“I don’t get it,” muttered Lady Faris as she examined Aria.

Aria and Lady Faris sat across from each other leaning against the walls.

"Still why did they capture a commoner like you?" asked Lady Faris. "At first I thought they kidnapped me because of my family. But now I can't help but think it's not for something like money."

Aria shrugged. It was seemingly out of nowhere for her as well. The only interaction she had with other people were Leo, Wendel, the guards at the gate, Guildmaster, and Charlotte the receptionist. She didn't know anyone that had a reason to do this. Actually, she hardly knew anyone at all...

The least trustworthy people she knew could only be.. the guards?

Knowing who did it won’t really help much right now I guess. What do I do?

“What do we do?” Aria muttered out loud.

“Nothing,” Lady Faris curtly replied. Her response was quick and abrupt.

“Huh? Nothing at all?”

Lady Faris sighed, a look of irritation forming on her face.

“We’re weak. Ok? We’re just kids, so we can’t get out of here. What are we going to do? Fight our way out against adults?”

“Even if I’m from the Ignis family,” said Lady Faris, she had a weak smile curve the corners of her lips as she spoke.

She opened her hand forming a small flame from the center of her palm.

“I- I can’t do much with this.. okay?”

It sputtered and died out as Lady Faris closed her fist over it before hugging her legs once again.

“If my brother was here…” said Lady Faris as she trailed off. She looked at Aria with a forlorn expression, her lips quivering and eyes blurring, before burying her face in her knees.

Aria could only sit in silence. She was a complete amateur in magic and combat after all; someone who only just started on her journey to being a magic knight.

“S- Sorry,” muttered Lady Faris. With her voice barely louder than a whisper, she continued. “I just—.. I already tried to get out. To fight back.”

She hid her face as sniffles arose.

“I knew I wasn’t that strong yet… That even with my training, I’d only come so far. But… it’s not fair,” whispered Lady Faris. “They just laughed. I tried so hard and yet...”

Silence hung in the air as they sat in the cells for unknown amounts of time. It wasn’t until the sound of footsteps appeared that Aria looked up from the ground. She looked towards the bars, where a man holding what looked like day-old bread on a wooden platter appeared. He slid the plate through an opening and left in the direction he came from without a word.

Having no choice, they began to eat in silence. Aria split her bread in half and offered it to Lady Faris. They had equal amounts given to them, but Aria wasn’t feeling that hungry and figured Lady Faris would appreciate it more.

Lady Faris gazed at it for a moment before giving in with a sigh. Her shoulders slumped before she took the offering. Aria herself wasn’t feeling entirely hungry, so she didn’t mind at all giving Lady Faris that piece of bread. Not to mention, it seemed to improve her mood a bit. Regardless of whatever their difference in status might have been— which Aria didn’t completely understand yet —they only had each other for company right now.

Aria watched as Lady Faris delicately plucked pieces from the loaf and ate them with refined and precise movements. However, she made a small frown soon after swallowing the piece she just chewed.

“I wish they’d have given us some water with this dry and stale bread. I’m parched,” sighed Lady Faris.

Parched? Water was something Aria could make, she wasn’t terribly thirsty so it hadn’t occurred to her, but she wouldn’t mind drinking some water to quench whatever thirst she did have.

Aria stuck out her arm with the palm of her hand facing upwards. Like she had practiced before, a picture of the water sphere formed in her mind. She guided her matom to flow to a point above her palm. A cool, familiar presence snaked around her forearm and onto her hand as the matom solidified, before forming a small sphere of clear water.

Lady Faris watched her with a look of surprise.

“Aria you can cast magic too?”

“Yup,” said Aria who smiled with pride. She held the sphere of water out towards Lady Faris.

“Ah, would it be okay if I cleaned my hands first?”

“Oh. Sure,” said Aria. The sphere of water began to spiral a bit as Aria willed a small current to spin the inside.

Lady Faris rolled her sleeves up enough to avoid getting them wet when putting her hands in the sphere. She rubbed her hands together within the sphere using the water to remove any dirt or grime she had on them. When she finished, Aria conjured another sphere of water for Lady Faris to drink from. Lady Faris gently cupped her hands into the new sphere of water and brought them to her face to drink the water that was carried with them.

After drinking until she was content, she wiped her dewy lips with a swipe of her thumb and shot a small smile at Aria in thanks.

But the smile didn’t last as Lady Faris abruptly looked down and muttered Aria’s name.

“Yes?” replied Aria.

“Do you think I’m weak?”

“Lady Faris… I—”

The metal bars that trapped them in interrupted Aria with an echoing ring. The guard from earlier was back and struck the bars to get their attention.

“Oi, you two,” he said as he jutted his chin at both of them. “Come with me.”

He unlocked the cell door as Aria glanced at Lady Faris. The look on her face showed she was just as confused with a hint of worry.

“What do you want from us?” asked Aria. She stood up but watched the guard warily.

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Lady Faris grabbed Aria’s hand without looking before they were taken away. To Aria’s surprise, Lady Faris’ hand was trembling as it clasped her hand. The physical connection felt comforting to Aria and must’ve helped Lady Faris in a similar way as her shaking hand relaxed, if only a little, after a brief squeeze.

They glanced about as they were dragged into another room, it was like any other part of this underground area. But this room was cleaner and decorated with furniture, albeit aged and worn. In the middle was a large wooden table covered with documents scattered all over. Beneath it all seemed to be what looked like a map, but Aria struggled to discern any details from her angle. There were a few dangerous-looking people surrounding the table that conversed before growing silent upon their arrival. They stared with harsh glares that contrasted the smirks that grew on their faces.

The guard led them to the far side of the room, where a door stood blocking the path, before pushing them through it. The guard himself didn’t come through as the door shut. His duty was probably preventing anyone from coming in. Or, it could be to prevent someone from getting out.

This room was similar to the last, other than the fact that the furniture here was in better condition. To be honest, this room seemed to be a personal quarter considering it was almost homey. There was a bookshelf containing a few books, a desk with a chair to accompany it, and a large sofa that was made into a bed straight across from her.

Laying on the sofa was presumably the person behind the reason for her kidnapping. Aria instinctively raised her guard, sensing that this man was trouble. Real big trouble. Her kidnapper Shiado was kind of scary but he didn’t even come close to the man in front of her now. The aura coming off of him was painful.

“Well well. What do we have here?”

Her body tensed in fear leaving her in a fight-or-flight state.

『 Caution. Threat Level: High 』

Threat level? High?

He lay on his back in a relaxed pose with his arms behind his head to cushion his head.

“Who— who are you? What do you want?” Lady Faris asked, she stepped forward despite her trembling legs.

Zen stood up to face her while cracking his neck.

“Hey. Who said you could speak?”

“Huh?”

The dim lighting made it hard to make out details of his figure, but Aria was able to see him clearly as he stepped forward. Aria’s hand squeezed Lady Faris’ as she resisted the urge to step back.

“That said, the name’s Zen,” he said.

He stood tall with the posture of a naturally dominant figure. The wild, condescending expression he carried on his face alongside his unruly mane of hair made him seem like a wild alpha beast that did whatever it wanted. He glared at them which sent waves of crushing pressure that battered the two.

It was all Aria could do to not crumple under the intimidating aura he emitted. Aria grimaced and fell to one knee; her legs almost giving out completely. With strained breaths, Aria gritted her teeth and tried to force her trembling legs to raise herself up.

Lady Faris’ grip tightened around Aria’s hand as she seemingly fought an internal battle. Her legs, like Aria’s, must’ve gone numb as they were trembling to the point they would give out at any moment. Time slowed to a painful eternity as they endured the pressure exerted by Zen’s aura, and beads of sweat began to form as Aria concentrated on resisting it.

“Hmm?”

Zen’s glare morphed into that of curiosity with one brow raised.

Aria flinched as the pressure lifted off of her. She and Lady Faris gasped for air as they unconsciously held their breath while trying to withstand the pressure.

“Bahahahahaha!!” he suddenly exploded in a fit of laughter while placing his hands on his hips. “That hag’s words have some weight to them after all! This is the first time anyone’s managed to withstand my aura. And it’s just as she said.”

Aria and Lady Faris collapsed once the relief of the pressure subsiding caught up to them.

“What do you want?” asked Aria weakly.

“I was tasked with investigating whether that hag’s prophecy that’s been handed down was true or not. Turns out it actually might be.”

”Prophecy?” blurted Lady Faris. “As in, glimpses of the future similar to ‘Sora the Herald of Those Beyond the Stars’?”

“Haha! That’s but a children’s story compared to this ancient prophecy. Supposedly this one’s been passed down since the war of Gods and Emperors.” Zen shared with an amused look.

“But, what do we have to do with it?” asked Lady Faris.

“Why are you doing this to us?” added Aria.

“Enough,” growled Zen. “I’ve completed my primary objective, my secondary objective is to merely keep you two in containment for the Sovereign. A complete waste of my time, but the Sovereign’s order is absolute.”

“As such, I’m not an ally to the likes of you two and the role you two have within the prophecy is unnecessary information to give.”

“Wha—,” started Lady Faris.

“However! If it’ll make you despair, I’ll let you both in on a little detail.”

Zen spread his arms with a foreboding grin.

“One of you is destined to be the Child of Humanity’s Worst Enemy! And the Sovereign wishes to make use of that. I don’t quite mind sharing this since being the Child of Humanity’s Worst Enemy must imply that you will be on our side in the future. The question is, which one of you will it be? Bahahaha!”

Child of Humanity’s Worst Enemy? What would that even mean?

“Child of Humanity’s Worst Enemy?” muttered Lady Faris, her brow raised in confusion.

Aria and Lady Faris both glanced at each other, but with unconvinced looks. There was no reason to trust each other as they only met recently. Yet, something like being the Child of Humanity’s Worst Enemy just didn’t really strike them as feasible.

At their mild reactions, Zen frowned. “Tch. Too many boring jobs lately. I hope you enjoy your stay. While locked up that is. Hey! Take ‘em back to the cell.”

“Pain in the ass…” grumbled Zen. He returned to his sofa before laying back in it to sleep without a care in the world.

The door opened as the same guard as before appeared. It was only minutes before they were already placed back in the cell.

I.. don’t have time for this! How can I become a magic knight if I’m locked up here like this?

“Lady Faris, we have to get out of here,” said Aria.

~ ~ Bevrun ~ ~

Bevrun sighed as he kicked a pebble down the dirt path.

“This place isn’t fun at all!” he shouted.

Bevrun was expecting some fun when Nura asked if he wanted to go on an adventure. But when he heard ‘adventure’ he wasn’t expecting to walk around aimlessly on the edge of a remote village with the sun beating down on them. Not to mention, they had to have one of the bodyguards from Nura’s family follow them quietly to ensure their safety.

“W-well, it’s not supposed to be, Bevrun,” said his friend as they stopped walking. “Not yet…”

His friend that accompanied him, Nura, was a feeble boy that could easily be mistaken for a bashful girl. His complexion, his light-weight and unmanly attire, his attitude, his voice. He had not a shred of brawn or toughness that a proper man has. Nura was nothing like himself, who was already on the path to being a knight.

Bevrun puffed his chest a little when remembering how his mentors shared high praise.

Back to Nura though, they were polar opposites despite their identical aspirations for glory and adventure within the ranks of Uroth’s Knightly Order. Nura did more reading about this adventure than training, unlike Bevrun. But fortunately, Nura recently discovered a talent for magic, which was finally something Bevrun could respect.

“Oh Nura,” sighed Bevrun. “You’re always so lame, you know that? Always a letdown! You’re the one that recommended this place, aren’t you?”

“Y-yeah,” stuttered Nura. He chuckled a bit with a sheepish look while scratching the back of his neck. “W-well we’re near one of the villages on the outskirts of my domain.”

“I know that. We might as well have gone to Uroth and explored the city,” sighed Bevrun. “Those city-nobles have it so much better than us with all the fun things they’re able to do.”

“The city is more than a day away by carriage even from here Bevrun, you know that too. Right Bevrun?” asked Nura with the roll of his eyes.

“Tsk. ‘Course I do,” Bevrun replied, his shoulders slumping.

“L-lighten up though. I told you, it was a surprise. We’re just not there yet. After all, an adventure has its boring parts too,” said Nura. “A-actually, since we’re close enough, I’ll just tell you now.”

“Oh?”

“A-apparently it stinks a bit, but there’s actually an area nearby just past the woods here that seems to be an entrance to an abandoned sewage system for Uroth!”

Bevrun’s lips grew into a frown, but Nura continued with his hands up, stopping Bevrun before he could speak.

“I know that sounds lame. But that place has weak low-level monsters that appear! I know because I overheard one of my guard captains talk about this area. Apparently, they train newer guards here to gain combat experience.”

Monsters? Now we’re talking! We can finally taste a proper battle ourselves!

“Nura, you should’ve told me sooner! What are we waiting for?!” Bevrun exclaimed. Revitalized, he ran a few steps ahead. “Where do we go?”

Nura laughed with nervous excitement.

“Okay okay!”

But before he could go ahead, the bodyguard following them cleared his throat.

“Um Young Master Nura, Young Master Bevrun, I don’t believe I can permit us to go to such a place.”

“G-Grennin, won’t it be okay? We have you, a rank B adventurer with us! P-plus they’re just low-level monsters. Nothing you can’t handle. Right Grennin?”

“Ah.. well. Yes, low-level monsters aren’t a problem. But as a precaution, I cannot allow this. You never know what might happen, and the best response to a potential disaster is to prevent any chances of it from happening in the first place,” responded Grennin.

“C-come on…” insisted Nura. He gripped his wand with both hands as he continued. “I’d like to see how strong my magic is. It’ll definitely be okay if you’re there Grennin! Pleeeeease?”

“Nngh..Young Master Nura. It’s too…,” he muttered before trailing off in the face of Nura’s begging.

Dangerous.

That must’ve been what he wanted to say, and It was obvious that he was struggling with an internal battle. So Nura struck again to seal the deal.

“Please?? We can turn back as soon as you think it’s too dangerous,” nudged Nura. “I’d just really like to see the low-level monsters as well. I’ve never seen a monster in person yet.”

Even Bevrun joined in, “Please Grennin!”

With a weary sigh, the bodyguard accepted Nura’s compromise.

“A-alright! But we’re definitely turning back if I deem it necessary. No complaints either if I choose to do so! Does that sound acceptable, young masters?” asked Grennin.

“”Woohoo!”” Bevrun and Nura both celebrated.

“Let’s go!” Bevrun blurted before darting forward again.

With Nura guiding them and Grennin guarding them from the rear, they began towards where the abandoned sewer entrance would be.

~ ~ ~

“There it is..,” whispered Nura.

Fortunately, Grennin must’ve never deemed it too dangerous as they were now sitting behind bushes watching the low-level monsters walk about. He muttered something about it being strange which caught Nura’s attention.

“What do you mean, Grennin?” asked Nura. “Why’s this strange?”

Grennin glanced at Nura before looking back at the monsters.

“First of all, monsters don’t normally loiter around like this. They may be called monsters, but they’re the same as animals. They’re not supposed to just sit around like this.”

The low-level monsters here were giant rats and the occasional lesser slime that lingered around the barred entrance. Most of the plant-life near this entrance were withered or eaten away by the slimes. Bevrun gripped the handle on his shortsword that was basically a dagger.

“Hmm.”

Grennin looked at Bevrun and Nura once more, before looking back at the monsters.

“Let’s turn back, young masters.”

Bevrun looked at Grennin with disbelief.

“No~” pouted Nura.

“These monsters aren’t that strong, but they can be tricky for inexperienced people. Not to mention, their numbers pose a threat and even I’m not confident enough to fend off all of them while protecting the both of you. Taking them all on alone is one thing, having something to protect nearby while fighting is a whole ‘nother difficulty.”

“There’s no chance?” asked Nura with disappointment hanging off his words.

Grennin shook his head. “It’s too risky, Young Master Nura.”

“Okayyy..” sighed Nura.

Bevrun was about to comply with a grumble as well when his ears suddenly picked up a faint noise. Bevrun looked back at the entrance trying to listen closer to pick up the sound again.

Nura and Grennin were turning to walk away when Nura noticed Bevrun lingering behind.

“Bevrun? What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Young Master Bevrun, please remember the compromise,” spoke Grennin. “No complai—”

“Shh!” hushed Bevrun.

Grennin stopped with a raised eyebrow.

“I heard something, from the entrance!” whispered Bevrun. “It was faint, but it sounded like a person...”

“Huh?” Nura looked at him in confusion, before leaning back towards the bush to listen. Grennin followed suit as they all focused on listening.

For a few seconds there was nothing but the sound of the giant rats scurrying about and bubbling noises from the dirty lesser slimes. Then— “There it is again!” exclaimed Bevrun.

Grennin’s eyes widened a bit as he presumably heard it too.

“I hear it as well, Young Master,” spoke Grennin.

Nura frowned in dismay. “I don’t hear anything at all.”

Suddenly, a louder noise different than what was heard before could be heard steadily growing louder. It was like a low rumble with a slight whistling sound. Bevrun looked at the entrance closer, curious as to what it was.

“Oh I hear something!” exclaimed Nura. “It’s like a—”

An explosive boom cut Nura off as the barred entrance exploded in a fiery ball of fire.

Nura and Bevrun fell backwards from surprise while Grennin shielded his eyes from the light.

“Wh-what was that!?” shouted Bevrun, his heart pounding.

His eyes met Nura’s panicked eyes, before glancing up at Grennin.

The fiery cloud dispersed, leaving smoke in the air and an obliterated entrance to the sewers. The metal bars were bent outwards from the force of the explosion and glowed red at the tips.

If the explosion didn’t surprise them enough, what came out of the sewers did.