At the edge of life and death, just as the beast was about to deliver the final blow, Wysar arrived.
With a sudden movement, he leaped from the back of the massive Saber-toothed tiger, landing gracefully on the forest floor.
The tiger, its two ivory tusks scraping the ground, didn't wait for a command. It sprinted toward the hybrid beast that had brought Liuke to his knees.
The two predators began to circle each other in a deadly dance of shadows.
The Deer-Snake hybrid lunged, seeking to pin the tiger down, but the Saber-tooth was faster.
In mid-air, it clamped its massive jaws around the hybrid's neck, slamming the beast into the dirt with bone-shattering force.
The tiger didn't let up. It drove one of its sword-like tusks deep into the hybrid's leg.
A strange reaction occurred instantly. The beast began to thrash in agony, and within seconds, its leg turned into solid, cold stone.
The hybrid struggled, stumbling as it tried to stand on its petrified limb. Realizing it was outmatched, it vanished back into the mist.
The Saber-tooth tiger lowered its stance, growling at the white void. It sensed a movement from behind.
It spotted a broken antler flying through the air—a mere distraction. But by the time the tiger realized the trick, it was too late.
The hybrid beast had circled around, launching a stealthy, lethal strike from an opening the tiger hadn't seen.
However, before the beast could connect, its head was severed from its body in a single, clean stroke.
Wysar stood at a distance, his Solar Sword still humming with power.
He had delivered a long-range slash so concentrated that the sheer heat and pressure had acted like a physical blade, decapitating the monster instantly.
Wysar opened a mysterious book strapped to his side and traced his fingers over the pages.
In a flash of light, the Saber-toothed tiger was pulled back into the book, disappearing as if it were a mere illustration.
Rayna, Rika, Luka, and Tori stood frozen, their eyes wide with shock. They had no idea who this man was or why he had intervened.
"Who... who are you?" Rayna asked, her voice trembling. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she stared at the stranger. "Why did you save us?"
"Me?" Wysar replied calmly. "I am but a wanderer who likes to seek the roots of all things, so that I may move closer to my purpose."
Tori didn't lower his guard. "Stop talking in riddles! Tell us the truth—why help us?"
"Because I cannot stand to see the weak perish," Wysar said.
"If this had been a fair fight, I might have ignored you and moved on. But you were all on the brink of a very ugly death."
Liuke struggled to his feet. The right side of his lower abdomen was cracked and bleeding; his unbreakable metallic skin had finally been breached.
"Tell us your name," Liuke said, his voice calm but calculating. "We need to know who you are and if you pose a threat to my comrades."
Wysar looked at him, his expression unreadable. "If you wish to know my name... I have no reason to hide it. I am Wysar."
The name hit Liuke like a physical blow. In an instant, the memories of his torment during the Eternal Freeze flooded back.
This was the man he had promised to find. Wysar, the son of Queen Sharley.
"Are you lying?" Liuke asked, his voice cracking with intensity. "Tell me the truth. Do not give me false hope."
Wysar frowned, genuinely confused. "Why are you so tense at the sound of my name? Do you know me?"
Liuke felt a rush of overwhelming emotions. Even in his metallic form, where his face was a mask of silver, his heart was racing.
"I can't believe it..." Liuke whispered. "I found you. I finally found you."
Excitement warred with the heavy burden of the news he carried. He looked at Wysar with a mix of joy and deep sorrow.
"Wysar, I didn't expect to meet you here," Liuke said. "But I... I know about your mother."
Wysar's face turned deathly serious. The mention of his mother struck a chord he thought he had buried long ago.
"How do you know her?" Wysar asked sharply. "She was never here in Helmora."
With a heavy heart, Liuke recounted everything. He spoke of his time in the Eternal Freeze and the moments he shared with Queen Sharley.
As Liuke described the Queen's final moments, Wysar's composed facade began to crumble.
"Even in her last breath, she was thinking of you, Wysar," Liuke said softly.
"She asked me to find you. She wanted me to tell you that no one... absolutely no one hates you. She loved you until the very end."
Wysar couldn't hold it back anymore. A single tear escaped, followed by a silent sob that shook his entire frame.
The image of his mother dying while still loving him, despite everything, brought him to his knees.
After a long moment, Wysar wiped his eyes, forcing his emotions back under control.
"So... that was her final wish," he murmured. "To find me."
He stood up and walked toward Liuke, stopping just a few feet away. Then, he bowed his head deeply.
"Thank you," Wysar said, his voice thick with gratitude. "Thank you, Liuke. You fulfilled her last wish, even though you likely held a grudge against her. I am forever in your debt."
"It's okay," Liuke replied. "I was going to look for you anyway. I'm just glad I found you here. But... can you help us?"
"Help you with what?" Wysar asked.
Liuke quickly explained the fate of his commander and the squad, and their desperate journey toward the Fount of the Second Breath.
Wysar's expression shifted. He didn't look like a man ready to help; he looked like someone caught in a difficult dilemma.
"I will help you," Wysar said finally. "I came here for adventure and to finish a certain task, so I have no reason to refuse."
Wysar agreed, but beneath that agreement, there was something else — as if he was convincing himself before every step.