Poll paused, a prickling unease creeping up his spine like icy fingers. *Wait… something's different here.* His eyes narrowed as he adjusted the map interface on his gloves, his fingers moving deftly over the embedded controls. Instantly, the familiar 3D projection of his surroundings shimmered into view. The mana signatures of ten enemies dotted the hologram, their faint trails pulsing like ghostly beacons. Yet, two of them radiated an aura so potent it seemed to warp the very air around their positions in the map.
Poll's pulse quickened as he analyzed the readings. These two weren't just powerful; they were leagues beyond anyone else on the battlefield. He muttered to himself, voice low, "They're stronger than Father… possibly much stronger."
A nervous chuckle escaped him as he crouched deeper into the shadows, half-heartedly joking to no one, "Great, Poll. Just great. What's next? A dragon?" The humor did little to steady his nerves, though, as he switched modes on his glove to activate his most prized creation: the MNA—Mana Nexus Analysis—system. This intricate mechanism allowed him to pinpoint and identify mana signatures with the precision of a master craftsman. Every living being's mana was unique, a fingerprint of their soul, and Poll had spent months refining his device to decode even the faintest traces.
The first scan locked onto one of the formidable signatures. Poll's heart sank as recognition flared. *No doubt about it… That's the Demon Lord himself.*
His stomach twisted as memories from the meeting earlier that day rushed back. The towering figure, the ominous aura, the way everyone—even the king—had tread carefully around him. Now, here he was, just meters from Poll's hideout. *What is he doing here?*
Forcing himself to stay calm, Poll redirected his analysis to the second powerful figure. The result froze him in place. His breath hitched as the scan processed, revealing a signature he recognized instantly.
*Queen Celestia Aelthor.*
His mind reeled. *The Queen?* He remembered her vividly from the grand palace party last year, where her mana had felt as serene as moonlight and as sharp as steel. But now… why was she here? And why *with the Demon Lord*?
"Love affair between the Queen and the Demon Lord? What is this, a forbidden romance or the setup for a tragic web series? No, no, no—think straight!"
Poll clenched his fists, forcing himself to breathe. His thoughts raced like a runaway horse. *Are they conspiring against the king? Is the king behind this? Or is something even darker at play?*
A nervous laugh slipped out, more a reflex than a conscious choice. "Well, Poll," he muttered under his breath, "you wanted excitement, didn't you?"
Shaking off the fear threatening to root him in place, he scanned the hologram again. The Demon Lord and the Queen were flanked by three others, their signatures notable but nowhere near as overpowering. Still, Poll wasn't naive. *Where there are visible enemies, there are always hidden ones.* His suspicions were confirmed when faint mana ripples revealed additional presences lingering at the edges of the treeline, likely waiting for an ambush.
*Brilliant,* he thought dryly. *It's a full party, and I wasn't even invited.*
Suddenly, a flicker of movement on the projection caught his attention. His breath hitched as he saw someone stepping forward, directly into the path of the approaching figures. Poll's heart nearly stopped.
*Father.*
Eryndor emerged from behind a massive oak tree, his imposing figure illuminated faintly by the moonlight. His posture was calm but commanding, his sword resting loosely in his hand as though it were an extension of his arm. Poll's mind raced. *How did he get here? Did he sense them too?*
The confrontation was immediate. Eryndor's voice rang out, even and unshaken, cutting through the night air. "Who are you all?" he demanded, his tone as sharp as his blade. "Are you my enemy?"