It was a calm and tempered morning in the Swazi forest. But in a certain area laid proof of an unnatural event. Though invisible to the naked eye, a gargantuan amount of mana was radiating from the crater.

“Good Lord…” a young female exclaimed.

A group of knights was in awe of the scenery, none had seen anything like it. One knight was dressed in glittering silver armour which is worn under a pearl-white outfit. She was closely accompanied by another light-silver haired female in a similar uniform. Both bear the emblem of the Felivian Royal Guard on their personalised scabbards.

Francesca Di Françoise Elenora and Phoebe Oswald- two Knights from the Felivian Royal Guards. They are recognised by the whole continent as one of the most elite warriors in the land. They are known for their expertise in Swordsmanship and Magic which they used to enhance their physical capabilities to a superhuman level. They only responded to the orders of their majesty, Queen Tirana Di Felivar. Her royal guards are only a few hundred men strong due to the almost impossible selection process and only a few people have the magical and physical talent to meet the expectations to join this royal order.

Though most of the main army is now musketeers and riflemen due to the change in the nature of warfare, the Royal guard has still proven to be an asset to the royal family and the army due to their capabilities and training.

Currently, the knights are investigating the unnatural occurrence in the Swazi wood. What started as a drunken rant from a merchant who’d passed by the area had quickly gathered much attention from the locals. It’s also apparent that a massive amount of mana is radiating from the area, suggesting some mage has been doing some kind of forbidden magic. So the queen ordered Captain Francesca and her knights to investigate the anomaly.

“Stay focused knights. We do not want to know what lurks in this forest. Span out and search for clues about what caused this.” Francesca ordered placing her hand on the hilt of her sword as she prepared herself for any possible threats.

The knight spread light across the area of the crater searching for any clues that relate to the case. Most of them used their search magic to scan the area for any evidence, unfortunately, there was nothing.

Francesca's family is renowned for producing the finest Knight in the kingdom. She bears her family emblems on the centre of her custom made armour which bears her pride. She loves leading by example but she knows that her knights are now experienced enough to do their jobs.

She walked alongside her partner Phoebe Oswald. At first, Francesca didn't like her for two main reasons, she was an Albion by blood and she was just a commoner. It was almost insulting for a mere lower class to stand in her presence. But through combat, the young commoner has proven herself at many points, and it became hard to ignore her commitment to the order and the country. Phoebe quickly rose through the ranks and swiftly became her second-in-command.

“Lady Francesca, this entire area is covered in mana.”

“Yes, I know Phoebe. I can feel it too. But it feels so different.” She replies to her second-in-command as she turns her head to another knight.

In the rear, a lone knight approaches the captain. She wore the same uniform as the rest of the knights but she didn’t wear any armour. Instead of a scabbard, she had a quilt that was stacked with arrows of different types and on her large chest was a string of a recurve bow that lay on her back. The knight dipped her golden blonde hair which revealed her long elven ear which was well contrasted with her beautiful ocean blue eyes.

“You are not alone Captain.” She said as she walked toward the crater. “I could see the aura flowing, it's horrifying.”

Silence engulfed the group as Francesca and Phoebe were concerned to see Melian Ithil- a talented archer and the team's only Archmage. Her magical abilities and skills are unmatched, she was a true mage. Only a few hundred people in the continent have the title of Archmage, meaning their magical capabilities are some of the most powerful in the world.

Melian may look young but she's several hundred years old, Francesca wouldn't dare to ask about her true age. She is gifted for her ability to physically see the aura of mana and its proprietary. She could even identify individuals based on their aura that is radiating from their soul and mana. Even a shapeshifter can't hide from Melian’s eyes.

The elf slides down the crater alone, following the multiple trials of mana that leads down towards the centre. Three trails from two directions, both are from different times, and both felt familiar.

“Melian! Do not venture off alone!” The captain cries and she and her partner enter the crater.

Melian paid no attention as she was too focused on observing the mana.

“Melody Westwood…”

Hearing an unfamiliar name being called out, the captain tilted her head in confusion, “Melody Westwood? Who's that?”

“An old friend from Albion.” the elf replies. She then moved on to the next trails, these two had a darker aura than Melody’s. Upon realising, her two pupils shrank in terror.

Seeing the elf when pale the captain hastily approaches her. “Melian, what's wrong?”

Melian faces Francesca with terror, “Captain whatever this thing is. It attracted The Witch and her Black Baron.”

“The Witch and the Black Baron…” The captain parroted in fear. “No, they're…”

“A legend? You, humans, did not live long enough to witness the dark ages when their reign of terror began.” she pauses, letting her words sink in. “We must Melody Westwood and whatever she had found before they do. I may not know what we are looking for but don't want to find out what the witch is planning to do with it.”

From the exit of the Swazi road, a dark shadowy goo materialises out of the ground. A humanoid figure was then formed in the middle of the road. He looked around calmly, scanning his landscape for any signs of the source. After finding nothing he gave a huff. It's been a day since he started his hunt for the source of the energy.

Yan never had this much trouble tracking mana trails. It's almost like it internally covered its tracks. He had such a good lead from the forest but now it just vanished.

“How annoying.” He mutters. He looked ahead to see the road leading into Ruhal. The road only goes into the City Square before having to take four individual routes. It was the only place where he could find the trail again.

After confirming his destination, he liquidates back into a black goo and makes his way into the city.

****

It was a foggy evening. Mrs Blanc waited anxiously for her husband and Kenji to return. She sat on her outdoor bench with a lantern in hand. Angela should've known better than begging her husband to go into the most dangerous area in the city only to get sacks of fertilizer for the next harvest. If anything happens to her husband, she could help but to blame herself.

In the distance, bright orange light was seen in the thick fog. Angela widened her eyes with hope as she heard the familiar noise of throttling as the light got closer and closer.

Angela got up on her feet and ran towards the light. and the closer she got she could make out the figure to be a wagon.

“Adam!” she shouted. But there was no response. Angela felt a cold puff of air breezing through her spine as she found only Kenji on the rein. The Asian man had her husband's slouch hat on his head.

“Kenji?” she squinted her eyes in both confusion and worry, “Where’s Adam? Where's my husband?”

Kenji faces Mrs Blanc with a cold, sad stare at the mention of her husband. His face went pale as he tried to muster the courage to speak.

“Kenji! Tell me what happened!” The Demi human demanded.

Kenji only pointed to the rear of the wagon with terror on his face. Mrs Blanc rushed toward the trunk of the wagon and opened it. Her face turned pale, plastered with fear and confusion. Angela's eyes widened in shock as she saw her husband’s body on top of all the fertilisers.

Her immediately swollen and tears started to fall like waterfall, she hastily climbed on the wagon to see her husband. “No! Adam!”

“RAH!”

Angela gave a horrific scream and fell off the wagon. Kenji luckily was there to catch her as he and Adam gave a joyful laughter as he got back on his feet, leaving the demi human shocked and confused.

“Oh we got her good right Mr Gordon?” Adam said, wiping his tears.

Kenji nods, “We sure have, Mr Blanc.”

“I can't believe you!” she angrily shouted, “Playing dead. Scaring me half to death, What is wrong with you Adam!”

“Honey, it's just a harmless joke.”

“Harmless?! I waited here all day hoping for you to get back to me! Uh, you should be ashamed of yourself! Both of you!” She waves her can in both anger and annoyance before stomping back into the house, slamming the door.

“Women these days.” Adam muttered.

“Can we just tell her that we almost died getting these sacks?” Kenji asked.

“And give her more things to worry about? Nah, let's just keep today's event to ourselves.”

Kenji chuckles, “What a day it has been.” Kenji took off Adam’s hat and gave it back to the farmer. But to his surprise Adam refuses the offer.

“Keep the hat Kenji, I have hundreds of those. And hey, that's one hell of a shot you pulled back there.” Adam pats kenji on the back.

Kenji smiles at the compliment, taking Adam’s words to heart. “Thank you.”

Kenji glances at the wagon. It was a mess, most of the rear end was filled with lead balls and shattered woods. Most of the sacks are riddled with holes.

‘What is that trouble worth it?’ Kenji thought. He thought back to the events in Ruhal, he remembered his heartbeat sped up as he felt the adrenaline surge through him as he fired the gun. It was almost like a dream, but Kenji knew that it had happened. He knew he just took some lives, but he felt a sense of joy. There was a small feeling of guilt but the sense of joy overpowered it all. Kenji feels like he's on the top of the world after that shot.

‘Pride’

A Kanji symbol flew around Kenji’s vision but he laid no attention to it.

Seeing Kenji spacing out, Adam snapped his finger close to his face, “Oi, Mr Gordon. We still need to put these sacks into storage. And err… I don’t think Angela’s going to cook anything for us tonight.”

Kenji gave a soft laugh, “I’ll think of something to make. Oh, you want to have the same Omelet from yesterday?”

Adam smiles, “I’m glad I hired you, Mr Gordon.”