The three froze, seized by a strange tension toward him. His presence was overwhelming, radiating an unsettling and mysterious aura.
It did not take long for Travis's expression to change; his astonishment twisted into fury, and his eyes blazed with hatred. Clenching his fist tightly, he said in a sharp voice, "I know this man… He is the leader of an organization that kills and robs the bearers of the Sirian Stones. His name is Jolenz." Then he looked toward Basil and Hamza. "Do not interfere in this battle… this is between him and me."
Jolenz stood motionless, his head raised toward the sky, his eyes closed, and his arms extended loosely at his sides as though he were utterly unconcerned by their presence.
At that moment, Travis charged toward him in attack, yet Jolenz remained where he stood without moving. Calmly, he lifted one of his cards between his fingers… and suddenly snapped two fingers together, vanishing from his place. Then he appeared elsewhere, only to disappear once more.
He moved with impossible speed, snapping his fingers through the air, and with every snap, a new card appeared, allowing him to shift through them as though he commanded time and space itself. Travis tried again and again to strike him, but every blow passed through Jolenz's body as though he were nothing more than an illusion.
Travis halted in place, sweat pouring from his brow, then said in a trembling voice, "This is impossible… how did I fail to hit him?"
Jolenz laughed mockingly. "Forgive me, young men, I did not come here for your sake… though I could kill you and seize your stones whenever I pleased." Then he began to dance with light, bizarre movements, as though ridiculing them.
Without warning, he suddenly appeared before Basil. He drew so close that their faces were nearly touching. Wearing a sinister smile, he whispered in a low voice: "Greetings, righteous boy. How does it feel to possess one of the Babrius Stones? And what of the curse upon your hand? Would you like to know its truth?"
As an instinctive reaction, Basil stepped backward cautiously. Yet in that same instant, Jolenz vanished and appeared behind Hamza instead.
His gaze fell upon the sword hanging across his back, and he reached out, gripping it lightly between his fingers with a wicked smile. "A warrior carrying a weapon like Kanzel? Now that seems interesting."
Before Hamza could react, Travis charged once more, attacking with all his strength. But Jolenz was far swifter than him. The instant Travis drew near, Jolenz raised his hand, and with a single rapid motion struck him across the chest with a razor-sharp card, forcing him backward in pain. Then he assaulted him mercilessly. Blow after blow, card after card, Travis's body endured wound after wound without managing to answer even a single attack.
Hamza stepped back in fear and said in a voice filled with dread, "He's fast… far too powerful!"
When Jolenz realized it was time to leave, he stood before Travis, staring down at him with contempt, and in a voice laden with dreadful menace said, "I shall let you live today, hunter." Then he drew forth a small card and tossed it toward Basil.
Basil caught the card, and when he looked at it, he read the message written upon it: "A fleet is coming toward the island to invade it in six days. This island shall no longer remain a place of peace. Prepare yourselves to fight for your freedom."
Basil lifted his eyes toward Jolenz, who had begun to vanish within a swirling storm of flying cards. His figure gradually faded away as he laughed, until he disappeared completely.
A heavy silence settled over the place, while Travis struggled to breathe, his body covered in wounds.
Hamza approached him and looked at him for a moment before saying in a serious voice tinged with astonishment and confusion, "He could have taken our stones… but he did not."
As for Basil, he remained silent, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
Hamza knelt beside Travis, who was struggling to rise despite the pain. "You must tell us about him once we reach the island… we will treat your wounds first."
Basil looked down at the card in his hand, realizing that it carried an open threat and the declaration of an approaching war.
Only six days remained before the invasion would begin.