A Few Days Prior
Goldwood
"Haaaaaa!"
Catherine, who had just sat down out of annoyance at Maxwell, suddenly heard a sharp shriek coming from a customer. It was quickly followed by a dull—
Thud!
Her head snapped up only to see Maxwell on the floor, his face flat against the ground. A panicked, trembling customer stood close to him, clearly at a loss for what to do or what had just happened.
Catherine's eyes went wide.
Without wasting a second, she rushed to Maxwell's side, her hand already dialing Principal Kim, the owner of Goldwood.
Before it even finished two beeps, the call went through, and a calm voice came from the speaker: "Catherine, what is the matt—"
"It's Maxwell!" Catherine cut him off, her voice shaking violently. "I was just talking to him before he suddenly fainted!"
"Fainted? Maxwell fainted? I am sure no—ohh…." There was a sudden pause on the other end of the line, as though a sudden realization had just struck him.
"Mr. Kim, what is going on? What should I do?" Catherine asked, her voice laced with panic as her hands trembled.
"Don't panic. Just take him to the resting room and wait for me. Don't do anything else. I am sure he is just sleeping—"
Beep!
Catherine hung up the call after receiving her instructions, though she was confused as to why he hadn't told her to take him to the hospital or call a doctor. But since she knew Mr. Kim and trusted his judgment, she wasted no time carrying out his orders. She dragged Maxwell to the resting room and laid him down on a chair.
***
In a dimly lit office sat a middle-aged man with white hair, deep blue eyes, and a pure white outfit. He sat behind a polished wooden desk, facing a large window that overlooked the city outside.
A tall bookshelf stood against one wall, filled with neatly arranged books and a few decorative pieces, giving the room the quiet authority of a well-established principal's office. On the desk sat an open PC, its back displaying the logo of a blue lizard with the word Draco written beside it. Next to it, a tablet rested upright on a sleek stand, displaying the same Draco logo.
A coffee mug sat nearby, while a second chair stood opposite his own, positioned to face the window.
The man glanced down at the phone in his hand, a relaxed smile slowly gracing his face.
"Things have finally been set in motion," he murmured. "Let's just hope It's not too late by the time he realizes."
***
Back to the Present
"We are finally here. Up ahead is the hot zone. Be ready. After we pass through this place, we will almost be at the settlement, but we have to get through here first," Nova said with a tense expression as she stared into the distance.
The ground was covered in thick layers of snow, and the wind obscured their vision. To her side, Maxwell was ranting about how they would finally have a place to stay and good food to eat.
"Be on alert. Something is not right—this place is too calm," Nova added, her hands clenching at her sides, ready to launch into battle at any second.
To her right, Snowy had already taken to the air to scout. Maxwell placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, not that he could really use it effectively in the first place!
"Alright, since we are ready, let's set out. We should be able to pass through this place in six hours and reach the settlement in another three."
And so, under the afternoon sun, the trio set off in silence.
***
Crunch. Crunch.
The sound of their boots echoed through the snow as the evening sun slowly sank behind the horizon.
"Hey, hey, Nova! What's going on? We've been trekking for hours and we still haven't seen a single Neovano creature. I'm getting bored, tired, and hungry! Aren't we there yet?" Maxwell complained as they trudged along. He had already lost track of how long had passed since he found himself in this world—a day? Three days? Two years?!
Even though he could check his phone, Maxwell felt like it was too much of a hassle. And to keep the adventurous mood intact, he had decided not to care too much about those details. An adventure like this wasn't something that came along every day, so he wanted to experience it to the fullest. At least when he got back home, he would have a story to tell his siblings.
If I get home, that is.
"Quiet. If we do find a Neovano, what are you even going to do—whine it to death? If you aren't confident in fighting, then don't talk and disrupt the peace," Nova said, not even sparing him a glance as she looked straight ahead.
Snowy, who was gliding peacefully through the air, nodded his head as if agreeing with her.
Maxwell stared at the snow hawk, suddenly feeling betrayed. "Smug bird," he muttered under his breath. He couldn't really stay mad at Snowy, though—just the thought of being angry with him felt heartbreaking!
Something is not right. We should have seen at least one Neovano creature by now, Nova thought with unease. This was a Neovano hot zone, even hotter than the previous one. They should have encountered something, or at least found signs of monster activity!
There isn't even a single sign that we're passing through a hot zone, and this idiot keeps distracting me, she thought, glaring at Maxwell out of the corner of her eye. At least that weird mental fog has lessened.
At the very least, this is better than being besieged by uglies, she reasoned.
They continued in silence, the crunching snow beneath their boots their only company, until they finally reached their destination. Nova stopped dead in her tracks.
This wasn't what they were supposed to find!