---
Whoosh.
A deer darts past Redan and his team, its hooves pounding against the forest floor. But before anyone can process the moment, a pack of Grey Wolves surges from the same direction, their feral growls echoing through the trees. The deer vanishes, but the wolves don't—they leap into the group with savage precision.
A swordsman at the forefront takes the brunt, his neck clamped in the jaws of one wolf.
"AAH—!"
Nearby, Tiva screams as another wolf sinks its teeth into her leg.
"My leg!"
Redan and another fighter are also toppled, though by some fortune, they evade the wolves' deadly fangs. Gasping, Redan brandishes his spear, attempting to ward off the beasts.
"Back! Stay back!" he shouts, his voice cracking with desperation.
"Kill them! What are you waiting for?" Tiva howls, hammering at her attacker with her bow, her cries demanding action from her comrades.
But they're no better off. One man lies torn apart, his blood pooling as a wolf devours him.
How did it come to this? Redan wonders bitterly. We just fought off a goblin horde. His thoughts scatter as a wolf launches itself at him, jaws snapping.
"Damn wolf!"
---
"Redan and Tiva."
Should I help them?
「What kind of question is that, human?」
Stattlich's voice slithers into my mind, a baritone both mocking and regal.
"They're selfish cowards," I mutter, hesitant.
「And yet, you are human. What is the right thing to do?」
I falter. Stattlich's words are weighty, yet the thought of aiding these ingrates churns my stomach.
「Listen. Evil repaid with evil leaves no one righteous. Be better.」
He's right. My enemy isn't humanity—it's the demons that plague this land.
---
The chaos unfolds in slow, agonizing seconds. Redan dodges another attack, but his movements are sluggish, his strength nearly spent. Nearby, Tiva jams the last of her arrows into the eye of the wolf mauling her leg.
"Damn it!" she hisses. Archers are worthless without ammunition.
"Clooooee!" The team's tank cries out, paralyzed as another comrade is shredded before his eyes. His shield is battered, his stance faltering.
The wolf on Tiva shifts its attention, slamming into her with brutal force. She collapses, the beast pouncing for her throat.
This is it, Tiva thinks. I'm dead.
---
A streak of blue fire cuts through the air. Wolves yelp as their bodies ignite, the flames driving them into the forest shadows.
Tiva stares, dumbfounded. "What… what just happened?"
And then she sees him—a figure with wounds etched across his back, eyes fierce.
"Ken?"
The name escapes her lips as disbelief washes over her.
---
The tension thickens as Redan finally recognizes the man standing before them.
"You!" His voice drips with venom.
"Yeah, it's me," Ken says, his tone measured.
"You were supposed to be dead!"
Ken's dagger flares, the flames licking the air as his rage rises. "You left us for dead in that goblin fight, Redan. And now you run from your own failures."
"Coward!" Redan snaps, his fury boiling over. He grips his spear tighter.
"Stop it, Redan!" Tiva pleads. "He saved us!"
But her words are lost. Redan pivots, hurling his spear straight at Ken.
---
Whoosh.
The spear grazes Ken's shoulder, tearing through fabric and flesh.
"Enough," Ken snarls. His dagger blazes brighter.
「Ken, calm yourself. This fury will only burn you out.」
The words come too late. Ken lunges, his dagger slicing through the air, but Redan is ready. They clash, the forest trembling with the force of their battle.
Focus, Ken. Breathe.
Then, a voice—soft and familiar—echoes in his mind.
(Ken... calm down.)
His breath hitches. That voice—it's hers. Lenia.
Even Stattlich reacts.「Who... was that?」
Ken exhales slowly, the flames on his dagger shrinking as his rage subsides.
Redan doesn't relent. With his spear in hand once more, he sneers. "You should've stayed dead, Ken. Now you'll regret ever crossing me."
---
Far away, a blacksmith shop buzzes with activity. Yoren, a master craftsman, and his daughter Kara examine a glowing rune.
"This will work," Yoren declares.
"But Father, combining Clarias techniques with Frenic runes on Neronium is dangerous!" Kara protests.
"Dangerous? Perhaps. But for a blade meant to bear the weight of destiny, we must take risks."
The forge roars as Yoren begins his masterpiece—a sword unlike any other, destined for Ken.