"This is where the spatial anomaly was detected," Agnes said as she tucked the map back into her spatial ring. The three of us stood outside an eerily silent cave, its depths shrouded in darkness even with our enhanced vision. Agnes, ever determined, had decided to complete the mission swiftly, leading us here after hours of trekking through the dense forest.
"Are you sure you want to go in? I'm getting a bad vibe from this cave," I said, not out of fear, but due to a nagging sense of unease.
"Yeah. You don't have to follow us inside, though," Agnes offered.
"I'll come with you two," I replied, unwilling to leave them alone.
We cast our 'Night Vision' spell and entered the cave, Agnes and I taking the lead with Ruby a few steps behind. The inside of the cave was strangely untouched as if no one had passed through in months.
"There are no footprints," Agnes noted.
"But there are no spider webs either, which should be common if no one came through this area," I added, the oddness of the situation not escaping me.
"Something is off," Agnes agreed, scanning the surroundings warily.
"Sister, I think we should back off right now," Ruby said, her voice tinged with fear.
"Okay," Agnes said, and we turned to leave—or at least, we tried to.
"There is no going back now, boy," an eerie voice whispered close to my ear. Instinctively, I swung my sword to my right, but before I could react, I felt a sharp pain as my hand was severed from my body.
Gritting my teeth against the pain, I looked forward where a man in a black cloak standing with his head slightly tilted. His face was hidden under the hood, but I could sense his amusement.
He was at the 7th stage—far beyond my current level.
A scroll in my spatial ring disintegrated into ash, regenerating my hand at a visible speed. I glanced to my left, where Agnes and Ruby lay unconscious, unaware of what had just transpired.
"She said you'd be here, boy. I guess no one can escape that Witch's eyes," the man began to ramble. "But it's not easy to kill you now, is it? I bet the moment I deal a fatal blow, your life-saving artifacts will activate. Killing a royal is such a pain, but don't worry, I've prepared everything to make sure you die today."
Before he could continue his monologue, I channeled a bit of mana into the pendant around my neck—the one my mother had given me the day I was born. It activated, enveloping my body in a golden light as the pendant's stone cracked. This artifact could negate death for 15 seconds, my mother can arrive in 10 from the capital.
"Smart choice, I'll give you that. But as I said, I came prepared," the man said nonchalantly. He disappeared in a blur of speed, reappearing with his hand wrapped around my throat. The world blurred around me as he raced deeper into the cave.
He finally stopped in front of an inconspicuous spot, still holding me like a ragdoll. I could feel the space around us shifting, the very fabric of reality bending.
"Well, this is the hell's door—for you, that is. Shall we go i—" His words were cut off by a massive flame, 50 meters wide, exploding in his face.
A second later, the flames dissipated, revealing his unblemished handsome face and blonde hair, my attack having only managed to burn away his hood.
"Why struggle? We'll have lots of fun inside. Let's g—" But before he could finish, a sword sliced through his arm, freeing me from his grasp.
Only four seconds had passed since I activated the pendant. As I looked at the wielder of the sword, I recognized the same beautiful lady I'd seen beside the lake.
She swiftly landed another strike on his torso, sending him flying backward. The man stabilized himself mid-air, a sigh escaping his lips. "Sigh, everyone is cutting me off mid-sentence today."
The lady responded by firing a blinding beam of light from her fingertips, aimed directly at him. For the first time, his expression shifted, showing a hint of alarm as he vanished from sight.
The lady turned, her eyes scanning the area, only to catch a glimpse of him reappearing with me in his grasp. In a desperate attempt to stop him, she threw her sword at him with incredible speed and precision. But it was too late—the sword met nothing but air as he disappeared , dragging me with him into the darkness.