The abandoned estate lay in silence beneath the sickly glow of Vessel Town's lantern haze.
Broken walls leaned inward around the old garden like rotten teeth. Tangled ivy strangled cracked stone paths. Dead leaves drifted across stagnant pools black as oil. The air smelled of wet bark, mold, and old blood.
A man with eyes red as fresh gore knelt on one knee before The Little Demon Lord.
"Reporting to the Young Lord," he said loudly, head lowered. "This estate's been abandoned for years. My men searched the entire grounds. We found no trace of that fox."
The Little Demon Lord slowly turned his head.
The motion alone made the surrounding air tighten.
Hadrian Corvel sprawled face-down nearby, trembling so violently his robes rustled against the dirt. Blood still leaked from his shattered mouth where Kael had broken his teeth earlier. His cheeks were swollen purple. Every breath whistled wetly through the gaps in his gums.
The Little Demon Lord's pale eyes settled on him.
They were not human eyes.
They looked faded. Sick. Dying.
Yet inside them lurked something ancient and monstrous, like thunderclouds trapped beneath frozen water.
Hadrian's scalp prickled cold.
"I-I'm telling the truth!" he blurted frantically. "People saw him flee into this garden! Maybe... maybe he escaped again afterward—"
The Little Demon Lord's weak voice drifted through the dark.
"Then... what use are you?"
Hadrian's face went white.
Pure terror flooded him.
The corpses around the street outside flashed through his mind again—the cultists exploding apart beneath invisible force, limbs and organs spraying across stone while The Little Demon Lord barely lifted a finger.
This monster would kill him.
No.
Not kill.
Erase.
Hadrian's mind spun desperately before sudden hope struck him.
"I still have a way to find him!" he shouted.
Because two front teeth were missing, the words leaked air and sounded distorted.
The Little Demon Lord watched him lazily.
Hadrian swallowed hard.
"That fox stole my Griffin Carriage! As long as he uses it, I can track it through the binding marks! I can lead you straight to him!"
For several seconds The Little Demon Lord said nothing.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Bring him along," he murmured.
Hadrian nearly collapsed from relief.
Cold sweat drenched his back beneath his robes.
He had survived.
For now.
The Little Demon Lord turned to leave.
"Wait."
An old voice suddenly interrupted.
A thin elder standing beside the red-eyed guards slowly stroked his beard while staring toward the forested interior of the estate.
"My Lord," the old man rasped, "this grove feels wrong."
The red-eyed guard immediately said, "Elder Boone, I personally searched the woods with my men. There was nothing unusual inside."
The elder ignored him completely.
His cloudy eyes remained fixed upon the dark trees.
"Not only is it unusual," he said quietly, "it is profoundly unusual. There is a great Restriction hidden here. Something ancient."
The garden wind suddenly seemed colder.
The old man continued.
"I suspect... this place conceals the entrance to a Ward-Barrier. Perhaps even a hidden realm."
---
"What the hell happened?"
Kael Ashvane stood frozen atop a massive tree branch, staring into endless wilderness.
"We were in Vessel Town one second," he said blankly, "and now we're... here?"
The forest stretched infinitely in every direction.
Towering ancient trees rose like pillars supporting the heavens themselves. Their crowns vanished into drifting silver mist. Thick roots coiled across the earth like sleeping serpents. Strange blue fungi glowed softly in the shadows.
No walls.
No town.
No lanterns.
No sky beyond the endless sea of leaves.
Azure Farwyn stared wide-eyed into the distance.
"This forest is enormous..." she whispered. "I can't even see the edge."
Violet Farwyn crouched nearby on another branch, purple robes fluttering softly in the breeze.
"It doesn't feel normal," she said.
Azure frowned.
"Could this be some illusion? Vessel Town isn't remotely large enough to hide a forest like this."
Violet lightly kicked the bark beneath her slipper.
The rough wood cracked under her heel.
"Doesn't feel like an illusion."
Kael scratched his head in disbelief.
"Then where the hell are we?"
The sisters glared at him simultaneously.
"How would we know?" Azure snapped. "If we knew, would we still be standing around confused?"
Kael glared back.
"What're you yelling at me for?"
"Because this is your fault!" Azure shot back viciously. "If we hadn't helped you, we wouldn't have ended up trapped in this cursed place!"
Kael let out a cold little laugh.
"Helped me? Pretty sure you were helping yourselves to my Ghostlight Moss."
Azure choked.
Her beautiful face instantly flushed crimson.
"You—!"
Violet quickly looked away, hiding a smile.
Then Kael suddenly slapped his thigh.
"Wait!"
The sisters blinked.
"What?"
Kael's eyes lit up.
"A crack between realms!"
Violet stared at him.
"What?"
"You know—the kind of dimensional wound where the Mortal Realm overlaps another place!" Kael said excitedly. "Like the Great Verdant Vale!"
The reaction from the sisters was immediate.
"You know about the Great Verdant Vale?" they asked together.
Kael puffed up proudly.
"Know about it? I've been there. Damn place was incredible. Even prettier than this forest."
Azure and Violet exchanged a quick glance.
A trace of suspicion flickered through both their eyes.
Violet turned back slowly.
"You've... been there?"
Kael instantly realized he'd said too much.
"Ahem. Well. Sort of. Just visiting."
He rubbed his nose awkwardly.
"I told you before, didn't I? I've got a friend who deals in Warding-Vase Bamboo. Went to see her."
The sisters exchanged another glance.
Their expressions grew even stranger.
Kael frowned internally.
Why are they reacting like that every time the Vale comes up?
Before he could think further, Violet spoke again.
"Whatever this place is, we should leave immediately. Something feels wrong here."
Azure nodded at once.
"Definitely. This forest's too large. Gives me a bad feeling."
Violet looked toward Kael.
"Cairn White... you know a flight art, right?"
Kael's face twitched.
"Of course I do," he lied immediately.
There was no way in hell he was admitting he couldn't properly fly in front of two gorgeous butterfly spirits.
Violet smiled faintly.
"Good. Then let's move."
She put away her twin rings.
Then she spread her arms.
Her flowing robes billowed outward like painted silk caught by invisible currents. Multicolored light shimmered around her body.
A moment later she rose gracefully above the treetops.
Like drifting sunset clouds.
Azure followed right behind her, equally elegant.
Kael stared upward in shock.
Then his face slowly burned red.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me..."
Grinding his teeth, he immediately unleashed the Ground-Sprint Art and shot across the canopy.
Branches exploded beneath his feet as he bounded wildly from tree to tree trying to keep up.
Above him, Violet glanced backward.
"Hm?"
She blinked.
"He's not following."
Azure turned too.
The sight below instantly made her burst into delighted laughter.
Kael was sprinting across the treetops like a lunatic—stumbling, leaping, slipping, barely maintaining balance while desperately trying to keep pace.
His face had already turned pale.
"Oh gods," Azure cackled, "he was bluffing! He can't fly at all!"
Kael nearly died from humiliation right there.
"And this idiot claimed he fought five disciples by himself," Azure continued mockingly. "Total bullshit."
Violet hid a smile.
"We should slow down. Otherwise he'll lose us."
Azure lifted her chin arrogantly.
"Nope."
She accelerated instead.
"Serves the cheap bastard right. I oughta leave him alone out here. Maybe some giant monster'll eat him."
"Azure!" Violet called helplessly. "Stop messing around! What if you get lost yourself?"
She hurried after her sister.
Kael nearly screamed.
"YOU TWO LITTLE—!"
He pushed harder.
Faster.
Harder.
Within minutes his breathing turned ragged.
Sweat poured down his neck and soaked his robes.
His Vitae reserves dropped rapidly.
And as the exhaustion deepened, the lingering damage from the Heaven-Thunder curse began flaring again.
A low ringing buzz filled his ears.
His skull felt swollen and hot.
His thoughts turned sluggish.
Damn it...
The sisters became smaller and smaller in the distance.
Kael's face burned with shame.
This is humiliating...
They're gonna laugh themselves sick afterward...
Then he quickly comforted himself.
Wait.
No.
Those two are butterfly spirits.
Of course they can fly.
If they couldn't fly, that'd be embarrassing.
Lord Ashvane's still magnificent.
Absolutely magnificent.
The self-encouragement helped for roughly three breaths.
Then reality crushed him again.
His head throbbed violently.
His vision blurred.
Suddenly his foot landed on empty air.
"Oh, shit—"
Kael dropped straight through the canopy.
Branches shattered around him in a storm of snapping wood.
He tumbled wildly downward.
Just as he reached for the Eight-Claw Flamescourge—
CRASH.
He slammed hard into the forest floor.
Dead leaves exploded everywhere.
Kael lay there twitching weakly.
"Gods really hate me..." he groaned. "When bad luck hits, even drinking water breaks your teeth... Hadrian Corvel, you bastard... one day I'm gonna beat you half to death..."
After several breaths he realized nothing seemed broken.
He blinked.
Then felt beneath himself.
The ground was layered with thick wet rot—years of soaked leaves and decayed wood cushioning the impact.
Lucky.
Even so, his entire body felt shattered apart.
He lay there panting miserably for a long while before trying to sit up.
"This forest's already impossible enough to escape... now my head feels like somebody's hammering nails into it..."
Kael stared upward bitterly.
Then suddenly froze.
A realization flashed across his mind.
He slapped his own thigh.
"Kael Ashvane, you absolute idiot!"
His eyes widened.
"I extorted that amazing carriage from Hadrian and forgot to use it?!"
Instantly energized, he scrambled upright and opened the Wardian Satchel.
A Binding Curse flashed.
The Griffin Carriage emerged in a pulse of light.
Four massive horned beasts pawed the earth before the ornate black carriage.
Kael grinned broadly.
"Hah! One piece of Ghostlight Moss already had those butterfly girls drooling. If they see this carriage, they'll probably start dripping from the mouth."
He climbed toward the driver's seat—
Then froze.
The forest suddenly erupted.
Thousands of birds exploded upward through the trees in frantic waves.
Kael blinked.
The ground trembled beneath his boots.
A distant impact echoed through the woods.
He immediately looked around.
The trees were too thick.
He saw nothing.
Then the earth shook again.
Much harder this time.
A foul stench hit him.
Wet.
Rotten.
Animal.
Kael's smile vanished.
"Please don't tell me there's some giant beast in here..."
He jumped fully onto the carriage and snapped the Eight-Claw Flamescourge repeatedly.
"Move!"
The four beasts did not budge.
Not an inch.
They stood frozen like carved statues.
Kael stared in disbelief.
Then—
CRAAAAASH!
Trees exploded apart nearby.
A colossal black shape forced its way through the forest.
Kael's pupils contracted.
A gigantic claw lunged toward the Griffin beasts.
The four creatures screamed in terror and collapsed trembling onto the ground.
Kael nearly got thrown from the carriage.
Instinctively he lashed out.
The Eight-Claw Flamescourge spun from his sleeve and struck the incoming claw in a shower of sparks.
The creature roared.
Then turned toward him.
Kael immediately unleashed the Sundering Flame Art.
"Burn the skies!"
The whip transformed into a blazing storm of fire and steel, smashing against the monster again and again.
But the thing barely slowed.
It bulldozed forward through the flames like a moving mountain.
In an instant it reached him.
Kael tried to dodge sideways—
Too slow.
The lingering Heaven-Thunder curse dulled his reactions just enough.
The monster slammed into him with catastrophic force.
Pain exploded through his body.
Kael flew off the carriage like a rag doll.
Something massive struck his back midair.
Then he bounced violently across the ground.
When he tried to rise, nothing obeyed.
His organs felt scrambled.
All strength vanished from his limbs.
Worst of all, the agony inside his skull suddenly intensified until black spots swam before his eyes.
The creature came again.
Relentless.
It raised one enormous paw high above him.
Only then did Kael finally see it clearly.
A gigantic black bear.
The thing towered like a hill of fur and muscle.
Despair flooded him instantly.
Kael slowly closed his eyes.
So this is it...
A crushing ache rose inside his chest.
I'll never see Sel again...
If Shreve Lyra can't find me, she'll lose her mind...
And Mira...
That idiot Rovan's probably gonna sweet-talk her away...
The thoughts flashed through him one after another.
Tears spilled from the corners of his eyes.
Then—
Silence.
Complete silence.
Kael blinked weakly.
Huh?
No pain came.
No impact.
Nothing.
Did I already die?
Then a woman's voice drifted through the forest.
Soft.
Gentle.
Beautiful enough to stop the world.
"Little one," she said, "are you hungry?"
Kael's muddled brain failed to process the words.
The voice spoke again.
"Put your paw down. You may not eat him."
Kael slowly opened his eyes.
And saw a breathtaking figure standing before him with her back turned.
For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
The giant black bear stood frozen, its raised paw hanging in the air as it stared stupidly at the woman before it.
"Good boy. Go play somewhere else," she said softly.
Her voice flowed through the dark forest like warm water over smooth stone. Gentle. Sweet. Impossible to resist.
The bear's huge jaw sagged open.
"Hurry along now. Or I'll have to hit you."
A teasing note slipped into her tone.
Kael's heart jolted.
He knew that voice.
Not just from recently. Somehow it felt older than that. Older than memory itself.
The bear suddenly snapped out of its trance. It spun around and lumbered away in a panic, though it kept glancing back every few steps with pitiful reluctance.
Gods... just from her voice alone...
Kael stared at the woman's back in a daze.
That figure...
She had to be beautiful beyond reason.
"Wait," the woman called suddenly. "Come back here."
The bear instantly wheeled around and charged back toward her with ridiculous excitement. Even with beast and human so utterly different, Kael could still read the joy in it plainly.
"He's my friend," the woman said. "He may stay here for a while. You are not allowed to frighten him again."
Her tone remained soft as silk.
Yet beneath it sat unquestionable authority.
"In fact," she added, "stay far away from him."
The enormous bear obediently nodded.
"All right. Off you go."
This time the creature left with its head hanging low. It still looked back over and over, tiny black eyes full of longing.
Then the woman finally turned around.
And the entire forest seemed to brighten.
Kael's heart slammed against his ribs so hard it hurt.
His breath stopped.
For a long moment he simply forgot how to exist.
Her dark hair was loosely gathered, held only by a pale blue band across her brow. A small jade droplet rested against her forehead, glowing faintly in the gloom. She wore nothing elaborate—only flowing moon-white robes thin as mist.
Yet no words could possibly contain her beauty.
Every phrase men used for beauty suddenly became meaningless.
Moon-shaming beauty.
Kingdom-toppling beauty.
A face like a goddess.
All of it sounded crude and pathetic now.
None of it came close.
She looked innocent enough to be a young maiden untouched by the world.
Yet somehow she also carried the ripened allure of a mature woman.
She seemed noble enough to sit beside emperors.
Yet there was also something dangerously intimate about her. Something seductive. Something wicked.
She looked pure enough to descend from the heavens.
Yet her eyes held the intoxicating pull of a demon temptress.
Her body leaned toward delicate slenderness, but every curve was perfect enough to drive a man mad.
Her skin looked like snow and ice, except snow had never glowed with that living radiance.
Her eyes resembled moonlight reflected over deep lakes. Endless. Ancient. Filled with mysteries no mortal could ever uncover.
Her brows.
Her lips.
Her throat.
Every inch of her was flawless.
And together...
Together she became something almost unreal.
"Gods..." Kael whispered.
How could someone like this exist?
Only now did he understand what true beauty meant.
When he had first met Lyra Farrow, he had believed no woman in the world could surpass her. Even now he still sometimes lost himself staring at Lyra's face.
But this woman...
Even Lyra could not compare.
The woman smiled faintly as she looked at him.
Then she sighed.
A soft, aching sigh.
Kael could not even guess her age. She looked young enough to barely have reached womanhood, skin fresh as spring rain.
Yet when she looked at him, there was something ancient inside her gaze. Something dangerously knowing. As though countless ages had sharpened her into this impossible creature.
"You were crying," she said quietly.
Her eyes rested on his face.
"Who... are you?" Kael asked.
For the first time in his life, speaking felt difficult.
"Little Kael..." she murmured sadly. "You forgot me again."
She lifted one sleeve and gently wiped the tears still lingering on his cheeks.
Kael blinked.
"How do you know my name?"
Her gaze met his again.
Pain filled those beautiful eyes.
And tenderness.
"I..." Kael hesitated. "I don't think I've ever met you."
Then uncertainty suddenly gripped him.
"You... know me?"
"Oh, you..." She bit lightly against her soft lower lip before letting out another helpless sigh. "Looks like we'll have to begin again from the start."
The sorrow in her voice stabbed straight through his chest.
Then she smiled.
And the entire world bloomed with it.
"Maybe that's not so bad," she said playfully. "We can enjoy it all over again."
Kael's pulse quickened violently.
His mind blurred.
The woman stepped closer and slowly circled him, studying him from every angle.
"Now where did it end up..." she murmured to herself.
Kael had absolutely no idea what she meant.
Then suddenly she pressed herself against his back.
Her arms slid around his waist from behind.
Cold, fragrant fingers slipped from her sleeves and rested against the knot of his sash.
Kael nearly jumped out of his skin.
"W-What are you doing?"
She did not answer.
Instead she calmly began undoing the knot.
Layer by layer she loosened the cloth around his waist.
Kael knew exactly what lay beneath it.
The Primordial Sigil.
The mark that could destroy his life if exposed.
Every instinct should have screamed at him to stop her.
He did not move.
Not even once.
He did not fear her.
Did not distrust her.
Did not feel threatened in the slightest.
Ever since learning the truth about the Shadow Fox Lineage, he had never once felt this relaxed.
This safe.
"I thought it had gone missing," the woman whispered. "So it was hidden by this little thing."
She moved around in front of him and gently removed the Emberseal Sash from his waist.
At once a soft glow spilled outward.
Warm.
Ancient.
The light painted her pale face in shimmering gold.
The woman lowered her eyes and stared silently at the glowing mark beneath his navel.
A strange emotion flickered across her face.
The two of them stood extremely close now.
Kael could smell her scent clearly.
It was unlike anything he had ever encountered.
Sweet.
Cool.
Dangerously intoxicating.
He stared at her perfect face from inches away and almost wondered if he had finally died beneath that bear's paw after all.
After a long while, the woman carefully wrapped the Emberseal Sash back around his waist.
Then she smoothed his clothes into place and retied the belt she had undone.
Her fingers moved gracefully.
The knot she tied looked far better than his own miserable attempt ever had.
As she adjusted his robes, Kael suddenly felt an overwhelming closeness toward her.
Like family.
Like someone precious beyond words.
A sudden urge rose inside him to pull her into his arms.
The woman finally looked up again, eyes shining with happiness.
"Good," she said softly. "As long as this remains with you, no one can ever truly destroy you."
Kael swallowed hard.
"Sister..." he said before he could stop himself. "What's your name?"
She laughed quietly.
"You really forgot everything?"
Her voice turned teasing.
"No. I won't tell you. If you can't remember, then just call me Sister."
Kael frowned.
Had they really met before?
Or had she mistaken him for someone else?
His thoughts tangled uselessly together.
"This is for you."
Something suddenly appeared in her hand.
A black object shaped like a command tablet.
Kael stared.
"What is that?"
"Take it."
He accepted it automatically.
The thing nearly dragged his arm down.
Heavy as iron.
The woman said, "It's called the Warden Sigil. I selected thirteen Sinner Demons from the imperial prison and sealed them inside. If you find yourself in danger, you may summon them to fight for you."
Kael's eyes widened.
"There are Binding Curses carved into the sigil," she continued casually. "You can study them later."
Then she raised two fingers and gently tapped the center of his brow.
Kael felt something flash through his mind.
A sharp pulse.
"What did you do?"
"I removed the Restriction," she said. "Now you can read the sigils carved inside it. And only you can."
Kael looked down again.
The tablet was broad at the top and narrow below, over a foot long and carved with dozens of colorful figures.
Every image depicted a different monstrous creature.
Beside each carving sat lines of tiny engraved text.
Descriptions.
Binding formulas.
Summoning rites.
Suddenly Kael's gaze stopped on one particular figure.
A white-headed ape with crimson feet.
His eyes widened.
"Is this..." He leaned closer. "A Vermillion Ape?"
Beside the carving were several lines:
Marakh. Guilty of rebellion. Sentence: five thousand nine hundred years imprisonment. Specialist in war. Commands three hundred tribal soldiers.
Kael's scalp prickled.
The Vermillion Apes were ancient mythical beasts associated with endless warfare and massacres.
Just seeing one was supposed to herald armies and bloodshed.
Could this thing really summon such monsters?
"Yes," the woman replied calmly. "A famous general among the Vermillion Apes. Started a rebellion."
She smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. The tempers of these thirteen are unpleasant, but each swore an oath to earn redemption through service. I also placed different grand Restrictions on all of them. None can turn against you."
She spoke as though imprisoning ancient war demons was perfectly ordinary.
Kael could barely breathe.
Yet somehow...
He believed her completely.
"Why?" he asked quietly. "Why give something like this to me?"
"Because right now," she said with an amused smile, "you are basically a newborn infant. Far too weak."
Kael's face flushed instantly.
"But I cannot remain beside you," she continued gently. "So for now, you must rely on yourself. These thirteen can help a little."
Kael stared at her.
Confusion churned through him.
"Sister... why are you treating me this well?"
Then the fear finally slipped out.
"Did you mistake me for someone else?"
"Little Kael." The woman smiled patiently. "Did I call your name wrong?"
"That's not what I mean!" Kael said quickly. "My name is Kael Ashvane. Maybe you confused me with that... that Wandering Fox!"
The moment the words left his mouth, disappointment stabbed through him for reasons he did not understand.
The woman only smiled at him.
Her fingertips brushed gently across his cheek.
"So I'm right?" Kael pressed. "You thought I was him?"
To his own embarrassment, jealousy suddenly flared inside him toward the legendary man he had never even met.
"Foolish boy," she scolded fondly.
Yet sorrow once more surfaced in her eyes.
Then her expression changed.
"Oh?"
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"You're hurt."
"I'm not," Kael said immediately, far too loudly.
The woman ignored him.
"Let me see."
She lifted one pale hand and rested two fingers lightly against his temple.
At once a warm current flowed into his head.
Soft.
Comforting.
Pleasurable enough that Kael nearly moaned.
The agony ravaging his skull instantly began fading away.
His eyelids grew heavier.
And heavier.
An enormous exhaustion swallowed him whole.
His thoughts blurred apart.
The last thing he saw was the woman's impossibly beautiful face hovering before him in the dark forest.
Then everything faded into warmth and sleep.