The forest stood still.
No wind.No sound.
Only the tension between two worlds… facing each other.
On one side—
Kael and his group.
On the other—
The summoned heroes.
No one moved.
But something invisible… was already colliding.
Dylan Carter stepped forward first.
His boots pressed heavily against the dirt, cracking small stones beneath his weight.
He stopped just a few steps away from Kael.
Up close, the difference was clear.
Dylan's body was built like a weapon.
Kael's… was controlled.
Refined.
Not overwhelming—
But unsettling.
Dylan smirked.
"So you're just travelers?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
His eyes didn't leave Dylan.
"I could ask you the same."
A small spark.
Just words.
But enough.
Vanessa Vale watched closely.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
There it is again…
That feeling.
It wasn't mana.
It wasn't killing intent.
It was something else.
Something that pulled at her instinct.
At her curiosity.
At something deeper.
Her lips curved slightly.
Interesting…
Nyx crossed her arms.
"If you're done staring, move along. We're not interested."
Dylan clicked his tongue.
"You talk big for someone hiding behind a guy like that."
The air shifted.
Fufuin growled.
Low.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Dylan's smile faded slightly.
Lyra stepped closer to Kael.
Subtle.
But intentional.
Her hand lightly brushed his sleeve.
Grounding.
Supporting.
Arthur Caldwell adjusted his glasses.
"This is unnecessary," he said calmly. "We gain nothing from conflict here."
"Speak for yourself," Dylan replied.
He stepped forward again.
This time—
Too close.
And then—
It happened.
Kael moved.
Not forward.
Not aggressively.
But his presence changed.
The air around him… tightened.
Like something invisible had awakened.
Something watching.
Something responding.
Vanessa's breath caught.
Her eyes widened slightly.
There it is…
That feeling again.
Stronger now.
Warmer.
Dangerous.
Dylan frowned.
"What the hell…?"
For a brief moment—
His body refused to move.
Not fear.
Not pressure.
But something… unnatural.
Fufuin's four eyes opened wider.
"...So it begins."
Nyx felt it too.
Her usual confidence cracked for just a second.
"What is that…?"
Lyra's heart raced.
But instead of fear—
She felt… calm.
Drawn.
Kael spoke.
Quietly.
"I don't want to fight."
The pressure eased.
Slightly.
"But I won't step back either."
Silence.
Dylan clenched his fist.
His pride screamed at him.
But his instincts—
For the first time—
Hesitated.
Vanessa stepped forward.
Between them.
Again.
But this time…
Her expression had changed.
Less playful.
More focused.
"We're leaving," she said softly.
Dylan turned to her.
"What? That's it?"
She didn't look at him.
Her eyes stayed on Kael.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then she smiled.
Not teasing.
Not fake.
Genuine curiosity.
"We'll meet again."
Their group began to move.
Slowly passing by.
Tension still lingering in the air.
As Vanessa walked past Kael—
She stopped.
Just for a second.
Close enough for only him to hear.
"You're not like us… are you?"
Kael didn't answer.
She smiled.
Softly.
"I thought so."
And then she walked.
Silence returned to the forest.
But it wasn't the same silence.
Nyx exhaled deeply.
"...What the hell was that?"
Fufuin stared ahead.
"That… was not mana."
Lyra looked at Kael.
Concerned.
Curious.
Drawn.
Kael touched his chest.
The mark beneath his skin pulsed.
Slowly.
Warm.
Alive.
"...I don't know."
But deep down—
He did.
Far away—
The sound of galloping thundered across the land.
A crimson figure rode at the front.
Her presence cut through the wind itself.
Unstoppable.
Seraphine Drakmor smiled.
"I found you."
Her horse accelerated.
The battalion followed.
And somewhere between fate and chaos—
Something had awakened.
Not a hero.
Not a king.
But a force…
That even the gods had not fully predicted.