「BEFORE THE ATTACK」
As the Knights cheered the Five Angels' perceived victory, the three shadows observed from the canopy. G6 watched with cold amusement, a predator studying prey's foolish relief.
"Is it truly finished?" Zen asked, anxiety tight in his chest.
"Listen," G6 instructed, ignoring the question. "Attack the wolves directly in the heart. The spell's core is centered there."
"What do you mean, are they...?" Zen started.
"No. The longer they respawn, the stronger they become." G6's explanation was quick, clinical. She was studying the mechanism, not just spectating, Zen realized.
"Keep your faces hidden. Do not use your affinity, Zero."
"Understood."
"Three minutes," G6 declared. "You have only three minutes to dispatch the remainder."
"Every attack must be precise. A single strike," Edmund summarized.
"Yes. We wait for their confusion and primal fear to peak, then finish it before they recover."
The two men nodded, readying hidden swords. G6 drew her twin sword-daggers from her vault.
"If I signal, retreat into the forest and stay high." G6's smirk was sharp, predatory. "Now, let's wait for the finale..."
"Are you certain you are serving a person, and not an evil deity?" Zen whispered to Edmund.
"Either way, I am simply proud of my master," Edmund replied, loyalty absolute.
Zen shook his head slowly. The three waited in grim silence.
As the Knights began to relax, G6 started the countdown.
"Twelve," she murmured. "Excluding the Alpha. That one is mine."
"The heart, correct?" Zen confirmed.
"Yes. If anything unusual shows up, collect it. Leave no trace."
Ten minutes later, the wolves respawned.
"Goodness, the ominous aura reveals its true form," Edmund breathed.
"Exponentially stronger," Zen agreed.
G6 remained silent. She didn't give the command until the Alpha charged directly toward Lieutenant Libert.
Reaper's Ascent. Speed 1s.
Before Zen and Edmund could register the movement, their Captain flashed past them, landing a deadly stab into the wolf's heart.
Their hearts raced again; she'd moved without warning. When G6 raised her hand—the signal—they vaulted off the branch. The moment they landed, they attacked the rest of the pack like ravenous predators.
They didn't know if it was G6's presence, but a strange, intoxicating feeling surged from their stomachs to their chests—a mix of thirst, hunger, and primal excitement.
G6 watched them, a faint smile gracing her lips. Making them watch and wait paid off.
"They are the suspicious subjects we were talking about," a voice from below hissed.
G6's face turned grim. Looks like some pest spotted our entry earlier.
She saw the Alpha turn and retreat into the forest depths. That stupid mutt.
She whistled—a sharp, clear sound—signaling the two to fall back.
G6 immediately chased the Alpha.
Speed 0.1s.
She vanished, leaving only a trace of disturbed sand. Zen and Edmund activated their own speed skills and followed.
"AFTER THEM!" Captain Kepler's roar echoed behind them.
❈.❈.❈
When the forest swallowed them, G6 ascended above the pursuing knights, hopping among high branches, chasing the Alpha. Zen and Edmund kept pace behind her.
"We are being pursued," Zen whispered, his voice low. G6's Whisper of Gale conveyed it clearly.
"Useless Knights," G6 spat.
When they were safely distant, G6 halted. "We stop here."
The two halted and scanned the area. "Fortunately, we concealed our horses," Edmund commented.
G6 used Perception to scan the forest below. Far off, she sensed Libert, Cortez, and Thonson clumsily attempting to track them.
"Looks like the three Angels want an early trip to heaven," G6 quipped.
Zen and Edmund exchanged an alarmed look. "Captain—"
"Fret not," G6 interrupted. "I am in a foul mood—I lost my prey because of them. But I don't desire trouble with the Royal Guard tonight." She settled onto the branch, crossing her legs and leaning against the trunk. "Wake me if they're gone."
"Is she serious?" Zen whispered, disbelief heavy.
"Do not provoke her," Edmund warned. "She might be sleeping to avoid the impulse to finish those three."
"Wow. I concede to your understanding," Zen remarked dryly.
Meanwhile, on the ground…
"Have you seen where they vanished?" Cortez demanded.
"Not at all," Liberta admitted, frustration evident. "What in the blazes are they? They moved too fast."
"Whisper of Gale." Thonson cast a sensory spell, hoping to catch the slightest sound.
"Well?" Cortez prompted impatiently.
Thonson shook his head, brow furrowed. "None. Remarkably skilled at evasion."
"We should have pursued them earlier, when we first spotted them entering the forest," Liberta lamented.
"Perhaps they are adventurers. Those wolves were simply their contracted task," Thonson suggested.
"Possible. They left no traces of the beasts. Collected every strange marble," Liberta confirmed.
"We must return. With these anomalous wolves, it is not prudent to wander deeper," Cortez said, resorting to tactical rationality.
"They are too good at slipping away. No footprints," Liberta noted, scanning the soil.
"What if they never touched the ground?" Thonson suggested, tilting his head toward the towering canopy.
"Impossible. Look at the height. Are you mad?" Liberta scoffed.
"Enough. We report to the Captain that we lost them," Cortez decided, tone final.
The three knights turned back, pursuit abandoned.
…❈…
"Hmm. Disappointingly mundane," Zen commented from above.
"Agreed. Like performing for an unappreciative audience," Edmund sighed.
"Were those really the knights being sent to the border?" G6's voice cut in; she hadn't appeared to be listening.
"The Silver and Diamond Squads are already deployed ahead. Those in the village were likely Bronze-rank reserves," Zen explained.
"Then why were the 'Angels' there?"
"Perhaps as a response unit? They have a reputation for… protective diligence toward their men."
"Whatever. They're tedious." G6 stood. "Now. Let's find the foolish mutt that dared run from me." She was already a moving shadow.
"Rest is a foreign concept to our Captain," Zen muttered, following with Edmund close behind.
Minutes later, the oppressive aura returned. G6 surged toward it.
In a small clearing, they found the Alpha standing guard before a cave mouth.
"A cave again?" G6 mused, the hobgoblin den fresh in memory.
"It appears to be guarding something within," Edmund noted.
"Stand back."
G6's twin blades gleamed in the weak light. She moved—a blur, a sigh of wind. The next heartbeat, the Alpha's severed head rolled across the moss.
"She has a… distinctive methodology," Zen whispered, the memory of the bandit's fate resurfacing.
"The Captain only requires one strike," Edmund stated, as if commenting on the weather.
G6 kicked the headless body onto its back and plunged her blade into its heart. It dissolved, leaving a marble larger and darker than the rest—a clot of blood-red crystal.
The two men dropped from the trees to join her.
"What were those things?" Zen asked.
"Hmm. Thought the head might make a fitting gift for that insolent receptionist," G6 said, a clear reference to Liam.
The trio turned to the cave, recalling the wolf's protective stance.
"Strange. The ominous aura is gone here," G6 noted.
"Let's go in."
"Wait." Zen produced a magelight lantern from his vault.
With Zen leading, they moved into the cavern's throat, alert and silent. Deeper in, a soft glow emanated from around a corner. They approached cautiously and stopped, struck silent.
The light came from clusters of natural crystals, illuminating a magnificent mythical creature lying in deep, pained repose.
"Is that a fancy wolf?" G6 asked.
"N-no…" Zen breathed, awe stripping his voice bare.
"I never thought to see one in this lifetime," Edmund murmured, equally transfixed.
"So? What is it?"
"It is a Fenrir, Captain!" Zen said, scholarly enthusiasm breaking through. "But what is it doing here?"
"It appears to be in a recuperative slumber," Edmund observed.
"Should we kill it?" G6 asked.
The simultaneous, sharp hisses from her companions were enough. "No! It's a divine beast, favored by the heavens!" Zen insisted.
"Whoa. Okay, nerd." G6 conceded, remembering his Nocturne heritage. "Let's leave, then." Her interest evaporated.
"Agreed. We must not disturb it," Edmund said. Zen nodded fervently.
As they turned to leave, a low groan resonated through the cave, followed by words that seemed to form in the air itself.
"You… the chosen one."
They froze, looking at one another.
"Did you say something, Captain?" Zen asked.
"No."
They looked at Edmund. "Not I."
They took another step.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"
Without turning, they shared another glance. "I will end it if it speaks again," G6 stated flatly.
"What did you just say?!"
They turned. The Fenrir was now awake and seated, its majestic form revealed—fur of pristine white with grey accents, wreathed in a gentle arch of blue, spectral flame.
"I didn't know dogs could talk," G6 said, tone pure provocation.
"How dare a mere human call me a dog!" it roared, the cave trembling.
"It truly does speak…" Zen marveled.
"Incredible," Edmund breathed.
"You three. Did you kill my underlings?"
"No, we didn't," G6 replied instantly.
"Do not lie! I saw you dispatch them with ease."
"Then why ask a question you know the answer to?"
"Haha! You are interesting, human. I am actually grateful. You see, I am weakened. I lost control, causing them to go berserk."
"If you're a mythical divine creature, why the hell are your underlings acting like they're from fucking hell?" G6 asked.
"It must be because… they were corpsed already. They were my experiments."
"What a sick animal."
"We beg your forgiveness for disturbing your rest. We shall take our leave," Edmund said with a bow.
"No. I want that one." Fenrir's gaze fixed on G6.
"You want me to end your suffering?" G6 asked with cold malice.
"How dare you! Cease with these murderous thoughts! I lost my divine mana while attempting to cleanse the forest further North. When I did, I could not recover, as the natural mana suddenly vanished. In desperation, I traveled and ended up here a week ago. I am slowly recovering, but I lost control over those pups."
"You bore me." But G6's mind was working. A corrupted forest, vanishing natural mana… Oak Village. She glanced at Edmund, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
"You are disrespectful. But I can tell—you are the chosen one."
"What are you, a fortune teller?" G6 scoffed.
"Ha! I sense a mythical power within you. You cannot hide it from me. Your soul… reeks of ancient blood." Fenrir stated, likely referring to G6's innate Cryomancy affinity.
G6's demeanor shifted, lethal seriousness settling. My soul reeks of blood? "What do you want?"
"Take me as your familiar." The Fenrir looked unbearably smug.
"Why would I?"
"Because I am the Great Fenrir. The one and only."
"Wow. He's full of himself," Zen murmured.
"We're leaving." G6 turned away.
"I can help you master it!" Fenrir pleaded.
G6 paused, studying him. "You are unusually desperate for a 'divine' being."
The Fenrir glanced away, pride faltering. "I wish to aid the chosen one."
"What, precisely, do you want from me?"
"I feel a vast reservoir of mana within you. Not only that, you can draw and collect mana from nature at will." It waited, but G6 remained silent, a statue of patience. "We would be of mutual benefit. I can wield all elemental magics. Once bound by contract, our souls are linked for life."
"Captain, mythical creatures are solitary. They see humans as beneath them. For it to offer this… it is serious," Zen advised.
"Precisely! You should be grateful, chosen one!"
"He could resolve some of our loopholes," Edmund whispered, referring to the demonic script problem.
"Hmm." G6 weighed the offer. "I am unconvinced. I can acquire what I need without assistance." A cold smirk played on her lips.
"Even if you can get rid of the obstacle every time you go beyond the norm?" The Fenrir projected into her mind telepathically. "I am referring to your body, which keeps failing in the presence of your prowess, human."
"How would it work?"
"When our souls are bound, we can generally borrow each other's prowess. But in ours, I can only share your mana that currently hinders your body's progress. You, however, will gain access to both my mana and my full spectrum of magic."
G6 fell silent, arms crossed, one finger tapping a slow rhythm against her bicep.
"Do not worry, Captain. If a familiar breaks the contract, the forfeit is its life," Zen provided.
"Explain the procedure," G6 commanded the beast.
It sat up straighter, pleased. "Come closer, human."
G6 stepped forward.
"What is your name?"
"Reise. Reise Worthon."
The Fenrir lowered its great head until its forehead touched hers. A soft, divine light enveloped them. "I, Fenrir, blessed by the All-Seers, pledge my life to serve you until death part us."
All-Seers. G6's eyes narrowed behind her shades.
Fenrir's form shimmered. "I knew it! I feel lighter. Now, give me a name, Reise."
"Whitey?" G6.
"Captain…" Zen whispered, pained.
"Big Dog?" G6.
"ARE YOU MOCKING ME?!" Fenrir.
"You named Kira just fine, Captain," Edmund reminded her.
"Kira was my first pet." G6.
"You imply I am a pet? Do not be absurd!" Fenrir.
"Then, Daunt. It derives from 'dauntless,' meaning fearless. You have been rather informal with me, showing no fear for your life." G6's smile turned into a creepy, intimidating one.
"I cannot believe she's threatening a divine beast," Zen muttered. Edmund shook his head.
Fenrir felt the light, murderous pressure in her words and broke into a cold sweat. "W-well… the meaning is acceptable. Say, 'I, your master, name you Daunt.'"
"I, your master, name you Daunt."
A mark bloomed on Fenrir's forehead—a chain of intricate black roses. It glowed once, fiercely, and vanished.
G6's eyes widened behind her lenses, but her composure remained absolute. The others couldn't know what that symbol meant to her.
"Shall we depart, Reise?" Daunt asked.
"You see, we are not random adventurers. We reside at the Palace," G6 informed him casually.
"What?! I sensed noble blood, but the palace?!"
"Regret it? Too late. I have too many questions to let you go now." Her tone was low, promising dire consequences for betrayal.
"N-not at all… hehe."
"Do not fret about concealing me. I can reside within your mark."
My tattoo? G6 thought.
"Whatever. We'll discuss details later. Move." G6 turned and walked out.
"Very well. Be thankful, for you are now bound to the one and only, the Great Fenrir, Daunt!"
"I must say, he is remarkably self-aggrandizing for a divine being," Zen murmured as they followed.
"It makes one wonder if they are all like this," Edmund murmured back.
Now accompanied by a powerful, pompous, and mysterious new ally—whose divine connection hints at larger forces at play—G6 has gained a formidable asset. But the bond and the ominous symbol suggest a destiny far more entangled than she has yet revealed.
—To Be Continued…—