The first rays of morning sunlight spilled over the mountains, casting a soft golden glow across the wolf camp.
Another day had begun.
Yet the camp was far from peaceful.
The search for Adrian had left everyone exhausted.
Scouts came and went.
Warriors sharpened their weapons.
Others prepared supplies before setting out once again.
In the centre of the camp, the sound of sparring echoed through the valley.
Wooden swords clashed.
Spears sliced through the air.
Dozens of young wolves trained relentlessly under the watchful eyes of veteran warriors.
"Again!"
One of the instructors shouted.
"Your enemy won't wait for you to recover!"
The young wolves charged once more.
Standing nearby, Kieran watched in silence.
His arms were folded across his chest as his silver eyes moved from one group to another, correcting mistakes whenever he noticed them.
Even so...
His attention wasn't truly on the training.
"Leader."
A wolf approached and lowered his head.
"The northern search party has returned."
Kieran turned to face him.
"Did they find anything?"
The wolf lowered his gaze.
"...No."
A heavy silence followed.
It had become the same answer...
Every single day.
Kieran drew a slow breath.
"How many search parties are still out?"
"Three."
"Recall them."
The wolf looked up in surprise.
"...Leader?"
"They've been searching these mountains for over two weeks."
Kieran's gaze drifted toward the forest surrounding the camp.
"If Adrian is still here..."
"He already knows we're looking for him."
"And if he isn't..."
He left the rest unsaid.
The wolf understood.
Continuing to search without a direction would only drain their strength.
"I'll inform them immediately."
The wolf bowed before hurrying away.
Kieran remained where he stood.
His eyes slowly swept across the camp.
Warriors training.
Scouts preparing to leave.
Others returning with nothing but weary expressions.
For the first time in many years...
The camp felt restless.
As though everyone could sense something lingering just beyond the trees.
Watching.
Waiting.
Kieran slowly lifted his gaze toward the forest.
The uneasy feeling in his chest had only grown stronger with each passing day.
Something...
Was approaching.
The uneasy silence that had lingered over the camp for days was shattered by the blaring cry of a lookout.
"Leader!"
"Enemies approaching!"
In an instant, the entire camp erupted into motion.
Warriors abandoned their training.
Weapons were drawn.
Dozens of wolves rushed toward the entrance of the camp, forming ranks before Kieran.
A thick cloud of dust slowly rolled through the forest.
Heavy footsteps echoed between the trees.
Then...
They appeared.
Towering figures clad in polished steel emerged from the woods, each one radiating the aura of a seasoned warrior. Their armour bore the emblem of the Beast Kingdom, while the weapons at their sides gleamed beneath the morning sun.
At their head walked an enormous bull beastman.
His broad shoulders seemed capable of blocking the sunlight itself.
A massive greataxe rested across one shoulder as though it weighed nothing.
His crimson cape swayed behind him with every step.
The moment the wolves laid eyes on him...
Several of them instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons.
Even the older warriors couldn't hide the tension in their faces.
"...Ragnar Ironhide."
One wolf whispered under his breath.
The Bull Beastmen General.
Behind him stood only a handful of soldiers.
But no one was foolish enough to underestimate them.
Every one of them was an elite.
Ragnar's golden eyes slowly swept across the camp before stopping on Kieran.
A wide grin spread across his face.
"Well..."
His deep voice rumbled through the clearing.
"It's been a long time..."
"My old friend."
Kieran's expression didn't change.
His silver eyes remained cold as they met Ragnar's.
"The years haven't made you any less irritating."
Ragnar laughed loudly.
"Good."
"I'd have been disappointed otherwise."
A tense silence settled between the two groups.
Neither side lowered their guard.
Kieran finally broke the silence.
"You walked into our camp awfully confident."
His voice was calm.
"Have you forgotten?"
"We still have a hostage."
"The son of the Radiance family."
Before he could finish—
Ragnar burst into laughter.
"Fuck that boy."
His words echoed across the camp.
"You think I care about him?"
The wolves frowned.
Even Leo, who had only just arrived behind the front lines, narrowed his eyes.
Kieran wasn't surprised.
"I know you don't."
He answered calmly.
"But the Human Kingdom does."
"They're our allies."
"You wouldn't be foolish enough to turn them into enemies over this."
Ragnar's grin only widened.
"Funny you should mention that."
He rested the greataxe against his shoulder.
"Because we've already decided to."
For the first time...
Kieran's expression hardened.
The air around him noticeably grew heavier.
...
Not far away...
Hidden behind a large boulder overlooking the confrontation...
Sasha crouched low, her claws already extended.
Her eyes never left Ragnar.
Every muscle in her body was tense.
Ready to strike the moment Kieran gave the order.
Just then—
A figure quietly slipped in beside her.
Before the newcomer could settle down...
Sasha reacted instinctively.
She spun around.
Her claws shot forward.
Stopping only a finger's breadth from the stranger's throat.
"...Easy."
Leo calmly raised one hand.
"It's just me."
Sasha slowly lowered her claws, though the irritation on her face remained.
"What are you doing here?"
Leo shrugged as he crouched beside her, keeping his eyes on Kieran and Ragnar.
"What does it look like?"
"I'm staying out of sight."
His gaze lingered on the two men standing at the centre of the clearing.
"...Do they know each other?"
Sasha's eyes briefly softened.
"They grew up together."
She answered quietly.
"At least..."
"My brother believed they did."
Her expression darkened.
"But to Ragnar..."
"Kieran was never a friend."
"He was just someone he could never surpass."
Her fists slowly tightened.
"He hated my brother."
"He hated how effortlessly everyone acknowledged his talent."
The scene shifted back to the clearing.
Ragnar's grin slowly faded.
His eyes locked onto Kieran's.
"...That look."
He muttered.
"I've always hated that look in your eyes."
Before he could continue—
Kieran spoke.
"Or..."
His lips curved into a faint smile.
"Was it because I was always better than you?"
For a brief second...
Silence.
Then Ragnar's expression twisted.
The veins on his forehead bulged.
A loud laugh escaped him.
"Haha..."
"Still the same arrogant bastard."
He pointed the blade of his greataxe toward Kieran.
"It's a pity."
"You wolves had one simple choice."
"Take the bone."
"Wag your tails like good little dogs."
"And live."
"But no..."
"You just had to play the hero."
Kieran's expression remained unchanged.
"And you're the one saying that?"
His voice carried a hint of mockery.
"Unlike you..."
"I didn't become the Second Prince's lapdog just to earn a little recognition."
The smile disappeared from Ragnar's face.
His grip around the greataxe tightened.
"At least..."
His voice became dangerously quiet.
"I never ran away from the battlefield..."
A cruel smile slowly spread across his lips.
"...Like your father."
The moment those words left Ragnar's mouth—
Something inside Kieran snapped.
The ground beneath his feet trembled.
A surge of deep violet energy erupted from his body, spiralling violently into the sky. The surrounding air distorted under its overwhelming pressure, sending loose stones skidding across the ground as an invisible force swept through the clearing.
The wolves instinctively took a step back.
Even Ragnar's elite soldiers stiffened.
A suffocating pressure settled over the battlefield.
Kieran's silver eyes burned with fury.
Across from him, Ragnar's grin slowly disappeared.
"...There it is."
He muttered.
"The look I've been waiting to see."
A dark green aura exploded from his own body.
Unlike Kieran's, Ragnar's aura felt wild.
Violent.
It surged around him like a raging storm, wrapping itself around the massive greataxe resting on his shoulder.
The moment the green aura touched the weapon...
Its blade began to hum.
The steel itself seemed to come alive, cloaked beneath layers of dark green energy.
The air between the two men grew unbearably heavy.
Neither of them had moved.
Yet everyone present could already feel the battle beginning.
...
Not far away...
Leo remained crouched beside Sasha behind the boulder.
His eyes never left the two overwhelming figures standing in the clearing.
His heartbeat quickened.
For the first time since arriving in this world...
He felt something he couldn't explain.
The pressure pressing against his body wasn't mana.
It was...
Different.
His brows slowly knitted together.
"...What is that?"
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"It feels..."
"...different."
Sasha didn't take her eyes off the battlefield.
"You've never seen an Aura user before?"
Leo glanced at her.
"...Aura?"
For the first time since meeting him...
Sasha looked genuinely surprised.
"You don't know what Aura is?"
Leo silently shook his head.
Sasha stared at him for a moment before returning her gaze to the clearing.
"...I thought everyone knew."
Her voice remained calm despite the tension before them.
"Magic draws upon mana."
"But Aura is different."
"It doesn't rely on mana."
"It's a power born from one's own body, will, and countless battles."
"Very few people can awaken it."
"And even fewer can truly master it."
Leo's eyes returned to Ragnar.
The dark green aura surrounding the giant bull beastman continued to grow denser with every passing second.
"...Unlike Ragnar..."
Sasha said quietly.
"My brother has mastered it."
Leo frowned.
"What do you mean?"
A faint smile appeared on Sasha's face.
It wasn't pride.
It was absolute confidence.
"...See for yourself."
Leo immediately looked toward Kieran.
Kieran slowly raised one hand.
The violent violet aura surrounding him suddenly became calm.
Instead of raging wildly...
It obeyed.
Like a loyal servant answering its master's command.
The streams of purple energy gathered above his open palm.
Compressing.
Condensing.
Taking shape.
Ragnar's eyes widened.
The mocking smile vanished from his face.
"...Impossible..."
The violet aura continued to compress until...
A weapon emerged.
A long spear.
Its entire body was forged from pure Aura, radiating an overwhelming presence that caused the surrounding air to tremble.
Sasha's eyes never left her brother.
A small smile touched her lips.
"...An Aura Master."