Chapter 12: Conviction in Motion
Meanwhile...
The wind swept through the jagged peaks of the Cleaved Mountain, carrying with it the faint hum of clashing innergy. Kael stood atop a smooth outcropping, eyes closed, arms relaxed by his sides. A subtle pulse shimmered around him—then vanished completely.
Ryo, sitting nearby on a boulder with his sword resting across his shoulders, furrowed his brows. He stood up slowly, his senses sharp.
"…Gone," he muttered.
"I can't feel a thing."
Kael opened his eyes.
"That's a good thing, right?"
Ryo walked closer, inspecting Kael as if expecting to find a flaw—some crack in the veil. But there was nothing.
"No trace of innergy," he said.
"No aura. No presence. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were a rock."
Kael gave a slight, sheepish smile.
"That's what you said I needed, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, but I didn't expect you to master suppression this fast." Ryo crossed his arms.
"And detection too. Not to mention you're already manipulating your flow better than half the initiates who've trained for years."
Kael looked down at his palm, letting a faint trail of innergy flicker between his fingers before snuffing it out again.
"I don't have years."
Ryo narrowed his eyes at Kael's back. He could tell—this wasn't just talent. It was desperation, refined into focus.
But then, Kael suddenly turned his gaze toward the horizon, his expression sharpening. He narrowed his eyes, focused on something in the far distance.
Ryo raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Kael didn't answer at first. His eyes remained locked on something—something only he could sense. Finally, he spoke, voice calm but certain.
"Someone's coming."
Ryo blinked, then scoffed lightly.
"There's nothing out there."
Kael didn't move.
"He's fast… and what an absurd amount of innergy. But he's not hiding his presence."
That made Ryo freeze.
Kael just learned detection—not even a full day ago. Yet here he was, picking up something even Ryo couldn't feel. Ryo's brows furrowed, and a chill ran down his spine.
"…You're telling me you can sense something I can't?"
Ryo quickly expanded his senses, stretching them to the edges of what he could reach—and then, faintly, he felt it. A ripple in the wind. A presence, swift and sharp, approaching like a shadow with purpose.
His eyes widened. "Kazuki…"
Kael turned toward Ryo. "So it's him?"
Ryo didn't answer right away. He just chuckled under his breath and shook his head.
"You really are a monster in the making."
Kazuki arrived, his presence charged with urgency. His eyes locked onto Kael and Ryo, and without wasting any time, he spoke with a grave seriousness.
"We need to move. Now." Kazuki's voice was firm. "I've gathered intel, and we don't have much time. We have two days at most, and if we don't rescue Sistine now, we won't make it."
Ryo's face twisted in disbelief, and his voice rose with panic.
"What do you mean two days?"
"We have two days? Isn't that too much time? " Kael said.
Kazuki's expression didn't soften.
"You're not accounting for the fights, Kael. We'll have to go through a lot of opposition. Fights that could last days. We won't make it if we don't hurry."
Ryo's eyes widened, the weight of Kazuki's words crashing down on him.
"Damn it," he muttered, realizing the stakes were even higher than he thought.
Kazuki nodded, confirming their predicament. "Luckily, a group of blades and daggers have been dispatched on a mission, which means there'll be fewer enemies to fight, it is estimated that their forces have been split in half. But we still need to move fast."
Kael, who had been listening intently, raised a hand, his voice uncertain but filled with determination. "But... how did you get those informations so quickly?"
Kazuki's gaze was sharp, and he answered without hesitation,
"I used Swiftstride. It's a technique used by Sentinels to enhance their speed. You focus innergy into your legs and feet, and it amplifies your speed exponentially."
Kael, still catching up, blinked.
"So... you want to teach me that now?"
Kazuki's eyes narrowed slightly, his tone hardening. "There's no time for teaching, Kael. We don't have the luxury of training you. I'll just carry you if I have to."
Kael's gaze hardened, his jaw set with resolve.
"No, I think I can do it. All you need to do is focus innergy in your feet, right? I can manage that."
Kazuki froze, momentarily caught off guard. His mind raced as confusion flickered across his face. "Wait... you think you can learn it that quickly?" He studied Kael, his brows furrowing.
"There's no way you can use that technique just by hearing how I did it. It's... Impossible. Only a prodigy could do that."
Kael's eyes were intense, determination etched into every feature of his face.
"I'll do it. I won't slow you down."
Ryo's voice cut through the tension, sharp and filled with urgency.
"Enough talking! We don't have time for this! We need to hurry up!"
Kazuki gave a quick, frustrated nod, realizing there was no time for further discussion. The task ahead was far more pressing than anything else.
Without another word, the three of them set off, pushing forward with relentless determination. To Kazuki's surprise, Kael, though still lagging slightly, managed to keep up. Kael was focused, his feet moving quicker than they should have, as he found his balance and tapped into the technique Kazuki had demonstrated. It wasn't perfect, but Kael was doing it—he was moving fast.
Kazuki glanced over, an eyebrow raised in disbelief. "He actually did it..."
he muttered under his breath, impressed but quickly pushing aside any thoughts about Kael's progress. There was no time to waste on trivial matters now. They were running out of time.
Kazuki, leading the way, urged them onward.
"Focus, both of you! We've got a job to do. Sistine is still out there, and we're the only ones who can save her."
With renewed determination, the three of them surged forward, a tightly-knit team moving as one unit, dashing across the terrain with a singular goal in mind. Their mission: infiltrate the Holy Capital of Sentinels and rescue Sistine.
The mountains blurred behind them as the trio pushed forward, the terrain rough and merciless—but Kael's resolve burned hotter than ever. Every stride was fueled not by skill or training, but by something deeper.
Conviction.
He wasn't the strongest. He wasn't the fastest. But he was the reason this rescue existed at all. If he hadn't met her—if he hadn't cared—no one would be racing to save her.
He clenched his fists tighter, his steps refusing to slow.
I will reach her, he swore to himself. No matter how far. No matter who stands in the way.
He still hadn't told her—the words buried deep in his heart, now burning like a vow he'd risk everything to keep.
And nothing—not time, not Sentinels, not fate—was going to stop him.