Page 8
On the road to the Kingdom of Kael…
The road was not a road.
The fog did not move…
The sky did not change…
And the trees… seemed to repeat.
The carriage moved…
But the distance could not be measured.
Adam sat in silence,
his eyes watching the endless path.
Then he said:
"This road… isn't normal."
The leader of the caravan raised his gaze,
a man with harsh features, and eyes that knew enough to remain silent.
He said:
"Because it isn't an ordinary road."
He stepped a little closer,
lowering his voice:
"We are not heading to Kael directly…
We are passing… through the edges of the Kingdom of Black Waters."
Adam's expression shifted slightly.
"The kingdom… of pirates?"
The leader nodded.
"It's not a kingdom as you think…
It's chaos… organized by force."
He paused for a moment…
then continued:
"In those lands…
no one asks who you are…
but how much you can kill."
Adam remained silent…
But the leader wasn't finished.
"There is one name…
that makes even pirates lower their voices."
Adam looked at him.
"Zaril Blackrov."
The air… changed.
Even the fog seemed to draw closer to listen.
The leader said slowly:
"They say he doesn't lead the pirates…
he owns them."
"His fleet is undefeated…
and his shadow… reaches the land."
He paused again,
then looked directly at Adam:
"If you enter his domain…
you are no longer a traveler…
but prey."
Suddenly…
A sound.
A rustle…
Then—
Figures emerged from the fog.
Men.
Their eyes were cold…
and their hands were faster than thought.
One of the guards shouted:
"Land pirates!"
And in an instant…
The battle erupted.
Swords clashed,
blood scattered,
and the fog… did not move.
But…
There was something different.
One person…
did not attack the guards.
Instead—
he rushed straight toward Adam.
Like an arrow.
Cloaked in black…
his face hidden…
but his intent was clear.
The moment he got close—
Adam drew his sword.
The Black Slayer Sword.
The two strikes collided…
The sound of metal pierced the silence.
The pressure… was immense.
But Adam did not step back.
He steadied his footing…
And in his left hand—
fire ignited.
But it was not like before.
Flames…
dark red.
As if they did not burn…
but devoured.
The pirate's eyes widened for a moment—
Then he attacked again.
The strikes accelerated…
the air tore apart…
and the ground cracked beneath their feet.
But…
Adam changed.
He was no longer just defending.
Instead—
he began to attack.
A strike…
Then another…
Then—
an explosion of dark flames
forced the pirate back violently.
He staggered…
took a step back—
then another.
Adam raised his sword…
ready to finish it.
But—
he vanished.
The pirate…
escaped.
With unnatural speed.
Silence returned…
Gradually.
The battle was over.
And the bodies… remained.
Adam stood,
looking at the place where the man disappeared.
And said calmly:
"Was that… a coincidence?"
Then he added:
"Or are they… enemies of my brother?"
"Adam Noll…"
An old voice.
Calm…
but certain.
Adam turned.
An old man…
standing quietly,
as if he had not been part of the chaos.
He looked at Adam's hand.
"You were wounded by the pirate."
He stepped closer slowly.
"Let me treat it…
I am a doctor."
Adam narrowed his eyes.
"How do you know my name?"
The old man smiled…
a small smile,
as if it hid more than it showed.
"Because…
I know your father."
Silence.
Then he said:
"My name… is Doctor Griffin."
He placed his hand on Adam's shoulder.
And the moment he touched him—
his hand began to glow.
A faint light…
but deep.
It spread…
Then—
the wound disappeared.
Adam looked at his hand,
then at him.
"Advanced healing magic."
Griffin chuckled lightly.
"Something like that."
Then he looked at him for longer…
deeper.
"So, Adam Noll…"
He paused for a moment.
"You are going…
to become a Magic Knight?"
Adam answered without hesitation:
"Yes."
The old man smiled…
But this time,
it was a smile that knew the end.
"We shall see…"
Then he said slowly:
"True kings…
do not arrive…
they are pulled… into their fate."
In a distant place…
Beyond the fog.
A figure stood.
Silent.
Watching.
His face was unclear…
But on his chest—
A symbol.
A black wing…
with a white line across it.
He did not move.
He did not speak.
But his eyes…
were fixed on Adam.
As if he had been…
the target from the very beginning.