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POV: Cordelia Coralia
We were moving swiftly between the trees, and for a reason I still didn't understand, that boy was guiding us safely… yet he kept asking whether the path he chose was the right one. That only intensified my suspicion of him. His behavior was strange—his eyes constantly scanned every direction, as if something were hunting him.
Honestly… a faint fear crept into me. His actions were not the actions of a normal person.
I approached my brother, who seemed more interested in racing this stranger than paying attention to anything else. When he noticed my unease, he slowed down and moved closer, so I whispered:
"Don't get too close to him… don't you see how he behaves? He's not normal."
My brother replied indifferently, as if he had known Arthur for years:
"No, I don't think so. He's just observing the forest. Remember… abyssal beasts concentrate inside the island because they can't enter the Water City."
I frowned at him.
What was I expecting from this idiot anyway?
I broke the silence and asked directly:
"So… what's your name?"
He didn't even look at me and answered with a single cold word:
"Arthur."
That irritated me. What was wrong with him? Why speak like that? And he only gave his first name, without mentioning his family.
Is he a commoner?
No… his posture, his grace, his calmness—none of it belonged to someone from the common folk.
Every movement of his was polished like those of a noble.
My brother voiced the question I was thinking:
"Just Arthur? What's your family name? Which noble house are you from?"
As expected, Arthur didn't answer. He remained silent, wrapped in his cold indifference.
That silence… that composure… that unnatural calm.
Are all handsome men like this?
Then, after glancing at my brother's expression, I remembered:
"No… this idiot isn't handsome. And he's an idiot!"
Suddenly, Arthur stopped completely and said sharply:
"We're surrounded."
I froze in place. I looked around but saw nothing.
My brother instantly took a combat stance, surprising me—he only did this when the danger was real. He possessed a domain skill that revealed everything around him.
So I asked quickly:
"Which direction?"
He and Arthur answered in perfect unison:
"Seven. They've encircled us in a ring."
My eyes widened.
Arthur has a domain skill too?!
I pushed down my curiosity and focused on the upcoming fight.
A few seconds later, four figures appeared… all of them Awakened.
My brother clicked his tongue:
"Tsk… this won't be easy."
Just as he was about to rush forward, Arthur stopped him with that same cold tone:
"Don't. They intend to separate and exhaust us. These Awakened are the weakest among them… and they have someone ranked as a Master with them."
A chill ran through my blood.
A Master?
We had no chance—not even the faintest.
But Arthur remained disturbingly calm.
I swallowed hard and looked at him, voice trembling:
"A-Are you with them?"
My brother instantly jumped in front of me in a defensive stance, while I started forming my spell and tightened my grip on my sword.
Arthur spoke coldly, his eyes scanning the forest without a single blink:
"If I were one of them… I wouldn't have stopped you, nor warned you about them."
Before we could reply, an overwhelming pressure crashed down on us—
A pressure so intense our bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Even Arthur faltered for a moment before regaining his dignified, composed posture almost instantly.
Then, a man hovered above us before landing on one of the trees.
His voice dripped with poison as he said:
"Looks like we obtained what we wanted faster than I expected."
Arthur was the only one standing between us and them.
Then he did something unexpected—a golden light burst out of him, wrapping around us.
The crushing pressure vanished.
Not only that—my strength surged, and the mana inside me flowed faster.
A reinforcement skill?
Is he… a booster?
Arthur glanced at us, one of his eyes glowing faintly gold, its iris moving unnaturally, as if he were seeing things beyond our perception.
He spoke with cold certainty:
"We can't run from them. We fight.
They're Awakened… but they're underestimating us.
And that's our strongest advantage: surprise.
If we unite… we can defeat them."
I hesitated, still unsure if I could trust him.
But my brother agreed instantly—of course he would. He only ever saw the positive side of things.
Still… I knew we had no real chance unless we worked together.
So I nodded, despite the anxiety twisting inside me.
Their leader then gave an order to one of his four subordinates:
"Kill that pretty-faced idiot…
and bring the other two."
My brother's face burned with anger.
Once again… no one paid him any attention.
Everyone focused on Arthur.
Caspian jumped forward to confront his opponent, while the rest of us stayed still.
Arthur leapt as well, his body coated in a dark, rock-like armor, his hands transforming into jagged shield-blades.
As for me… I finished charging my spell and waited for the perfect moment to release it.
The air vibrated—
And the battle began.
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