"Alcer helped me when all hope was lost. He helped me realize what I truly wanted. He is important to me."
"What is it that you truly want?"
"The current Government, the A.E.G.I.S, controls over 86% of the known verse. It is run by corrupt officials who are evil and only think of themselves. People are oblivious to the fact that the laws they create will eventually bring the verse to ruin. I've seen and heard things that are better left untouched. The so-called 'heroes' are just people obsessed with fame and power. I want to become the Arc-knight, to establish a new government that will abolish the hero system."
"Do you think you'll achieve that?"
Blessing heard a voice calling his name. Slowly, his eyes opened.
In front of him stood Innocent and Lunar.
"What happened to you? We found you collapsed on the outskirts of the city," Lunar said, his voice shaky and his eyes glassy with worry.
"Lun…ar? Are you okay?"
Blessing sat up quickly and looked around. They were in his room — safe, at least for now. But something felt off. Lunar was scared. Blessing could feel it.
His expression froze.
He could sense it — the fear, the panic hiding under Lunar's calm face.
"Where's Alcer?" he asked quietly.
Lunar didn't answer.
Blessing's heart dropped.
A heavy silence followed. Blessing's breathing quickened.
"Take me to Alcer. Now!"
Innocent didn't hesitate. He pulled out a flat, transparent device from his pocket and tapped the screen. A bright blue ring spread across the floor, spinning with glowing symbols, the Transit Seal.
"Step in," he said.
The circle shimmered, ready to teleport.
***
The air was burning. Trees around the mountaintop were ash. The sky had turned grey from pressure alone, and in the middle of it, two figures moved faster than the wind.
Alcer's blade clashed with Laztrus's armguard, sparks flying in every direction.
"You've improved," Alcer said with a tired grin.
"I had to," Laztrus replied, stepping back, his black cloak fluttering with the shockwaves. "You're the only person who ever kept me humble."
They circled each other again. Laztrus charged — a direct, brutal swing. Alcer blocked it with his forearm, aura exploding outward like thunder.
"You remember when we gave that poor old man boiling hot tea by mistake?" Alcer laughed through gritted teeth.
"Oh, Zain? How could I forget?" Laztrus smirked. "We thought he was gonna melt. I still remember him screaming, 'You demons!'"
Alcer chuckled, but his arm trembled. "We got grounded for three months. Couldn't even leave the house."
"And we still didn't apologise properly," Laztrus said. "We were brats."
Another clash — blades meeting again, then separating as Laztrus spun mid-air, sending a dark wave of energy crashing into the side of a cliff.
The Transit Seal opened with a flash nearby.
Blessing, Lunar, and Innocent appeared just meters away. Lunar staggered slightly from the pressure. The trio looked up.
The scene in front of them froze them in place.
"Alcer!" Lunar shouted, eyes wide.
Alcer didn't respond — too focused.
Lunar clenched his fists. His aura burst out in a gust of silver wind. He pointed both palms toward Laztrus.
"Tempest Spiral!"
A wide stream of wind surged toward Laztrus, cutting through trees and tearing apart the ground. Laztrus simply lifted a hand, and with a twist of his wrist, the wind exploded backward.
Lunar flew across the field, hitting the ground hard.
"Lunar!" Blessing yelled.
Innocent stepped forward next. His red eyes glowed, and fire gathered in his fists.
"Let me show you why I'm called Inferno!"
He dashed forward and threw a flaming punch. Laztrus dodged without effort, then sent a burst of black pressure that knocked Innocent straight into a boulder.
Laztrus didn't look at either of them.
"I'm disappointed," he said, eyes still on Alcer. "That's the new generation?"
"They're still growing," Alcer said, steadying his breath.
Laztrus stepped in.
One moment, they were standing apart.
The next, his blade pierced Alcer's chest.
Right through the heart.
Alcer's breath caught. His eyes widened — just slightly.
Laztrus stood close, silent, not smiling now.
Blood dripped down the blade.
Alcer staggered as Laztrus pulled the blade free. Blood poured down his chest, staining the rocky ground.
"No!"
Blessing's voice cracked as he rushed forward, catching Alcer just before he collapsed fully.
Laztrus looked at them for a brief moment — Innocent on one knee, Lunar crawling over, and Blessing trembling beside the fallen guardian.
"You'll thank me for this one day," he muttered.
Then he turned, and in a single step, vanished into a distortion that shimmered in the air.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Alcer's breathing was sharp and shallow. His body shook, blood seeping through his clothes.
"I— I don't know what to do," Blessing whispered. His hands hovered helplessly over Alcer's wound. "I can't stop it—he's losing too much—"
Then it happened.
A faint blue light pulsed from Blessing's chest. A quiet hum filled the air, and then, without warning, water burst from the ground around him. It wasn't wild. It wasn't chaotic. It moved like it knew what it was doing.
Glowing, clear streams of water wrapped around Blessing's arms, then rushed toward Alcer's wound. It slowed the bleeding, cooling the searing pain.
Everyone froze.
"…What… the hell?" Innocent muttered, stepping back.
Lunar stared wide-eyed. "Blessing? Since when… could you do that?"
"I—I don't know," Blessing stammered. "This isn't… me. I didn't even do anything."
Alcer's eyes widened slightly as he looked down at the water surrounding him. "That's… Khan," he whispered, shocked. "But… you've never—"
Blessing shook his head, just as confused. "I swear… I didn't even know I had this. I don't know how it's happening."
The glow began to fade. The water disappeared, absorbed into the cracked earth beneath them. The wound had slowed — but not healed.
Alcer's breathing was weaker now.
He looked up at Blessing, something between surprise and pride in his fading eyes. "I guess... there's more to you than any of us thought."
Blessing leaned closer. "Don't talk. Save your strength."
But Alcer just smiled. "Some strength... can't be saved."
A shaky breath left him. "Protect them. Don't walk the path I did… walk a better one."
Blessing opened his mouth to speak — but it was too late.
Alcer's body fell still.
The light left his eyes.
And in that moment, something inside Blessing went completely silent.
No thoughts. No questions.
Just the sound of the wind.