Chapter 10 – Temporary Truce
The beast's massive tail sliced through the air toward Alaric Thorne.
If it connected, both his legs would shatter in one blow.
In the final instant, Alaric Thorne leaped.
The tail grazed past his feet, but the sheer force cracked the ground open.
"So fast… even with such a heavy body, its speed is faster than mine," he thought, gritting his teeth.
Abhay attacked relentlessly from the front. His sword glowed with blue aura. Every strike sent sparks flying, but the beast's scaled hide barely showed scratches.
Suddenly, Alaric Thorne remembered the protection stones Vikram had given him and his friends before entering.
The moment it came to mind, he quickly pulled one from his storage ring—the special one marked with a distinct fire symbol.
He shouted at Abhay,
"Fall back!"
Though Abhay wanted to question him, he sensed the urgency and immediately retreated.
As soon as Abhay moved away, Alaric Thorne hurled the protection stone at the beast without hesitation.
The stone struck the beast's body.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted. Flames burst outward in all directions.
The fire's effect was immediate—the beast's icy power weakened noticeably.
Seeing this, Abhay smirked.
"So that deceiver Vikram even gave you his division's special protection stones. Looks like he really cares about you."
Alaric Thorne gave no reply.
His eyes remained fixed on the beast.
The beast suddenly opened its mouth and let out a furious roar. It had gone completely mad with rage.
A wave of freezing mist surged toward both of them.
Alaric Thorne shouted immediately,
"No! This is bad! Fall back! The beast has gone completely berserk—it's about to unleash something dangerous!"
Abhay snapped irritably,
"Don't give me orders!"
"Then die!" Alaric Thorne replied without changing his expression.
For a brief moment, silence hung between them.
Though Abhay was furious, he knew this was no time for anger. He quickly calmed himself.
The beast then launched an attack on Abhay—sharp ice shards flying toward him.
Abhay dodged to the right.
The beast released another burst of icy energy.
Its chest was now slightly exposed—its power had weakened from the earlier flames.
"Now!"
Alaric Thorne surged forward like lightning. His sword struck precisely at the joint of the beast's neck.
A perfect hit.
A deep crack rang through the bone.
The beast let out a deafening roar of pain.
Abhay seized the opening.
He poured all his strength into a second strike at the exact same spot.
BOOM!
Blood sprayed.
The beast staggered.
But it still didn't fall.
In rage, it raised its paw and swung at Alaric Thorne.
Alaric Thorne raised his sword to block.
Clang!
The impact was brutal. Alaric Thorne was thrown backward and crashed into a tree. The collision rattled every bone in his body.
For a few moments, his breath stopped.
A trickle of blood escaped his mouth.
"If this drags on… I'll die…"
Fear—something he hadn't felt in a long time—rose inside him.
But then—
A faint mark glowed on his wrist.
The light lasted only a moment, but fresh energy surged through Alaric Thorne's body.
He stood up immediately.
Abhay leaped forward again and shouted,
"Finish it! This is our chance!"
Alaric Thorne gathered what strength remained.
Both attacked together.
One strike.
One target.
This time, the tough scales finally shattered.
The beast's agonized roar echoed through the entire forest.
Its massive body trembled and collapsed.
BOOM!
The fog cleared for a moment.
Silence. A deathly silence fell over the area.
Only the sound of Abhay and Alaric Thorne's heavy breathing remained.
After a while, when both had somewhat recovered, they looked at each other. Neither was in any condition to fight.
Alaric Thorne took out the medicine he had bought from the old shopkeeper from his storage ring and consumed it. Relief spread through his body.
Then both turned their attention to the beast.
Its body slowly began dissolving in blue light.
From its chest, four glowing Sapphire Marks emerged.
Two pairs.
Alaric Thorne and Abhay stared at them for a few moments.
"Four?" Alaric Thorne whispered in surprise.
Abhay nodded lightly.
"This beast was far stronger than normal and close to the Awakened Realm… that's probably why we got more marks."
Silence fell again.
After thinking for a moment, Abhay stepped forward.
He picked up two marks and stored them in his ring.
Then he pushed the remaining two toward Alaric Thorne.
"Two for you. Two for me."
No argument.
No trickery.
Alaric Thorne looked into his eyes. He was surprised—Abhay had handed over two marks without hesitation.
There was no deceit.
"Even split," he said.
Both stored their marks.
For a few moments, they remained silent.
Then Alaric Thorne spoke,
"Look… we're both tired, wounded, and weak right now. If we keep fighting like this… we'll both lose, and someone else could take advantage."
Abhay thought for a moment, then asked with a faint smile,
"So what's your solution? What do you think we should do?"
"Travel together."
Abhay's eyebrow rose at the unexpected suggestion.
Before he could speak, Alaric Thorne continued:
"There are only twenty spots in total. Over a hundred warriors are fighting for them. The forest is unknown. The beasts are powerful.
Other divisions could attack us too."
He paused for a moment.
"If you and Vikram end your enmity…
the three divisions together could dominate the entire competition."
Abhay's eyes narrowed.
"You want me to stand with Vikram? You probably don't know—he's the biggest deceiver in the city. He once abandoned me in the middle of enemies and ran."
Alaric Thorne was genuinely surprised. He had thought Vikram was a good person who helped his friends.
So he said to Abhay,
"No… that can't be. There must be some misunderstanding.
And honestly, I don't care what enmity exists between you two. I'm not asking you to become friends again.
I just want to win," Alaric Thorne said calmly.
Silence hung heavy in the air for a few moments.
Abhay's inner conflict was clear.
He was thinking—
Is this boy using me?
Or is he truly thinking strategically?
If he's telling the truth… and if the three divisions unite… no one could defeat us.
Finally, he took a deep breath.
"Fine. If that's what you want, I'll accept your terms. But remember—this truce is temporary.
Once we leave Manasarovar, there will be no connection between us."
"Manasarovar ends… then we become strangers again."
Alaric Thorne gave a light smile.
"Agreed."
Both lowered their swords.
From the shadows, an observer watched everything with a faint smile.
The two began walking together through the fog.
Above them—
On a thick branch of a tall tree stood an old man.
Gray robes.
Calm eyes.
Wooden staff in hand.
A slight smile curved his lips.
"So this boy plays not with strength… but with wisdom…"
The wind gently stirred his beard.
He watched the two young men disappear below.
"The game is getting interesting now…"
The fog thickened again.
And the true trial of Manasarovar—
had only just begun.
The two had walked only a short distance together when suddenly they saw a group approaching from ahead.
A smile appeared on Alaric Thorne's face the moment he recognized them.
Vikram, Garrick, and the rest of his friends.
The moment Garrick saw Alaric Thorne coming toward them, a smile spread across his face. He stepped forward, about to say something—when his eyes fell on the boy walking beside Alaric Thorne.
He froze.
On the other side, Vikram also recognized Abhay. Anger flashed in his eyes.
"Abhay… what are you doing here?"
Abhay replied with equal anger,
"Mind your own business, Vikram. This place doesn't belong to your division. And remember—I'm not afraid of you."
Seeing Vikram reach for his sword, Abhay also prepared for combat.
Seeing the atmosphere heat up, Alaric Thorne immediately stepped between them.
He quickly explained everything—from entering the fog to now, including the events with Abhay.
After hearing it all, Vikram's anger subsided considerably.
And since Abhay had helped Alaric Thorne, neither Alaric Thorne's friends nor the group had any objection to including him in the team.
But then Alaric Thorne noticed something.
One member was missing from his group.
His heart sank as he looked at Garrick.
"Brother Garrick… where is Anika?"
The hesitation in Garrick's eyes…
sent a chill through Alaric Thorne.
What do you think happened to Anika?
Is Alaric Thorne making a mistake by including Abhay in the group?
Who is this mysterious old man?
Will Alaric Thorne's Blood Mark glowing cause him trouble?
If you already know the answers to these questions, drop them in the comments and let me know!