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"Can I ask you something?" Eila said as they continued down the winding path back into the cave.
"What is it?" Airen responded.
"How did you know those two were impostors? You didn't even hesitate."
Airen smiled slightly. "Ah, those two. It was simple. Like I told them, their mana felt different from everyone else's, and their bodies weren't built to handle the constitution of a main class Mage. But the real giveaway was in your numbers."
"Numbers?" she asked, still puzzled.
"Yeah," he explained. "If I remember correctly, there should only be 27 of you in total. But when I counted, there were 29 bodies, which made it obvious two didn't belong."
He paused and glanced back at her, his voice softening. "Plus, I remembered everyone's faces, hair, and eye colors. It wasn't hard to tell who was genuinely from the tower and who was pretending."
Eila's eyes widened, astonished. "You remember all that? How? We only met you for ten minutes."
Airen chuckled, but the sound carried a hint of sadness. "I have a really good memory. I've barely interacted with anyone throughout my life, so when I do, I remember them for years. Faces stay with me, even if the moments are brief."
"That's... incredible." Eila's voice wavered between awe and disbelief. "I can barely remember the names of most of my disciples at the tower."
Airen's smile faded, and he looked down at his hands. "You don't have to feel bad for me," he said quietly.
"My situation isn't your fault. You don't have to keep blaming yourself for the Bloodline Curse." His shoulders tensed, as if the weight of his past were pressing down on him.
"I needed to get it off my chest. I was terrified... knowing my own family would curse me and use people like you to hurt me. If I hadn't let it out, I might have lost my mind."
Eila lowered her gaze, then slowly rested her head against his back, her voice muffled by his long hair. "I know, but... I'm sorry. Even if apologizing won't change anything, I need to ask for forgiveness." Her voice cracked, and she fought back tears. "I'm so sorry."
Airen closed his eyes for a moment, drawing in a shaky breath. "I forgive you," he said gently. "So lighten up. Like I told you, I need you at your best so we can get out of here. We'll find a way together."
Eila nodded, her tears soaking into his hair.
As they passed the remains of fallen monsters, the silence between them grew heavier. Eila broke it, her curiosity getting the better of her. "What was that fighting style you used earlier? It didn't look like any swordsmanship I've seen."
"Swordsmanship?" Airen looked surprised. "I don't know any sword techniques. If you mean what I was doing, it's called Kali Arnis. It's a stick-fighting technique, not swordplay."
"Kali Arnis?" she echoed, intrigued. "What's that?"
"It's a fast, fluid attack style," he explained, his eyes lighting up. "It focuses on striking the head and body until the opponent can't move anymore. Quick and relentless."
"How did you learn that?" she pressed.
Airen's expression shifted, pride mingling with something more vulnerable. "You know my main class is Scout, right? Most classes only have one or two attributes. Mine has three, which makes it... different."
Eila raised an eyebrow. "Three?"
He nodded. "The first is poison resistance and creation. The second is called Perfect Terrain, which lets me move and balance perfectly, no matter how rough or narrow the ground is."
"And the third?" she prompted.
"The third is Treasure Hunt," Airen continued, a faraway look in his eyes. "It only activated once, when I was nine. It guided me to something valuable. That time, it led me to a hidden room in the library. Beyond that room was another:
The Knowledge of Eternity.
A place filled with books from other universes, containing secrets and techniques beyond imagination."
He paused, his voice trembling slightly. "I who have spent years there, reading and memorizing everything manage to real all 30 thousands books within the Archmage library
And after my discovery of the library of Eternity continued on in my studies and research before being banished and casted away have manage to read
279,965 books and mastered 136,651 spells before I was banished. Sorry," he added, catching himself. "I got carried away. I just... wanted to share it with someone."
When they finally reached the room where the others waited, Airen set Eila down carefully. He stepped forward, and a series of intricate magic circles appeared around him, pulsing with energy.
"Using all those years of research and study," he said, his voice deepening, "I can do this."
He took a breath, and his voice rang out, "Dimensional Break!"
The air shattered around them, the cave walls dissolving into nothingness. Above them, the sky opened up, revealing three moons, their light washing over everything. The blue glow of the second moon bathed Airen, highlighting his determined expression.
Airen turned to Eila, his features softened by the moonlight. "Will you trust me now? Trust me so we can get out of here?"
Eila, still in shock from the spell's power, looked at him. Her heart raced, and her cheeks flushed. Why does he look so good right now? she thought, blushing fiercely.