A young man, no older than twenty-six, stood on the branch of a tall tree. A magical tube-shaped artifact was pressed against his right eye, its lenses at both ends glowing faintly.
This was no ordinary tool—it allowed one to see far into the distance, and at night, channeling even a little bit of mana would let the user see through pitch darkness.
"I think… I just saw someone. Didn't I?" he whispered to himself.
Another man in his thirties was standing below. The whisper should have been lost to the air, but the silence of the forest was absolute. Though he didn't understand anything, he clearly heard him whispering.
"What is it? Did you see something?" the man below asked in a low voice.
"Yes… I think I did. But then, suddenly… that figure vanished," the lookout above replied.
"Was that figure riding a hor—"
He wanted to ask something, but he couldn't even finish his words...
Shhk!
A cold sword tip pierced through his back and burst out from his chest.
