As Neo and Mist arrived, the tension in the cave was palpable. Mist shot a glare at Amarok, her hands firmly placed on her hips as he approached.

"I understand you can't stand to be without me, but you could at least be happy," Amarok said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Huh," Mist blinked. "You're right. I needed a punching bag to warm up after all this time," she retorted, her tone dangerous as she approached him.

"Master!" Amarok cried, seeking refuge behind Neo.

"Enough fooling around. Where is Wisdom?" Neo demanded suddenly.

"I haven't seen him since... was he not with you people?" Amarok began searching, but a subtle groan emerged from within the forest.

The groaning grew louder and continuous. "Can you hear it?" Amarok asked, puzzled. Neo and Mist exchanged blank expressions.

"Wisdom!" Amarok suddenly dashed out of the cave. "The little Brath. Here he goes again," Neo's face darkened as he gripped their swords and followed closely behind with Mist.

Amarok dashed through the dense forest, using tree branches and roots to leap higher and higher. The deeper he ventured, the farther from the ground they left.

The roots were so dense that they formed a landscape above, and Amarok halted his steps as he stared at the figures before him.

Three hooded figures stood before him, their faces obscured. They wore robes of a light shade of black, adorned with runes featuring skeleton symbols and hieroglyphs at the bottom edge. Their aura was calm yet oppressive.

"The moon cheetah. It's mine. Would you mind returning it to me?" Amarok said, trying to maintain politeness with the unknown group.

"Yours, you say?" one of the figures responded, shocked. "Why does it not surprise me? The years go by, but nothing changes," he added, shaking his head.

"Nothing changes?" Amarok was puzzled by the man's words. "Do you really think this mooncheetah wants to be by your side? Have you ever considered its opinion?" the figure spat, leaving Amarok speechless as realization hit him. "As expected. But here you are claiming it belongs to you," he said with disdain.

Amarok gazed at the figure and couldn't refute his words. His fists tightened as he lowered his head, realizing that he had never considered whether Wisdom wanted to come with him or not.

"It's not because it can’t think that it doesn't have its own say. But again, I don't blame you. It's how it works in this world. Using strength to impose your will on others. It has always been like that," the man said with a mocking smile.

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"Kill or not?" the figure to the left asked, his robe slightly bulging as if hiding something beneath. "Calm down, Swain. We can’t just kill anyone we meet," the figure in the middle said, raising his head to look at the figure next to him. Then he picked up Wisdom and began closing in on Amarok.

"Be careful. We don't know who it is," the figure on the right added.

As the apparent leader kept moving, Amarok's body snapped out of his thoughts. It wasn't the right moment for that. His body tensed, his heart beating faster; they were three, and he was alone. What's more, he had no sword on him. The figure was neither slow nor fast. Each of his steps was like a nightmare for Amarok. He stood, his senses heightened to the maximum.

Amarok’s eyes suddenly darted to the figures behind the trio. His heart skipped a beat. Blood could be seen all over the area, forming a little flack. He gulped, sweat trickling down his face. Could it be Gian? He had been so focused on Wisdom that he only now realized the dangerous situation he had entered.

“Why don’t you come with me?” The leader said, raising his hand at a slow pace. Amarok stepped back, but the figure was fast; too fast. His palm landed on Amarok's shoulder, and instantly, he felt monstrous pressure fall down. It was like a mountain had landed on his shoulder. Without thinking, Amarok arched his body downward, his foot bolting upward. The figure stepped back, a little surprised; Wisdom was thrown backward at the same time Amarok pounced back, catching the little figure.

“Not bad. I can see you have had a good master,” the figure smiled as he dashed forward. Amarok’s face paled; the figure was like lightning; his fist whistled forward. Amarok dodged, but at the same time, a turning kick struck at him. He shielded his face with his arms, his body sent flying back, and little Wisdom fell back into the figure’s arms.

“It doesn’t belong to you,” he said with a cold huff. Wisdom was now agitated as he stared back and forth, trying to break free, but all his attempts were futile. “Neither does it belong to you,” Amarok frowned. “You’re right, Wisdom belongs to no one. But that doesn’t give you the right to snatch him away,” he glared.

“Snatch? Do I even need to do that? I'm not that kind of person. Snatching people of their beloved,” he said, his face turning dark. “Get rid of him.” He turned and said. The burly figure nodded and stepped forward, a rune rapidly drawn in the void. The void trembled and crackled. “Snare embrace.” A clacking sound echoed as dark chains escaped the runes. From the rune, a thousand dark chains dashed forward.

Suddenly, as Neo and Mist arrived, the scene erupted into a flurry of action. Neo appeared like a bolt of lightning, his swords shimmering with an otherworldly light. With surgical precision, he struck at the chains, preventing any from passing his defense. His sword emanated a blinding, radiant light that seemed capable of rupturing anything in its path. As the chains cracked and clashed against each other, showers of sparkling fragments filled the air.

The onlookers were astonished, not expecting such a display from someone from Wandleaf. "Radiant Rupture," Neo exclaimed, leaving many in awe of his mastery of this sword technique.

Amarok, with a determined look on his face, declared, "Gian is here. We will save him like we promised, Yuni," before grasping his sword firmly.

Mist couldn't help but notice Amarok's charm, admiring his handsome and serious features as he prepared for battle.

Another figure stepped forward, drawing a rune with elegant precision. The void cracked as rune energy exploded, casting an eerie dark aura over the area. Dark darts whistled through the void like rain as the mighty Rune Shadowstorm took shape.

Amarok dashed through the dense roots, clashing his sword with the dark darts. Sparkles bloomed with each impact as he skillfully maneuvered through the roots, his hands trembling but determined to press forward.