Jennifer's pulse was irregular, not in good rhythm. Her skin was cold and pale, Her facial expression changing like she getting startled by something in her sleep like she witnessing something that she should not have. A nightmare , and her breath was weakly like her heartbeat, but she wasn't giving up she's fighting the nightmare with her last force. Abraham lowered himself next to her, his both knees on the smooth floor of the infirmary while grabbing jennfer hands with hand promising he will never let go her hand. Dim light streamed through windows above, barely illuminating his expression revealing his exhaustion.
The physicians had said she would live. That the poison — or whatever ritual toxin had clawed its way through her veins — was neutralized. But Abraham had seen the marks himself. The faint, circular sigils around her wrist; the lingering shimmer of a curse too complex for human design.
He didn't speak. He didn't need to.
Oboros murmured faintly within him, voice like molten iron cooling in water.
"She survived because she resisted. Her will burned through the venom itself."
Abraham's eyes shifted slightly, their light dimming with restrained fury.
"Resistance," he muttered. "And yet they took her like prey."
The words were cold — no tremor, no rise. Just stillness before the storm.
Jennifer awoke, her lips slightly open. "...Abraham?" she asked.
He moved closer to her, a hint of relief showing in his pale looking face, he's hair fell before his eyes brushing it aside.
"I'm here jennifer, nothing to worry anymore" he replied softly.
Her eyes opened just enough to see him — recognition breaking through the haze. Then exhaustion took her again, her breath evening out, surrendering to the slow pull of recovery.
Abraham got up upright and faced to the window. The earliest glimmer of light was breaking through the world outside, without tenderness, but intensely, lighting the raindrops that left of the night before's storm. He observed at it for a moment.
Then he whispered,
"System. Locate the main cult node of Herculis."
The air stilled. The mechanical voice resonated in his skull, smooth and cold:
[Tracking Command Accepted]
[Initializing Search: Herculis Cult Main Convergence]
[Warning: Multiple Masked Energy Signatures — Oboros Synchronization Suggested]
Abraham let out a heavy breath, an audible expression revealing no sense of relaxation nor displeasure, but the flame of resolve.
He left the infirmary with a sudden change in his mind, he walked down the long corridors of marble. The academy was crowded instead of quiet in the morning, everyone in the academy now know what happened, even the principal is notified about it so early in the day. He somehow manage to cross the crowded in the yard, he saw joel and just nod to tell him jennifer is alright.
He's moving like a saint in the middle of crowd, till now not everyone knew he's the one who rescue jennifer but they know about his capability, so they make it like he is the one who saved jennifer.
Jennifer is a celebrity in academy her beauyty, her grades, her ability, her control on mana, her knowledge and many more features she have and more importantly she is a noble. Only child of Valence family the family that directly connect Five nations in one point, This family head mean jennifer father job is to make five decision to one, and execute it precisely. This high profile Jennifer Valence hold. So her kidnapping would be the breaking news of todays newspaper.
Reaching the courtyard, abraham saw the sun was up. The light seemed to judge the towers, as it made the tops shine with a weak warmth. The academy flags waved softly, unaware of the danger outside.
Abraham headed to the stables. The scent of hay, steel, and wind greeted him. Rows of horses shifted within their stalls, some snorting softly at his presence. His hand brushed over one's neck — a black stallion, eyes reflecting faint traces of unease.
Then came the prompt:
[Sync Shadow Form: Oboros → Mount Integration]
Abraham's fingers tightened slightly.
"Do it," he said.
The world went dark for a moment. An eruption of shadows burst upwards from below, right under him. Dark shadows wrapped around its legs, and the horse's flowing mane appeared to transform into a nebulous silhouette. A gold light sparked in its eyes, bright but empty, mirroring Oboros's own stare.
The horse's breath exhaled in a deep, rumbling snort — vapor and shadow intertwining. Its muscles gleamed faintly with spectral runes, veins lined with molten shimmer.
[Mount intrigration complete- Dark Melcuies Mount]
Abraham stepped beside it, his palm resting on its spectral neck. The connection was instant — pulse to pulse, intent to motion.
The beast responded to his silence, its stance aligning perfectly.
Abraham mounted, gripping the reins — though reins weren't needed anymore. His will was enough.
He whispered only one thing:
"Move."
The response was immediate.
The horse rushed onward moving like a ghost shadow on the path , its hoofbeats thundering on the rocky terrain with smooth transition. The stable doors swung wide as the shadowy creature exploded into the the first ray's of sun.
Dust and wind swirled around him. In a blurry flash he left behind the academy's walls which take around half and hour to cross by normal mount, and outside the gate of academy the grasslands path to the country stretched in a wave like manner underneath the red scarlet sky of the sunrise morning.
Dense forests, the rivers, along with stone bridges turned into splashes of color as the scenery blurred. Abraham's cloak flowed behind him, its torn edges dancing. The world became a tunnel of motion and purpose.
The system's interface shimmered faintly in his vision:
[Herculis Cult Node Located: Approx. 63 Kilometers West — Region: Fallowgrove Ruins]
[Danger Level: Extreme]
[Environmental Condition: Corrupted Biomass Detected]
Abraham's gaze didn't waver.
His voice was calm. "Estimate arrival time."
[With Current Melcuies Mount Integration: 11 Minutes, 24 Seconds]
Wind tore through his hair. Abraham's pulse became steady. Despite the speed and the force blowing around him, how he was inhaling and exhaling were steady and calm. Each breath in led to his perception more sensitive, while each breath out vanquished any hesitation.
The shadow of Oboros faintly throbbed under the horse. Occasionally, black mist bled off its hooves, searing the ground where it struck.
The horse surged faster. The plains gave way to rugged hills. A storm of dust and dead leaves followed his path.
Minutes passed. Despite the sun's on it's peak in the sky, he remained same, the time flowed quiet a bit but finally he found the place, his gaze fixed on the horizon. His eyes glowed like the sun above his head a red and orange color mixture glowing the shadowed dark hood covering the glow like moon , anger and resolve both expression balancing in his face. On his hip the sword rested like ready to roar. An expanse of trees loomed in the forest like a dead inviting there, its trees leafless and branches looked like burned skeletal remains, in one word this place is silent then graveyard and frightening then abounded place.
[Target Coordinates — 1.4 Kilometers]
The shadow-horse slowed as it got close to the forest. Muscles moved under its coat, and its breath came in heavy pants, turning to red mist in the air.
Abraham dismounted silently.
The forest ahead wasn't alive — it was infested. The air had a faint pulse, a hum of corrupted energy through the wind. Each step toward it got more hard and terrifying, like the shadows around his legs grew thicker.
The horse started to fall apart, fading into black fog that wrapped once around Abraham ahead of disappearing. What remained was a faint golden gleam — Oboros's watchful essence, suspended like a halo behind his back.
Abraham paused briefly, thought of something , then his hand finding the hilt of his sword. His fingers touched the old symbols etched into the steel, like ancient crimson scar.
He give a command to the system in a even tone quiet and calm sound.
"Muéstrame su guarida."
Abraham in situation like this he was thinking Spanish for this line.
[Translate into native language : Show me their den]
The system translate any human language into ancient words before taking it to action, so the Spanish is also the same as English to system
The system's vision overlay flickered to life — a faint grid expanding over the forest, marking a descent deeper beneath the roots, where a faint red flare pulsed in rhythm with unseen hearts.
Abraham's gaze turned that way. His pulse — steady as ever — aligned with the soundless beat.
[Warning: Herculis Cult Presence Detected — Combat Risk High]
Abraham's reply was a whisper only the shadows could hear.
"Good."
He stepped forward into the dark.