Overhead, the sky lingered in a deep, transitioning indigo, on the verge of yielding to the first blush of dawn.

  Arika stood with steady posture, her figure blending into the dim light. She was holding the hilt of the Night Slasher.

  Looking at it, the S-rank dagger Lucien had placed in her hand.

  A constant reminder of her purpose and the relentless two months of training she had endured.

  Her eyes, usually calm, carried a sharpened focus. Her breathing was slow, controlled.

  Today marks the beginning of my vengeance... my vow to protect my people, to ensure they never suffer as they once did, and to make those responsible pay.

  A short distance away, Eisen leaned casually against a rock. His clothing was plain but newly pressed, a sign of half-hearted effort.

  He had reluctantly accepted his role as a driver for Lucien’s group, though his mind was already working angles for personal gain. His gaze drifted to Arika.

  That girl... is she even the same person as before? The thought crept in, unsettling. It’s like she’s flipped completely in just two months. Freaky, really. That cold aura—can’t even walk up and talk to her without feeling like I’m intruding. Is she angry at me? Did I do something? No... no, I didn’t.

  “They sure are late, aren’t they?” Eisen broke the silence, a half-smirk tugging at his mouth. “Think maybe they ditched the plan?”

  Arika turned her head, gaze firm. “They’ll be here soon. And he’s not late.”

  Eisen chuckled under his breath. “Talk like a true loyalist. My name is Eisen—Eisen Beschwaffen. I’ll be your driver. Now that I’ve gone through the trouble of introducing myself, may I have the privilege of knowing yours?”

  “Arika,” she replied, voice steady. “I belong to the Cavinesa tribe. And the student of Lucien Sinclair.”

  Eisen rubbed his chin, eyebrows lifting slightly. “So that guy’s your master... explains a lot. Must be the reason for the drastic change. I pity you—poor soul, stuck with a pompous mute.”

  Just as Arika was about to speak, she was disturbed by the sudden sound of something unclear.

  The distant thunder of hooves echoed through the trees before the carriage even came into view.

  Birds scattered, and the forest’s calm was shredded by the roar of wheels tearing across the uneven ground.

  Max recklessly driving the massive black carriage built for speed and chaos.

  The genetically modified stallions pulled it like living storms, their hooves barely seeming to touch the ground as they cornered sharp turns at speeds no normal beast could survive.

  Branches snapped, stones scattered, and a wake of churned mud followed in their path. A few deer were nearly crushed because of his driving.

  Max grinned from the driver’s seat. “Hey, lookout! Sorry about that! New driver!”

  Inside the carriage, it was a different kind of battle.

  Ultimare had both arms braced on the seat, laughing.

  “Faster, Max! Let’s see if these horses can take flight! Let’s jump over that hill!”

  Finn slammed a hand against the side panel. “Max, I urge you to exercise restraint in your driving. Should any harm befall this carriage or its contents, I’ll personally see your mouth filled with mud and have you bathe in filth”

  Max’s voice carried back, carefree. “Relax! This baby’s made for it! Trust the horses, Finn!”

  Lucien sat, legs crossed, unbothered by the violent jolts. His gaze was fixed out the window, uninterested in the chaos, as he whispered to himself.

  “Early morning sure makes stellar forest just more beautiful. How quietly the world unveils itself before those willing to watch”

  Pelta sat rigid, gripping the armrest, her face utterly calm.

  “Brother, I believe there is a stabilizing spell in the carriage. Once activated, we won’t feel this turbulence or shaking at all. The goods are enchanted, they’ll be safe in any case,” she said.

  Finn glared. “Then what are we waiting for? This constant shaking is so damn annoying, turn it on.”

  Pelta calmly reached up and activated the stabilizing spell etched into the roof. Inside, the carriage grew steady, while outside it still hurtled along as wildly as before.

  The carriage burst into the clearing, tilting dangerously as it took the corner far too fast.

  The horses were in a full sprint, steam pouring from their flared nostrils. Max, grinning like a man who either knew exactly what he was doing or had no idea at all.

  The carriage now finally visible to arika and Eisen as they stood there.

  “Move, move, move!” Max shouted, half at the horses and half at them.

  The carriage bounced over a rut, one of the rear wheels lifting clear off the ground before slamming back down.

  Arika’s hand went to the hilt of her dagger on instinct, not at any threat, but at the sheer unpredictability of the driver.

  Eisen stepped back a full pace as the carriage barreled toward them, the horses skidding slightly as Max yanked hard on the reins.

  The wheels screamed against the dirt, sending a spray of mud toward Eisen’s boots.

  Another sharp turn sent another wave of dirt across the clearing, narrowly missing Arika, though a nearby tree wasn’t as lucky, The tree snapped clean in half.

  The carriage slid to a perfect stop sudden stop avoiding any more chaos, the horses stamping the ground in flawless unison, not even winded.

  Max gave a shameless shrug. “See? Everyone’s fine! Surroundings… well, it will recover.”

  Eisen slowly brushed the mud off his shirt, deadpan. “So that’s why you are late, I’d said ‘it is nice to see you or how happy I am to meet you,’ but I prefer not to lie before breakfast.”

  Lucien opened his window and looked at Eisen and Arika. “Both of you inside right now, and Max, take us to the forest opening. From there, Eisen will take over.”

  Arika nodded. “Yes, Master.”

  Eisen muttered, “Oh, come on… I’m not a superhuman like you folks. I’ll immediately die from his rash driving.”

  He said this as he moved toward the door along with Arika.

  Finn opened the door for them. Eisen hopped in and offered his hand to Arika, which she took.

  Arika gave a nod to Lucien and sat beside him, with Pelta on the other side. Eisen sat between Finn and Ultimare, immediately sensing how out of place he was.

  Just by sitting between them, he could feel how overwhelmingly they surpassed him in terms of power. He felt awkward — like he was wedged between two juggernauts.

  Lucien, flat and straightforward: “Now, to avoid further nuisance like introductions and stuff — this here is Ultimare, the other one is Finn, this is my sister Pelta, this here is Arika, my student, and last but not least is Eisen, our driver for the time being. Got it?”

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  Everyone in the carriage was somewhat confused and amused at the same time.

  Ultimare: “That was quick, right?” He looked at Eisen.

  Eisen: “Yeah… it is.”

  Finn: “Don’t be surprised if next time he just hands you a file and tells you to figure the rest out yourself.”

  Eisen: “Oh, I won’t. I assure you of that much.”

  Max: “Should I get started?”

  Finn: “Yes, get going, and try to behave this time.”

  The carriage was running again, but this time, even after all the shock from Max’s reckless driving, nothing really changed inside.

  It didn’t matter how fast it went, how bad the turns were, or anything else.

  Arika looked around and realized what was causing it.

  Eisen was observing and analyzing everything.

  A stabilizing spell customized especially for this purpose… this is a level only the royal family or high-ranking nobles have on their vehicles. But this is not your average noble carriage. The one I know about heavily rely on alchemy and magic or mana stones for such things — but this is a culmination of many different arts: rune craftsmanship, alchemy, artificial mana circuits. That’s all I’ve been able to guess.

  Who knows what else is at work? Something like this is very rare, almost unheard of. I refuse to believe this spell is the only feature of this carriage… it’s also bigger than it looks from outside, meaning some spatial spell as well. Damn… now I get why they didn’t want just anyone to drive this. Cool… I get to drive this and gather a lot of info, along with what I asked for. Luck is showering upon me.

  Lucien: “I will say this once, so everyone hear me carefully. Eisen, you are first — do you know what you have to do and how?”

  Eisen: “Yes, yes, I know. I have to take you to Pipra City, using the mountainous and forest route. Minimal or no passing through cities, towns, or settlements — out of everyone’s sight. Though it’s impossible not to cross a single one, I’ve made the route so it’s limited to low-tier towns where there’s almost no suspicion. It’s a three-day journey, from my estimate.”

  Lucien: “You will also be acting as our driver whenever we need, and in return, you will get our support and assistance, as well as what you asked for.”

  With his finger, he signaled Pelta.

  Pelta took a map out of her bag and handed it over to Eisen. “This is a seeker’s map. It has all the maps of the empire — every duchy and county, at least the public ones. It also has a geo-locator to find your current location, tell directions, and add the location you want to go to, and it will show you all the paths.”

  Eisen looked at the magical map. “That is an interesting artifact for sure. Got it — it will be very helpful with the route I have in mind. Sure is very useful. Many adventurers would die to get something like this.”

  Finn: “That belonged to our father. Once the job is done, we’ll be taking it back. If you lose it for any reason… we will find you, and you won’t like what happens next.”

  Eisen flinched a little. “Sure… I’ll make sure to guard it more than my life.”

  Lucien: “Now take over from Max and send him here.”

  Ultimare: “Max, time for swap.”

  Max: “Got it.”

  Finn opened the driver’s window. “Now go hop in the seat.”

  Eisen: “What… what am I saying? At the very least, keep the speed low!”

  Eisen carefully moved toward the driver’s window from inside the carriage, climbed halfway out, and reached the side seat next to Max.

  Max grinned, then his entire body turned into water, slipping through the window and splashing lightly onto the carriage floor before reforming into his human shape inside.

  Eisen grabbed the reins — only to be hit with the crazy speed of the horses, still in full sprint. He struggled for a few seconds before managing to bring them under control without slowing too much.

  Inside the carriage…

  Max: “So, what’s going on? Oh hey, look at this — if it isn’t our infamous Arika, the glorious student of our great brother. How are you doing?”

  Arika: “I can see you’re still the same buffoon you were.”

  Finn: “He’ll always be like that. Just think of him as a talking tool and ignore him.”

  Lucien: “Pelta, give her the document.”

  She obliged and handed over a file to Arika.

  Finn: “Here’s the document card everyone was talking about.”

  Pelta: “Miss Arika, this document contains all the information you may already know and many you may not. But primarily, it’s about two topics — first being Ryan: every piece of information we could get through channels to pinpoint his location, where he is, who could have captured him, or what might be going on. We were also able to get a major clue due to an earlier news article. You, along with Max, will have the task to search for Ryan using all this info and research it further. We will provide all the new info, news, and updates through that band. I believe you already know about it. Please feel free to talk to me anytime for anything you need.”

  Arika, as she read the document: “Got it, Lady Pelta. I assure you, I will do my best and get Ryan back as soon as possible.”

  Pelta: “I really hope you succeed. Moving to the second topic of the document — our enemies, mainly those behind the massacre of the tribes, the Skull Knights. There’s their structure and names of prominent members, as well as many others who could be behind it. Our main enemy is the one who hired them. Your enemy is the Skull Knights — I hope you understand.”

  Arika: “With all due respect, my lady, you’re wrong. My enemies are the Skull Knights as well as the one who hired them. You may call me unjust or unfair for it, but that’s what I believe. Such people are a danger to me and my people.”

  Pelta: “If that’s the case, I believe I owe you an apology. And just so you know — you have our family’s full support.”

  Finn: “Yes, you’re free to get your vengeance whenever you want, however you want. While finding Ryan is the top priority for now, Lucien has trained you specifically to fight against those guys.”

  Ultimare: “I second that. Killing and weakening Skull Knights, who work for the one who hired them — who are a main force in the empire — does help us. So don’t feel bad. In fact, we might purposely send you after a few when the time comes, or when you decide to go after them.”

  Arika looked up. “It’s all my pleasure, really. I will take the opportunity, but I won’t let my personal vendetta come between me and finding Ryan. It is and will always be my first priority over anything.”

  Max: “What is my role in all this, by the way?”

  Arika: “So I will be dropped in the Duchy of Foekest along—”

  Lucien: “Yes. While you are there, do perform that side quest I have given you.”

  Arika, reading that page, let out a slight laugh. “Oh, sorry… I will make sure to do this.”

  Max: “Hey, are you guys going to share some information with me too, or not? I’m a part of the team as well.”

  Ultimare: “A tool doesn’t need to know how it is going to be used. All you need to know is that you are going to be used.”

  Max: “How wise of you. Well then, I’ll be going for a sleep. Don’t bother me for a while, until it’s time for food.”

  For a while the carriage experience few more exchange of words than it soon died down into a heavy, purposeful silence.

  The forest blurred past the windows, streaks of green and gold as the first light of dawn broke through the canopy.

  Lucien sat with his arms folded, eyes fixed ahead, as if already seeing the road three days into the future.

  Pelta glanced occasionally outside the window.

  Ultimare leaned back with a faint smirk, Finn kept his gaze out the window, and Max had already tilted his head back, sleeping.

  Arika sat quietly, the file in her hands, her fingers brushing over the first page.

  The carriage cut through the winding forest path with steady, unrelenting momentum. Eisen kept the reins firm, guiding the stallions with practiced precision.

  The road narrowing, the trees closing in and with every turn, the world of the Sinclair family’s moved further and further from the carriage.

  [Ghost town, Jasvitus Plains]

  The plains were supposed to be open. You could stand on the ridge and see the whole stretch to town in one sweep. That’s what they’d always been.

  Not today.

  A low, heavy mist had settled in. It curled around the grass, wrapped their ankles, and thickened with every step. It didn’t drift the way mist should. It hung there, holding on.

  Tobias looked back over his shoulder. His glance was quick but uneasy.

  “Cedric’s going to kill us if he finds out we came without him.”

  Rowan’s reply came without hesitation. “He won’t.”

  Maeve frowned. “You think he won’t notice we’re gone?”

  “We’ll be back before nightfall,” Rowan said. “Check the target’s here, take him, then we leave. No noise. No attention.” He made it sound simple. Too simple.

  The target was a cartel member suspected of funneling intel to the Demonic Empire. The kind of work Cedric would have handled himself if he wasn’t tied up elsewhere.

  A cold gust moved through them, faintly metallic. Lena slowed, her breath catching. “Do you hear that?”

  From somewhere inside the fog, a bell struck. Just once. The sound was slow and deliberate, and the weight of it sank into their bones. Then the silence returned.

  Tobias shifted his grip on his axe. The leather handle creaked. “Town’s close.”

  The road began to shrink, the grass on either side growing tall enough to press at their legs. No birds. No wind. Every footstep landed louder than it should, sharp against the stillness.

  Maeve’s knuckles whitened on her spear. “Something’s wrong.”

  “That’s why we’re here,” Rowan said, eyes still forward.

  The bell rang again. Louder. This time it felt like it came from the ground beneath them. Ahead, the mist had thickened into a wall, and when they looked back, the road was already gone.

  Lena drew her sword. “I’m not a mage, but that feels like a mana surge.”

  Rowan’s voice didn’t change. “We’ll know soon enough.”

  They reached the top of the rise.

  The town sat below, or what was left of it.

  Buildings slouched at strange angles. Roofs buckled inward. Some walls had bent and bulged, like the earth itself had tried to twist them apart.

  A single lantern burned at the road’s edge. The flame didn’t flicker.

  Maeve stopped. “That isn’t right.”

  From inside the fog, a voice spoke. Low. Even. No warmth to it.

  “Visitors.”

  The mist closed in behind them, heavy and wet, sealing off the path they’d taken. The way out was gone.