Having successfully escaped the previous battle, Altair and the others plunged into the dense forest hidden off the main path. Sharp branches clawed at their skin.
After walking far enough for the sun to slip towards the west, they found a quiet spot among the thick trees, hidden enough, and safe… for the moment.
Inside, the remaining sunlight filtered dimly through the gaps in the foliage. Among the tree roots, they dropped their bodies, gasping for breath.
Feran leaned against a tree trunk and groaned softly. "We've been walking all day. Can't we find something to eat tonight?"
He began rummaging through his pockets, hoping to find some leftover food from the supplies they had stolen a few days ago. But only dust and a few dry leaf fragments fell from inside his jacket.
Altair closed his eyes, exhaustion etched clearly on his face. "True. But I'm too tired to hunt now."
Feran snorted, his tone annoyed. "If you can't, what about me? It feels like all my bones are cracked." He held his shoulder, which was still bruised from the impact during their escape.
Quartzis chuckled softly, sitting casually while looking up at the leaves obscured by the darkness of night. "Hahaha, it's alright. Let me try to find some rabbits. Who knows, maybe there's one that got lost."
Lazric, who was sitting while examining the wound on his hand, glanced at Quartzis and narrowed his eyes. "Since when can you hunt? All I know is that you sleep all day at home."
Quartzis shrugged with a wide smile. "I didn't say I was good at hunting. But picking fruit, at least I can do that."
Altair and Lazric laughed. Even Feran, who was almost asleep, smiled, though he immediately clutched his chest because of the pain when he laughed too hard. For a moment, the tension eased. Their laughter echoed softly off the cave walls.
Sign of Danger
But the tranquility did not last long.
The wind suddenly blew—cold, unnatural. Like slicing skin, seeping into the bones.
Altair opened his eyes slowly. His body tensed. He immediately stood up, his eyes fixed on the mouth of the cave. Feran also became alert, even though his body had not fully recovered.
"Someone's coming," Altair whispered softly.
Everyone fell silent. Even their breaths were held.
Amidst the slowly creeping mist, a figure could be seen standing on a high tree branch. Its long black cloak billowed in the wind, obscuring its face in
shadow. But its lips could be seen curving into a small smile.
"Just as the Master said… there really are Elemental Races left. And apparently, more than one."
His voice was calm, yet it carried a terrifying pressure. A voice that was not only heard by the ears but felt piercing into the soul.
Altair took a step forward. "Who are you?"
The man only chuckled softly. "You don't remember me? At the tournament back then... Ah, or maybe I'm just easily forgotten." He slowly raised his hand.
Black shadows immediately spread from the ground like living liquid. They formed faceless, soundless humanoid figures, moving slowly but menacingly.
The Battle Begins
Feran immediately drew his sword and attacked one of the shadows.
His slash flew, but -
Whoosh!
His sword passed through as if it were smoke. No wound. No blood.
"Damn it! They're not ordinary creatures!"
Altair wasted no time. He created a long golden blade, condensed from the air, and hurled it directly at the cloaked man. Golden light illuminated the night—but as the blade was about to touch its target, the man vanished like mist swept away by the wind.
"Did you see that?" Feran exclaimed.
"Too fast... and he can manipulate shadows."
Suddenly—ZRAKK!!—a burst of black energy shot quickly towards Quartzis and Lazric who were behind!
"Quartzis! Watch out!" Feran yelled.
BOOM!
The explosion hit. Quartzis and Lazric were thrown back and slammed hard into the surrounding trees.
Feran shouted, but his body constricted his cry, "Who the hell are you, you bastard!"
"Me? My name is Veyron. One of Fulguran's followers who wreaked havoc on your former home." He chuckled softly. "Initially, I was only sent to confirm the existence of one rather famous Elemental Race... a boy named Lazric."
Suddenly, Veyron raised his hand, and shadows shot up from the ground, moving swiftly, ensnaring Lazric's body and pulling him into the air!
Lazric screamed, "Agh—!"
Before anyone could move, Veyron had already jumped to Lazric's side and gripped his neck with one hand, lifting the boy's body effortlessly.
"But look now…"
Veyron looked at Altair, Feran, and Quartzis one by one, his smile widening with pride.
"I've caught three other golden fish instead."
He squeezed harder, making Lazric cough violently and try to kick in the air.
"And each of you… is far more valuable than I imagined. The Elemental Race not only survived… you grew and thrived. Too bad, the world doesn't want your existence."
Altair took a step forward, his eyes blazing.
"Let him go."
"Why?" Veyron turned his head with a cynical smile. "Afraid he'll die? The Elemental Race is supposed to be strong. But this boy? Weak. Useless. The only thing he can do is channel mana like livestock."
"Shut up." Feran's voice was deep and sharp. "Let him go or I'll—"
"Or you'll what?" Veyron interrupted, amused. "Attack me? Like at the tournament? You couldn't even touch me."
Suddenly, he threw Lazric's body to the ground hard, causing him to roll and lie still.
"LAZRIC!!" Quartzis cried out, his eyes wide with shock.
Lazric coughed heavily, his body trembling, but he was still conscious.
And that was when… something happened.
Quartzis felt an extraordinary heat.
His body trembled, his chest tightened. It was as if anger, fear, and sorrow mixed together and exploded. Something inside him broke.
His white eyes now glowed bluish, and from under his skin, crystalline light began to emerge—clear, sharp, and strong.
In an instant, his body was covered by a layer of crystal armor that gleamed like living glass. His hands now formed fists with crystal shards fused together—sharp and strong like swords.
"This..." Quartzis looked at his own body, his eyes wide with the power that flowed uncontrollably.
Veyron narrowed his eyes. "Interesting… another one has awakened."
But Quartzis did not answer. There was only one thing on his mind: destroy the enemy before his eyes.
Counterattack
With incredible speed, Quartzis shot forward. His footsteps left crystal cracks on the ground. The black shadows that tried to block him were instantly shattered by the sharp aura emanating from his body.
Veyron tried to defend himself but it was clear he was holding back. He raised his hand, creating a shadow attack again.
But Quartzis swung his hand—a thick crystal wall appeared instantly and reflected the attack back at him!
"What?!"
Before he could react, Quartzis was already in front of him and slammed his fist—DUGGG!!!—right into Veyron's stomach.
Veyron's body was thrown back hard, hitting a tree and the ground like a doll, creating a small explosion from the impact.
Altair and Feran were silent for a moment. They didn't expect Quartzis—who had only recently joined and had been quiet all this time—to display such power.
Lazric looked at his twin brother with admiration and worry. Quartzis stood with heavy breaths, his blue eyes shining sharply like the crystals of the night sky.
But the fight was not over.
The cloaked man staggered to his feet. His clothes were torn, his face now showing a very wide smile, with black veins spreading from his eyes.
"This is fun, very fun, but it seems I must report to the Master first."
With a swift movement, he created a dense shadow that swallowed his body and… vanished.
The night returned to silence. But the tension still hung in the air.
New Direction
Altair looked at Quartzis. "You… have awakened."
Quartzis only nodded slowly. "I… don't know how. But something… changed inside me."
Feran smiled even though he was still sitting weakly. "You were amazing, Quartz."
Lazric approached and hugged his twin brother. "Alright, I guess you were pretty cool this time."
Altair clenched his fist. "We can't stay here for long. He'll definitely be back. And maybe… not alone."
That night, a new power had awakened—and their war had just begun.