro couldn't process everything, but his eyes shined with awe. Seraphina, however, eyed him carefully. "How do you not know any of this… truly… who are you, Ginro?"
Before Ginro could answer.
Seraphina's stomach growled loudly.
She froze, face turning red. Ginro chuckled. "Let's rest here for a bit."
"No! we must keep moving."
He glanced at the dead minotaur. "Well… we could eat~"
Seraphina's eyes widened in horror. "D-DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE GOING TO COOK THAT THING!"
Ginro smirked. "Relax. There's deer nearby."
Minutes later, they were eating grilled venison near a small campfire. Seraphina relaxed, savoring the food, until Ginro suddenly asked.
"Princess… if you have that blessing… why didn't you protect your comrades earlier?"
Seraphina's expression darkened. "When we were near the carriage… I couldn't use my power. Something was suppressing my blessings. Even my soldiers couldn't use their power. We were helpless."
Far away, deep in the shadows of the forest, the black figure held a rune seals.
"Damn Humans," the black figure giggled. "Using things like this"
-Back on the trail, Ginro and Seraphina resumed walking.-
After an hour, Seraphina spotted armor glimmering through the trees. Her face lit up.
"Ginro! Look! Knights! The emblem! this is the Kingdom of Valoria!"
The knights wore armor marked with the Scale of Justice on their shoulders. Seraphina rushed toward them with relief.
"Knights of Valoria! Please, we need aid!"
The knights turned faces cold, eyes lifeless.
Ginro's instincts screamed. Something is wrong. Why would knights of Valoria be here… in a forest between Valoria and Luminaris?
Suddenly.
Arrows flew straight at Seraphina.
She froze in shock, unable to move. The betrayal crushed her. "Even… even other kingdoms want me dead…?"
She looked at Ginro with tears, whispering, "I'm sorry… I dragged you into this…"
Ginro's world slowed. His vision blurred. Every sound vanished.
And then- He moved.
Using his power, he grabbed Seraphina and pulled her to the ground, shifting her position with a burst of shadow. The arrows sliced through empty space.
A dark instinct surged from deep within him. Ginro extended his arm
The shadows beneath the knights erupted into spears that impaled them instantly. Most fell dead, but two survived. One protected by a shield, the other slicing through the shadows with ease.
The knight leader stepped forward.
"So that's why you survived, Princess. Our disguised knights... the bandits we sent to kill you never returned because someone protected you."
Ginro stood in front of Seraphina, shielding her trembling form.
"You're a hindrance," the knight leader sneered. "And now… you both die."
One knight vanished.
When Ginro spun around.
The last knight appeared behind Seraphina, sword raised to behead her. At the same time, the leader appeared in front of Ginro, blade poised to decapitate him as well.
Ginro's mind screamed. "What do I do…? Her or me? HER OR ME?"
A blurry memory flashed. his own face smiling gently at him. His voice growled. not human.
"Burial: Abyssal Devourer."
A colossal shadow erupted, swallowing the battlefield in pitch-black darkness.