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The moon hung low, its silver glow filtering through the swaying branches of the ancient woodland. Leornars rose silently from his makeshift seat and strode toward the shadowed depth of the trees. The soft crunch of leaves underfoot was the only sound that accompanied him.
He paused near a clearing and narrowed his eyes. There it stood — a lone deer, drinking cautiously from a small spring. A smirk crept onto his face.
"Undead, arise," he whispered.
From the dark mist behind him, gaunt figures materialized — his summoned knights of decay. They moved with uncanny silence, surrounding the deer in an eerie formation. In one swift motion, Leornars leapt into the air, descending like a reaper. The deer didn't even have time to flee. With a precise strike, it fell lifeless.
"Carry it," he ordered, sheathing his dagger as one knight obeyed.
Back at the campsite, Stacian sat wordlessly by the fire, her white hair gleaming under the dim light. She turned her gaze toward him as he returned.
Leornars skewered strips of the meat onto a stick and began to roast them over the fire. The silence between them lingered until he finally broke it.
"How far is the next nation?"
She looked up, voice steady. "About 3,000 miles north is the Lurtra Kingdom. Another 500 beyond that lies the Holy Nation of Zeldris."
He pulled off a piece of the meat and handed it to her. "Then we're going to Lurtra."
She blinked. "We?"
"Huh? I thought you begged me not to abandon you. Backing down now?" His voice was teasing, almost smug. "Oh well."
"No… don't leave me," she whispered, her voice trembling. "If I'm alone, I'll just end up enslaved again…"
Leornars sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "So basically, I can't leave you alone, huh? In another world, and I'm stuck playing babysitter… definitely not what I had in mind."
Stacian tilted her head. "Another world? You're… a visitor?"
He nodded. "That's what I was told. Where I'm from, magic and mana weren't real. Just crystals used to mimic them. We called them tech-cores."
The moment the words left his mouth, pain surged through his skull like a spike of lightning. Blood dripped from his nose and hit the ground. He staggered.
"Leornars!" Stacian rushed to his side, placing a glowing hand on his forehead.
A soft white light enveloped him. His breathing grew deeper… slower… until it returned to normal. The pain faded.
"…What did you just do?" he asked hoarsely.
"Healing magic," she replied. "Unlike your crystals, it's immediate and free… if you can wield it."
He rose, summoning Bellian, his guardian wraith. But as Bellian emerged, Leornars collapsed.
"What… is this…?" he gasped, coughing violently.
"You're suffering from mana depletion," Stacian said gently, kneeling beside him. "You pushed past your limit and tapped into your life-force—your Life Ki. Most would've died by now."
"Mana… depletion… I see…"
He tried to stand again. His knees buckled. This time, he didn't resist sleep as it dragged him into darkness.
---
He woke to warm sunlight, Stacian's hand resting on his forehead. Her eyes were closed, a soft glow on her fingertips.
"Huh?" Leornars sat up, his tone cold. "You've got three seconds to explain why you're touching me."
A crimson glow flickered in his left eye.
"You were… in pain while sleeping," she said softly, trembling. "You were crying. I… I kept healing your mind every few hours. Forgive me if I overstepped…"
He stood, walked over, and lightly patted her head. "You don't need permission. Do what you want."
With that, he turned and walked toward the river, muttering, "What in the actual hell…"
As he splashed water on his face, he mused to himself.
No wonder I slept well… I usually only sleep two hours before the nightmares begin. My head would hurt so bad, I'd bash it into the wall to make it stop. Maybe she's not so useless after all…
Then, a growl.
His eyes snapped toward the sound. A black-furred beast with a crimson mane tore through another deer nearby. A wicked grin crept onto his face.
He leapt from the ledge, summoning Bellian and several knights. They encircled the monster — a Crimson Dreadwolf.
The beast lunged.
Several knights were torn apart in seconds. Bellian retaliated, slashing deeply into the creature. It shrieked, stumbled, then targeted Leornars directly.
Before he could react, the creature was on him.
"Your breath stinks," Leornars snarled as Bellian tackled it mid-air and slammed it into a tree. Leornars dashed in, jamming his dagger into its gut.
Then—
A scream.
"Stacian!" he roared.
At the campsite, several bandits were dragging her away.
His vision blurred.
A memory. His mother, being dragged by the hair—helpless.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The air thickened. His knees hit the ground as rage overtook him. One of the men approached, sneering.
"Who's the brat?"
Both of Leornars' eyes glowed crimson.
With a sudden flash, he leapt up and ripped the man's throat out with his bare hands.
> "System detecting critical overload."
"System overload. Activating skill: Heartless."
A cold voice echoed in his mind. He clutched his head, blood leaking from his nose. Then he turned, wild-eyed.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He rushed the next man, slammed him into a tree, grabbed a branch, and stabbed him repeatedly in the neck. Then, the last one.
White steam hissed from his mouth. He cracked the man's jaw with a knee and stomped on his skull until there was nothing left.
Then… he turned to Stacian.
In a blur, he lunged.
She screamed, activating a Holy Barrier just in time. Leornars clawed at it like a beast, snarling.
"Divine Magic: Pure Salvation!" she cried.
A blast of pure light sent him flying into a tree, knocking him unconscious.
Stacian rushed to his side. Her hands trembled as she placed them on his body.
"I'll protect you… even from yourself."
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