Kaiden's knees met the ground as his breath turned ragged and rushed.
His right hand was holding his head as his left held his chest.
The pain this time was much more horrifying than he first experienced it.
But, he still stood up because he knew that he had to make a move no matter how absurd his vision was.
He did not believe the last vision he had because activating Bloodline Ignition would unlock the hidden potential of a Cross clansman's body.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Cross clansmen using Bloodline Ignition were strong enough to even fight someone at a stage higher than their own.
But, reality proved this otherwise. The long-haired man was strong enough to swiftly assassinate his comrades.
The tenacity and loyalty of Koma and Erca moved him to tears as they gave their lives just to give them a chance to live.
Kaiden could not even believe what was happening to him right now, 'I don't know how she would find us despite us using the Void Flicker Stone. I also don't understand how Yumi controlled Captain or why Victoria would suddenly release so much strength...'
'Even that third vision which is so ridiculous might even happen... These visions of mine were already twice right... That is enough reason for me to take action and prevent all of them from happening! I'm going to use this ability to save her!' Kaiden thought as his eyes shone with determination.
He stood up and spoke to Victoria after picking a reasonable idea, "Milady, we should hurry along and find somewhere to rest. There seems to be a nearby town that means that there should be a city within our vicinity. It will be much safer if we stay there for now."
"Even if the stone transported us a thousand kilometers away, we can't say for certain that the enemy won't have other allies waiting to kill us. As such, I will do my best to ensure your safety and prevent any more danger from befalling you."
Kaiden knew that what he just said might count as being insensitive but as a person who rarely socialized and wholeheartedly focused on cultivation, he did not know how to comfort a person much less a girl.
Thus, he dealt with this as he usually has, being a knight.
"Mhm..." Victoria heard him and nodded without saying a word as she stood up and walked forwards.
Kaiden closely followed her but he did not notice how lonely and fragile her back was because he was too caught up in thinking of ways to prevent those three visions from happening.
'I can't hear anything from my vision but I know the look of the places where it would occur.' Kaiden thought as he followed Victoria's trail.
'All three visions were in a place where there are no trees in front of us. It was probably a grassfield. Lets' see if there are any similar terrains around us using spiritual sense.' Kaiden thought as he invoked something from his mind.
Kaiden's awareness expanded from several meters around them to hundreds of kilometers.
Then, he saw that there was a large hill with a grass field around it which was just ten kilometers in front of them.
Kaiden shuddered when he discovered this, 'If we were just carelessly walking without checking our surroundings, we would have reached that place in thirty minutes... Shit!'
Then, he noticed that there was a straight path to the city not far from them.
It was also several kilometers away from the town that Kaiden referred to earlier.
Kaiden quickly suggested this discovery to Victoria, "Milady, I discovered that there is a straight road towards the city fifty meters west from our position and it would take a shorter time if we follow it."
Victoria looked back at Kaiden.Then, she looked at the direction he referred to.
There was a momentary look of concentration on her eyes before it returned to its desolate state.
Probably, using her own spiritual sense. Then, she acknowledged with a nod.
Kaiden led the way and after three minutes, they stumbled upon the said road
. The two followed the road and walked neither too fast nor too slow. Noone talked as they walked.
The only sounds they could hear was the intense rain that was hitting the Innate Energy Cloak they had, the sounds of their footsteps that were stepping on the muddy road and the faint sound of their own breathing.
Ten minutes later...
Kaiden suddenly halted his footsteps. His eyes looked wary of his surroundings as he was staring in a certain direction. There was a confused expression on his face while doing so.
Kaiden thought to himself, 'Something is heading this way at an incredibly fast speed... A human... But there is not an ounce of Innate Energy in him... How can he run that fast even when the ground is muddy?!'
"Hm?" Victoria also stopped walking when she noticed Kaiden stopping and staring at the trees on his left. Curiously, she spread out her spiritual sense.
'What?!" Then, her emotionless face finally showed a surprised color that even caught her off guard. That was because she was witnessing the same scene that Kaiden was looking at.
There was a human without the slightest Innate Energy fluctuation yet, he could still run at superhuman speed. Judging from his life aura, he should be just around her age but there was an unbelievable vigor in him that surprised her.
In just a few seconds, the silhouette of a tall young man had dashed out from the forest! He tried to stop from running but his foot still slipped due to the overly muddy soil on the road.
The young man suddenly shouted, "Crap! The ground is too wet!"
*Bang!*
The young man crashed on a tree headfirst. The impact from that collision should have caused a normal person to be knocked out.
But the young man actually stood up with no injuries or bleeding!
He rubbed his head as he cursed, "Shit, that fuckin' hurt. But the senior's punch still hurts more."
Kaiden and Victoria were too stunned to react. This ordinary boy in front of them was by no means regular at all! He was a really weird person starting from his physical capabilities down to his words.
The young man noticed the two and stood up quickly to bow with an embarrassed and polite tone, "I sincerely apologize for obstructing your way, Lord Cultivator and Lady Cultivator. This humble one has embarrassed himself in front of you."
This boy was quite intuitive one look from them and he could tell that the two people before him were cultivators. From the cloak they wore, to the snippets of luxurious clothing he saw peeking out of the cloak as well as the beautiful engraving of the swords' hilt and scabbard, he was able to tell that they were quite rich as well.
Not to mention, the bearing of the two before him was something that he only saw on those who were noble born.
Standing in front of them, they finally saw the young man's features. It was an immature looking boy who had an ordinary face and an incredibly tough looking body.
The young man was very tall and was only a head shorter than Kaiden who was nearly two meters tall.
But, the most peculiar thing about him was his eyes, one was crimson orange like the sun and the other was deep blue like the ocean.
They had different colors but still gave out a sense of harmony towards each other. It gave a compelling feeling to just stare at his eccentric eyes.
Seeing the two surprised, the young man scratched the back of his head.
Then, he suddenly looked stunned as though he remembered something. He said with utmost urgency, "l apologize for being insolent but I have matters that I need to."
The young man was going to turn his back and run at full speed once more. He realized something, 'They do look quite rich… Maybe, just maybe…'
He turned around and bowed. "May I have a moment of your time, esteemed cultivators!"
Kaiden still had his foreboding feeling telling him to run. That's why he knew they could not waste time, "Hm? We don't have time to spare as of the moment. We need to-"
"I know I am being insolent and impertinent by interjecting like this! I know it's a bit too much to ask from strangers, but it's for my sister. Please, can you hear me out?" Dylan bowed slightly, his request carrying a genuine desperation for his sibling's well-being.
Despite the unexpectedness of the situation, Victoria couldn't help but sense sincerity in Dylan's plea.
"What is it?" Victoria inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"!!" Kaiden looked at Victoria with a shocked expression. He did not expect that the always shy and nervous Victoria would actually take the initiative to ask a person.
Victoria was shocked by her actions too. She did not know why she suddenly asked as well but there was something about this young man that seemed to compel her to know.
There was also something very familiar with how desperate this man was acting before him. It seemed as though she was seeing a reflection of her brother…
The young man was radiating the very essence of youth and impulsivity and yet, there was something in his eyes that looked clear and definite.
It was the same look that her elder brother had when he was carrying him away from the flying ship they rode. It was the same look her brother had when he asked her to play hide-and-seek so that he could protect her. It was the same look that her brother had when he woke up leaning on the boulder at the top of the plateau.
It was as if he had something he held dear that was on the line...
The young man straightened up, wearing his earnest expression. "My sister has a weak constitution. Today, her condition worsened again, causing a really high fever. I need a Cooling Water Pill to soothe her Spirit Veins. Can you help me find one? With your status, you could easily enter Alchemy shops that sell them. Please, help me buy a vial in my stead! I have enough money to pay you!"
"Although it may be too late for an introduction, my given name is Dylan. I don't have a surname though. So, you may just call me, Dylan." He smiled as he introduced himself
*Badump*
Victoria was taken aback. Her heart, which was filled with pain, suddenly burst forth and drowned her eyes in tears. 'It's the same... that's the same way big brother smiled always...'
"Milady...? Are you okay?" Kaiden was dumbfounded as well. He did not expect that Victoria would cry just like that
The boy quickly panicked and apologized, "Ahhh! Lady Cultivator, why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?"
Victoria came back to her senses. She shook her head and wiped her tears as she answered, "No, I am fine. I just thought that you sounded like my late big brother for a second."
"Ohhh, late brother? I am very sorry for your loss.." Dylan gave his condolences.
"Thank you.." Victoria nodded in appreciation.
Suddenly, she thought of a question and surprisingly, it also came out of her mouth, "I'm sorry... This might sound weird but... you really do care for your little sister that much?"
Dylan quickly smiled and earnestly said, "Yup, she's the cutest and sweetest thing you will ever see but she could be a bit of a mischievous though. Despite that, I still love her. That's why I'm trying to find medicine... Ah... I shot off my mouth again... I'm sorry for boring you with senseless drivel, Lady Cultivator."
Victoria was surprised that Dylan suddenly rambled when she asked about his sister.
A sweet feeling of admiration started blooming from her heart as she remembered how much Nicholas loved her like Dylan loved his sister. 'He really is like a big bro… The way he care for his little sister'
She deduced Dylan's intentions from his words, "That's fine. You really do remind me of, big brother. So you've been running in the middle of the night so that you could find your sister's medicine in the city despite the intense rainfall?"
Dylan was caught off guard and he scratched a finger on his cheek as he said, "Lady Cultivator is truly wise."
'Her eyes are kind and her voice is gentle... She must be a nice person.' Dylan noticed the genuine expression of concern that this young lady had for her sister.
He could see a pure and kind heart from her eyes.
"M'lady, we really don't have time for this." Kaiden interjected.
"He seems to be someone quite familiar with the area here. We would need someone to guide us. It is currently the middle of the night and it is raining heavily. Guides might not be readily available during this period of time." Victoria quickly rationalized
"Maybe, he could help us find some appropriate accommodations." Victoria looked at Dylan.
"Er.. Yes, I can. I am quite familiar with the city since I grew up here!" Dylan's face lit up.
Hearing that the reason was quite sensible, Kaiden nodded in agreement. "Okay"
"Is her condition that severe?" Victoria once again asked.
'Dad told me that I should not say personal matters to strangers… But it looks like this lady does want to help us…' Dylan thought He concluded that she really wished to help them.
That's why despite his dad's teaching telling him not to disclose private matters to outsiders or strangers, he still answered the young girl truthfully.
"My sister has a weak constitution. A doctor said that she had some sort of fire-type physique but her body was too weak for it to handle. That's why she always has periodical high fevers whenever her physique flares up."
"Today, her physique also flared up which caused a really high fever. So, I need a Cooling Water Pill to sooth her Spirit Veins. That's why I ran from town to get to the city..." Dylan described Scarlet's situation.
"Is that so?" Victoria thought of Dylan's description and found that there was nothing wrong with what he said.
She also knew that this young man could have not been lying as he had gone so far as to run from his town to the city in this gloomy weather despite being a normal person.
That's why she revealed a golden ring from her snow white hand.
A strand of Victoria's Innate Energy entered the ring and a cloth sack with pretty adornments and designs suddenly appeared from her hands.
"Whoa, a storage ring?!" Dylan looked in astonishment with an excited expression.
"Take this. It has a pill that will help you cure your sister." Victoria offered with a kind smile.
"Whoa, really?! Are you serious, Lady Cultivator?!" Dylan widely smiled from the unexpected aid that he just encountered.
"Of course. But remember to treasure your sister, okay?" Victoria smiled in response.