Eventually, we found ourselves at a wide clearing within some sort of intricate town-like system—one of the various outposts positioned around the warp gates located within the Beast Lands.
Although, calling it an outpost didn't feel like I was properly capturing the grandeur of it all.
Really, this place was like a town of its own, and actually, it probably was.
I caught glimpses of hotels, houses, pub bars, and even an Adventurer's Guild building as we passed through the roads, albeit one much smaller.
I wonder… Could Lady Alice and I have found refuge here, instead of travelling to Goldshire?
Or actually, couldn't I have simply done that myself before becoming an adventurer?
These thoughts faded almost as fast as they had come, the answers to my questions already present within me.
No and no. Simple as that.
Not only is this warp gate situated in the Beast Lands, a region very far from where we found ourselves, but also, only licensed adventurers are able to take the warp gates owned by the Adventurer's Guild in Goldshire.
It is an interesting thought though—living here, in the middle of nowhere, basically, danger always lurking around the corner.
I guess the only ones willing to do something like this are the truly strong, or perhaps, the carefree kind.
In any case, this place would probably fit the description of a hub, more than not.
A sense of vertigo had taken a remnant in the very back of mind, further obscured by my familiarity with warp gates. Compared to all those years ago, when I'd first taken one, this sensation was nothing; not nearly as pronounced.
…I guess Mother was right, after all. Though, it wasn't as if I ever doubted her.
Eventually, we made our way beyond the confines of the walls, truly reaching the vast expanse of the Beast Lands.
Plains of greenery stretched impossibly across the horizon in every direction imaginable, draped in heavy blankets of snow, leaving a lasting impression.
Crystalline snowflakes danced in the air, followed by a brisk gust of wind, and I had a sudden urge to catch one with my tongue.
…I held myself back, of course, unwilling to embarrass myself amongst my new companions.
Caelora shifted somewhere to my left, her gaze turning upwards.
"...The view is quite beautiful. Suddenly, I've found myself reminiscing about home." Her tone and expression were wistful.
From beside her, Ivignes seemed to shudder at the mention of.
The subtle heat emanating off of him seemed to bolster, his very presence almost a shield against the cold itself.
"Bah. Don't remind me of that place! Anywhere is better than there…"
Caelora eyed him carefully, her soft and expressive features sharpening.
"What do you mean? Surely, you aren't saying what I think you are, Ivignes…"
"Hah? What else is there to mean?" He shot back. "I'm saying that place is ruthless…! Nothing but savages, the lot of them. I get the chills just thinking about it."
Disregarding the irony behind him saying that final line, I began to grow curious as to what their home was like. Savages everywhere? Just where exactly could that be? Are these guys, perhaps, home to some foreign kingdom where the youth are raised as warriors, never to know a life of lasting peace?
…At least that was, until the truth behind it all was revealed.
"Ivignes, I would suggest that you watch your tone and manner when you're referring to our birth land. It would be quite unfortunate if Lady Asharis found out that you were speaking so badly about it, I believe. In fact, I would go so far as to say that your words are aimed directly at her, rather than home itself…"
"Sis?!" He jumped, eyes widening.
"...On second thought, perhaps you're right. Maybe that place isn't so bad, after all. In fact, it's the greatest place amongst the kingdoms—all five of them, even! It's so wonderful, really…"
"I see. That is more like it."
A sudden rustle of movement caught our attention at that moment, finishing their conversation early.
We turned in synchronization, easily finding the source.
"Just what is she doing…?" I muttered, more to myself than anything. Caelora took a step forward, eyes scintillating with genuine intrigue and consideration.
"It would appear that your bond is quite enthused to be out here. I believe you should rejoice in that fact," she noted. "This does seem to be her natural element."
…Not too far from us, Seraphina could be seen breaking into bursts of sprints, stopped only by her dramatically jumping into hefty mounds of snow, her small form disappearing entirely into them.
There was a confused silence as she continued to do so, completely oblivious to the attention she had garnered.
Through our mental connection, I could feel her excitement and anticipation rising and falling in steady rhythms with each crest, evening out in-between the transition from landing and recovering herself for a repeated act.
I performed the mental equivalent of a sigh.
…Lucky bastard.
If I were to do that, I'd get weird looks and crazy stares!
At some point, however, I relented, allowing her the fun. Seraphina was always the type to do something like this, after all, so it didn't come as much of a surprise.
Actually…come to think of it, she was always up to pretty… unusual activities whenever something interested her. More so recently than ever before. Wonder what's up with that?
I guess she's just curious, being a fox and all.
Eventually, we made the decision to continue on our journey. The heartbroken expression… if she could even have one, really… that fell upon her would be forever ingrained in my memory from that day forward, I had a feeling.
Making our way through the endless stretch of plains carried with it an almost weightless sense of freedom, and was strangely liberating. Feeling the brisk air brush against my face, the mana flooding through my veins, and the circumstances surrounding it all.
It hammered the nail on just how different my life was now, compared to just a few years ago, when I was spending my days neck-deep in magic textbooks back in my kingdom's library.
Or the time spent with Altius, Esil, and the two Princesses, Aria and Noelle.
Remembering those times left me with a bittersweet longing, as if something important was amiss from my life.
It was… strange.
For as long as I could remember, in my past life I had no one that I could feel such a way about. I had family, sure, but even they were quite distant with me. The reason?
…I was a failure. Simply put. So, it was that much more odd to me that I felt such a deep connection to these people in this world.
Well, really, it wasn't that surprising. I… I had a place in this world. I belonged here.
And He belonged there. Here, I was a prince, a mage, a son, a friend, a companion, a confidant to many, and even… a fiance.
Thinking about that last part never gets easy.
As such, was it so strange that I felt more connected with the people of Ethos than not?
I didn't think so. This world…
It practically belonged to me, if anything. It needed me.
That's why I was… reincarnated? summoned?—here. However… I needed to get strong. Much stronger than I was now.
So that I could protect the ones closest to me, and even reach the hearts of those who I couldn't.
Strength was absolute.
The strongest, most capable people are the ones who live the greatest, most unshackled lives.
They can do anything.
Lucien Revalor… I swear, I'll surpass you one day.
And then… I'll be the new Hero that everyone looks up to. I have to.
I won't be content with living a worthless life spent in obscurity anymore. I can't be forgotten…
Nothing less will do.
***
Sometime later, we found ourselves coming to a stop at a brief pause between forest and a wide clearing.
Staying hidden amidst the trees allowed us to catch our breaths, considering we did mostly run here, though it was more of a light sprint spent using various mana techniques.
But, more than that, it also allowed us the chance to do something else.
"Hah… So that's them."
"Yeah. Storm wolves…" I confirmed, finishing Ivignes' line of thought.
Up ahead, a decently sized pack of wolves could be seen roaming, crossing the stretch.
At first glance, they almost blended in with their surroundings—their coats were a ghostly, silver-gray that faintly shimmered under the pallid light filtering in through the clouds.
As we watched them for longer, though, their forms broke apart, sharpening and turning discernible from the next.
Their thick fur rippled like wind-tossed frost, and faint threads of azure light pulsed in the air immediate to them.
Even their exhale, which misted the chill air, seemed to crackle ever-so-slightly with static energy that only lasted for the briefest of periods.
…How morbidly encapsulating.
From our position we could only see their backs, but even then, it was easy to tell apart their features.
…Specifically from the one positioned at the foremost of them.
He was larger than the others by at least half a size, and his mane—not unlike the others—was wind swept, gathering frost like a crown. And when he breathed, his shoulders seemed to roll like boulders beneath ice.
A gust of wind picked up at that moment, flowing in our direction.
He turned his neck in our direction, and swiftly, we ducked further into the trees, hiding ourselves.
It only lasted a few seconds, however, but it was enough to gain enough information.
Their moniker is perfectly succinct.
Everything about those creatures scream wild, untamed, and deadly. According to the quest information, these guys are capable of electricity-based magic, though it's of a relatively low-tier, which was why they were listed as C-rank beasts. But still… I'd better not let my guard down.
"That guy… He's the alpha, no doubt." Ivignes was the first to speak, his tone low.
"Where'd that bastard get a horn like that, I wonder?"
"If I recall correctly, he would've been born with it. It's how a storm wolf's physiology works—the alphas are predetermined at birth by the golden horns that sprout from their snouts; a stark contrast against the rest of their muted features," Caelora said reverently. "It is quite the sight…"
"Yeah, quite the sore sight. Tch. We'll be doing him a favor by removing it."
"...Really? I think it is an arresting feature," she responded, genuinely. "A symbol of how unique and captivating the creatures born on this continent of ours can be, each of their lives telling a grand story that we may never know of—"
"Hah. A story?" Ivignes scoffed.
"Sure, don't worry. I'll make sure to tell a grand and captivating story when it's biting your hand off."
"W-what?"
"—Can we focus?" I quickly interjected.
"To my knowledge, this is an average sized pack.
There's eleven of them in total. If I had to guess, the alpha himself must be a C+-tier magic beast. At least. And they're known to fight in a formation, so we need to delegate roles, and stick togeth—"
At that moment, however, a distant rumble rolled across the wind, low yet heavy. One of the wolves raised its head.
…Then another, and another, and so forth, until finally, they were all staring at each other, eyes darting around.
They must've caught something, whether it be scent, sound, magic, perhaps even our own heartbeats.
This moment stretched into several beats of silence, thickening with invisible pressure.
Even Ivignes's fiery confidence seemed to dim, replaced by a coiled readiness.
Damn it, his name is heavy on the tongue… I need to make a nickname for him.
Seraphina's tail twitched from where she crouched right beside me.
Through our link, I could feel her senses sharpening, her attention latching on to our prey before us.
I reached down without looking, running a palm through her silky fur, sending her a mental message.
'Stay hidden. I don't want you getting hurt. Don't worry about us, we'll get through this.'
Dejection leaked through our connection at that moment, but I shut it out just as quickly—a trick I've been learning.
Just then, however, our moment of anticipation was finally broken with one sentence.
"...They've noticed us," Caelora murmured.
And sure enough, the first howl tore through the air, raising the hairs on my neck.
The pack immediately surged towards us in a segmented crescent formation, a wall of silver and electricity aimed straight at us.
Crap…!
"We need to assume a formatio—!"
Ivignes was the first to move, ignoring me as his longsword ignited in a blaze of crimson—the heat distorting the air around him, and wreathing him in a haze. He dashed forward, meeting the first wolf head-on with a sweeping arc.
The blade cleaved through fur and frost, scattering embers through the air, but even with such a grave injury, the beast managed to whip back around and snap its jaws around his leg.
…Luckily, I had a spell prepared for that. I extended my hand, mana flaring through my veins, releasing my hold on the compressed sphere of water I'd formed just seconds before.
"Scatter!"
[Piercing Droplets]
The surface of the spell rippled before detonating violently into a torrent of blue sparks.
Four thin streams of water shot forth, finishing off that particular wolf on the spot, and striking three more in the legs—effectively limiting the mobility of the next wave.
By then, my sword had already manifested from my ring, and so I unsheathed it, sprinting forward.
Damn it, this guy…! I'll have to center myself around him.
The other two beasts were in lunging range by then, and so they did just that; aimed at the brightest, most foremost of us all, of course.
…Caelora was already two steps ahead of them, though.
Fluid steams of metallic light bled from thin air, solidifying into long tethers that wrapped around their legs, linking them together.
The wolves snapped, ripping at them with their maws, but the binds split into dozens of sharp, splintered shards—each fragment becoming a mini blade in of itself, biting deep into their flesh.
I flourished my blade, practiced motions taking hold of my body as I shrouded it in a thin layer of water-attribute magic. The steel caught the pale sunlight as it flashed, instantly beheading the wolf closest to me, meanwhile Ivignes finished off the other one. Blood splattered on my clothes.
A brief wave of… actually I wasn't quite sure how to describe it.
Was it nauseousness, or surreality? A struggling to understand something, or an unwillingness to…? Maybe neither.
Whatever it was, it was distant and fleeting—brought about by the sickening sensation of watching and feeling my sword cleave through flesh, like how a knife cuts through paper.
The way the blood stuck to my blade, slick and fresh, the eerie image of a beheaded animal laying limp in front of me, and… the smell.
Bile rose from the back of my throat, but I forced it down, concentrating.
It's them or us…
By the time I'd retrieved myself, Ivignes and Caelora had just begun their engagement with the next wave.
These three wolves were already much more different than the initial ones, that much was obvious by their size. That wasn't all, though.
Electricity jumped from their limbs in brief arcs of azure lighting, racing along their fur, and illuminating the sharp, intelligent gazes that they wielded against us.
Right.
These guys aren't mere beasts, they're magic beasts, a special kind. And as their name suggests, they possess abilities.
The first one jumped at Ivignes with a sudden burst in speed, jaws mere inches from his throat.
He sidestepped, wasting little-to-no-movement, and brought his longsword around, cleanly and swiftly vanquishing his foe.
Caelora's Silvermeld magic answered her wand gestures like a living thing, expanding into a vast wall of liquid that eventually splintered from itself, piece by piece, until tiny needles were what formed from the individual balls.
They shot forward in a barrage of silver, dozens of them aimed at the two other wolves who were arriving.
They broke apart, jumping around in short bursts leaving trails of crackling energy, but her aim was sharp and precise. Their bodies soon went limp after sustaining lethal injuries.
I spun to the forefront of the battlefield, keeping my two party members in sight.
My positioning left me a decent bit behind them, and so I was able to keep them both in my sight lines, while also keeping watch of the enemy's movements.
"Four more circling around on our left flank!" I shouted. "Ivignes, hold back a bit, we'll take them on together!"
"Sure, whatever!"
Lowering my frame just slightly, I tensed my muscles, preparing to burst into a sprint.
My eyes were locked on the foremost of the field, keeping the four figures in my direct line of sight, ready to react at even the slightest sign.
My heart raced loudly, pounding against my eardrums, as I dialed in on nothing except what was in front of me. Thefinal stretch…!
…Drowning out the dirge of battle had almost cost me my life, though.
A shrill cry leaked through my mental defenses just in time.
'Papa, behind you!'
I felt what was approaching long before I saw it. Hairs raised on the back of my neck as I quickly pivoted my foot and jumped to the left, recovering in a roll.
A concentrated beam of electricity whizzed past me, leaving a scar on the world, and crashing just a few meters away, sending ground, snow, and soil into a vertical crescent.
Charged sparks of magic lingered across the field as stray remnants, flashing weakly under the sunlight, and the clouds seemed to darken at that exact moment.
Standing, I whipped my head around and met the dim, amber eyes of the alpha wolf, its muscles tensed as he regarded my companions and I with frigid, calculating focus.
Electricity streaked across its snout, accentuating the golden-azure glow of its twisting horn.
He took a step forward, eyes now locked fully on me, and I had no choice but to do the same.
Damn it…!
I got too caught up, let him slip out of my sight.
That could've ended far worse. I need to focus.
Bringing my sword up, I assumed a battle-ready stance, ready to begin the final stage of this skirmish.
…Only, it seemed like that, but the reality was that things were only just beginning.
The wolf let out a low, resonating howl that seemed to empower the four wolves fighting my teammates—I could tell at a quick glance, based on the sudden bright sheen to their furs, and the bolster of arcs jumping across their agile limbs.
I grimaced, preparing myself for a tiresome battle.