For a few seconds after it swallowed Carl, only silence remained.
Then—
"...What a pity," a voice murmured from within the bloody mist — cold, amused, and soaked in something cruel.
"It hadn't even matured yet."
There was a pause, as if something unseen was smiling.
"But fortunately..."
"We have you."
A distorted chuckle followed — low, throaty, something between a growl and a purr.
"Heheh—fuck!"
That last curse wasn't a laugh — it was pain.
Sudden.
Sharp.
Because in that instant—
Shhhk!
A brilliant sword, nearly as large as the creature itself, pierced straight through its back and out its chest. White-hot, burning with radiant energy — it sliced clean through whatever passed for a heart inside that thing.
The laughter died instantly.
But it wasn't over.
All around, the trees and stones lit up — ancient magical formations flickering to life across bark and stone like veins under skin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In a blinding flash, colossal chains erupted from the ground, rock, and roots — shooting out and impaling the creature's limbs, nailing it to the very earth it had tried to dominate.
Each chain buzzed with overwhelming power — a suppression aura so dense it crushed the air around it, choking out even stray mist.
The creature shrieked and thrashed—
Then made a decision.
It abandoned its limbs.
With a horrible ripping sound, it tore its torso free, leaving its mangled extremities behind as it surged upward — just a trunk of writhing flesh and smoke, fleeing into the sky in desperation.
For a moment, it believed in freedom.
The mist thinned. The sky cleared.
It thought it had escaped.
But the moment it rose—
Whoom.
A massive armored hand dropped from above like divine judgment.
It closed around the fleeing trunk with bone-cracking force — the way a person might pluck a spider from its web.
The hand hadn't appeared.
It had always been there.
Waiting.
Watching.
And as if everything had gone according to plan—
It closed its fingers slowly.
The red mist around the monster began to disintegrate, piece by piece.
It had tried to escape—
But it had flown right into the palm of its executioner.
"Mission accomplished."
"Are you okay, boy? I saw what you did back there. You were really brave, taking that hit head-on. But don't do that too often — it's too risky."
James Lee turned around and saw Kael Drayden, the Second-Rank Knight who had been hiding and waiting for the right moment to ambush the enemy.
Standing next to him was Aryana.
But strangely… she didn't say anything. She didn't even greet him.
Her eyes had that same strange, quiet feeling she had when they first met. Like something was off.
"Hmph."
Elaris crossed her arms and glared at him but stayed quiet.
"You made her mad, boy," Kael said, half-joking. He then made the huge armored hand carefully lower the monster's remains into a sealed box.
"That should be it," Kael said with a nod.
"Thank you for saving us," someone said. "May I know your name, senior?"
"The Great Aetherium Knights… you're finally here," another added. "Now this evil can be judged properly."
"We're from—if you ever need help, you can come find us!"
The trio was shocked by how things had turned around. A few minutes ago, they thought they were dead. There was no escape from a Fourth-Tier being — someone who had passed the Mindforged Gate.
Those who touched the Mindforged Gate could bend mana like limbs and see threats before they happened. In their families, only the elders — or their father — had reached that realm.
"My name is Kael Drayden," Kael said politely. "I'll be in your care in the future."
He didn't reject the connection. He knew he might need their help someday too.
"As it should be! As it should be!"
"No problem at all, Senior Kael!"
Suddenly, someone asked—
"Wait… where's Paul and Jezil?"
They looked around in confusion.
Earlier...
Afternoon sun bathed the slope in warmth, the wind rustling the pine branches overhead.
Jezil sat calmly in the shade of a tree, her delicate fingers trailing lazy circles on her dress. Paul, ever the gentleman, poured tea from a floating kettle into porcelain cups.
"The view here is nice," she said softly. "Peaceful."
Paul smiled and handed her a cup. "Of course. I chose this place because I knew you'd like it."
They clinked their cups gently.
But then—
Crack!
A faint rumble echoed from deeper in the woods.
Jezil paused, cup halfway to her lips. "...Did you hear that?"
Paul blinked. "Probably just the wind."
Then—
Boom!
A louder impact this time. Trees shivered. A flock of birds exploded into the air from the ridge behind them.
"That's the direction of my friend!"
Paul stood quickly. His hand glowed with soft blue light as he activated a low-tier detection spell. But the moment it formed—
Fizzle.
It died instantly.
"…My spell?" Paul frowned.
Jezil stood too, her eyes narrowing.
"All magic below Third Tier… it's being suppressed."
Her gaze sharpened like glass cracking.
She wasn't just a noble lady. She was trained. Educated. Aware of what this meant.
Paul stepped in front of her protectively. "Someone set a domain nearby. A strong one. Who would—"
"No." Jezil's voice dropped.
Her hands trembled slightly.
"It's him… isn't it?"
Paul looked back at her.
"…Carl?"
She didn't answer, but the way her lips pressed into a thin line said everything.
Suddenly—
Boom!
CRACK!
A massive surge of blood-colored mist erupted from the woods below, visible even from the slope they stood on.
A chill swept through the area. Birds stopped singing.
But just before the mist could spread further, a bright light erupted at the center — disintegrating it and bringing clarity.
Paul and Jezil looked at each other.
"That aura... it's the Aetherium Knights. It seems to be safe now. Let's go."
"Hey guys!"
They turned and saw a young man and a beautiful woman running toward them.
"What happened here?" Paul asked. "I just saw red mist, then a bright light!"
"Whoa… there was a fight?" Jezil's eyes widened at the broken trees and shattered ground.
"Carl came charging in," one of the trio said proudly. "He was trying to get to you, but we stopped him!"
They all smiled and started telling the story — each exaggerating their part.
"He came flying at us with blood mist all over!"
"Heh, Carl tried to sneak attack us from behind, but fortunately I was quick-witted and struck first. Saved all our lives!"
"What? It's obviously because I cast a rock wall that we're alive."
"It's obviously me—!"
They bragged and acted it out with proud expressions.
"Thanks, guys," Paul said honestly. "You're true friends."
"Hahaha! They called us useless before — look at us now! Even a Fourth-Tier powerhouse couldn't beat us!"
James Lee stood quietly, watching them laugh.
He felt warm inside.
It was the kind of feeling that came after surviving something terrifying —
Like when a whole family or a neighborhood runs from a storm.
It's not something you can explain. Only those who go through it really understand.
"Aw—!"
A sharp pain shot through his arm, pulling him from his thoughts. James sat down with a wince and began casting healing magic.
Soft light glowed around the wound. The skin started to close, the muscles knitting together. But the deeper pain in the bone stayed — it would probably hurt for another day or so.
His healing magic just wasn't strong enough to fix broken bones completely.
"That's what you get for being an idiot."
Elaris's gloating voice came from the side.
James turned and saw her, arms crossed, those beautiful water-colored eyes staring right at him.
"It's too boring to always dodge," James muttered, looking away.
Then he frowned.
"Anyway... where's Aryana?"
"She already went back to the house."
"Ah... is she mad?"
Elaris scoffed.
"What do you think? You looked like one of those rookie teammates who ruins the game for everyone. Taking a hit you could've dodged? That's just dumb. Stuff like that annoys me."
James scratched his cheek.
"Was it really that bad? I just thought it'd make things more exciting."
"Ugh! I don't wanna talk to you anymore — you're so annoying!"
The more Elaris thought about it, the more frustrated she got.
It was like your team's about to win — then one dumb guy runs in and dies for no reason.
"I'm going back."
"Might not be a good idea," Elaris said casually.
"Aryana probably won't let you in. She's always like that when she's angry."
"No, not that house. I mean my actual home."
"Huh?" Elaris tilted her head.
James looked at the sky.
"The outside world's too dangerous for me right now. I should go back, train, and only return when I'm stronger."
There was a short silence.
Elaris opened her mouth slightly — like she wanted to say something, but the words stuck.
Her lips moved. Then stopped.
Her expression stayed still, too still.
Like she wasn't just mad. Like she didn't know what she felt.
"...Elaris?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"Hey. Elaris?"
"Oh."
She smiled.
But it wasn't warm. It felt cold. Empty. Like it didn't belong on a human face.
"Are you okay? Jeez, don't look at me like that — it's creepy."
"Okay," she said flatly, and turned to walk toward the city.
She asked Kael for permission. He nodded.
James watched her go, unreadable.
When she was far enough, he looked up —
And saw her looking back.
Her eyes had changed.
Still calm... but not in a comforting way.
They looked like a deep, dark lake — still and cold.
Her pupils had darkened.
"...Damn. These twins are really abnormal."
James let out a quiet laugh.
Still, deep down, he was glad he chose to go home.
Going home now might be the smartest thing he's done today.
Later on... 6:30 PM
I returned to the city with Kael and the others, changed into fresh clothes, and headed straight here. Paul and the group wanted to hang out — they even asked about my companions — but I just smiled and turned them down.
Now I was sitting at the high-speed train terminal, wearing a cozy jacket and munching on some biscuits.
"It's so cold in here," I muttered, rubbing my hands together.
The station was crowded. People moved all around, chatting, checking schedules, catching connections.
Somewhere nearby, a group was talking loud enough for me to hear:
"…I heard one of Blood Life's inner members got caught today. By an Aetherium Knight."
"Seriously? When? Where?"
The guy telling the story leaned forward like he was about to drop some major secret.
"So it happened like this…"
"No way — are you sure?"
I didn't listen too hard after that.
But my lips curved up a little.
The biscuit in my mouth tasted better than before.
Yeah… I was part of that.
A small, quiet kind of pride. Nothing flashy. Just a nice feeling hearing strangers talk about something you helped make happen.
Then—
Ding.
The soft chime rang overhead as the crystal display above the platform shimmered, numbers shifting midair like flowing water.
Chhk—sssshh…!
A deep mechanical hum echoed through the terminal.
Wind rushed past as the train slid in — a sleek, silver serpent of enchanted alloy and glowing runes, its chassis humming with silent force. Thin mana channels pulsed with blue light along its side, syncing with the surrounding arcane infrastructure.
The windows were tinted like obsidian, but flickered briefly, displaying route glyphs and security sigils in pale violet.
The doors opened with a soft, almost respectful hiss.
I adjusted my collar and stepped in.
Nobody looked up.
To them, I was just another traveler. Just another face in the station.
And honestly… I liked it that way.
The inside of the car was quiet and warm. Mana crystals lined the ceiling in soft gradients of light — enchanted to respond to passenger presence and mood. Holographic screens shimmered along the walls, showing news updates, weather overlays, and minor fluctuations in dimensional stability.
I found an empty seat by the window, dropped my coat beside me, and sat down with a quiet exhale.
Outside, the station was still alive — full of people rushing, laughing, checking comm-sigils or fiddling with crystal-linked bracelets. The noise was distant now. A bubble of calm.
The train vibrated faintly beneath me.
"Now that I think about it… isn't it kind of embarrassing to come back just days after leaving?"
I rubbed my temple.
"Ugh. I really look like a loser. Damn it."
A flicker of movement caught my eye — a small floating drone zipped down the aisle, scanning for tickets and security glyphs. I tilted my wrist, letting the embedded pass-sigil shine faintly as it validated me with a soft chime.
Ding.
The cabin doors sealed shut.
A brief silence.
Then—
Fwoooom.
The entire train lurched forward, smooth as silk. The world outside blurred — city lights, floating platforms, and soaring towers of living crystal racing past the window.
Mana-reactive barriers shimmered as we passed through them, each flash marking a warded district, a phase-shifted gate, or a long-range spell interception net.
I leaned back, arms folded, watching it all fade.
Around me, people tapped at floating glyph interfaces, whispered into communication stones, or rested with eyes closed and enchantments softly looping around them for warmth or focus.
A man across the aisle had a pocket dimension suitcase feeding him real-time auction data. A teenage girl two rows ahead practiced her sigil drawing in the air with light-bending ink.
Everyone had a life.
A destination.
"Each one... the protagonist of their own story."
I don't know why, but the thought of this is comforting.
I closed my eyes.
The steady hum of magic-powered engines lulled me into stillness.
Tomorrow, I'd think of a reason for going back early.
For now, let's sleep.