In front of a circular platform, an oval-shaped frame stood upright, its surface covered with intricate runes glowing faintly.
Within the teleportation chamber of the Evros Mansion, Cassian and Helda stood side by side.
The air was filled with the soft hum of mana resonating from the runes, and the faint flicker of light danced along the edges of the platform.
Behind them, Callista, Sophia, and Mark observed silently, their faces reflecting a mix of concern and pride.
Alaric was notably absent, caught up in some urgent matters elsewhere.
The man in charge of the teleportation room of Evros duchy was finalizing the configurations, ensuring the gate would connect to the teleportation gate of town outside the Forest of Death.
The tension in the room was palpable, broken only by Helda's hesitant voice.
"Cassian," she said, tugging lightly at his sleeve, her voice trembling. "Do we really have to go to this forest? Can't we… I don't know, go to a café or something instead?"
Cassian glanced down at her and sighed softly. "If you don't want to go, just say it. I'll take you on a date after the Awakening Ceremony," he said with a faint smile.
Helda clenched her fists, her jaw tightening as if summoning her resolve. "N-No, I want to go with you!" she declared, though her voice still quivered slightly.
Cassian nodded, satisfied with her answer.
"It's done," the attendant announced, stepping back from the control panel.
As he spoke, the air inside the oval frame began to ripple and crack. A tear of blue and black energy formed in the center, swirling with raw power.
Sophia, Mark, and Callista moved closer to Cassian and Helda.
Sophia stepped forward, her hands gently patting Cassian's white hair. Her touch lingered for a moment, her expression soft but tinged with worry.
"I know I can't stop you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "So take care of yourself. And take care of Helda too."
Cassian met her gaze with quiet confidence, nodding firmly.
Callista chuckled lightly, her eyes shimmering with mischief as she whispered, "Bring back something interesting from the forest, will you? And Helda, keep an eye on our Cassian."
Helda gave a faint, nervous smile, while Cassian rolled his eyes but remained silent.
Mark stepped forward, his hand clasping Cassian's shoulder firmly. "Remember, the forest is dangerous. Stick to the outer zones, and don't get reckless."
"I won't," Cassian assured him, his tone resolute.
With final goodbyes exchanged, Cassian, Helda, and Ray stepped onto the platform.
The swirling tear of energy within the oval frame expanded, the shimmering hues of blue and black deepening into a portal.
As they stepped through, the sensation of cold, crackling energy enveloped them.
In an instant, the three figures vanished, leaving behind only the faint hum of the teleportation gate.
The room fell silent, save for the quiet, lingering tension of those left behind.
------
In a small, quiet town near the infamous Forest of Death, a ripple in space cracked open at the circular platform in its center.
Emerging from the shimmering tear were Cassian, Helda, and Ray, their arrival barely noticed by the sparse few who lived there.
Cassian scanned the surroundings. The town was eerily silent, its desolation palpable.
The few inhabitants present were either seasoned adventurers or merchants hoping to cater to those bold or desperate enough to venture into the forest.
Ray stepped forward and spoke with the same calm composure he always carried. "Young Master, we should book an inn first before heading into the forest. It will be unwise to venture in without resting and preparing."
Cassian gave a brief nod. "Alright, let's do that first."
As Ray led the way, Helda's curiosity got the better of her. She wandered slightly off course, her eyes drawn to the various stalls set up along the dirt road.
Her attention was caught by a small stone stall, where an assortment of colorful rocks was laid out.
An old man with a deep scar running from his left eye to his mouth sat behind the stall. He gave Helda a knowing grin. "New here, girl?"
Helda nodded, glancing back at Cassian, who had paused and was now frowning at her for lagging behind. She quickly replied, "Yes, I just arrived...with my fiancé."
The old man shifted his gaze to Cassian, whose expression remained unreadable but stern. He chuckled and said, "Kid, I don't think this is the place you bring someone for romance."
Helda's cheeks turned bright red. "W-What are you saying, old man?! It's not like that at all!" She quickly changed the subject, pointing at the colorful stones. "What are these?"
The old man smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Just rocks I collect when I go hunting. Some folks like their look, so I sell them. Keeps me busy."
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You hunt? Even at your age?"
The man's smirk widened as he gestured to his scar. "How do you think I got this, huh? The forest may be deadly, but it's got its share of treasures for those brave enough to claim them."
As the old man began recounting his heroic stories, Helda's attention drifted back to the stall.
Among the colorful stones, her gaze fell upon a peculiar snow-white rock marked with faint red streaks.
Just as she was about to inquire about the stone, Cassian appeared behind her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder.
His tone was calm but left no room for argument. "Let's go. The inn is booked. Get some rest before we head out."
Helda hesitated, glancing between the stone and Cassian, but eventually sighed and nodded. "Alright."
The trio made their way to the inn, where Ray handled the arrangements with efficiency.
Once they were shown to their rooms on the second floor, Helda stood in the hallway, her arms crossed in protest.
"Why is my room separate from yours? We're going to be husband and wife, so we should sleep together. For familiarity," she said with a pout.
Cassian raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching with amusement. "You do realize how wrong that sounds, right?"
Helda tilted her head in confusion until the implication dawned on her. Her face turned crimson, and she stammered, "T-That's not what I meant!"
"Sure it isn't," Cassian teased. "Either way, we're not sharing a room. Now, go in and get some rest. You're going to need it."
Muttering under her breath, Helda reluctantly entered her room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
Cassian shook his head and entered his own room, shutting the door and leaning against it with a sigh.
Rea, the snake coiled on his wrist, stirred and spoke, her voice tinged with concern. "Are you even powerful enough to challenge my master's legacy, right now?"
Cassian smiled faintly, a hint of confidence playing on his lips. "No, I'm not."
Rea tilted her head slightly. "Then why—"
"Because," Cassian interrupted, his smirk widening, "being a heir comes with its own perks. For me, this legacy won't pose any difficulty."
Rea's eyes narrowed, confusion flickering in their depths.
Her fragmented memories offered no clarity on what awaited them.
After three hours of rest, Cassian came out of his room and knocked on Helda's door, followed by Ray's.
After leaving the inn, they began heading toward the forest. As they stood at the edge of the Forest of Death, its ominous aura loomed over them.
Cassian started leading the group toward the northeast, remembering from the game that the legacy was located in that direction.
After walking for a couple of minutes, the bushes to their left rustled. Crunching noises followed, and two goblins emerged from the foliage.
Both goblins were about waist-high to Cassian. One held a crude dagger, and the other carried a small wooden blunt mace.
The Forest of Death earned its name because every beast within its borders was far more dangerous than the same creature outside this forest.
The goblins' skin was dirty brown, and they snarled viciously as they spotted Cassian and Helda.
"I'll take the one with the mace. Helda, can you handle the one with the dagger?" Cassian asked calmly.
Helda nodded confidently. "Of course I can."
'Ahh, if I do well on this trip, maybe Cassian will reward me. Maybe he'll even let me sleep with him! Kyaa!' Helda thought to herself, her face reddening slightly.
Both of them drew their swords. Helda infused her mana into her weapon and charged at the goblin with the dagger.
Cassian also rushed forward but chose not to infuse mana into his sword at first.
As the goblin swung its mace toward him, Cassian slashed in return, infusing his mana at the last moment on the exact part of the blade he predicted would connect.
A bright blue hue enveloped that part of the sword, and the blade sliced the mace cleanly in half.
The goblin stared at the broken remains of its weapon in horror and began to step back.
Seeing this, Cassian smirked and punched the goblin in the face with full force.
The satisfying impact spurred him on, and he began punching the goblin repeatedly, a creepy smile spreading across his face.
'Ahh, that bastard Taro. It's really satisfying to punch a face like this,' he thought, lost in the moment.
Once the goblin finally died from the brutal beating, Cassian stood up, pulled out a handkerchief, and began cleaning the blood from his hands.
As he cleaned, he noticed Ray watching him with a slight frown but staying silent.
Helda, on the other hand, was looking at him with a weird expression.
'Yup, I look weird now,' Cassian thought to himself.
'He... is... looking... so hot right now. And the way he's cleaning his hands from the filth of that disgusting, hideous goblin... Kyaaa!' Helda thought, her face heating up.
'If only I could be that handkerchief, cleaning his hands the way he is right now...'
If Cassian had the ability to read minds, he would undoubtedly stay as far away from Helda as possible.
"Let's go," Cassian said, putting his handkerchief into his inventory.
He could have thrown it away, but he didn't feel like it.
The three continued deeper into the forest, inching closer to their destination. Along the way, they encountered more goblins.
While these goblins were much stronger than the typical green goblins found elsewhere, in the end, they were still just goblins.
As they walked, Helda broke the silence. "Where are we even going?"
Cassian pointed ahead. "There, near the bottom of the cliff."
Helda pouted but soon turned her attention to the snake loosely curled around Cassian's neck. It had moved from his wrist due to his earlier fight.
"Oh, your beast! What did you name it?" Helda asked curiously.
"First, she's not an 'it,' and her name is Rea," Cassian corrected.
As Helda reached out to pat the cute snake, Rea hissed angrily, her voice sharp and clear. "Don't touch me."
Cassian translated casually. "She says not to touch her."
Helda pouted. "Not like you can actually understand her."
Cassian didn't reply, as his attention shifted to the twitching bushes nearby. The familiar sign of danger had returned.
A black wolf emerged, its eyes gleaming with hunger as it locked onto them.
"Let's work together," Cassian instructed.
Cassian sprinted toward the wolf, with Helda following closely behind.
As the wolf lunged at him, Cassian blocked its paws mid-air. Helda took advantage of the opening and slashed at the beast's side.
The wolf let out a pained growl, and Cassian used the opportunity to push it back.
Enraged, the wolf turned its attention to Helda, pouncing at her. Helda sidestepped gracefully and countered with her sword, but the wolf managed to block with its paws.
Seeing another opening, Cassian moved to the wolf's blind side and slashed at its neck.
However, his prediction of infusing mana was slightly off, and the injury he inflicted wasn't as deep as intended.
Suddenly, the wolf leaped at Cassian, its jaws wide open.
Before Cassian could react, Ray moved like a shadow. In a blink, the wolf was sliced cleanly in half.
Cassian hadn't even seen him move until he stopped after delivering the fatal strike.
'Fuck.' Cassian gritted his teeth in frustration.
'I have to master this. If I don't, I'm going to be screwed someday,' he cursed silently.