The gust of wind hit Alex's face as a train passed by him and came to a stop.
The noise of the crowd became the background of the station.
Alex walked, following the two people in front of him—one was a brown-haired girl, and the other was a girl in a black robe.
Their steps stopped at the very front carriage. That carriage looked slightly different from the others.
An officer opened the carriage door and let them in.
The officer smiled.
"Welcome… please tap your smart bracelets."
Alex and the two girls tapped their smart bracelets. Once the three of them were confirmed, the officer directed them to their seats.
A fresh fragrance filled the carriage, and its interior was far more luxurious than any carriage Alex had ever ridden.
Alex's eyes sparkled as he stood there, frozen.
The brown-haired girl beside him whispered to the girl in the black robe.
"Look, princess… he's like a country bumpkin."
Katarina chuckled softly.
"Alright, Reva."
Alex's eyebrow twitched at their conversation. He took a deep breath and let it out.
The three of them sat down—Alex sat facing Katarina and Reva, who sat side by side.
Alex looked at Katarina.
"You look more beautiful like that."
Katarina gave a slight nod, her reflection visible in the train window. Her long dark red hair had turned into short black hair, and her eyes had become black.
Katarina smiled and looked at Alex.
"So this is your type?"
Reva almost cried in relief.
"Thank goodness his type is someone ordinary, so he won't approach you, princess."
The two of them chuckled.
Alex rubbed his face.
"If you keep calling her 'princess,' people will find out she's a princess, you short-tempered idiot."
Reva and Katarina ignored him.
Alex leaned back and stared outside as the train began moving—there wasn't even the slightest shake in the carriage.
Alex sighed. Krystal's voice sounded in his mind.
'That princess… she keeps changing, huh?'
Alex clicked his tongue.
'Yeah… yesterday she was like an ice princess, now she's like a friendly princess? Maybe?'
'Ask about Athika's Tears.'
Alex rubbed his forehead.
'Later… there's something more important.'
Krystal clicked his tongue.
Alex scratched his head.
'It feels like something is going on, right? I mean, she suddenly changed and asked for help to search for something.'
Krystal grew frustrated.
'That's why hurry up and level up, damn it! So we can figure things out!'
Alex's eyebrow twitched, he almost cursed out loud.
'Calm down, damn it! Isn't meeting my family more urgent?! I've never even met them!'
Alex's heart pounded as he kept imagining the awkwardness of meeting his new family.
Krystal bragged.
'Relax! You've got me, bastard.'
Alex nodded.
'Keep barking, because when it matters, you're useless.'
Alex's inner conversation with Krystal made him look strange.
Katarina and Reva, who were watching Alex with blank expressions, looked at each other.
Reva whispered first.
"Isn't he weird, princess?"
Katarina stared at Alex intently, her smile widening as loud laughter escaped her lips, making Alex and Reva look at her.
"Hahaha!"
Alex brushed his hair back and looked at Katarina, confused.
"What's so funny?"
Katarina wiped the corner of her eye.
"No… nothing at all…"
Alex stared at her blankly.
Katarina just shrugged.
"Isn't this just like back then?"
One of Alex's eyebrows raised.
Katarina continued.
"Who would've thought we'd end up sitting together again?"
Reva added,
"He's the one who got beaten up back then, right, princess?"
Alex clicked his tongue and pointed at Reva.
"Don't bring that up, okay?"
Reva raised both her hands.
"Sorry…"
Katarina sighed, leaning back as she looked at the ever-changing scenery outside.
'The last time I rode a train, the atmosphere was very tense…'
Katarina touched the glass warmed by sunlight.
'Now it's much better…'
Suddenly, Katarina's eyes widened as she remembered something.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
'What will Alex's reaction be when he finds out the Bone of Malakar that was stolen is fake?...'
Katarina chuckled inwardly.
'I can't wait to see his reaction.'
Alex snapped Katarina out of her thoughts.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?"
Reva also looked at Katarina.
Katarina answered in a quieter voice.
"Ingredients to create a potion that heals demonic energy."
Alex and Reva's faces froze.
Alex almost shouted, but Katarina stopped him.
"Calm down, do you want everyone to know?"
Alex looked at Katarina and whispered.
"What's actually going on? Why are you researching the same thing as that gambler?"
Reva was amazed.
"You know how to make that, princess? Shouldn't we tell Mira too?"
Katarina placed her finger on her lips.
"Shh… we'll talk about that later."
Katarina looked at Alex.
"And what's going on… we'll talk about that later too."
Alex stared at Katarina blankly and swallowed hard, a chill running down his spine.
'Damn… something big is definitely happening.'
Krystal agreed.
'No matter how you look at it, that princess is strange… but we don't know what's strange?'
Alex scratched his head.
'It's like she knows everything?'
Alex sighed.
'Well… at least she's not a bad person, right?'
Krystal didn't answer.
The train sped through the forest, their journey smooth and uninterrupted.
After some time, a voice echoed in their ears.
"NEXT STOP: ASHTON CITY. ONCE AGAIN, NEXT STOP: ASHTON CITY."
Not long after, the train arrived at the station in Ashton City—the place where Alex's family lived and where Katarina's grandmother resided.
The three of them got off slowly.
A fresh breeze greeted them, making Katarina's robe sway.
The crowd moved slowly along the platform.
Orange light bathed parts of the station.
People passed by, heading toward their own destinations.
Alex walked ahead of Katarina and Reva, turning around to ask Katarina something while still walking.
Because he wasn't looking ahead, his body collided with someone from another group.
Thud.
Someone fell and grumbled.
"Damn it! Don't you have eyes?!"
Alex remained calm and tried to help the person he had bumped into, but suddenly his collar was grabbed by someone from that group.
Alex looked at the one gripping his collar and then at the group.
The one grabbing him had golden hair and black eyes, about the same age as Alex, and he smiled widely.
"Alex?"
When the golden-haired teenager called his name, Alex's ears rang, and a sharp pain suddenly struck his head.
Alex spoke in his mind, calling Krystal.
'Damn it, what's going on, Krystal?!'
But he couldn't hear Krystal's voice.
Alex's body suddenly trembled. The teenager holding his collar giggled and showed him to his friends.
"Look! It's Alex! We haven't seen him in a long time, right?!"
Cheers erupted from the group wearing brown suits.
Reva glanced at Katarina.
"Princess?..."
Katarina watched the scene in silence.
The golden-haired teenager shoved Alex to the ground. Alex fell without resisting, his hands gripping the dirt as sweat poured down his face.
The teenager shouted and laughed.
"Look! He's just like before!"
The group laughed.
"Hahaha, careful, he might wet himself!"
"Quick, get him a diaper!"
The commotion drew the attention of people nearby, but no one stepped in.
Reva gritted her teeth at the sight of Alex lying helplessly on the ground.
She stepped forward to confront the golden-haired teenager.
She shoved his shoulder.
"What are you doing, bastard?!"
The teenager, slightly pushed back, exclaimed upon seeing Alex defended by a girl.
"Whoa… looks like Alex already has a girlfriend in Osteria!"
The group grew even louder.
Reva's eyebrow twitched.
The golden-haired teenager approached, trying to touch Reva.
Reva slapped his hand away hard.
Some exchanges happened between Reva and the group.
Katarina approached Alex, who was lying on the ground.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?"
Katarina tapped Alex's shoulder repeatedly, but he didn't respond.
His body trembled more violently, pain spreading to his left eye. His heart pounded rapidly, his hands gripping the ground so hard they almost bled.
Alex could barely hear anything—only ringing filled his ears. He gritted his teeth.
He looked up toward Reva, who was arguing with the group, then glanced sideways at Katarina, who was talking to him—but he could only see her lips moving without hearing her voice.
'Damn… damn… Krystal?!... Krystal?!'
Fragments of memories slowly surfaced, followed by even greater pain.
Tears began to fall from his left eye, and Katarina's touch could no longer reach him.
Suddenly, from his right side, Alex felt a presence—a face whispering into his ear.
"Please… beat… them… all…"
Alex's eyes widened. The pain lessened, his heart pumped faster, his blood boiled.
His body slowly moved on its own, his first soul core no longer following its role to protect him.
Alex gritted his teeth.
'Damn… I can't control my body.'
Alex stood up quickly. Katarina looked up at him, confused by the sudden change.
Everyone stared at Alex.
He shouted.
"ARGHHHHH!!!"
His right hand clenched and slammed into the golden-haired teenager's left cheek.
The teenager couldn't react.
Thud.
He staggered, but Alex didn't give him a chance—he delivered a straight kick to his stomach.
Thud.
Alex grabbed his brown suit collar.
He stared at him with wild eyes.
"ARGHHH!!"
Alex punched his face repeatedly. The smell of blood filled the air, his voice changed, blood splattered, and his fists were drenched in it.
The teenager's body twitched. The surroundings fell silent.
Alex exhaled and dropped him, his gaze shifting to the group in brown suits.
He brushed his hair back with his blood-covered hand, a wide smile on his face—only madness visible in his eyes.
He ran toward the group—there were ten of them: six boys and four girls.
Alex leapt high.
Reva and Katarina could only watch in silence.
His jump targeted one of the boys.
Thud.
The boy was sent flying backward.
The girls screamed.
Another one shouted,
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, BASTARD?!"
The second one grabbed Alex's collar and forced him back a few steps.
He threw punches at Alex's face repeatedly.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Alex didn't dodge—he just smiled.
He grabbed the second one's collar and pulled him forward with all his strength.
Their foreheads collided with a cracking sound.
Crack.
The second one's eyes lost consciousness as he fell to the ground after Alex released him.
Fresh blood streamed from Alex's forehead, dripping down.
He stepped over him and rushed toward the third and fourth.
Their faces were filled with fear. They pushed each other, but eventually, the fourth stepped forward, pulling out a knife from his smart bracelet.
He aimed it at Alex, but Alex caught the blade with his bare hand, making everyone wince.
The fourth tried to pull it back.
But Alex gripped the blade tightly, blood pouring from his palm.
The third attacked, followed by the four girls using whatever they had from their smart bracelets.
Reva's eyebrow twitched as she charged at the girls.
Their fight drew everyone's attention, especially with blood splattering
everywhere.
Katarina sighed, rubbing her forehead as she watched Alex and Reva fighting in front of everyone.
'What is actually going on?...'
Not long after, security forces arrived and detained them all, including Alex and Reva.
Alex's appearance—covered in dried blood and wounds—became the center of attention.
Whispers spread.
"What happened to those youths?"
"Why are they fighting each other?"
Katarina simply followed.
Behind her, two well-built figures followed closely.
One of them asked,
"What happened, princess?"
Katarina sighed.
"I'll handle it. You two leave and tell Captain Sander to come here."
The man swallowed hard.
"But…"
Katarina clicked her tongue, not stopping her steps.
"Just do it, so everything goes faster."
The two had no choice but to obey and left.
They were brought to a surveillance room in the station, nearly all security officers gathered there.
The severely injured boys were taken to the hospital, leaving only the girls behind.
Katarina entered as well, unnoticed.
Reva sat not far from the four girls.
Meanwhile, Alex sat in a corner, his wounds untreated.
The head of security spoke first.
"WHAT EXACTLY WERE YOU DOING?!"
The girls grew nervous, their messy appearances after being beaten by Reva showing how chaotic it had been.
One of the girls answered, pointing at Alex.
"He started it! He suddenly attacked one of us!"
Reva clicked her tongue, staring at them.
"So you're twisting the facts now?"
The head of security looked at Reva.
"What happened?"
Reva sighed and pointed at Alex.
"My friend over there, covered in blood, accidentally bumped into one of them…"
Reva choked up dramatically.
"…my friend tried to help. But suddenly he was grabbed by the collar and collapsed in pain! He was trembling in fear, almost wetting himself!"
Everyone stared at her blankly, mouths open.
Reva reenacted the scene dramatically.
"And then my friend accidentally slipped and his fist flew toward those bastards!"
The head of security sighed.
The girls began shouting, filling the air with noise.
Alex remained silent in the corner.
Meanwhile, Katarina rubbed her forehead, almost laughing. She took a breath and shouted.
"STOP!"
Everyone froze and looked at her. Reva's eyes sparkled.
The head of security looked at her—what he saw was just an ordinary girl with short black hair wearing a hooded black robe.
Katarina clicked her tongue.
"Damn…"
She slowly removed her hood. Her hair lengthened and turned dark red, and her black eyes shifted into blue.
Everyone fell silent.
The head of security stood up unconsciously, his voice trembling.
"Y-Your Highness?"
Reva cheered excitedly.
"YES!... CRUSH THEM ALL, PRINCESS!"
Everyone slowly lowered their heads in respect.
The girls froze, unsure what to do.
The room became silent, Katarina's footsteps approaching Reva becoming the only sound.
She glanced at the girls—their bodies trembling, tears forming in their eyes.
Katarina then turned to the head of security.
"May I… explain everything?"
The head of security swallowed hard, realizing the only princess of the human king—and the strongest human—was speaking to him.