The sun was setting on what was supposed to be just another ordinary day. The last few rays of sunlight dug through the dense foliage of the Northern Acrean Forest, creating a mesmerizing image of this wild yet picturesque landscape. However, the peace was soon broken as tremors reverberated throughout the woodlands.

Such heavy tremors were the unmistakable footsteps of giant fierce beasts known as earth dragons. Their imposing bodies stood at least three meters tall, with a length that was twice as long and muscles so massive that even their thick hides couldn't conceal them.

"Faster!" the driver yelled as he cracked his whip, spurring the beasts onwards. 

A luxurious carriage was strapped to the dragons using harnesses. The beasts redoubled their efforts. They roared and thundered along the dirt road, frightening the forest's inhabitants. Their speed was too high for their frame, and exhaustion was gaining on them. The rocky trail wound and bent, yet the carriage was surprisingly stable, denoting the quality of its fabrication. Such a luxurious wooden carriage would typically be unable to withstand such a dangerous trek, yet this one was armoured and reinforced with steel. But, even such reinforcements would prove too much in the long run if it were to maintain its speed.

The roars the dragons emitted in their exhaustion were deafening, yet they were drowned out by the howling of wolf-like beasts chasing after them. Those beasts ran after the carriage using their four powerful legs. Their anatomy, however, revealed a more bipedal structure, almost human-like but with wolf attributes, like claws, fur and pointed ears on top of their heads.

As the wolf-like beings gained on the carriage, about two-thirds flew into the thickets. With explosive speed, they tried to flank the vehicle. There was a slight curve in the road ahead. The driver had no choice but to slow down to make the turn. The pursuers would take advantage of this chance.

The carriage made the turn with difficulty. The wolves on the left sprang out and pounced on the Earth Dragons. Although their claws were sharp, they could not pierce the beasts' thick hide. The attack forced the carriage to slow down just enough to give the group on the right the chance to attack its wheels.

They used tree branches found on the forest floor and jammed them into the vehicle's open wheels. Those branches were rotten and couldn't withstand the steel wheel slamming into them, breaking into splinters soon after. The shock caused the carriage to jump slightly, propelling it into a nearby tree. The carriage then rolled on its side, causing the dragons to stop.

Half of the wolves took position around the dragons, and the other half encircled the carriage. A massive wolf, more than twice the size of the others, stood on its hind legs and slowly approached the carriage. As it neared the overturned vehicle, a thunder-like sound boomed as the door suddenly flew into the air. Seconds later, it came crashing down a few meters away with a bang. A slender figure exited the carriage, revealing a petite woman in a military uniform.

She glanced around before returning to the carriage to pull another woman out. The second woman, a head taller than the first, wore an exquisite light blue dress, which complimented her silver hair. Silver was quite an unusual hair colour in the kingdom, making an interesting contrast with the first lady's red hair.

They lowered themselves to the ground while keeping their pursuers in their sight. The wolf, who appeared to be their leader, greeted them first.

"It is my honour to be in the presence of Your Highness, the first princess Christina Aleria Dragneel," he said as he bowed deeply. "I hope that our little greeting didn't inconvenience you. I must say, with all honesty, your silver hair compliments your countenance quite beautifully."

Christina scowled before replying, "Cease with the theatrics and get to the point. I'm busy now and have no time to waste on a fool like you."

"Quite feisty, aren't you!" the wolf said, but his expression soon darkened. "I would watch my mouth if I were you; my patience is limited. Need I remind you of your current situation?"

Christina looked around, only to see about a dozen bipedal wolves slowly closing in on them. Her gaze narrowed slightly when she landed on the empty driver's seat. There was no trace of him around.

She considered how to escape this situation. Whatever option she chose, her chances were minimal. The red-haired lady stood before her and spoke.

"Lord Lowther of the Heavenly Wolf Clan isn't stupid enough to plan this setup right after we left his territory. Tell me, who would be daring enough to hire the Shades of Arham to dispose of royalty?"

The leader was so stunned by the young lady's words that surprise flashed on its face. A sign that the princess didn't miss.

"So it's true," the princess murmured. "Shadows adept at illusion masquerading as werewolves. Probably intended to pin the blame on Margrave Lowther to drive a wedge between the Crown and the border lords. Tell me, who's pulling the string? Is it the Empire or those damn witches up north?"

The leader sneered before revealing its true form. The fur covering his body darkened until it became pitch black. His claws disappeared. His arms elongated until they almost touched the ground. His whole body became ethereal, reminiscent of a shadow. This new grotesque appearance was the standard form of the Shade Tribe.

"You know, we never disclose our clients," the shade replied. "It simply wouldn't make for decent professionals."

"As if being spies and assassins would make anyone decent, Claire interrupted.

"Everyone has different strengths. Ours simply happen to lie on the more... unconventional side." 

Christina was quite undaunted despite being outnumbered. She reached under her dress and pulled out a white blade, only slightly longer than a regular dagger. She pointed it at her assailants while her guard, Claire Rothguard, stood before her. They readied themselves for battle with their backs to the carriage, unaware of the dangers that awaited them.

Two shades surrounding the earth dragons had broken off from their formation. They hid behind the overturned carriage and waited for their chance to ambush the two girls. A blade swung through the air as the shades were ready to jump on them from the top of the carriage. It cut both of the shades' heads in one clean motion. Behind their lifeless bodies stood the missing driver, sword in hand.

When the sound of the falling bodies reached her, Claire had already leapt towards two other shades on her right, catching them unaware. Her blade danced as she struck her two opponents dead before throwing her hidden dagger at a third shade on her left.

Christina herself wouldn't stay put any longer and used her small blade to deal with one more shade. Although her blade lacked reach, and her dress mostly blocked her movements, she still moved nimbly, evading the shade's long arms before plunging the blade between its eyes, killing it.

Although they took the initiative with this attack, they were swarmed on all sides. The leader pounced and swiped at Claire with his long arms. Just as she was about to deal with a fourth shade, Claire noticed the attack and kicked the ground to evade the blow. Unfortunately, the shade's arm tip grazed her at the waist, leaving a shallow wound. 

After quickly evading a second blow, Claire returned and stood before the princess. She then fell to one knee and was unable to stand up again.

"Poison," she murmured as she touched the blood dripping out with her fingers, bringing it to her nose. "A paralytic one. I should have known your kind would be treacherous."

"Do forgive me, but I hardly doubt such a poison would be enough to deal with you," he replied.

He was right. Like all other knights, Claire developed poison resistance early on. She could still move her limbs, albeit with difficulty. She struggled to her feet, taking a defensive stance despite the numbness spreading to her extremities.

She looked around and noticed that her opponents had dwindled quite a bit despite still being outnumbered. The driver returned to support them despite being visibly tired. Sweat poured down his face.

While she diverted the leader's attention, the driver culled most of the shades surrounding their mounts. Such actions didn't come without a cost, as several wounds were visible on his body. Although they could still move somewhat, their situation was dire. Just as Claire readied herself for a bitter fight, the princess moved forward and stood before her.

"Enough!" she said. "Judging from the poison you used, you aren't here for my life. So, what do you want exactly?"

The leader's smile grew sinister as he replied, "I think you know well enough. Although you struggled quite well against our numbers, don't be so naive to think that this is all we have prepared for you. You should consider your situation carefully, lest you want your servants to come to an unfortunate end."

"Stop beating around the bush! What do you want from me?!"

"Lay down your weapons and put this on."

He threw a necklace before her. It wasn't the type used by nobility, with delicate features and an appealing appearance, but an utterly black metal necklace. She gazed upon the necklace, and her expression grew ugly. She took a moment to consider.

"What will happen to those two after I put this on?" she asked, gazing back at her two servants.

"They are unnecessary, and before you object, you aren't in a position to negotiate. We can do this the hard way or the even harder way," 

Before the princess could even consider her option, Claire yelled, "Never!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, her eyes changed from brown to deep gold. Her irises also changed shape, becoming more reptilian. An aura of dominance started to emanate from her body. Startled, most shades retreated from her in fear of her aura. Only the leader stood his ground.

Just as she was about to pounce forward, she noticed a sound coming from the forest to her right. It resembled the rustling of foliage. The sound was approaching too fast to be caused by the wind. The noise came so abruptly that it crushed her momentum. It even distracted the shades' leader as he turned to look at the sound's incoming direction.

The whole group was quiet, waiting in suspense. The sound grew louder and closer by the second, and the tension rose with each moment. Claire's mind spun rapidly. 

What if it's the troops we separated from up north, she thought. Should I wait for them before attacking? But what if it's even more enemy reinforcements? Should I take the initiative to attack while they are distracted? Maybe it's also just a beast roaming in these woods. Should I flee or fight?

She struggled to decide. The sound finally reached the road they were standing on. Despite considering all common possibilities, Claire was unprepared for what came out of the woods, which stunned her and the others.

It wasn't beasts, reinforcements, or more enemies but a simple young man sporting a tattered cloak on his shoulders. A hood covered most of his face. Although the hood masked most of his features, one could tell from his build that he was a man.

"Finally out from there!" he said, patting himself down to remove the leaves and dirt from his cloak. Unaware of the scene before him, he cleaned himself, raised his head, and finally noticed everyone else.

"Howdy folks!" he said. "Might one of you be kind enough to point me in the right direction? I've been trekking in this forest for nearly a week, and I can't seem to find my way out even though I've tried following the road. This forest seems cursed, I tell you."

Claire and the princess were stunned by the sudden change of tone in the situation. The leader's surprise quickly turned to anger and disgust as the young man put a wrench in his plan to kidnap the princess.

"Kill him!" he ordered his men.

As soon as the order was delivered, two shades, quite more prominent than the rest, quickly approached the newcomer before swiping their hands at his face and torso.

The young man stepped back quickly, tripping on a rock and stumbling backwards, barely evading the blows. The sudden motion caused his hood to fall off his head, revealing his features. His hair was black as midnight, and his brown eyes bordered on almost red. The combination seemed ominous, yet Claire found the man quite attractive.

Although his features seemed quite boyish initially, Claire's instincts told her that the man before her hid a depth of experience. It would be unwise to underestimate him. She readied herself for battle.

The two shades approached the scared young man to deliver a second blow. The man abruptly rose to his knees while unsheathing two knives hidden in his boots. He deftly cut the shades' arms, rendering them ineffective, using those small blades before slithering past their guards to plunge the knives into the shades' eye sockets.

The two shades dropped dead almost immediately as the knives reached their brains. The speed at which the man moved seemed unfathomable, even with Claire's visual acuity.

"Who the hell are you!" the leader said.

The young man turned to face him, quite surprised by his outburst.

"A shade with emotions?" he asked. "I thought your kind was devoid of such thing… unless… a half-breed! How interesting! I wonder how that works. From what I know, shades don't reproduce the same way as other living beings through copulation but are merely a form of mana that gained form and sentience. Emotions are foreign to them, and they only possess an instinct to preserve the race."

He pondered before adding, "Although it's evening right now, and the sun is setting, normal shades would never come out before night fell. Unless they are being controlled by something else, a shade with emotion. However, One must wonder how such a shade could even exist..."

Before he could finish, the shades' leader had already pounced on him, ordering his subordinate to do the same. Despite the onslaught, the young man seemed quite at ease, dodging the countless blows with minimal movements. A slight smile bloomed on his face. However, as the fight continued, Claire noticed his smile slowly vanish, replaced with a look of boredom.

As though tired of dodging, the young man suddenly went on the attack. His blades cut and thrust into the shades with precision. Soon enough, no shades were left unscathed. Although the blows were countless and expertly made, none seemed deadly, probably due to the blades' small size.

Claire watched the fascinating display before her and wondered why he would only use those regular daggers despite the prominent long sword strapped to his waist. The shades' leader wondered the same. Noticing their gazes, the man broke away from battle and turned to face the giant shade before saying nonchalantly, "Because you're unworthy."

Hearing this, the leader's expression darkened even more, and he pounced on the young man in rage. Unlike the other shades, the leader possessed long and powerful limbs and was astonishingly fast. The man, however, was unperturbed by the sudden action, as if he had already anticipated it.

Shifting his weight smoothly from one leg to another, he evaded all the blows quite easily while using his two daggers to cut. The blows rained, and the shade's injuries grew in numbers. Its movements slowed considerably until it finally stopped. The leader fell to its knees, unable to move anymore. The other shades retreated and began observing the situation.

While the remaining shades stood motionless a distance away, the young man slowly approached the pack leader. Aware of his impending doom, the shade started pleading for mercy. He spun tales of not knowing who he messed with, of powerful allies, of revenge, and of giant conspiracies, all of which fell on deaf ears.

A short distance away, Claire also wished to spare him to interrogate. However, deep in her heart, she knew that she also wished for his demise. Those conflicting wishes made her pause momentarily, just enough for the blade to fall.

The young man finally unsheathed his long blade, pitch black and monstrous in aura. The leader gazed upon the blade, and his whole body shook. His end, however, was swift. The blade separated his head from his body in a smooth motion, as if cutting through water.

Seeing their leader's head roll, the remaining shades flew into the woods, scattering in all directions. The young man gazed at them, leaving without any intention of chasing. As he turned to leave, the princess quickly went forward and bowed.

"I am Christina Aleria Dragneel, First Princess of the Kingdom of Althena. These are my guards, Claire and Richard Rothguard," she said as she introduced her two servants. "I give you my thanks for the timely rescue. May I ask for your name?"

The young man glanced at her before shifting his sight to Claire, surprising everyone.

"You can call me Felix. Although I doubt we will see each other again anytime soon," he said.

"Is this how you speak to royalty?!" Richard replied.

"Is this how you speak to your saviour?"

"I apologize for my servant's disrespect," Christina said. "He simply takes his duties very seriously. I hope he didn't offend you. I wish to thank you properly, but I cannot now. Would you be willing to follow us back to the Capital so we can give you the reward you deserve?"

Felix gazed at her without replying, the silence stifling. After a moment that felt like an eternity, he simply smiled and turned to walk away.

Stunned, the trio could only watch him slowly disappear in the distance before they heard, "We'll meet again if we're fated; until then, try to stay in good health, young lady!"

The last thing they saw was the young man waving the back of his hand at them as he walked nonchalantly along the road with tattered clothes and a sword at the waist.