“Seriously, Hunter? I can’t, and if you’re expecting such lovely angles, no, they look horrifying and since Anwar now is weak enough to supervise, I don’t think they will meddle with human affairs, even If Liam becomes a problem.”

“I was just wondering”, Anton pulled Hunter down to their seat, “Is there any way for a normal person to acquire those soul-manifesting things?”

Donnor answered, “For us, it came naturally, given that we came from that civilization. For other people, it would take time to cultivate it.”

“Then how did Meriane gain such abilities?”

“There is a more unethical way”, Alvor blurted. “You could sell your soul to a Devil”, he explained while looking at Alisa. “Do you remember that girl? she has a dark blade, meaning—”

“She already sold her soul”, Alisa blurted, looking at the concerned Nicolas.

The cabin went silent. Everyone was left to their own devices, scanning the interior of the place, fidgeting with their own belongings. Exchanging glances like a hot potato, waiting for someone to break the ice. The nomination continued for a good second before all eyes settled at Anton.

He could only sigh, as they left them no choice, “Nicolas, I need to give you something”, Anton passed a black book to Alisa and she handed it to the boy, “I forgot to give this to you before. The king’s last letter is inside.”

“Then why bother bringing this journal, I have no use for this. Plus, this is a part of Gregoria’s literature”, Nicolas was about to open it when it was snatched from his grasps.

“Where did you get this?”, Donnor cried, his eyes full of vigor as he ran his fingers through its backbone.

“That’s one of my grandfather’s journals.”

“The world really is a small place," the man laughed. “None of you youngster’s know, but our ancestors had some kind of discrimination against its few subjects," he began explaining. “This red emblem is a tag, used to mark those of us who cannot conceive a reflection of their soul. Some of those people left Yggdrays a long time ago.”.

“What does it mean?”, Hunter asked, invested with the other revelation.

“It means that Nicolas might be the one mentioned on the Legend. Your ancestors might be affiliated with us and considering the color of your soul, it is certain”, Donnor looked hopeful.

“What about Hunter?”, Anton butted.

“What about Hunter?”, Alvor bounced the question back at him.

“He too can project his soul.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, he saved me with his shield. I still can’t believe it though; he’s not exactly a selfless person”, Alisa confirmed as all eyes were diverted towards the young knight.

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Hesitantly, Hunter placed the tip of his fingers together and closed his eyes. Light began to radiate from his body before condensing at the center of his palms. Slowly stretching it apart, he opened his eyes to a luminous shield and hid himself behind it.

“I don’t really know my family history. My mother died shortly after the incident ten years ago without any information where we came from. All I know is that my father died before I was born; after my mom died, I was leaving alone”, He slowly lowered the shield and waited for Donnor’s approval.

“This is great!”, Donor rejoiced. “If either of you is the chosen one, then we have a great chance to succeed.”

The conversation is on its peak when sudden knocks from the door gain everyone’s attention.

“We already found where the enemy is hiding”, the man reported.

“Where?”, Anton attentively stood.

The man looked pass him and searched for Alvor before continuing the report, “West of Yggdrays, near the sea.”

“Good work”, Alvor said. “Let’s head back to the temple; it’s a wider place for a meeting.”

“Hunter, you go ahead and tell the others to prepare the place”, Anton immediately ordered and went for the door. Hunter immediately ran back to the cave together with the informant while Anton went the other way.

“How about you? Where are you going”, Alvor asked.

The intensely locked eye-to-eye when a long, loud fart suddenly erupted from Anton’s behind, “Well, as you heard, I’ll be answering Mother Nature’s call first”, he laughed. “Nicolas’s explanation was too long and I’ve been holding it since he started. Don’t worry, I’ll be there before the strategizing starts, with clean hands, of course.”

The assembly progressed without any problems. Using the map they possess and thanks to the survey team that found the enemy, formulating an attack strategy was easy. The other knights and Hunter can’t help but be in awe as Alvor, the knight they all look up to, discussed the plan.

Anton could not help but laugh as he watched his men, fangirling over the esteemed hero of Gregoria, “What are you? A girl who has a crush?”, he sighed, making the whole table laugh before each were assigned their roles.

“Listen, our target is the old Mansion of the ruined family of Haybron. Since it’s situated near the coast, once we covered all of their points of exit, they’ll have no choice but to either face us or retreat to the coast. They’ve already claimed countless lives from this continent; they’re not something that could be taken lightly. Donnor and Prince Nicolas would try to talk to the Lord and ask them to assist us but we can’t really count on them. So, I want everyone to be prepared.”

With the combined thinking of Aton and Alvor, the strategy meeting ended with a final decision that’s both practical and efficient.

Alisa was on her way back to the cabin after she helped clean the mess they left at the cave when she saw a sneaking silhouette behind the shrubs and bushes. She hastily put off the fire of her lamp, crouching on the ground, depending on the moon that’s occasionally covered by clouds.

Its suspicious glances while surveying the area made her curious. Navigating the forest is not an easy task; she needed to avoid even the smallest branch to make sure her position wouldn’t be unveiled. As she kept a close tail behind the silhouette, she later realized that it’s a person wearing a hooded cloak.

“Can’t you go any faster?”, Alisa heard another voice at the near front of the entity.

She kept on following them, hiding from tree to tree until they reached an unfamiliar part of the woods that she never explored herself. With the two figures coming to a halt, she too found a place to hide, her hands clasping together, prepared to take them down if something happens.

“Do you understand?”, the other figure exclaimed.

A nervous bop of the other’s head said he understood what it was. “Tomorrow, be silent...”, Alisa heard another gist of the conversation. She wanted to lean in closer but the thick clouds finally let the moonlight out.

Her eyes went wide as she took a peek, The person she was tailing laid down his hood and showed a familiar face, “Hunter? What is he doing”, she whispered to herself. Confused and shocked by what she saw, she quickly headed back to where she left the lamp and pretended to be a passerby that’s having trouble with her unlit lamp.