Their feet moved"
Not in unison
Not even close
One stepped forward while the other moved backward, forcing them to constantly adjust their positions.
"To your left!"
One shouted, clearly annoyed
"Ow"
"To your other left, dumbass!"
"If you continue talking like that, am really gonna kill you, brat"
Smack!
The person behind them finally lost patience and slapped her face in clear disappointment
Even Aleron, whose eyes had initially flickered with curiosity, looked disappointment
"Are you sure you can fight alongside me?" Asterx asked.
"You're quite weak."
"Oh, am sorry Asterx,for being the most obnoxious person you've ever had to team up with"
"Oh, shut up, you two!"
Elicia's shout echoed through the street
Elicia stood there, breathing heavily after screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Let's—"
Before she could finish, Aleron disappeared.
Elicia's eyes widened.
'He's fast.'
Aleron was already in front of her.
She reacted instantly.
Mana surged through her body and into the bow in her hands. The string vibrated as she pulled it back, three arrows forming from condensed mana.
She released it.
Swish
The arrows moved swiftly piercing through the air
Aleron didn't dodge.
He simply raised his hand.
Snap!
His fingers closed around the arrows.
All three.
Elicia's expression didn't change.
"Oh. Is your aim getting worse?"
Aleron tilted his head.
"Nah."
A faint grin appeared on her face.
"That was my intention."
"...?"
Boom!
The arrows detonated.
A violent burst of mana erupted from Aleron's hand, sending dust and debris flying through the street.
The shockwave tore through the surrounding alleyways, and the distant buildings of Ember Hollow trembled beneath the force.
A gust of wind then swept past Elicia's face.
Then—
A faint chuckle came from within the smoke.
Aleron stepped out looking rather unscathed.
"You seem to always exceed my expectation…."
All he meant was no reply only to see that he stood alone in the alleyway
Silence.
Aleron looked around.
Elicia was gone.
So were Asterx and Rin.
His smile faded slightly.
"...Fine. Let it be that way."
They ran.
Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Elicia, Asterx and Rin moved swiftly
They moved through the ruined district as quickly as their legs could carry them
They did not dare look back
There was only one thing that mattered to them
Getting some distance between themselves and that monster
"Let's camp there"
Rin said as he pointed at a partially collapsed building
"Sure"
They changed direction as they slipped into the shadows
The moment they landed in that area, Rin froze
"Woah…"
His eyes widened
"What the heck happened here?"
The entire area had been devastated
Buildings had been reduced to rubble. Pieces of stone and wood littered the streets, while massive cracks ran through the ground.
Asterx slowly looked around.
"Whoever did this must be sick"
Elicia barely listened
Her eyes just wandered from one side of the ruins to another
Sometimes in search of anything that could be a clue
Then—
"You're going to be working for me now"
The voice came from the darkness.
All three froze.
The air suddenly felt heavier.
Elicia immediately raised her bow, mana gathering around another arrow.
"Who is there?"
Silence.
Asterx narrowed his eyes toward the ruined building ahead
"Come out. Now"
Nothing.
Then—
Two crimson eyes appeared within the darkness.
They stared at the three of them.
Those eyes were nothing like that of a person's
They felt deeper.
Colder.
Like an abyss staring directly into their souls
Whoosh
An invisible pressure swept across the area
This made their bodies stiff
For a moment, none of them could breathe properly
"Hmmm…. let me check it out"
Rin said as they stepped forward
"Are you stupid?"
Asterx spoke as he grabbed his shoulder
"No. But I think I know who this"
"Don't flatter yourself. This is not one of your village cultured lives"
"Oh, shut up"
"Can you two stop arguing like children?"
Elicia snapped.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"All of you... shut up."
Hoarse.
Harsh.
Cold.
Rin's eyes widened.
"Yuta…. is that you?"
The crimson eyes blinked
Then the figure stepped out of the darkness.
"Oh."
The person scratched his head.
"It's just you, Rin."
"Yep."
Rin's voice carried a hint of irritation.
"Guess that's not how you would normally speak to your brother."
Yuta stepped fully into the light.
His shirt had been ripped apart, exposing his battered torso.
Elicia immediately looked away.
Asterx simply sighed.
"So, I guess the brat has another annoying member"
Yuta ignored him
"So, what is the situation, Rin?"
Asterx eyebrow twitched
Yuta had completely ignored him
Rin chuckled at the sight of it
"Some high-grade demon is following—"
"Oi"
Yuta rubbed his eyebrows
"I was talking to you"
"There a time and a place"
Yuta narrowed his eyes
"And right now isn't it"
A faint aura leaked from Yuta's body as
The atmosphere immediately changed
Asterx clenched his fist
"Okay, we get your point"
Elicia said as she stepped between them
Yuta stared at her for a moment.
Then nodded before heading back to Rin's side.
The two began speaking.
Asterx remained silent.
But inside, his irritation continued to grow.
'I understand that he's Rin's brother.'
His eyes followed Yuta.
'But he's nothing like him.'
Elicia watched the two brothers as well.
Something about Yuta bothered her.
Not his strength.
Not even his attitude.
There was something else.
Something she couldn't quite put into words
"Are you taking the exam seriously at all?!"
Rin's voice echoed through the ruins.
Yuta didn't even bother answering.
He simply looked away.
"We'll talk later,"
Rin said, grinding his teeth.
"But first..."
He pointed toward the path behind Yuta.
"What were you doing over there?"
"Hmm?"
Yuta scratched his cheek.
"Taking care of some business."
"Yuta"
Rin said as his voice became sharper
He started walking toward the direction Yuta had come from.
Yuta immediately stepped in front of him.
"Let me through"
"Um… now isn't really the time"
"You are hiding something"
Rin's eyes just narrowed
"Something terrible, aren't you?"
Yuta only grinned
Then just whistled away innocently
"Fine, I will leave it"
Rin turned away
Yuta relaxed
Then—
Thud!
Rin suddenly turned and shoved him aside.
"Got you."
He disappeared into the darkness.
"Rin!"
Yuta expression completely changed
Elicia and Asterx followed closely behind.
As they entered the ruined building, the stench of blood enveloped the area
As Rin stopped in his tracks.
His expression fell.
"What... is this?"
Yuta slowly walked in behind them.
He rubbed his temples
"This is why I didn't want you to see."
The others turned.
Then they saw him.
Slurig.
His body lay unconscious against the ground, covered in wounds.
Blood stained against its skin.
But what caught their attention was the strange crest carved into his chest.
Elicia's eyes widened.
"What is this?"
Asterx's expression hardened.
"Are you one of them?"
He clenched his fists as he turned to Yuta.
"Wait."
Rin raised his hands.
"Guys, let's calm down and talk about this."
Before anyone could respond—
The temperature dropped.
Mist began spreading across the floor.
Slowly.
Silently.
It crawled around their feet before rising toward their knees.
Breathing suddenly became difficult.
Rin's face went pale.
His eyes trembled.
"He's back."
Yuta just stared at him.
"Who?"
Rin didn't answer immediately.
The mist continued to thicken.
Then Rin swallowed.
"Well... you see..."
His voice became quieter.
"We got into a bit of trouble too."