*I'm sorry.*
Biting his inner lips, Caelus could only say in submission. And when he did, his decision came final.
He blinked and turned around once more. His destination was back to the human group. He knew Alpha was right, but he just couldn't abandon them. It felt like if he did that, he wouldn't be able to accept himself anymore. He would go back to being a monster.
And so, even if it was reckless… even if it was stupid, he moved toward the group.
*Four Dragon Riders. No one has their Dragon on them. Or they do not have Dragons yet? From their looks, one seems younger? Or is that how Dragon Riders commonly look?*
Caelus was unsure.
He didn't have any image regarding Dragon Riders. He hasn't seen one. But based on the description from Sanctuary and Miya before, he knew the four are Dragon Riders.
Humanoid body, but thick lower body that has lizard-like feet. Their hands were in between human hands and lizard hands. Their skin was like any other human flesh, except they had Dragon-like scales. Their head had a bigger mouth that was leaning forward like those of Dragons, but it was delicate like a human mouth. They have small ears the size was merged in their skin that one couldn't see unless one is looking intently. It was the same for their nose that was only visible with two nasal passages. One meter taller than average humans.
Two of the Dragon Riders were wearing one that could pass as knight uniform, one was wearing a robe without any hood and a visible tooth necklace and the last one… had an extravagant robe that stood out among the rest.
Just looking at them triggered Caelus' will for survival. His body was instinctively telling him to run away, not to engage in those dangerous beings.
He didn't even need Virus' warning for him to know that they were stronger than him.
He knew that reality was far from fantasy. Even if he tried his best to duel one of those four, he wouldn't be able to scratch them. And fighting four was nothing but courting death.
*There must be a way.*
Still, he didn't give up. He knew he wanted to save those people. Even if he knew no one of them, he just couldn't turn his back to those asking his help. Even if he is too weak…
He quietly drew his breath and exhaled, calming himself and looking for solutions.
*There's only one way. But how to do it?*
He has a way, it would be to erase the presence. It was similar to Miya's skill, but the way he activates it uses Qi Energy. And it wasn't simple to use at all. One needed some mastery over Qi to be able to do it.
Caelus was no exception. He trained hard to be able to do it. He won't even think about such a technique if he didn't "feel" him doing it in his dreams. It was the same for all his current techniques he has with his Qi.
With the help of AI Sanctuary, his training efficiently rose to levels he couldn't even fathom before. After practicing a lot, he succeeded in mastering Qi to hide his presence. Which he named after his dream, Qi Cloak. Because of that, he knew how to hide his presence and others' presence.
But the problem is that he hadn't tried it before with the presence of others. And if he did try it on the group, if he succeeded and one presence vanished, the group would then panic and alert the Dragon Riders.
He could only hope that the Dragon Riders wouldn't notice the disappearance. He didn't know the extent of their powers. He could only pray that they would be caught in surprise. He decided to leave the unknown variable as it is, for now. He just needed to be ready in case the worst happened.
His mind quickly formulated a solution.
What he needed right now was an insider to help him give the group heads up, calm those he would save, and make sure those rescued wouldn't make a noise once the Qi Cloak effect dispelled.
Although he could hold for a longer time since he attained some proficiency in it, his range was still limited. If he wanted to save everyone, he needed to be cautious with his presence and the one he was leading away.
He can only do this one at a time.
He couldn't take care of everyone. So the best option was someone leading them away from the range of the Dragon Riders and safely hiding.
However, to do that, he needed a calm adult. Looking at the group, he knew the situation would be tricky. There were only five people that he could consider an adult. The sixteen were all children ranging from infant to teenager.
*I probably could trust the oldest of the kids. Looking at her, she's probably nineteen. But the best role for her would be the one to stay with the kids and calm them down. She's even trying to calm down the elderly with her. Also, since she's not too young or too old, she would be less suspicious in the eyes of Dragon Riders.*
*I need someone else who can guide the kids and make sure the kids would stay quiet… her!*
Looking at the pregnant woman who was somehow distant from the group and was still calmly observing the surroundings, he knew he found the right person for the task. And she could surely do the job of giving the group heads up with what Caelus planned to do.
As to who to inform… he immediately caught sight of the leader of the struggle. The old lady that seems to be the eldest. Although she seemed to be struggling herself, she was trying her best to calm the group, lessening the anxiety of children and adults around.
If he found people who were right for the job, he also found a person who would make everything a pain in the ass.
Looking at a man who was wearing a business suit who kept shouting about his wealth, he knew he couldn't leave that man alone. If that person knew that he would try and save the group, the man would eagerly want to go first and wouldn't care about the group if they die or whatnot.
A kind of person Caelus detested the most.
But still, weighing his options, he knew he needed to save that person second. Not first, because that man wouldn't outright trust him, he would bait someone else to be first, if he knew the other person made it out safely, that's the only way he would go himself. Caelus was pretty sure that's how the man survived so far. Ruthlessly using people around him.
He silently exhaled trying to expel the feeling of hate for the man.
After formulating his plan, he immediately erased his presence. Not even his breathing could be heard if near him, not even his shadow could be seen at all.
It was the effect of the Qi Cloak. Everything about him was cloaked and his entire presence became null. Or well, he became one with nature.
"Sanctuary, I need you to connect me with the pregnant human two-hundred meters away from me."