---
Eliara collapsed between the ancient roots of the trees, her small, broken breaths the only sound filling the dark forest.
The ground was cold, damp, heavy with the scent of rot and old blood—but her mind barely registered it.
Every inhale was a struggle.
Every exhale was proof that she was still alive… barely.
Her shoulders trembled several times, her body reacting on instinct alone, as if it remembered fear better than thought.
Then—slowly—she opened her eyes.
The first thing she felt was not pain.
It was warmth.
Strong hands were holding her—steady, unwavering.
Hands that did not shake.
Hands that did not hesitate.
They were not the hands of monsters.
Nor were they the hands of the humans she had learned to fear.
She lifted her head with difficulty.
Before her stood a boy.
No older than thirteen.
His features were sharp, unnervingly calm, as though the world itself had long lost the ability to surprise him.
His eyes were cold—sharp and distant—yet behind that coldness was something else.
Something she had never seen before.
Silent protection.
He spoke in a low, steady voice:
"Nothing will harm you now."
They were not heroic words.
Not a dramatic vow.
Yet they struck her deeper than anything she had heard in months.
She drew a deep breath, as though her chest had been waiting for those words all along.
As though the sentence itself was a cure, not a sound.
Inside the boy's mind, a familiar voice rang out—far too cheerful for the situation:
[Come on, come on… didn't I tell you?
Heroes from outside the story always create miracles!]
(Eliara heard nothing.)
Arthur merely exhaled slowly, long accustomed to ignoring such commentary.
Tears gathered in her eyes, but she forced them back.
She did not want to appear weak—not now.
She looked up at him and asked in a trembling voice:
"Who… who are you?"
Fear and curiosity intertwined in her tone.
He answered coldly, without hesitation:
"I'm… Arthur ."
"Just remember this—I won't let you fall again."
She did not fully understand his words.
But she believed them.
She nodded faintly, then took another breath, trying to steady herself, to reclaim control over her shaking body.
Inside Arthur's mind, the voice returned:
[Alright!... First lesson in this new world!Every step here could be the line between life and death Are you two ready?]
Arthur replied calmly:
"I am.... and I'll make sure she is too."
They moved together, leaving the tainted cave behind.
Even at a distance, its corruption lingered in the air like a curse that refused to fade.
The forest stretched endlessly around them—trees tall and twisted, like silent witnesses to something far older than humanity.
The sky began to change.
Gray clouds crept overhead, heavy and oppressive, swallowing the light little by little, pressing down on the world itself.
Then—
The ground shook.
A violent tremor, sudden and overwhelming, as if something massive had awakened.
Eliara froze.
Her heart nearly leapt from her chest.
A massive shadow emerged between the trees.
Not an ordinary monster.
Its body was grotesquely deformed, black shadows fused with flesh as though the darkness itself had taken form.
Its eyes burned with endless rage.
This was not a creature of the natural order.
The voice inside Arthur's head spoke again—this time, cautious:
[This is not an ordinary monster.
One of your enemies has begun tracking you.
Reason: You altered fate.]
Arthur raised his gaze toward the looming shadow, then turned to Eliara:
"Stay behind me."
"And if you must… run without hesitation."
But the system could not restrain its excitement:
[Ooooh! This is getting interesting!"
"Get ready, Eliara—we're about to learn how to fight and change the world!]
She trembled.
Yet… she did not collapse.
For the first time in a very long while, something unfamiliar began to grow inside her chest.
A sense of safety.
Trust.
The feeling that the person standing before her… would not abandon her.
No matter the cost.
Arthur refused to leave anything to chance.
He slowly raised his hand, his eyes gleaming with cold focus:
"Activating skill… Abyssal Insight."
---
Ding
Eye of Insight — Level 1
Description:
Analyzes abilities, weaknesses, and possible future paths.
[Properties]
• Enhances companions and provides adaptive support based on their physical and psychological needs.
---
Transparent lines of light formed around Eliara's body.
They traced her form with frightening precision—her internal energy balance, her weak points, the unstable state of her mana.
This was not mere analysis.
It was direct intervention.
Arthur guided gentle streams of mana into her body—not forceful, but precise.
Her fear began to settle.
Her tense muscles loosened.
Her breathing steadied.
He spoke to her in a calm, unwavering voice:
"Trust me.Forget everything that voice in the cave told you."
She felt a strange strength flow through her limbs.
Not just physical strength… but mental clarity.
Inside Arthur's mind, the system shouted:
[Incredible!
He's using the skill on another target!
Who said destiny can't be
controlled,Arthur?!]
Arthur stepped forward, his eyes locking onto the monster:
"Let's go.We won't let the darkness take our place."
The massive shadow moved.
The earth groaned beneath its steps.
Arthur allowed himself a small smile and whispered:
"Get ready, my friend."
"It seems the first lesson has just begun."
And within Eliara's heart, a new certainty was born:
She was no longer a victim.
And no matter how cruel this world might be—
she would not face it alone ever again.
---