At the Lupus village…
The village chief, his elders, and several villagers hurried under the half-moon night sky, following the sound of chaos that had erupted not long ago.
By the time they reached the army camp, the entire place was in disarray. Soldiers sprinted between tents, barking frantic orders while others armed themselves in a rush.
"What's happening?" One of the villagers asked nervously.
The Chief looked around, confusion clouding his face. He stepped forward to ask a passing soldier, but the man, his expression hard, ignored him and hurried off to fulfill his orders.
"Something's wrong," The Chief muttered, his instincts detecting the air of desperation around the camp.
"Chief!"
Two of the village's resident police arrived, both panting heavily as they ran toward them.
"You're not going to believe this!"
The villagers gathered around as the officers quickly explained the situation.
"They freed her?" A woman asked, eyes widening in disbelief.
The policemen nodded.
"And now they're helping her fight the soldiers," Another villager added.
One of the village elders turned to the Chief with a frown. "They're going to be in serious trouble when the Capital finds out." He said.
The Chief remained silent, his gaze drifting toward the dark forest where the distant sounds of battle still echoed.
Meanwhile… back in the forest…
The soldiers gritted their teeth as exhaustion and panic spread through their ranks. They weren't just fighting the wolves anymore… they were facing a powerful traitor as well.
"Damn it," A soldier muttered, tossing aside his rifle and channeling mana into his hands, creating large metal gauntlets before charging at Dom.
Don't kill them, Dom…
The reminder echoed through Dom's mind as he took a defensive stance.
The soldier swung his gauntlet-mounted fists heavily, but Dom weaved with practiced precision and swept a foot against the man's ankle.
The soldier toppled to the ground.
Before he could recover, Dom grabbed him by the face, slamming him down with enough force to crack the ground beneath them.
Too much.
Dom clicked his tongue at the cracked floor, then glanced up as more soldiers aimed their guns at him.
"Fire!"
Dom dashed forward fearlessly, arms raised as bullets pinged harmlessly off his mana-hardened skin like pebbles against a wall.
"Stop! That won't wo—"
A soldier's warning was cut short as Dom's knee buried itself into her stomach, forcing blood from her mouth.
Still too much.
He grimaced and let her collapse before turning and driving a punch into another soldier's jaw. The man spun violently in the air before slamming into the dirt with a heavy thud.
The remaining soldiers shifted away, fear written across their faces, while Dom's grin widened at the defeated guard, who only sustained a small bruise from his punch.
"That's more like it," He muttered, then listened to the screams of soldiers being attacked by the wolves.
Following the sounds, he abandoned his immediate opponents and charged toward those fighting the wolves.
A soldier aimed his gun at a wolf cornering an injured comrade.
But before he could fire, Dom slammed his shoulder into him, sending him flying into the bushes. Snatching the discarded gun mid-air, he flung it at the wolf's head, knocking it out instantly.
Nearby, the alpha paused mid-fight, staring at Dom in visible confusion.
The soldiers looked even more confused.
"Whose side are you on, kid?!" One shouted, swinging a massive wooden club.
Dom caught it with one hand, the abrupt impact sending a gust between them before Dom punched the man in the gut hard enough to leave him gasping on the floor.
As the man fell, Dom noticed a pack of wolves, led by the alpha, preparing to attack a small military squad.
With a grunt, he quickly hurled the club into the ground, the explosion of dust and debris forming a physical barrier between the two forces.
"They're here!" A soldier shouted as reinforcements arrived.
Dom noticed this, clicking his tongue only to be drawn by the alpha's loud howl, signaling even more wolves pouring in from the forest.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," He muttered, executing a split kick that hit both a soldier and a wolf simultaneously.
As more reinforcements arrived, Dom maintained the fragile balance, keeping them apart while evading and countering attacks from both sides.
Three minutes later, the chaos had subsided…
Dom stood in the middle of the clearing and wiped his sweaty face, surveying the aftermath.
All the soldiers were motionless on the floor, most of them still breathing. Among the wolves, only a couple of dozen remained alive.
Dom frowned, unsatisfied by the numbers, then noticed a few standing wolves growling at him. Beyond them, the alpha stood quietly.
"I can still fight if you want," He said, his eyes glowing with still restrained power.
The alpha narrowed her gaze, sensing the lingering potent aura radiating from him.
Then with a single bark, she commanded the wolves to back down.
Dom smiled, then flinched to the sound of a deafening thunderclap. He looked up and noticed that most of the visible flames were gone, and the explosions had stopped.
For the first time since he entered, the forest was completely silent… though not entirely his doing.
He realized Dae had contained the attacks in other parts, preventing the chaos from spreading further.
Sounds like he's done too. He thought.
A faint sound of whimpers then drew his attention. He found the alpha on her knees, a hand on her injured thigh, which a cub licked.
Sighing heavily, he approached, careful as the wolves growled, but the alpha barked, signaling them to step back.
Dom knelt beside her, quickly noticing the new wound. "I still have some left," He said, pulling out the remaining bandages and an alcohol swab from his pockets.
She frowned, recalling the sting of the last treatment.
When Dom applied the swab to her fresh wound, she groaned at its even worse sting and bit his shoulder in irony, the same spot as before.
But despite the pain, Dom smiled once he noticed that her body, however, was noticeably more relaxed compared to the stiffness that time.
Minutes later, he stood, while a curious wolf sniffed the new bandage and the alpha scratched one of the adult wolves' heads.
"Okay… what next?" He muttered, discarding the used supplies while surveying the battlefield. As he contemplated the next step, the alpha stared at him silently.
Then--
"Lu…cy…"
Dom paused, turning to her with a brow raised.
"Name… Lu…cy…" She said, her brows furrowed in concentration.
Dom's eyes widened once he recalled asking her before. "Lucy, huh." He said, smiling softly at her. "That's a cool name. Nice to finally meet you, Lucy."
She smiled, her tail wagging behind her in relief of her successful attempt to connect. But it quickly vanished as she sensed something sinister. Her gaze—and that of the wolves—shifted toward the trees, low growls filling their lungs again.
Dom followed their eyes, confused before finally spotting a shadowy figure emerging.
"Wow. You really went crazy," The figure said, voice confident, carrying an unsettling tone.
On cue, the clouds parted slightly, moonlight illuminating the clearing as the figure stepped forward.
Dom narrowed his eyes at the 6'4" tall man. Pale olive skin, long wavy brown hair tied in a ponytail, silver earrings jingling lightly, and a fitted variant of the Royal Knight uniform revealed his physique.
Dom tensed as he perceived the dense, sizzling red aura emanating from the knight's body.
This guy's crazy strong. Way more than me. He thought instinctively.
The knight rested a long, slim, navy blue spear on his shoulder once he noticed their hostile glares. "Relax. I haven't even done anything yet," He said, teasingly.
"Who are you?" Dom asked, voice steady but wary.
The knight raised a brow, genuinely surprised by that question. "Seriously? That's a little embarrassing," He chuckled, hanging his spear behind his neck with his arms resting on its length on both sides. "But I know who you are… Dominic."
Dom stiffened. "Who the hell are you?" He pressed, taking a step forward, his eyes glowing menacingly.
The Knight shook his head with a sigh. "You should really do your research, newbie," He said, glancing at Dom with a confident smirk. "Xavier Martinez—Head Vice-Captain of the Magic Knight's 7th Division. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Dom's blood instantly ran cold, and Lucy turned to him, frowning in confusion once she noticed how pale he had gone.
Even though he didn't know the man by name, that title alone spoke volumes.
A Head-VC? They haven't been changed since they were created, like the Monarchs. Which makes this guy…
He gulped, a nervous sweat running down his face as the lingering sense of inferiority gnawing at him finally made sense.
He's a Monarch successor.
Xavier smirked, clearly enjoying Dom's reaction.
"Looks like you understand now," He said, swinging his spear casually before pointing it at Dom. "I'm one of the chosen mages closest to being a Monarch. Which means…" His smirk widened. "…I'm far above your class, newbie."
In that moment, Dom was reminded of one of his Academy Lectures…
Magic Classes were the universal ranking system used to measure a mage's overall power and value in battle.
A mage's class was determined by several factors--their magic type, mana capacity, combat ability, and overall threat level. Simply put, the higher the class, the more dangerous the mage.
For centuries, the system consisted of seven official classes: E, D, C, B, A, S, and SS-- ascending from the weakest to the strongest known mages.
However, decades ago, the world was forced to acknowledge a power that stood beyond the limits of conventional magic. A new classification was created: SSS-Class, also known as the X-Class.
A realm of power said to belong only to the Monarchs.
"This is really bad," Dom muttered under his breath, recalling the hierarchy of magic classes and where a Monarch Successor falls under.
Xavier chuckled at Dom's frozen expression, then turned his attention to Lucy. His red eyes scanned her exposed skin and curves, and he whistled.
"Now I understand why you're helping her. She's hot."
Lucy growled, murderous intent flaring in her gaze. But the more she seethed, the more intrigued Xavier seemed, approaching with a predatory confidence.
Lucy stood, only to stumble back in pain, wincing at her injured lap.
Xavier's smirk widened at her helplessness—just as Dom stepped in, an arm raised protectively between her and this man.
"Hey. Hey. Are you serious?" Xavier stopped, his tone mixing amusement and disbelief. "Didn't you hear me? I'm an SS-class mage. You can't stop me,"
Lucy's frown deepened.
She didn't understand what classes meant, but she could sense the sheer strength radiating from him, far stronger than her or Dom.
Yet, her gaze softened slightly at Dom's raised hand, sensing his resolve.
"Are you really okay with this?" Dom asked, eyes locked on the powerful knight.
"The Capital didn't send us here to protect the village from wolves," Dom said boldly. "They were just using us to clear the forest so they could mine Rapore."
Xavier raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the soldiers and wolves strewn around them.
"Since mining Rapore's an eco-hazard, they were prepared to wipe out the village if they refused to leave, huh?" Xavier muttered, his eyes darkening.
Dom slowly grinned.
If this man were truly a Monarch successor, it meant that he must have inherited their will. The same will that drove them to stop the war--to save the world and become the heroes that he revered. If anyone could understand his motives, it should be someone like him.
He nodded. hope filling his heart as he stepped forward. "If they do that, only the capitalists will win. The wolves and villagers—"
"So?"
Dom flinched at the stark indifference in Xavier's cold, emotionless eyes.
"The Council's the one paying us, right? Not the wolves or villagers. So why the hell should we stop them?" Xavier asked, his tone completely heartless.
A tense silence fell, almost as if the forest too was shocked by his response.
Despite the time to process, Dom's expression remained clouded with disbelief.
Xavier sighed, then casually strolled to the side. "I don't know what those Academy idiots taught you," He said with a dismissive wave. "… but knights are just knights in name only."
He stopped, his gaze fixing on a wolf and a soldier, both lying unconscious at his feet.
"We're not righteous knights in shining armor, like in those fantasy books or stories."
He raised his spear—and without hesitation—stabbed it through the wolf's skull.
Lucy and the other wolves growled at the act while Dom's body froze, rigid with shock.
Xavier pulled the spear free, watching the warm blood drip to the ground, then turned his cold gaze to Dom.
"We're just glorified mercenaries, newbie." He said, casually flicking the blood off his spear. "We get the job done, collect our pay, and go home. Simple as that."
He then turned to the soldier and suddenly stomped his head.
"Hey! Stop!" Dom shouted.
Xavier ignored him, pressing his boot against the man's cheek. "If they weren't paying me for this shit, I wouldn't be here." He continued, unmoved by his actions. "And if someone paid me more to kill them instead, I wouldn't hesitate."
"STOP!" Dom repeated, his voice now sharp with barely contained fury.
Xavier chuckled at the sight. "Oooh… scary." He teased and removed his foot casually.
"And you call yourself a successor?!" Dom shouted, his entire body trembled—not with fear this time, but with overwhelming anger. "You're a disgrace to the Monarchs!"
Xavier's grin widened at Dom's righteous fury. "You really have no idea, do you?" He chuckled, then spread his arms wide in a dramatic gesture, teasing eyes suddenly hardening, his smile fading into a bitter sneer.
"You can play hero all you want, newbie… but the Knights, especially the Monarchs," He said, as if the word itself was a slur. "… are just dogs for the Capital to use. And that includes you…"