Zachariel arrived at the lake. He sighed with relief, seeing that there was still an hour before night time.

At this moment, the lotus mark on his forehead vanished. Weakness and drowsiness washed over him.

`Oh no, I’m about to…`

He slumped hard on the ground with blood flowing out of his mouth. His breath was erratic and rushed.

The skin seemed to have burrowed to his body, similar to a person who has not yet eaten for months.

`No…`

…

Zachariel fell from the sky, landing on the garbage sacks.

‘Ack!’

He stood up and looked around.

`Houses. Stone houses. A concreted alley. Am I in a city?`

“Get out of my way!”

A loud shout resonated before an explosion occurred.

Various people shouted, intriguing Zachariel.

He went out of the alley and saw Nerval swiftly moving away from the area.

“Catch him, followers of the Saint Disciple!”, a golden armored person ordered.

His bearing was enormous, standing at 2.25 meters, holding a giant sword that glowed in sky-blue.

Hundreds of white-golden robed figures chased Nerval. A symbol of fleur-de-lis was printed on their backs.

`He’s being hunted? Let’s follow them.`

…

`These damn followers, why are they targeting me?`, Nerval looked back, `I’m only looking for my father. Why is everyone saying I am a criminal?!`

Nerval ran to a stable and took a quickly stole a burly-looking horse.

The golden-armored figure landed from the sky down in front of Nerval. He held his sword vertically, with its sharp edge planted in the ground.

“You can never run from us, prince of a negligible kingdom!”

“I’m no criminal! I haven’t violated any laws! Why are you chasing me?!”, Nerval asked.

“Yes, you are a criminal! You have hidden your identity as an altruist from the eyes of the Mortal Faction! You are suspected of having evil intentions and malicious ambitions towards the people of Orphea! Kneel down, scum! Surrender yourself!”, the golden-armored figure shouted, pointing his sword at Nerval.

Zachariel heard all of it, `The Mortal Faction? Orphea? Just what world is this?`, he wondered.

The followers had already encircled Nerval, leaving no open spaces for him to run away to.

“Tsk!”, Nerval ran out of patience.

“Since you want to label me a criminal, then allow me to have the honor of being a criminal!”

An aura emanated from Nerval as his eyes turned a shade of green. He raised both of his hands, forming his body like a t-shape.

A thought appeared in his head, “Darhesstroggo Fahida!”

His palms brightened as a strong wave of destructive force burst outwards to the surrounding environment.

The followers and the golden-armored figure didn’t expect this and were blown away. Some of them exploded into pieces for being too close to Nerval.

`It’s that weird language again.`, Zachariel noticed.

The houses were destroyed and the road cratered. Dust filled the air, covering Nerval’s quick escape from the scene. Zachariel followed him along the way.

“Damn it, how did I become a criminal anyway?”, Nerval wondered.

“I don’t know where I am right now, must be north of Orphea City. It’s damn cold here, and north of the Capital City is colder than the rest.”

The horse ran at full speed on the paved road. Horses and chariots would pass by from time to time.

After a while, Nerval arrived at a crossroad.

“Lurduwig? So I’m really up north, huh?”, Nerval lost all hope, “How the hell did I even end up here in the first place?”, scratching his head in annoyance.

The horse suddenly neighed as a flash of light emerged above him, blinding Nerval.

A burst of friendly laughter resounded.

Nerval opened his eyes and was marveled at the sight of a male figure descending down towards him. The person was dressed in scholar-like clothes.

`This guy has ethereal wings, and wisps of golden light! A true altruist! And a powerful one at that!`

His awe was interrupted when he remembered something, `Wait! This aura emanates purity and holiness! And that fleur-de-lis symbol on his head! A disciple of the Mortal Master, the Saint Disciple!`

He was shocked, alongside Zachariel.

`That mark, in this person’s head! It feels familiar!`, Zachariel thought.

“Naïve prince, is something the matter?”, the golden-haired figure spoke.

His beautiful face looked at Nerval calmly.

Nerval suddenly felt tipsy as his surroundings blurred. He lost strength and fell weakly on the ground.

The Saint Disciple approached Nerval, “Don’t worry, naïve prince. You will be in a better…”

The Saint Disciple was about to grab Nerval when his senses tingled.

“Vorde Fahida!”, an ethereal feminine voice resounded in the distance, casting a spell that targeted the Saint Disciple.

A streak of swirling dark tornado aggressively darted.

The Saint Disciple narrowed his eyes, “Hmph! Scornful pest! Harlifa Sarnime!”, waving his left hand and projecting a holy shield.

His other hand rotated as large spherical golden orbs appeared behind him, “Harlifa Vasille!”

The golden orbs went out, striking against the dark tornado, and dissipated it in less than 3 seconds.

His eyes widened as he forgot about Nerval. He looked at where Nerval was before but the guy was no longer there.

The Saint Disciple was angered and the fleur-de-lis mark in his head glowed brightly.

“Damn witch! I’m going to kill you!”

Zachariel suddenly knelt on the ground, holding his head in pain, `My… forehead. It’s burning hot!`

A bright pillar of golden light pierced through the sky and the Saint Disciple’s voice resounded all throughout a large area.

“Heed my call, followers. Your Saint is in need of your help!”

It was as if a divine god had called down upon the mortals in the mortal realm, communicating with them with his divine voice.

A wave was sent out and the Saint Disciple continued, “Grave danger looms down upon the Orphean continent. Help me eradicate this nuisance and I shall reward you greatly! A chance of becoming the next Saint Disciple!”

He then sent out a mental wave, displaying an image of Nerval in everyone who listened to his call.

“Find him, and capture him! He is a dangerous individual; he is the plight of this world! We must unite again once and for all!”

…

“Hah!”

Zachariel woke up from his dream with beads of sweat trickling down his body.

He noticed that the area he woke up in was darker than usual.

`The ground’s so cold. Wait, ground? Shouldn’t I be in the tent?`

Zachariel looked around.

`I’m inside a cave. What’s going on here? Where did senior go?`

A few torches faintly illuminated the cave he was in.

Zachariel stood up and saw his polearm on the far end of the room. He walked and grabbed it.

He played with it for a while.

‘Plak.’

Footsteps resounded in the distance, alerting Zachariel. He readied his stance and looked at the hole that led outside the room.

“It’s already been a month, Nightmare Knight. I won’t be able to do much about a human who put themselves in that status in the first place.”, a soft yet mature feminine voice spoke.

“If that brat is still asleep, then we’ll… eh?”

Von stepped inside the room alongside a woman and burly old man.

“My, my, looks like your trainee made it out alive.”, the woman teased.

She was dressed in a slightly revealing dress that excellently displayed her curvaceous body. Flames burned in some of the strand ends of her hair, making it look similar to a walking chandelier.

“So he is the one who managed to injure my pet wolf. Hmph…”, the burly guy acknowledged Zachariel’s strength.

His white hair was braided backward and his face was filled with scars of various sizes.

There were white patches of hair everywhere in his body and his hands looked like mini-claws from a ferocious beast.

Zachariel eased down after seeing Von alongside the other two.

“Senior.”, he bowed.

“Brat, you’ve been sleeping for a damn month now. Everyone’s looking for you, including the emperor himself.”, Von angrily replied.

“The emperor?”, Zachariel was left stupefied.

Von laughed, “Of course not. I’m only saying it because it’s almost that bastard’s birthday. He’s set to invite all noble families in the Imperium and the Eldens too. Anyway, we’ll talk about this later. For now, how are you holding up? Are you okay?”

“Yes, senior.”, Zachariel replied.

“Wait, let me check you.”

Von grabbed Zachariel’s left hand and thoroughly monitored his pulse and muscle.

`Strange, these muscles were torn out like hell a week ago I last returned here.`

Von shook his head out of incomprehension.

“Is your trainee still not okay?”, the lady asked.

“He is.”, Von replied, “Anyway, we’ve wasted enough of your time just for this small thing, divined beasts. We will be on our way now.”

“Don’t forget your part of the deal, Nightmare Knight.”, the lady emphasized.

“I won’t make promises, Lady Scarlet. The reality is full of unexpected surprises.”, Von mysteriously said, leading Zachariel out of the cave.

Lady Scarlet smirked, “I know that it will come to that point in the future, Nightmare Knight.”

“Brat, I hope we’d see each other again. Once that happens, I’ll have a fight with you.”, the burly man proposed. Knuckling his fists before the two of them vanished in the cave.

Zachariel calmly looked at the place where the two were before.

`See each other again, huh? What did that burly man mean by that? And what did senior do for that lady to talk something about a deal?`

Von tapped his shoulder.

“Let’s go back to the capital. It’s a good time to show you something interesting as well.”

“Something… interesting?”

…

Imperium Capital City. Public Training Area, Arena NE 01.

Prince Kane stood proudly on top of the platform, wearing a golden royal robe and a small staff he held with his right hand.

The stands were full of spectators around. Nobles, mercenaries, instructors. There were even some guards who were off-duty.

A group of grandiosely attired Eldens sat nearest to the platform. It consisted of angels, elves, dark elves, and devils, both young and old.

“Al’dous, you think Thessalia will win?”, a young male dark elf asked.

“Absolutely.”, the devil named Al’dous replied, “Only these foolish humans would think their puny prince could defeat one of my rivals.”

He then smirked.

“Al’dous…”, one of the older devils called out to him, “Never underestimate the talent of humans.”, he reprimanded.

“Yes, Elder Gorfo.”, Al’dous bowed.

“Sir Thalanil, you seem to be waiting for someone. Is it your daughter, Thessalia?”, Elder Gorfo asked.

Thalanil had a dazed expression on his face. His focus wasn’t on reality at this moment.

He was murmuring incomprehensible words that Elder Gorfo could not understand.

At some inconspicuous location in the arena, two hooded figures were sitting.

“Look, it’s His Highness, Thalanil Valoris. For him to be here, is he a die-hard fan of his daughter, Thessalia?”, one of them chuckled with an old voice. He was sitting in a way as if the spectacle in front of him was boring.

The other one coldly stared at the platform.

“Supreme Elder, why are we wasting our time here instead of investigating more about Zachariel Strom?”

“Raskael, you’re naïve.”, the old man shook his head, “The Strom Household surely knows nothing about Zachariel’s background or origins. Otherwise, they wouldn’t let him out of Brion City so easily. They would’ve locked him down instead.”

“What they only know is that he isn’t a part of the Strom Household, though I bet they do know he has extraordinary powers. But…”, the old man narrowed his eyes, “The extent of how strong his talent was, they do not know. Not until the school selection day.”

Raskael listened.

The old man sighed, “We don’t even know if that is really the extent of his power.”, face-palming himself.

“As for your question, we’re only waiting for him to come back. He’s been missing for a damn month already. Also, about the murder of the household members back at the Brion City, it looks like Emperor Marcus doesn’t want them to linger much longer in this world.”, the old man’s voice became oldish.

“That brat’s parents have been ambushed some time ago, and his grandfather… I hope that brat would be able to maintain his calmness after all that has happened.”, the old man sighed.

Raskael didn’t reply but his heart felt empathy towards Zachariel.

He was pulled out of his daze as gasps resounded in the arena.

Raskael turned his head on the platform.

A figure appeared on the other side, catching the attention of everyone present.

It was a female elf.

Her stature was tall and her long brown hair swayed. She was dressed in a scarlet mage robe, sticking her hands on her sexy hips.

She coldly looked at Prince Kane with hazel eyes. Her perfect figure made everyone question their own beauty, regardless of man or woman.

The captain guard step forward and raised his sword, announcing, “Princess Thessalia Valoris from the Great Elden Conglomerate vs Prince Kane Cromwell from the Great Human Imperium!”

“Start!”