'Emergency quest...' Arlo thought to himself, his heart pounding as he stared at the monstrous creature before them. 'That might just be the best way to describe this situation.'

Petrified by fear, the group watched as the Wyvern rose from the chamber, its menacing growl reverberating through the room before it unleashed a powerful roar that shook them to their core.

"L-Liam, take formation," Argus muttered.

Liam, however, remained frozen in place, his eyes wide with terror as he gazed upon the Wyvern. The creature cocked its head back, its throat swelling and glowing a bright, ominous red as a bulge began to move up its neck.

"Liam!" Argus yelled, snapping Liam out of his trance.

Quickly, Liam stepped forward, raising his shield to brace for the impending impact. In that instant, the Wyvern thrust its head forward, releasing a massive surge of flames that burst forth from its mouth with incredible force.

[Defence Manipulation: Spherical Shield.]

A glowing blue barrier materialized in the air before them, taking the shape of a spherical shield that completely enveloped the group, pushing back against the Wyvern's flame breath.

From within the protective confines of the barrier, all they could see was an unrelenting wave of flames passing around them, showing no signs of abating.

Despite the barrier's protection, the searing heat still managed to penetrate the magical shield, making them feel as though they were being scorched alive.

"Argus, what's the plan? At this rate, we'll be grilled alive in here!" Alexander exclaimed.

All eyes turned to Argus, who stood with cold sweat pouring down his face. It was the first time Arlo had seen him so visibly unnerved.

"We've got no choice but to fight," Argus muttered. "The door was closed off, taking away our only means of escape. Even if we did manage to break free from this room, we can't take on the horde of winged serpents waiting for us outside..." With those words, Argus closed his eyes..

As Argus closed his eyes, the group fell silent. Arlo watched intently as Argus slowly opened his eyes, revealing an intense, radiant glow. Unlike the faint glimmer that typically accompanied the use of abilities, Argus's eyes shone with a bright glow.

[Foresight Control Maximum Output: 5 seconds.]

Without uttering a word, Argus entered a state of deep concentration, his gaze fixed upon the raging flames before him. The longer he stared, the greater the strain appeared to be, his eyes slowly turning a deep shade of red. Despite the pain, he persisted, unwavering in his determination.

Arlo began to wonder how much longer Argus could maintain this state when, at last, he closed his eyes, his breath coming in heavy gasps.

"Alexander, on my signal, charge," Argus muttered, catching his breath as he readied his dagger.

"So, we're really doing this..." Alexander nervously replied, gripping his sword tightly.

"A-Argus, I can't hold on much longer," Liam stammered, falling to one knee.

"Just hold on... a little longer..." Argus urged. "And Liam, keep Arlo and Arlene safe."

The seconds ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. On the third second, Argus yelled, "Now!"

As Liam released the barrier, the waves of flames dissipated, allowing Argus and Alexander to dart forward, weapons in hand. Despite the overwhelming fear coursing through their veins, they charged directly at the wyvern, its eyes glaring at them as traces of flames flickered from its mouth.

Upon reaching the beast, the two circled the wyvern, searching for openings.

[Wind Manipulation: Wind Step.]

Alexander was the first to strike, using the wind to propel himself beneath the wyvern's snapping jaws. He slashed at the creature's legs while Argus, utilizing his speed and foresight, maneuvered behind the monster, targeting its vulnerable spots.

*Clank!*

Their eyes widened in shock as their weapons failed to penetrate the wyvern's armored, scaly hide, sparks flying as the blades glanced off its impenetrable surface.

“Wha-”

Alexander's words were abruptly cut off as the wyvern's tail lashed out, sending him tumbling across the temple floor.

"Alexander!" Argus yelled, narrowly avoiding the tail by sliding beneath it before striking at the monster's underbelly.

Despite targeting one of the most vulnerable spots on the wyvern's body, Argus's attack only managed to inflict a small cut, further enraging the beast as it charged at him.

The wyvern's agility belied its size, its jaws snapping at Argus repeatedly as it pursued him relentlessly. Even with his foresight ability, Argus found himself struggling to keep pace with the creature's movements.

Just as it seemed the wyvern was about to catch him, a volley of arrows whistled through the air, released by Arlene's steady hand.

Although the arrows failed to pierce the monster's hide, they exploded upon impact, creating a cloud of dust and debris. As the dust settled, the wyvern emerged unscathed, but the distraction had provided Argus with the opportunity he needed.

Quickly flanking the beast, Argus ran up its back and thrust his dagger deep into its right eye.

"Roaaar!"

The wyvern's deafening roar echoed through the temple as Argus drove the dagger deeper. With a powerful swing of its head, the wyvern launched Argus across the room, his body crashing into the temple wall before crumpling to the floor.

Argus struggled to stand, only to collapse once more, the attack having left him severely injured and unable to move.

Helpless, he could only watch as the towering monster charged straight at him, its wings flapping furiously to generate more speed.

At the last moment, Alexander's figure flashed past, propelled by a surge of wind. Grabbing Argus, he dashed out of the wyvern's path, the beast crashing into the wall behind them.

As the wyvern recovered and began its pursuit, Alexander carried Argus towards Liam, Arlene, and Arlo, desperate to regroup and heal their injuries.

The wyvern's speed far surpassed that of the injured Alexander, who was pushing his core to its limits, using every ounce of energy to propel them towards safety.

'Come on, faster! Faster!' Alexander screamed inwardly as the wyvern closed in on them.

[Defense Manipulation: Spherical Shield.]

Crash!

The wyvern's charge was abruptly halted as it collided with a large, glowing barrier that materialized around the group. By sheer luck, Argus and Alexander had reached their companions just in time, but both were critically wounded.

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The wyvern let out another deafening roar as it launched a relentless assault on the barrier, whipping its tail and snapping its jaws. Despite the onslaught, the barrier held strong, with only a few cracks appearing across its surface.

While Liam focused on maintaining the barrier against the wyvern's attacks, Arlene focused her attention to the fallen Argus and Alexander. Their injuries were severe, Alexander's left arm was broken, and Argus's right leg was badly twisted.

"Heal Argus first, don't worry about me," Alexander urged.

"Don't listen to him, I can't win this without him-" Argus's words were cut short as he began to cough up blood.

Ignoring their pleas, Arlene concentrated, placing her hands on their chests. Her eyes emitted a faint golden glow as a bright light emanated from her palms, enveloping their bodies.

[Regenerative Control: Regeneration.]

Arlo watched in silent awe as Arlene's ability took effect, the light from her hands spreading over Argus and Alexander's bodies, mending their wounds at an astonishing rate.

Within seconds, their conditions improved dramatically, their broken arm and twisted leg returning to normal.

'They're recovering quickly, but...' Arlo's gaze shifted from the healing pair to Liam, who stood at the front, straining to maintain the shield. 'It's not fast enough...'

The wyvern, fueled by rage, continued its relentless assault on the barrier, causing more and more cracks to spread across its surface. Time was running out.

Just when they thought their situation couldn't worsen, the wyvern began to flap its wings, stirring up a whirlwind of dust as it took to the air.

"Don't let it take flight!" Argus yelled, struggling to his feet, having partially recovered from his injuries.

But it was too late. The wyvern had already ascended, its head cocked back as its throat swelled and glowed with a bright, ominous red. Unlike before, when it had released its flames immediately, the creature continued to gather fire within its maw, causing its throat to expand even further.

Seeing this, everyone's hearts sank. With the wyvern airborne, Argus and Alexander had no means of attacking it, and the beast could now launch an endless barrage of attacks upon them.

However, a single, devastating blast would be all it took, as both Liam and his shield seemed to be reaching their limit.

'...Yeah, this battle is lost-'

Arlo's thought was abruptly cut off as the wyvern thrust its head forward, releasing a massive surge of flames that burst forth from its mouth with incredible force.

Liam stood strong, pouring every last ounce of energy and strength into maintaining the barrier.

"A-Argus... a-any ideas?" he asked, his voice trembling as he dropped to one knee. "I-I don't think I'll be able to hold on this time..."

Once again, all eyes turned to Argus, desperately seeking guidance. But this time, there wasn't a glimmer of fighting spirit within him.

"Sorry... everyone... I've got nothing..." Argus admitted, his voice heavy with shame.

His words hit them like a truck. They had known their situation was dire, but hearing their leader admit defeat truly drove home the hopelessness of their situation..

'...He's given up,' Arlo thought to himself..

"So this is the end, huh... well, I can’t think of a cooler way to go out.," Alexander muttered, attempting to inject a bit of humor into their final moments.

"L-Losing to a wyvern... I-I d-don’t want to die…" Liam added, a sense of despair washing over him.

Arlene remained silent, her hands clenched into fists as she lowered her head. "It's all because I was too weak..." she muttered, her voice barely audible above the roar of the wyvern's flames.

Arlo watched from behind, his eyes hollow as memories of his past flashed before him.

'They put up a good fight, but it's over... they're going to die. I secretly put my barrier up while they were focused on the fight, without any of them noticing. Even after they all die, I should be fine... I'll be fine...'

Arlo clutched his grimoire tightly, his teeth clenched as he grappled with his inner turmoil.

'So why do I feel this way...?' he wondered, his heart heavy with conflicting emotions. 'I've already decided not to help them... If I intervene, I risk exposing the existence of magic. If that happens, it won't only be me, but my family will be put at risk too.'

Arlo lowered his head, his entire body trembling as he wrestled with the consequences of his potential actions.

'I'm not ready... I'm not ready to deal with those consequences... I can't do it. I'm not a hero. I can't risk the safety of those I care about for strangers I just met today... I'm sorry, but you'll have to die-'

Arlo's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Argus's voice cut through the chaos, addressing him directly.

"Arlo... I'm sorry for putting you in this situation... I'm really sorry..." Argus muttered, turning to face Arlo with a sorrowful expression. “I’m the one who got you in this mess… I shouldn’t have brought you here…”

"...I'm… I’m also sorry for the way I treated you. You did a great job," Arlene added, her back still turned to Arlo.

"It was only temporary, but we were glad to have you as a member of our party," Argus continued, a bright smile gracing his features.

Liam and Alexander both nodded, in agreement.

As their words reached him, Arlo's eyes widened, and a flood of painful memories from his old party came crashing down upon him, the emotions he had long suppressed surging to the surface.

Without another word, Arlo silently lowered his head. Seeing this, Argus turned his attention back to Liam, whose entire body trembled from exhaustion.

"I... I can't hold... sorry, everyone-"

Liam's words were cut short as his barrier shattered. In that moment, they all closed their eyes, bracing themselves for the searing pain of being burned alive.

"..."

But oddly enough, the pain never came. Confused, they opened their eyes, only to find themselves surrounded by a large, spherical yellow barrier.

"Liam! You still had energy left?!" Arlene asked, her voice a mixture of surprise and relief.

"N-No, it's not me..." Liam replied before collapsing to the ground, his body drained of all strength.

His words left everyone puzzled, but before anyone could question further, the sound of footsteps echoed behind them as Arlo slowly walked past, making his way to the front of the barrier.

“Ha...” Arlo sighed inwardly before turning to face the group, his gaze hollow and determined. "Decide now if you want to live… Do you swear to keep everything that’s about to happen to yourself?"

"Huh?" Arlene blurted out, with a confused look. "What're you-"

"I swear," Argus responded quickly, his voice firm and resolute.

"I also swear," Alexander added, his tone equally steadfast.

"I don't know what's happening, but... I swear too..." Liam muttered from the floor, struggling to catch his breath.

"Arlene." Arlo called out to her, his gaze cold and unwavering.

Startled by Arlo's sudden change in demeanor, Arlene flinched. "What's with you? Why are you looking at us like that?" she demanded.

Arlo seemed unaware of the cold expression he wore until she pointed it out.

"Ah... right. Sorry. I remembered something unpleasant..." Arlo slowly turned around, his eyes fixed on the flames crashing against the barrier. "My last party died, you see... I should've died with them but instead of helping them, I ran. I ran for my life..."

Arlo lowered his head, staring at the open grimoire in his hand before continuing. "I don't want to run away again... so I'll ask one last time. Do you swear?"

After hearing this, Arlene unclenched her fists and responded. “...Fine, I swear.”

"Alright, then just sit tight in here," Arlo said as the surge of flames continued to pass around them.

The group watched in astonishment as the barrier split into two the moment Arlo stepped out, a smaller barrier enveloping him as he disappeared into the sea of flames.

Inside the raging inferno, Arlo glanced back in the direction he had come from. The flames obscured his view of the others, just as they were unable to see him.

'Those guys still haven't realized that what I'm using is magic. They probably think it's my ability, but they're not entirely sure,' Arlo thought to himself as he began flipping through the pages of his grimoire, searching for a new spell. 'I need something to block their view from inside the barrier so they can't see me using magic. And I need to find it quickly before the Wyvern's flame attack dissipates-'

Arlo's thoughts were abruptly cut short as his eyes landed on a page containing exactly what he was looking for. Without hesitation, he began chanting the incantation.

-

"That guy... what the hell happened to him, wasn’t he just an F-Rank Hunter?" Arlene asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. "And what's with that sudden change in his attitude?! And-"

"Hey, something strange is happening," Liam muttered from within the barrier, his gaze fixed on the barrier itself.

Everyone's attention turned to the barrier as they watched a veil of darkness slowly begin to envelop it, obscuring their view of the events unfolding outside.

"W-What is this?!" Arlene exclaimed, visibly startled by the unexpected development.

[Intermediate Class Dark Magic: Dark Veil.]