The ground cracked again.
Ice spread in jagged veins from her boots—white mist curling up like breath from a dead god.
Even the air stung now.
And then—
Something weird happened.
I saw her move.
But she hadn't.
One second, she was still.
The next—her sword was coming down, fast, clean, a blur of silver and frost straight for my neck.
I felt the wind pressure.
Heard the crunch beneath her step.
Even saw myself trying to block it—too slow.
Then—
Gone.
No sword.
No movement.
Just… Celyne. Standing there. Watching me.
What the hell was that?
My heart was already racing, but now it jumped into overdrive.
A vision? A hallucination?
No—it felt too real. Like the world blinked and showed me something it shouldn't have.
Was that… the future?
She stepped forward.
Shi-
I backed up a little, grip tightening on my stick. My legs moved before my brain did. My spine screamed at me to run.
"Stop!"
Lana's voice cut in like lightning.
Celyne froze mid-step.
A single eye narrowed.
"He doesn't know how to use magic," Lana said calmly.
For a second, no one said anything.
Even the cold paused.
"…What?" Celyne asked, like the word offended her.
Lana crossed her arms. "No mana reinforcement. No enhancement. Nothing."
Celyne stared at me again, and this time, it wasn't caution.
It was disbelief.
"You're joking."
"I wish," I muttered, trying not to sound out of breath.
"You fought me," she said slowly, as if testing each word, "without magic."
"…he fought whispering demons without magic too," Lana added, before realizing that might've made it worse.
It did.
Lana sighed. "He's a walking miracle. Or a walking disaster. We're still figuring that part out."
Celyne just stared. Not blinking.
"…Insane."
Celyne's eyes narrowed just a little more.
"This one…" she glanced at me, then back to Lana. "Have you even reported this to His Majesty?"
The air froze harder than the ground.
Even I stiffened.
Lana tilted her head, looking… way too casual for someone being accused of political treason.
"We've run a few tests," she said smoothly. "Nothing official yet."
Celyne blinked once.
"You brought him here…"
Her voice didn't rise, but the weight of it did.
"…Under my name?"
Lana smiled. "That's right."
A long pause.
Celyne didn't move, didn't even breathe.
For half a second, I could feel her ready to lose it.
Then—
She inhaled.
Exhaled.
Calm again.
Or something close to it.
"…Of course you did."
The words were clipped, like she was swallowing the rest of a very long sentence.
Lana didn't even blink. "You'd have done the same."
Celyne didn't answer. Just gave me one last look—like I'd grown a second head—then turned away.
Okay.
So maybe this 'spar' wasn't the dumbest part of my day after all.
---
Celyne didn't say another word.
She just turned, raised a hand—and a knight who'd been watching from the edge of the field jolted to attention.
"Report this to His Majesty," she said. "Now."
The poor guy practically vanished.
I blinked. "...That bad?"
"She's just being thorough," Lana said lightly. "And responsible. And slightly panicked."
"I heard that," Celyne replied without looking back.
"You were meant to."
I stared between the two, then to the quickly shrinking silhouette of the knight sent sprinting toward the capital's core.
So… not just a spar, then.
More like 'we might've accidentally found a hell-born superhuman, better tell the king before the nobles implode' kind of situation.
I let out a slow breath.
"…Should I be worried?"
Lana gave me a sidelong glance.
"Yes."
"What—seriously?!"
She shrugged. "Not for long. Maybe."
Celyne finally looked at me again. "Do you know how to use magic or not?"
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
Then muttered, "Define know."
---
Lana let out a quiet sigh, brushing back a strand of hair as she turned to Celyne.
"Alright, Ice Queen, you can stop scaring my guest now."
Celyne blinked once. "...You said you wanted to test him."
Huh? But she said Celyne wanted a spar with me?
"I did," Lana said with a sheepish smile. "And now I want to let him live."
She turned to me, her eyes flicking briefly to the stick still in my hand.
"You've done more than enough. Get some rest before you collapse dramatically on the floor. I don't have the energy to drag your body inside."
Before I could respond, she glanced behind us.
"Mina?"
The maid appeared instantly, as if summoned by name alone.
"Take him to the nice room. The one with the overly fancy pillows and the bath that doesn't sound like a dying goose."
Mina blinked. "Yes, Your Highness…"
Lana turned back to me, already walking off.
"Rest properly, alright? That's an order. Celyne and I will be busy pretending this whole mess was planned."
Behind her, Celyne actually exhaled — almost a laugh. Almost.
---
I followed mina through a quieter hallway lined with windows and the faint scent of flowers. For a palace, it felt less suffocating than I expected.
She walked a bit ahead, but not too far. Her pace matched mine.
"You really fought Celyne?" she asked, breaking the silence.
I glanced at her. "Define 'fought.' I mostly dodged and prayed."
She actually smiled at that, just a tiny one. "Well… you're still standing. That's impressive."
"Barely. I think I've unlocked new levels of soreness."
We stopped at a door carved with strange patterns—clean, but not overly fancy. Mina opened it and stepped aside.
"Here. You can rest here for now," she said softly. "If there's anything you need, just tell one of the servants outside."
I stepped in. The room was quiet, sun filtering through the curtains, bed looking comfier than anything I'd slept on in my life.
Mina hesitated in the doorway. "There's a bath next room over. You should use it. Trust me."
I gave her a tired look. "Do I smell that bad?"
"No," she said, smiling again. "But you look like someone who fought the cold and lost."
"...Fair."
She started to turn away but paused. "Rest well, Ark. You've earned it."
I watched her leave, door clicking softly shut behind her.
Finally alone.
No whispers. No swords. No monsters. No knights. Just… a quiet room, a soft bed, and maybe—just maybe—a bath that wouldn't try to kill me.
Sounded like heaven.
---
The water was warm.
Really warm.
Like the kind of warmth that seeps into your bones and makes you forget how cold you've been for months.
I let myself sink in, feeling the dirt and grime loosen from my skin.
Countless months without a proper bath.
It was a small luxury, but it felt huge.
My eyes closed on their own.
The quiet was almost loud — no monsters, no chaos, just the soft splash of water.
For a moment, I could almost forget where I was.
Almost.
My thoughts drifted like leaves on a slow river.
But then they all stormed in.
That man near the zoo — the one who handed me those strange green crystals.
Why did he help me? Who was he really?
Then the cult — their chanting, their twisted ritual.
The red eye in the sky that nearly broke me.
I could still feel the weight of it pressing down.
And that voice — the one in the mist, telling me to wake up.
It haunted me, even when I wasn't dreaming.
The floating letters that guided me here.
Pieces scattered across some giant puzzle I didn't even understand yet.
I didn't have answers.
Maybe I never would.
But for now — for just this moment — I could let it all fade away.
I let out a slow breath, the warmth holding me steady.
This was the calm before whatever storm was next.
---
By the time I stepped out of the bath, my skin felt like it had forgotten how to breathe air. Everything smelled like something flowery and expensive, and the warmth clung to me like I'd just walked out of a dream.
I wrapped the towel around my waist and stood there for a moment, still dripping onto polished stone, just... still. To enjoy more this peaceful silence.
Then i walked over to the closet, half-expecting to find lace and gold nonsense fit for a ballroom. Instead, plain but finely made clothes greeted me. A dark shirt, pants, boots — clean, comfortable. Practical.
I changed fast, then glanced to the side.
My spear — no, my stick — was still resting against the wall where I'd left it. I grabbed it out of habit, fingers wrapping around the wood like it might disappear otherwise.
Then I saw the pouch.
The green crystals were still inside, tied shut just like I'd left them. I didn't know why, but I always checked. Maybe I was still half in survival mode.
Probably always would be.
I slung the pouch back on my belt and propped the spear over my shoulder.
Just as I was about to sit down—
Knock knock.
A voice came through the door. "Sir Ark? Her Highness is waiting."
It was Mina. Polite. Calm.
My stomach sank. I'd lost track of time again.
"Coming," I muttered, grabbing the last of my things.
I opened the door, and she was already standing there with her usual unreadable expression.
She looked me over once. Her gaze flicked to the stick on my back, lingered for a second, then returned to my face.
"You took your time," she said.
"I needed it," I replied.
She didn't argue.
Just gave a tiny nod and turned to lead the way.
---
I followed Mina through the quiet halls. She didn't say a word. Normally, she'd have some small talk or a comment, but today? Nothing. Just silence. Felt wrong.
My gut tightened.
We stepped outside into the palace's front yard. There she was. Lana.
No usual smirk. No teasing tone. Her face was calm but heavy—like she was carrying something too big to put into words.
She didn't even glance my way.
"The king summoned you," she said flatly. "It's serious."