“Duke Leonard..your son is the successor of the silver moon. We will take appropriate actions for the sake of mankind.” Shades told Leonard who sat at his chair fuming with rage and disbelief. His eyes were full of anger as he glared at the shadowy figure in front of him.

“Appropriate actions? Do you think I don’t know what your organization does? If you lay a finger on him, I will kill everyone in the black syndicate” his voice trembled with rage as ravishing wind circled around Shades’s body. Shades trembled in fear but he gazed forward, he knew he might die but he needs to warn the duke.

“I’m warning you, Duke Leonard. If you don’t want your family to be erased, you will stay and won’t interfere with us.”

“You’re warning me?! You think! You can warn me?” Leonard stands up and walked towards Shades. He dwarfed Shades as he looked down on him. Unbearing pressure falls on Shades as he falls to his knees.

“Leonard, I advise you to not make that decision” a woman’s voice rang in the darkroom as ice crystals can be seen floating around her. Her icy gaze landed at both of them.

“Nina…” Leonard glanced at the Ice Monarch.

“Do you have proof?” The Ice Monarch ignored Leonard and asked Shades who in turn nodded. He takes out a blue pendant and holds it out. A holographic screen appeared and it showed Lawrence laying on the bed with the silver moon tattoo on his chest. Upon seeing this, Leonard gritted his teeth while Nina calmly looked at the screen.

“Did you hear what they were saying?

“By their conversation, it seems that Lawrence was tricked by the goddess. Catalinna and Lawrence are looking for a mask to temporarily remove the goddess’s control over him. For what mask she’s talking about, i have no information regarding that” Shades replied

“Then that means my son isn’t at fault”

“It is but sadly the higher-ups don’t like to take any risk and are sending a squad to hunt Lawrence” Shades replied as he crashes to the wall before getting kicked out of the window. Leonard rubs his temple to calm himself as he walked towards the hole where Shades flew from his kick. Below, Shades coughed up blood and his legs are both broken. Both of which are facing a different direction.

“Leonard..there isn’t a point of killing him. We can only wait for the news. I’m sorry” Nina sighed

“Bunch of hypocrites. Just because the empire gives them a lot of gold for each moon cultist they kill, they don’t care about others that got tricked into joining”

“What did you expect from that greedy organization? It’s all about the money for them.” Nina replied

“Especially in the case of the successor of the moon. Anyways, don’t worry, the silver moon cult will protect your son. He’s important to the silver moon cult that they will guard him to reach their base.”

“I guess that’s true…still, i can’t help but feel anxious. I know my son, he won’t betray humanity”

“We don’t know. I have seen what your son has done for the past years. Parental love is fine but make sure it doesn’t make you blind” she said before bursting into snow crystals. Leaving Leonard sitting on the chair with his fingers interlocked. The door opened ajar as he smiled the best as he can to ease her wife’s worry.

“Don’t worry..i’ll fix this” he said with a gentle smile

Meanwhile, in the fourth wall. Catalinna wakes up and notices that her ring is gone. She went outside and talked to the princess to find out that Lawrence has been missing for a day already. Inside her room, she contemplates what to do.

“I can follow him or stay and keep my eyes on Cain…ugh why did he leave and not wait for me. He’s gonna start getting influenced by the goddess and once he gets his hands on the mask. I don’t know what he will be anymore. Dammit, i’ll look for Lawrence to make sure he doesn’t become a villain” she sighed before leaving the mansion while making sure that she isn’t spotted.

While walking through the snow, she started thinking about where Lawrence might go. After thinking of every possibility, she is sure that Lawrence will go to the Swordwin Empire to finish the rebirth potion. Which is the only thing that will allow him to have a different affinity so he can still fight without needing to use his moonlight affinity. Still, she doubts it will remove the silver tattoo but it was enough for now.

With her space bag full of supplies, she is determined to find Lawrence in the Swordwin Empire as she heads deeper into the northern valleys which is the fastest way of reaching the Empire.

For an entire week, Lawrence was hunted by the black syndicate and it would always result in running and using the invisibility necklace. He knows he can’t risk using his moonlight affinity as it hastens the moon goddess’s control on him. Sometimes, he can even hear whispers coming from her, teasing and beckoning him to enter her cult.

In the dark sky, the majestic moon seems to be bigger than normal as he sighed deeply. It was pure hell, one wrong move and he’s dead. He has barely slept at all and his muscles ache even when moving an inch. He can’t even grip the black spear properly. Sitting on a flat stone, he started checking the space ring for food.

Out of nowhere, a small dagger flew towards him aiming for his neck as he quickly dodges and runs away. In the corner of his eyes, he saw a shadowed figure following him with a long sword in its hand. He clicked his tongue and activated his necklace before jumping to the side as three daggers penetrated the snow where he was just a second ago. After that, he just sat in the light disk and didn’t move as the shadowed figure passes him. Seeing that the shadowed figure is gone, he walked back to where the stone is and went in a different direction.

He has developed this strategy to shake off any pursuers as no one expects him to not run away. When he runs, he doesn’t activate the light sky step but when he goes invisible, he uses it to float to give the illusion that he vanished mysteriously as the pursuers don’t see any movement in the snow. Since snow caves in when someone steps in it. After a week of running away from pursuers, he found out that the light sky step uses light and not moonlight which the moon goddess can’t use to control him and he can turn it invisible. This is why he barely had any injuries and he can get away scot-free.

Also, the assassins sent to hunt him only work by themselves as the black syndicate works just like an adventurer’s guild. There will be a mission posted on the board and anyone can take the job with minimal information about the target. Although he is a priority target, the black syndicate wouldn’t request a death squad on a second-star paragon as they think that a normal assassin can easily kill him. This is why he was fatigued from running away and not from injuries. He was severely underestimated.

Gazing at the map, he can see that there is a village just an hour away from where he is and it has transportation directly to the Swordwin Empire. While biting a sandwich he made, he walked through the snow with ease in his mind as he just slept inside an empty cave after running away from that assassin. He was able to finally rest with his mind clearly awake. Suddenly, a hand grabs his shoulder as he immediately turns around and was about to activate the pendant only to see someone he didn’t expect to see.

“You bastard..it took me a week to find your sorry ass and I thought you were already dead” Catalinna panted as she glared at Lawrence.

“Why did you follow me?”

“Of course, I have to follow you. Do you think I would allow you to be free from my sight? You must be dreaming” she grinned as Lawrence rubbed his temple in annoyance

“What about Cain? You’re gonna leave him alone?”

“You think he’s a snowflake? He has a system that would adjust to make sure he becomes the strongest. My mc isn’t that weak that he needs my support” she looked at Lawrence like he’s stupid for worrying. Cain in the novel was a cold, calculative, and ruthless character that would kill anyone if it suits his goals. He will appear like a naive, reckless, and fight-addicted character to his friends but he is paranoid beyond belief. He even used a soul bind, a dark magic that binds the soul of someone to their master. Basically making someone their slave.

“I guess your right” he replied as Catalinna nodded with a slight smile

“Still, I have a way to escape assassins while you have none.” he added

“Don’t worry about me..i can handle against assassins. Besides, they wouldn’t attack a lady without any bounty in her head and additionally. I’m the ice monarch’s only daughter.”

“I see…it’s your choice anyway to follow me.”

“So what is your plan?”

“Plan? Finish the rebirth potion then find the perfect art suitable for the new affinity. I need a new weapon too” Lawrence gazed at the spear he has been gripping tightly. Its blue vein running through the cursed wood in the shape of a spear is the only thing he can describe it. It doesn’t have any conventional design but it was enough for him before he sighed. Its unbelievable toughness and sharpness are something he would surely miss.

“How did you track me?” he asked

“I didn’t..i just followed a straight direction towards the Swordwin Empire. In this large plain of snow, i’m surprised you didn’t get assassinated yet. I can even see you a kilometer away.”

“I expected someone would attack me by now in this large open snowy plain but there isn’t anyone yet except for last night. I wonder what happened.. ” he glanced around but he can only see himself and Catalinna in the vast plains covered with snow.

“I’m sure there shouldn’t be any events in the novel right now.” she said

Before he can reply, he saw a chain wrapping around his chest and arms before getting yanked into a large blade appearing beneath the snow. He gazed calmly at the blade before bringing his feet in front and summoning two light disks as his foothold. With his feet planted on the two light disks, he stopped the chains from dragging him to the blade before landing on the snow, a slow clap emerged just beside him.

“Impressive…” a white-haired man smiled before stretching his hand as the blade went to his hands and the chain dragged Lawrence through the snow before he stomped Lawrence’s head deeper in the snow. Oddly enough, his head didn’t hurt but he’s still angered by this man’s attitude.

“Brother?” Catalinna asked as the man gazed at her with a warm smile.

“Mother tasked me to grab you since you ran away from the fourth wall. I just didn’t expect you to follow the successor of the silver moon.” His hair reaches his shoulder as he casually brushes it off before gazing at Lawrence beneath his feet. With the end of the chain on his left hand, he raises it as Lawrence flew in the air like a ragdoll before sharp icicles formed in the snow. Its razor-sharp tip shone menacingly as it’s aimed at where he will land. The man smirked before yanking the chain downwards as his body flew to the icicles.

“Lawrence!” Catalinna yelled in panic but before she can run to help him, her body is locked in place with ice chains wrapping in her wrist and legs.

Meanwhile crashing down, he summoned a single light disk beside him as he kicked the light disk as hard as he can to change the direction of his body as he landed away from the icicles. He doesn’t want to risk his life to find out if his light disk can hold his weight and the strength of a man that can throw him around with a single hand.

The man laughed before removing the chains from Lawrence and Catalinna as the icicles shattered into nothingness.

“Ohhh…it is indeed true that you were tricked by the goddess. I would’ve expected that a silver moon believer would save you or at least protect you but I didn’t sense anyone other than the both of you. Well, it’s not my problem. Good luck on your travel” he helped Lawrence to get up from the snow before glancing at Catalinna.

“If you don’t want to come back home, it’s fine. Mother just wanted to make sure you’re safe. Here” before throwing a necklace to Catalinna who in turn caught it.

“What’s this?”

“Don’t worry. It won’t trace where you are but once you are in trouble. Our familiar will arrive to save you. You know, that flaming elemental wielding a large flaming sword. It will appear immediately. So you better keep it safe.” The man patted Catalinna’s head while smiling gently

“Well, I gotta go. I have a separate mission. Have fun” a sudden gush of snow circled around him before he vanished. Catalinna sighed in relief before she hurried to check if Lawrence is alright. There aren’t any injuries other than a bruise in his back from the chain as he looked at her with a smile.

“I’m fine..It will heal. So that was the ‘Ice prince’ Jack. I assume he’s at low-four star warrior right?”

“Yes, you would’ve died immediately if he went serious” she replied

“As long as we don’t reach three stars. We would only be cannon fodder to most threats in this world” he sighed

“Well, i’m sure I will reach it. I have reached a three-star meridian already, just missing the three-star mana heart before I will be officially a three-star paragon.” she boasted with a smile as he can only nod.

The first three-star is what are called the development stages. The first star and second star only give a strengthened body or mana heart for better control over mana and magic nodes. The three-star warrior gains a qi which can be coated over their body or weapon to make elemental attacks. This doesn’t require any aura to activate and depending on the element, some can coat their body in metal for higher defense and enhance physical attack while some can coat their weapon in the fire to deal flaming attacks that can burn their enemies. While three-star mages can gain runic knowledge, spiritual knowledge, magitech knowledge, enchanting knowledge and etc. Their minds would gain random bits of magical knowledge from the god of magic but no one really knows where it comes from. It’s akin to enlightenment but different enough since it doesn’t come from the mind of mages but from a different entity.

The reason why Lawrence and Catalinna didn’t get any of this since they need to reach both of their meridians and mana heart to three-star to allow any of these changes to happen. This is called the equilibrium according to the paragons. Both parts of their warrior side and mage side need to be equal to allow the change to happen. This means that once a paragon reaches both 3-star meridian and mana heart, they will be given qi and magical knowledge.

Lawrence gazed at the map before walking towards the village with Catalinna. Hoping that there aren’t any assassins or crazy brothers trying to kill him