The touch of that strange finger still echoed in Enrico's nerves as he took a step back, then another, and finally ran with all his might, feeling the cold terror clawing at his nape like an invisible blade.
"She disappeared…?"
But the moment he dared to catch his breath, a soft and playful voice echoed.
"You run well, boy."
Casually sitting on a rock just a few meters away, the Nartheis observed him
'How? How does she move without sound, without aura, without... anything?'
He wasn't just fighting this aberration — he was still suffering from the pain of the environment, the necklace burning on his chest to hold back the effects of the mana zone.
'She's just toying with me, so maybe I have a chance. Calm down, I had a plan for this. I just need to go forward and find the shadow mage of the Ninth Circle.'
Enrico looked at her.
A faint, wicked smile curved her lips beneath the cross-shaped mask. Her black hair — half of it white — floated gently, and her eyes, invisible behind the mask, seemed to crave something.
[She disappeared again. The only thing I can do is detect her when she's five meters away. Good luck.]
"Great... now you decide to help?"
Enrico muttered while casting.
'Fireball'
A flaming sphere emerged in his hand and was launched forcefully. The moment it exploded against the wall — she had already vanished.
Enrico felt a kick and then pain in his ribs. She appeared at his side just to hit him like it was some kind of test. The kick sent him flying into the rocks, making him cough up blood.
"I'm curious to see how far someone with garbage potential like you can go. Show me"
She said playfully, then vanished again. Enrico gritted his teeth.
'If I mess up even once, I'm dead.'
Flame Fist — flames wrapped around his arms.
'Flame Kick.'
Enrico launched a distant flame punch from his hand to distract her and sped away using flames under his feet as propulsion
'She'll follow me, but if I turn here…'
He twisted sharply, weaving between stalactites. But there she was, already sitting on a rock ahead, as if she had always been waiting for him.
"You're predictable, boy."
Enrico tried to stay focused.
"Okay, so you want to play?"
He raised his hand and summoned another fireball. The orb split into eight mini-orbs, scattering around the area. He used the smoke from the explosion to hide and rolled into a crevice.
Flame Eyes — a spell he'd trained hard ever since Tolen's death. His vision sharpened. The magical particles in the air became clearer. The Nartheis's aura was still completely gone
'Nothing. No presence.'
The flaming weapon appeared, and he pulled the string, aiming
'Even if it's useless, I have to try.'
He fired the arrow ripped through the air — only to be caught between two fingers at the last moment.
"That was good. Almost chipped my nail,"
She said, dropping the arrow, which disintegrated into embers on the ground.
Enrico ran. Ran like never before,He hit, He ran,Burned rocks to distract. Slammed walls with his fists to make false echoes.
Hid behind pillars. Climbed, descended — he tried everything and for a while, it even seemed to work.
"Damn… so this is a true Rank Ranvil."
[She's... five meters behind. Three. One.]
"Damn it!"
She struck again — this time in the back. Enrico crashed hard, the necklace nearly cracking from the impact,Blood spurted from his mouth,His vision blurred,But he got up — now cornered, the only exit behind her.
Enrico used the last of his mana to ignite his feet once more,With his body in ruins, he leapt, trying to jump over her.
But the Nartheis grabbed him midair by the leg and slammed him back to the ground with brutal force. He smashed into the rocks, coughing blood — and this time, he couldn't get back up.
'Is this the end…?' — Enrico shut his eyes as he passed out 'I hate this… I have to get stronger.'
She approached,Stood over him, gazing down.
"You… really are the worst potential I've ever seen. Even among weak humans. But..."
She knelt beside him and gently touched his chest, where the necklace burned dimly, trying to mend what was broken.
"That's good for me. The worse someone's potential is, the easier it'll be to turn them into my servant."
'Who was he talking to in his mind, I wonder? Doesn't matter. Whoever it is, they won't see any of this. I got lucky finding someone here.'
She stood in silence for a few seconds, as if listening to something even he couldn't hear.
Then, she rose and simply walked away, unhurried — as if the whole thing had been a casual stroll.
Name: ????????? — Rank: Ranvil
"I'm going to die in that battle with the mage… so I need a trump card."
She walked away, climbing to the surface and spotting a mage surrounded by shadows, arms behind his back, destroying all the servants she had spent years creating.
'The Ninth Circle is terrifying… Well, once I die, it'll take a whole year to awaken inside that boy's heart.'
She stretched, preparing to kill herself — to prevent her core from falling into that mage's hands.
"Alright. My children, run. Mommy's going to buy you some time. Wait for me — I'll return in a year."
She stepped forward as the creatures began to flee.
"So, you finally came to die, creature?"
The mage spoke arrogantly.
"Yes and no"
Suddenly, she began to shift and dissolve — turning everything around her into darkness, engulfing the mage. A second later, she exploded, creating a thunderous blast shrouded in shadow.
Out of it, the mage emerged with his hand scorched.
"What a cunning woman… trying to take me with her."
Meanwhile, deep inside Enrico's unconscious body — in a place no one could see — a dark spot began to form within his heart.