Midnight had long settled over the land, but the heart of the forest still bled with fire. The raging inferno that had threatened to consume everything was finally losing its grip, though the dying embers still crackled as scorched trees groaned and collapsed into the ash. The sky above was no longer blue or black; it was a heavy, suffocating canvas of thick gray smoke blending into the atmosphere. The sharp, acrid stench of burning ancient wood hung heavily in the air.
Yet, the destruction had stopped here. Chris's smoke barrier stood firm, acting as an invisible shield that kept the roaring flames from spreading toward the nearby town. Maintaining it was a lone, glowing spear embedded in the earth, channeling the remnants of his magic.
On the safer side of the barrier, sitting on a massive, half-burnt wooden log, were Chris, Ray, and Leo. A heavy, suffocating silence hung over them. Their expressions were grim, but Chris's face was the darkest of all, shadowed by exhaustion and worry.
Breaking the silence, Leo turned his eyes toward the captain. "Chris, you need to rest now. Your mana is critically low—I can literally sense how depleted you are. If you don't recover your mana immediately, you'll be completely defenseless."
Chris, acutely aware of the hollow emptiness in his magical core, let out a dry, breathy laugh. "I wish I could, Leo. But this isn't the time to rest. The real nightmare is going to knock on our doors in just two days."
Ray flinched, his head snapping toward Chris. "Two days? What kind of disaster are you talking about?"
Taking a heavy gulp, Chris looked into the distance, his voice trembling slightly. "The thing that was supposed to be born weeks from now... its birth has been accelerated. It's coming in two days."
Hearing this, Leo and Ray abruptly stood up from the log, their faces pale with shock.
"But that's impossible!" Ray exclaimed. "Felix explicitly told us that it would take several weeks!"
Chris lowered his gaze toward the ash-covered ground, his shoulders slumping. "I don't know the specifics, but that is exactly what the cultist told me before he broke. In our position, we cannot afford to ignore this. We have to treat his words as absolute truth. The very future of this continent is at stake."
Chris then shifted his gaze downward, his eyes locking onto Leo and Ray's hands. Both of them were wearing special rings—artifacts designed to grant immense, explosive power in times of desperation.
"You didn't use the rings during this fight, did you?" Chris asked quietly.
Leo and Ray looked down at their fingers and slowly shook their heads.
Chris let out a long, relieved sigh. "Good. That's a relief. We still don't even know who our true opponent is, so it's brilliant that you saved your trump cards."
Ray frowned, a look of doubt crossing his features. "Wait, Chris... how can you be so sure we didn't use them during the chaos of battle?"
A faint, knowing smile touched Chris's lips. "Look closely at the red rubies embedded in your rings. The more power they absorb and store from the user, the brighter they glow. Right now, they are dim. You played it smart."
Ray nodded in understanding. Suddenly, the crunch of hurried footsteps echoing from the darkness behind them made everyone turn around.
It was Felix. He came running toward them, panting heavily, his face flushed with frustration.
"Why... why did you lock me inside the carriage?!" Felix gasped out, clutching his chest. "I could have fought alongside you guys! I could have helped! I am not weak, and I am definitely not a liability like Noah!"
Chris looked at the young boy, his expression softening into one of a protective mentor. "Felix, it was never about you being a liability. You have simply never faced this caliber of enemy before. They are ruthless, dark magic users. On top of that, ensuring your safety was my utmost priority. In that split second, locking you away was the best decision I could make to keep you alive."
Hearing Chris's words, Felix's eyes widened, shimmering with deep emotion. The anger vanished, replaced by profound admiration. He immediately bowed his head low in a gesture of absolute respect.
"Magic Knight Captain of the 6th Division, Captain Chris... I am deeply honored that you cared so much for my safety. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!"
Chris blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden influx of respect. He rubbed the back of his neck, making a slightly awkward face. "Uh, right. Don't mention it. It's literally my job... I get paid for this, you know."
Felix looked up, his admiration only growing. "You are truly amazing, sir!"
"Yeah, yeah. Thank you," Chris replied dryly.
Felix's attention then drifted past Chris toward the glowing, smoldering forest. His excitement faded into worry. "So, sir... what happens to the forest fire now?"
Placing a hand on his chin, Chris pondered for a moment. "Logically, the local captains and knights stationed in this region should have taken over by now. An explosion and fire this massive should have brought reinforcements hours ago. Yet, no one has arrived. It makes no sense for a city this large to be completely devoid of patrolling knights."
Just as the thought crossed Chris's mind, the rhythmic clattering of horseshoes and the heavy rolling of wheels echoed from the main road. Everyone turned to look.
Emerging from the shadows of the night was a grand, luxurious royal carriage. It glided smoothly across the dirt road and pulled to a halt right in front of Chris and his group.
The carriage door clicked open. Stepping out was a tall, middle-aged woman who practically exuded an aura of absolute authority. She had vibrant, fiery red hair and a pair of sharp, piercing eyes that swept over the group like a predator analyzing its surroundings. She wore a long black coat adorned with subtle, intricate golden embroidery along the lapels. Underneath, she sported a crisp, white high-collar shirt secured by a sturdy leather belt, fitted black pants, and knee-high leather boots—an attire that perfectly balanced royal elegance with battlefield practicality.
Her gaze wandered over everyone before finally locking onto Chris. Chris stood frozen for a second, a wave of confusion washing over him as he tried to place her face. Then, a spark of recognition hit him.
Chris instantly stood up from the wooden log, dropping into a deep, respectful bow. "Greetings, Your Majesty. It is an honor, Empress Diana Windsor of Morveth."
Hearing the word Empress, Leo, Ray, and Felix's eyes widened in sheer panic. They instantly threw themselves into deep bows, barely daring to breathe.
Diana raised a hand casually, though her voice carried a heavy, serious undertone. "Rise. All of you, stand up straight."
The group complied immediately, standing at attention.
Diana didn't waste time on pleasantries. She looked directly at Chris. "Captain Chris, tell me everything that transpired here. Quickly."
Without missing a beat, Chris concisely explained the cultist ambush, the sudden eruption of the dark fire, and how they had managed to contain it.
When he finished, Diana let out a heavy, tired sigh. "Captain, you should have sent an emergency missive to the nearest knight outpost, or directly to me, before engaging."
Chris maintained his respectful posture. "Forgive me, Empress, but everything happened too fast. We had no warning that the situation would escalate to this scale, nor did we anticipate the entire forest being set ablaze."
Diana turned her gaze toward the background, looking at the blackened forest where the flames had finally died down to mere smoke. She turned back to Chris.
"Very well," Diana conceded. "I will dispatch the royal knights by tomorrow morning to secure the perimeter and clean up the aftermath. The real issue is that this forest was the primary supplier of lumber for the entire continent. The supply chain will face a massive hit, but I will handle the political fallout with the King. More importantly... you contained the fire before it reached the civilian towns. For that, you have my gratitude."
Her sharp eyes then drifted toward the teenagers standing behind him. "But tell me, why are you traveling with three children?"
"They may be young, Empress, but they proved their mettle tonight," Chris answered firmly. "They fought bravely and helped me keep the fire from spreading."
Diana arched an eyebrow, a faint glint of appreciation in her eyes. "Is that so? Strong kids indeed." She then looked back at Chris's pale face. "Go and rest, Captain. Your mana reserves are dangerously low."
Without another word, Diana turned on her heel, her long black coat billowing behind her. She stepped back into the carriage, her commanding voice echoing one last time before the door shut: "All of you, report to my private chambers tomorrow morning."
The carriage door slammed shut, and the royal transport swiftly moved into the night, disappearing down the road. Left behind, Chris, Leo, Ray, and Felix let out a collective breath and began making their way toward the nearby resting quarters.
Meanwhile, deep within the blackened, smoldering ruins of the forest.
The cultist lay sprawled on the ash-covered ground. His body was a gruesome sight, completely drenched in his own blood. He felt no pain anymore—only a terrifying numbness. He had pushed past his absolute physical limit; he couldn't even twitch a single finger.
Up on a high cliff overlooking the gruesome scene stood Marcus. His cold, dark eyes looked down directly at the dying cultist.
Feeling the gaze, the cultist slowly tilted his bloody head upward. Seeing Marcus, the cultist's lips curled into a sickening, greedy smile, as if expecting a reward or a rescue.
Marcus's face twisted in pure disgust. Irritated by the cultist's pathetic existence and the failure of the mission, Marcus didn't say a word. He simply raised his hand, casually snapped his fingers, and turned his back to the cliff, vanishing into thin air.
The moment the sound of the snap echoed, the cultist's eyes widened in horror. His veins violently turned black, and his body began to rapidly bloat like a balloon.
BOOM!
With a horrific, muffled explosion, the cultist's body detonated from the inside out. Blood, flesh, and shattered bone sprayed across the scorched earth, leaving absolutely nothing behind of the cultist—except for a single, severed eye that rolled across the ash, staring blankly into the dark night sky.