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The stranger showed no hint of emotion, as his eyes shifted their focus from Storm to the woman in front of him. He shook his head.
"I don't need such titles; they are merely wasted words," his voice was high-pitched but rough, as if struggling to speak.
His temperament was nothing like a young boy's but resembled a grown adult, standing in disguise.
He retracted his hand from behind Storm's ear, and placed them comfortably behind his back.
"To think your kind would kneel down willingly, let alone take a human as a student. Stand up, there is no need for these gestures," he commanded.
By now, the barrier behind the group had long reverted back to its original state with no visible fissures, as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Yselda's worry only deepened.
The boy standing in front of her had already seen through her, she felt that all her secrets had been exposed under his piercing, blank gaze.
She rose with practiced grace, her every movement deliberate. The weight of his words settled on her, yet she wore a friendly smile.
Her pupil followed moments later, rising slowly, her gaze shifting between her teacher and the man, as though searching their faces for answers.
"Thank you, sir," Yselda replied, dipping her head in a respectful bow before asking, "May I ask for your name?"
"Arion," the man answered, his expression calm and composed.
Storm had padded to the girl's side, steadying her. She rested her hand unconsciously on his fur, drawing comfort from the familiar presence. Her lips parted, but no sound came at first. Only after hesitating for a moment did the words break free in a trembling voice.
"That... was that your doing earlier?" The memory of what had just transpired still haunted her.
"Aurelia!" The mature woman reprimanded the girl upon hearing her speak without any formalities.
"Its alright," Kael assured them.
"Your teacher is being wary because she cannot sense any strength from me," he quickly exposed the reason for her teacher's unusual attitude.
Once again, Yselda's brows revealed her worry.
"The eye that you saw earlier was not my doing; it was an old acquaintance coming to see me. Although, it seems miss Yselda might know more than me."
The curious eyes of the girl immediately landed on her teacher, looking for answers.
Yselda sighed, knowing she could never win against the curiosity of the troublemaker.
"That was definitely the mystic arts of the Astrea Kingdom," she begun her explanation.
"During the last [Tournament] I fought with the current ruler of Astrea, Queen Selene. The presence of her divine arts was rather unique, there is no way i could forget," she showed a slightly puzzled look.
Kael's ghastly gaze veered to the side, leaving one wondering about his thoughts.
"Astrea Kingdom..." he mumbled to himself, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Then, how did you-" Aurelia tried asking another question, now feeling more comfortable, before being interrupted by her teacher's sharp voice.
"That's enough. Sir, this is no place for a proper conversation. If you would like, you can return with us to the Dawnblade estate—we can also take a look at your injuries there." she suggested, half expecting him to decline.
"If you're willing, then I will gladly accept your generosity," Arion responded while bowing politely, his hands cupped and a thankful smile plastered on his face.
His agreement came as a surprise, though a pleasant one.
("With this, we'll have the chance to watch him properly. Whether he's a threat or an ally, he needs to be investigated thoroughly.")
Yselda's intentions were obvious. After all, not a single question about his origins or intentions had been answered.
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Crack! A small white rabbit with 2 vertically aligned horns on its temple stepped on a small branch and attracted the attention of the young girl.
Aurelia looked over and smiled, explaining cheerfully "Woah, a two-horned rabbit! They don't usually appear outside the barrier, how lucky!"
Storm, walking proudly next to the girl, only casted a glance towards the small beast and it immediately fled back between the dense vegetation, hopping frantically.
After entering and walking for half an hour on the naturally-formed path that led outside, they had seen only a few creatures.
A silvertail squirrel resting on a nearby tree, a flock of crimson-eye sparrows flying above, not minding their presence, and a small amount of insects. Most animals were keeping themselves hidden, and the few that were wandering around fled upon sensing a stronger predator; Storm.
Yselda was walking a few steps ahead and was silently leading the group back outside the forest, her mind full of thoughts.
Kael, walking leisurely with his hands behind his back, was taking this opportunity to ask questions about the surrounding area, seemingly lacking all basic knowledge of everything outside the forest.
After gaining some insights on the Dawnblade family and other forces around them, he changed the topic.
"Can you also tell me a little about this forest?" Kael asked the distracted girl. Her face became one full of confidence as she looked over and started gesturing with her hands.
"Of course, the [Forest of Disasters] is well known even beyond the continent. The entire forest is divided into three layers, with seals in between each one that function as dividers. The fog barrier we were at before marks the entrance into the outer layer, where the mana density is only slightly higher than outside."
"As you go deeper, you'll reach the edge of the outer zone—a similar barrier with a slightly lighter color, marking the entrance to the middle layer. Each wall is a massive semisphere wrapping around its zone, but you can walk through it freely."
Her expression hardened slightly as she went on. "What makes this forest truly dangerous isn't just the rising mana density or the stronger beasts inside. It's that anyone can enter unobstructed, but you have to force your way out. The durability of each barrier is immense and even if you manage to break it, you need to move quickly because it will mend itself almost instantly."
She instinctively turned her head to look at Yselda's back, an awkward smile appearing on her face.
"Our family had an artifact that can hold a section of the barrier open for a short time, but..." Her voice faltered, face flushed red from embarrassment.
Yselda spoke before the silence could settle.
"That artifact was given to the Dawnblades by Queen Astrea—the founder of the Astrea Kingdom and the creator of the first barrier. When mana began leaking outward, more barriers were raised under the kingdom's command and it became more essential than ever. However, a troublemaker decided to use it without permission and damaged it."
Aurelia's face was red as a beet and a nervous laugh escaped her mouth.
Storm, seeing the appearance of his partner, raised his head and rubbed it against the girl's shoulder.
Arion smiled widely, but remained eerily quiet.
"I have only entered the middle layer of the forest a couple of times, and the mana becomes incredibly dense, three times as heavy when compared to the outside." The atmosphere had become much more relaxed, as Aurelia continued her explanation while fanning her flustered face with her hand.
"There are strong monsters everywhere, beast kings and mutated creatures. Fights break out everywhere for food, elixirs or territory. Of course, beasts aren't the only ones who fight over those treasures. Many people have also lost their lives there..." she let the words linger.
Her young heart was unable to deal with the grievance of losing people she would see and interact with in her daily life. However, her face was solemn. Even as a spoiled child, she was still born into a warrior's family, blood and death were all too common, but not any less painful.
She continued without pause "As for the inner layer, it is extremely dangerous, incomparable to the middle layer. The beasts inside are all incredibly intelligent and dangerous, some even using advanced magic and traps. The mana fluctuates violently and can be ten times as dense compared to the outside, making one dizzy when staying inside for too long."
"But because of the amount of mana, many incredible treasures and elixirs can be found. The most valuable of them all is undoubtedly the mana lake, the reason the barriers were set up in the first place" she exclaimed, a face full of interest.
Of course, such a phenomenon is not common, rather it is incredibly difficult to come across.
What is a mana lake? It's the point where ambient mana condenses into a physical, liquid form—dense enough to touch and drink. Drinking it can help increase one's affinity with water magic and cleanse the body of almost all impurities, a magician's rebirth!
From farther ahead, the forest began to thin. Sunlight poured through the opening, the sky's bright rays washing everything beyond the treeline in a glare almost too sharp to look at, the scene turning strangely mesmerizing.
Aurelia, almost salivating, spoke again "We only have a tiny amount because it's so difficult to store."
Her azure eyes focused on Kael.
"Ah, don't worry, this is not a secret or anything! Since everyone can enter the forest, there are others who have discovered it and spread the news," she waved her hands around.
"If only i could get a little bit of it to drink," her eyes almost sparkled from the thought alone, "but its only distributed based on contributions~", the girl complained, with an annoyed expression on her youthful face.
Arion, without turning to face Aurelia spoke in a composed tone "That won't help you much."
Aurelia looked at Kael as one might a child, full of disbelief. How could he not know the importance of the item she was revering; the dream of many magicians?
Yselda turned around for the first time in a while, her black dress swaying along with her beautiful black hair that resembled waterfalls.
"Indeed, as a Dawnblade, her connection to light magic surpasses all her other affinities. Even if her connection with the water element became stronger it would still be suppressed."
Kael closed his eyes and spoke with a mysterious intent "That is also true."
The woman gestured with her hand "This is the exit of the [Forest of Disasters], and the beginning of the territory of the Dawnblades," she pointed to an opening between the trees, revealing a spectacular sight; A vast area covered with fields of various crops and in the middle of it all, a grand and imposing fort, surrounded by grand walls and a sizeable town.
Surrounding the estate of the Dawnblades is the town of Sunvale where members of branch families, warriors and visitors live. The farmland is owned by commoners and servants, who make a living by cultivating the land or hunting inside and around the forest.
With only a few steps, one by one everyone left the shade of the trees. Aurelia squinted as she placed her hand above her eyes to guard from the sunlight, with Storm next to her wagging his tail.
Kael stopped, his sightless eyes unbothered by the rays and looked around, as if taking in the amazing view.
"Its been a while." As he finished his words, a slight breeze blew past them, just strong enough for everyone's long hair to slightly sway in the wind.
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