...
Far above them…
Two figures stood on a rocky ridge overlooking the Egyptian countryside.
Alexzander stood completely still, his large battle axe resting against his shoulder while his golden helmet reflected the sunlight.
His crimson markings were partially visible beneath the edges of the helmet, while his eyes followed the formation moving across the road below.
Beside him, Cyclone crouched near the edge of the ridge, leaning forward.
"Egyptian soldiers?" Cyclone asked.
Alexzander remained silent for several moments before answering.
"Looks like it," he said.
"They're protecting the scholars."
Cyclone glanced toward the carts before looking back toward Alexzander with a faint smile.
"They brought children along?"
His tone carried more curiosity than concern as he watched the younger members of the group walking beneath them.
"They look young," Alexzander answered.
"They're still soldiers."
Cyclone shrugged before resting his arms against his knees, continuing to watch the distant group.
"I suppose Egypt has different standards."
Alexzander shook his head slightly. "Age doesn't decide someone's worth."
Cyclone looked toward him with a small grin, already familiar with Alexzander's habit of respecting effort above appearances.
"You always find a way to defend people."
"Only when they deserve it," Alexzander answered.
His attention eventually settled on the woman walking at the front of the formation.
Valentina carried her spear across one shoulder, maintaining a steady pace while constantly checking the road ahead.
Alexzander watched her movements carefully.
She wasn't the strongest-looking member of the group.
She wasn't the largest either.
But she repeatedly looked backward whenever the formation shifted.
Cyclone noticed Alexzander's attention and followed his gaze.
"You found someone interesting."
Alexzander didn't answer immediately, continuing to study the woman below.
"The spear-woman."
Cyclone raised an eyebrow before looking toward Valentina again.
"What about her?"
"She watches everyone," Alexzander answered.
"She isn't only watching the road."
Cyclone looked closer.
"She keeps checking the others."
Alexzander nodded once.
"She's responsible for them."
Cyclone smiled faintly.
"You like responsible people."
Alexzander finally looked toward him. "I respect people who take responsibility."
Cyclone gave a quiet laugh before turning his attention back toward the road.
"That's almost the same thing."
Alexzander didn't bother answering.
A voice suddenly came from behind them.
"You're watching them closely."
Both men turned toward the speaker.
A woman stood several steps behind them, her long dark brown hair braided down her back while several small tablets hung from her belt.
Her Babylonian robes moved slightly in the wind, while the bronze stylus remained tucked behind her ear.
Cyclone looked toward her with mild curiosity while Alexzander's grip tightened slightly around his axe.
"Who are you?" Alexzander asked.
"Celina," she answered.
Cyclone tilted his head slightly.
"You followed us?"
Celina remained silent for a moment before answering without changing her expression.
"I was already here."
Cyclone stared at her for several seconds before quietly laughing.
"That doesn't answer the question."
Celina looked toward him with the same calm expression.
"It answers enough."
Alexzander lowered his axe slightly.
"What do you want?"
Celina looked toward the distant Egyptians again before answering in a quiet voice.
"To observe." Alexzander's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her response.
"The Egyptians?"
Celina gave a small nod.
"Yes."
She didn't explain further, and Alexzander didn't immediately press her for more information.
Cyclone looked between the two of them before returning his attention toward the road.
"You're both terrible at conversation."
Celina glanced toward him.
"So are you."
Cyclone smiled.
"I talk plenty."
"That's different," Celina answered.
Cyclone laughed under his breath.
Alexzander remained focused on Celina.
"You know something about them."
Celina's expression remained unchanged.
"Perhaps."
Alexzander's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Are they important?"
Celina looked toward the road for several seconds before answering.
"I don't know."
Cyclone looked at her again.
"You've been watching them, but you don't know?"
Celina nodded slightly.
"Watching is not knowing."
Her answer left Cyclone unusually quiet for a moment. Alexzander studied her carefully before looking toward the road again.
"You're hiding something."
Celina didn't deny it.
"So are you."
Alexzander's expression hardened slightly.
"We're scouting."
"I know," Celina answered.
Alexzander looked toward her again.
"You know too much."
Celina finally looked directly at him.
"I observe."
The answer was simple enough to end the conversation without revealing anything useful.
Alexzander understood that pushing further would accomplish little.
He turned toward Cyclone.
"Go closer."
Cyclone raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"I want to know how they're moving."
Cyclone stretched his arms behind his head before standing from his position.
"You could've just said that."
Alexzander ignored the complaint.
"Don't interfere."
Cyclone smiled faintly.
"I wasn't planning to."
He stepped away from the ridge and began moving down the slope, his relaxed posture making him appear almost careless despite how quickly he disappeared between the rocks.
Alexzander remained where he was.
Celina watched him leave before returning her attention toward Alexzander.
"You trust him."
Alexzander rested his axe against his shoulder again.
"He's earned it."
Celina nodded slowly before looking back toward the road.
"That explains enough."
Alexzander said nothing.
Far below them, Cyclone moved through the countryside while keeping enough distance from the Egyptians that none of them noticed him.
He watched the formation from behind a group of rocks, occasionally moving between trees and patches of dry grass whenever the road became too open.
The recruits were still too far away for him to understand what each person could do.
He didn't know their names.
He didn't know their contracts.
He didn't know why Egypt had chosen them.
All he could see was a group of young soldiers protecting three scholars along a dangerous road.
His attention eventually returned toward the woman at the front.
The spear-woman continued checking the group while maintaining her position.
Cyclone smiled faintly.
"So there she is," he muttered.
Back on the ridge…
Alexzander remained beside Celina.
Neither of them knew exactly what the Egyptians were carrying.
Neither knew what the young recruits were capable of. And neither knew why their paths would eventually cross.
For now…
They were simply watching.
The eastern road toward Babylon was considerably quieter than the western route, with fewer settlements and longer stretches of empty desert separating the travelers.
Team Two moved steadily across the road while their three assigned scholars traveled between them, keeping their belongings close and avoiding unnecessary conversation.
Ren walked near the front of the group with his sword resting against his shoulder.
Poison stayed several steps behind him, occasionally glancing toward the scholars before checking the hills and distant rocks around them.
Sous walked near the rear with his hands resting loosely at his sides, looking almost completely uninterested in the journey.
Abraham stayed beside one of the scholars while Sofia walked on the opposite side, occasionally looking toward her brother whenever he became too serious.
Luna remained closest to the scholars, quietly keeping track of their condition while also watching the road ahead.
Their first scholar was an elderly man named Menes, a thin historian with a completely bald head and thick eyebrows that seemed permanently drawn together.
He carried a wooden box against his chest and treated it as though someone might steal it simply by looking at him for too long.
"Careful with that," Menes warned.
"I am," Ren answered.
Menes frowned before looking down at his box again.
"You say that now," he muttered.
The second scholar was a woman named Seshat, who was considerably younger than Menes and much more confident.
She wore layered blue robes beneath a light traveling cloak and carried several scrolls tied together across her back.
Unlike Menes, she seemed completely comfortable around the recruits and spent most of the journey observing them without asking too many questions. "You don't talk much," Seshat said while walking beside Luna.
"Neither do some of them," Luna answered.
Seshat smiled slightly before looking ahead again.
"I noticed," she replied.
The final scholar was a young man named Tarek, whose nervous personality made him noticeably different from the other two.
He constantly looked over his shoulder whenever they passed an unfamiliar rock formation, convinced that something might suddenly emerge from the desert.
"I don't like this road," Tarek admitted.
Poison glanced toward him with a faint smile before looking toward the empty horizon.
"Neither does anyone who enjoys living," Poison answered.
Tarek stared at him for several seconds before quietly deciding that response had not helped him whatsoever.
Sofia covered a small laugh with her hand while Abraham shook his head at Poison's comment.
"Try not to frighten him," Sofia said.
"He was already frightened," Poison replied.
Sofia smiled before returning her attention toward the road.
"Fair point."
The eastern road continued for another hour before Ren suddenly slowed his pace without explaining why.
Poison noticed almost immediately and moved closer.
"What?" Poison asked.
Ren remained silent for several seconds before pointing toward the ridge with two fingers.
"Someone is there," Ren said.
Abraham immediately looked toward the ridge while Sofia moved closer to the scholars.
"I don't see anything," Abraham admitted. Ren didn't answer immediately because the figure had already disappeared from sight.
Then…
A flash of blue moved between two rocks.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"He's following us," Ren said while lowering his sword from his shoulder.
Poison stepped beside him while quietly drawing one of his daggers.
"Friend?" Poison asked.
"I don't know," Ren answered while taking another step forward.
The figure finally stepped into view.
A young man with short sapphire-blue hair stood on the ridge.
Ren studied him carefully.
The stranger wasn't wearing heavy armor.
He carried several small weapons around his body and stood with a relaxed posture that didn't match someone who had been caught following a military group.
Ren immediately understood that meant very little.
"Protect the scholars," Ren ordered while turning slightly toward his squad.
Poison immediately moved toward the center of the formation.
"You heard him," Poison said.
Abraham moved beside Menes and Seshat while Sofia guided Tarek farther behind them.
Sous stepped into position without complaint, while Luna remained near the scholars and watched the stranger carefully.
Ren looked toward Poison.
"Follow me," Ren said while stepping away from the group.
Poison gave him a sideways glance.
"You planning to do something stupid?" Poison asked.
"Probably," Ren answered while moving toward the ridge.
Poison sighed before turning his attention back toward the approaching stranger.
"Figures."
Ren reached the base of the ridge before the blue-haired stranger jumped down from the rocks, landing several meters away without making much noise.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Cyclone looked at Ren's sword before glancing toward the group behind him.
"You noticed my movements," Cyclone said while stretching one shoulder.
Ren kept his blade pointed toward him.
"You were following us," Ren replied.
Cyclone smiled faintly.
"Observant," he answered.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?" Ren asked.
Cyclone smiled.
"Does it matter?" He answered while reaching toward one of his daggers.
Ren moved first.
His blade cut through the air toward Cyclone, forcing the stranger to twist sideways and narrowly avoid the strike.
Cyclone immediately stepped backward before pulling both curved daggers from his sides.
"You don't want this…" Cyclone said while grinning.
Ren tightened his grip before advancing again.
"You attacked first," Ren answered.
Cyclone jumped over the strike and landed several meters away, his enchanted boots kicking up a cloud of dust beneath him.
Poison watched from the formation while keeping one hand near his dagger.
"He's fast," Poison muttered.
Ren barely blocked the next strike. Cyclone's dagger struck against the wooden shaft of his spear before Ren pushed him backward with a powerful swing.
Cyclone slid across the sand before recovering almost instantly.
"That's better," Cyclone said while smiling.
Ren didn't respond because Cyclone had already disappeared.
The next second…
Cyclone appeared behind him.
Ren twisted around just in time to block the incoming dagger.
"You're quick," Ren said.
Cyclone smiled.
"I get that a lot," he answered while moving sideways.
Poison watched the fight carefully before looking toward the scholars.
"Don't worry," Poison said.
"He's stubborn."
The scholars stared at him.
"That isn't reassuring," Seshat replied.
Poison shrugged.
"It wasn't supposed to be."
The battle continued farther away from the scholars as Ren and Cyclone exchanged attacks across the eastern road.
Neither fighter gained a clear advantage.
Ren relied on controlled movements and careful positioning, while Cyclone constantly changed directions and attacked from unexpected angles.
Then…
Ren's body suddenly disappeared into a brief flash of light.
Cyclone's eyes widened.
"What?" He asked. A sword struck the ground beside him.
Cyclone jumped away before Ren reappeared several meters behind him.
Cyclone laughed.
"That's new," he said.
Ren said nothing.
His eyes remained fixed on Cyclone.
Neither realized that their battle was beginning to create flashes visible far beyond the eastern road.
Far away…
On the western route…
Team One continued escorting their scholars through the countryside.
Magnolia walked beside Valentina while holding his spear tightly, listening to the scholars talk as the road continued toward Babylon.
Then…
A bright flash appeared on the distant eastern horizon.
Magnolia stopped for half a second.
Another flash followed.
He looked toward it with confusion.
"What was that?" Magnolia asked while turning his head toward the distant light.
Kibo looked toward the same direction before shrugging.
"Probably something far away."
Kibo answered nonchalantly while continuing to walk.
Magnolia stared at the horizon for another moment before forcing himself to look forward again.
"Focus," he said while lowering his gaze toward the road.
Valentina watched him from the corner of her eye.
She had noticed how quickly Magnolia reacted to the flashes. She had also noticed something else.
He kept looking toward danger even when nobody asked him to.
Valentina's fingers tightened around her spear.
He was still young.
Too young.
Yet there was something about Magnolia that made her uneasy.
Not because she thought he was dangerous.
Because she wasn't certain what would happen if someone he cared about was placed in danger.
She had already seen him act without thinking when someone was hurt.
She had seen him put himself between danger and another person without considering what might happen afterward.
And that worried her more than any weapon he carried.
Magnolia didn't understand his own strength yet.
Valentina wasn't sure anyone did.
Emma noticed the way Valentina kept looking toward Magnolia.
She said nothing.
Instead, she quietly watched Valentina for several seconds before looking toward Magnolia again.
No one else noticed.
The group continued moving.
Magnolia stayed beside the scholars as they traveled farther along the western road, occasionally looking toward the eastern horizon despite his earlier warning to himself.
Then…
A much larger burst of light suddenly appeared in the distance.
Magnolia stopped walking.
Valentina's eyes immediately moved toward the same direction.
Before either could react… The ground ahead of them shook.
A violent impact erupted across the western road.
Dust and sand exploded upward.
The scholars stumbled backward while Matthew immediately raised his hands.
A barrier formed around them.
"Stay behind me," Matthew ordered.
Magnolia stepped forward instinctively.
Valentina immediately reached toward him.
"Magnolia," she called.
Magnolia stopped.
The dust slowly began clearing.
Two figures stood in the middle of the road.
Alexzander held his large battle axe in one hand, his golden helmet still covering most of his face.
Across from him…
Celina stood calmly with her Babylonian robes moving in the wind, her bronze stylus still tucked behind her ear.
Neither appeared interested in the scholars.
Neither appeared interested in the recruits.
Their attention remained completely focused on each other.
Alexzander raised his axe.
"You've been following us," he said while taking a step forward.
Celina's expression remained calm.
"I have," she answered.
Alexzander's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
Celina didn't answer immediately. She simply watched him.
Alexzander's patience finally broke.
He charged.
His axe slammed into the ground where Celina had been standing, sending dust across the road as she moved aside with almost no wasted motion.
The impact shook the surrounding ground.
Magnolia stared.
The scholars panicked.
Valentina immediately moved between them and the fight.
"Stay back," she ordered while raising her spear toward the two strangers.
Magnolia looked at the scholars, then at Valentina, and finally back toward Alexzander and Celina.
For the first time since leaving Egypt…
Magnolia faced a decision he couldn't solve by simply following orders. Had had a choice to make; keep escorting the scholars, or protect them from the people fighting directly in front of them.