The sky trembled, violent gusts of winds shot through them. Their eagle was moving too fast and could not avoid it in time. Neo stood at the forefront, his sword clashing with the violent winds as their eagles fell. They were sweeping down at lightning speed. Neo maneuvered the winged eagle, and they managed to fall off the eagle on the ground.

"Is everyone okay?" Neo asked. "You could have made it a little softer," Amarok complained as he stood up. Wisdom and Mist were all safe, but the black-winged eagle was lying on the ground, and its breathing was slowing down. It was thanks to it that they were alive. Amarok felt even worse; even the poor beast had suffered due to them.

"Where have we fallen to?" he was curious. The area looked like a sanctuary. The entire sky was covered in gray fog. It was impossible to look past it. The light of the moon didn't reach the place. Far-stretching through the horizon, he could see that the whole area was surrounded by the same fog. What was this area?

"Are you human?" a sudden voice came from behind. Amarok jolted in fright, stepping back. A little figure had appeared before them. The boy was standing next to the black-winged eagle. Its breathing seemed to return back to normal, and it managed to return to its feet. Neo stepped in front of them, shielding them; he was unsure of where they were. They could not take any risks.

But strangely, Wisdom thought otherwise, jumping down to coil around the little boy's foot. The little boy had bright eyes that were exactly like that of Wisdom. He wore a traditional robe with several ornaments. He was barefoot, but it didn't seem to disturb him.

"Wow, a baby moon cheetah," the eyes of the little one lightened up, a disarming smile on his mouth as he lifted Wisdom in his arms. "Can I play with it? What is its name? You're not from here; where are you from? Do you come from outside the forest?" he asked nonstop.

Seeing how innocent he was, Amarok couldn't help but smile. The boy was simply too cute to be evil. "What is your name?" Neo asked, letting his guard down.

"Dwland," he said with bright eyes. "Where are we, Dwland?" Neo asked, staring at the area. "Stranger, how dare you sully the sacred ground of Freud! Dwland, come here immediately," a series of people arrived.

They wore the familiar traditional dress, all holding lances as they encircled Amarok and his group. "No, Uncle Folk, they are not like them," Dwland quickly said, but the man leading shook his head. "People from there are all the same. Surrender or suffer the consequences," he said. He immediately began drawing in the void. A grey rune appeared. It was completely different from everything they had seen till date. All the runes they saw were different but still had a few symbols that related to them. But this one was completely different. At its center, hieroglyph-like beasts circled.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"We will surrender. Please help my friend," seeing they were human-like them, Amarok immediately went to his knees. He didn't even hesitate a second; both Neo and Mist were startled. In this world, people seldom kneel to acknowledge others unless the other party had a higher status or was stronger. Even so, the strongest were very arrogant and would never bow on their own accord. That was also the reason why the City Lord was so angry when Amarok didn't kneel when he first met him. Folk was shocked; his people exchanged looks with him without putting down their lances. "Follow me," he said after some thought.

Amarok and his group were brought to a building at the center of the Freud town. As they moved here, the town people were all extremely curious and kept staring nonstop. The town was not very big; they could see the end where the gray fog started. The buildings were not very tall but large enough. Mist was taken into the building. Amarok and Neo stood in a room nearby, waiting calmly. Suddenly, the man came to them. "I am Folk, the elder. I have some questions; I hope you do not mind," he said, showing no emotion. Neo and Amarok exchanged looks and followed him into a large hall. Seats made of leaves and cotton attracted attention. The hall was full of people. Amarok felt very strange being looked at like that. He felt like a criminal.

"We will answer all your questions with complete honesty," Neo stepped forward. "I know you will," Folk said confidently. Then two people held Neo. Amarok frowned. "What's the meaning of this?" he asked. "We will check if you are a threat to Freud or not," Folk said indifferently. Suddenly another Rune was drawn in the void. Neo signaled Amarok to stay quiet; they were at a disadvantage here. He didn't think the other party wanted to harm them; otherwise, they would not have helped Mist. Neo's eyes flashed as the Rune shone brightly, illuminating the whole area. A strange symbol carved on Neo's head, his eyes had turned blank as if he was devoid of a soul. The people finally let go.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Folk asked. "I am Neo, and that is my disciple, Amarok. We come from Wandleaf," he said. Onlookers gasped as they all slightly stepped back. They were indeed coming from outside Freud. Their gaze was a mixture of anger and curiosity. "We were chased by the City Lord's people and managed to escape, but we accidentally entered the fog and ended up here," he said, not hiding anything. Amarok felt a shiver run down his spine as he stared at the scene. Neo's body was seeping with a different aura, his eyes not blinking. What Rune was that? He was speechless.

"Do you have any ill intention against Freud and its people?" Folk continued. "No, we will leave for Alden immediately after our friend is healed," Neo added before his eyes flashed, returning to normal. He too was a little startled. That was the very first time he faced such a Rune.

"Your turn," Folk turned to Amarok. The same happened; Amarok said the exact same thing. Only then did Folk's expression ease. "Sorry for this, but we need to be careful. You can stay for now, but leave immediately after your friend has recovered," he said, turning to leave. Amarok and Neo returned to the room; a lady accompanied them.

"Please don't take it to heart. Uncle is doing this to protect Freud. Since the last incident, it's very difficult to trust people from outside, that's why he has to resort to the first order," she explained. She was very young and beautiful. "First order," Amarok repeated, so it was the name of the Rune. Such a Rune was really frightening if its power could be used on a large scale. "What happened exactly?" Amarok asked.