Osiris used his unbroken hand to grab onto the ground and clawed his way towards Carter. He was determined, no, needed, to be near the mystical child at all costs.

Osiris felt a burning pain in his stomach, and the image of the smiling madman flashed in his mind. He knew that this child was the only one who could help him. "If I can just reach Carter," he thought, "I might be able to hold on a little longer."

The scene fell silent as Carter and the man with burning white flames interacted. Everyone present wondered how they knew each other.

Vanir firmly grasped Carter's wrist, determined to prevent the child from dashing off toward the unfamiliar man crawling toward them.

“Carter! Stop! We need to leave! He is too dangerous!” Vanir screamed, but it seemed that the child would rather face the danger of meeting this man than listen to him.

The boy screamed, "Osiris!" fervently, struggling to break free from Vanir's hold.

Arc gazed with interest at the scene of Carter and Vanir, his smile widening. He directed his attention back to the man, slowly crawling toward the pair, and wondered, "I wonder what would happen if I let him approach the child? That would certainly make things more intriguing."

Arc glanced at the group by the carriage; instantly, the smile vanished, “VANIR!”

Vanir glared at Arc, urging him to finish so they could leave. Suddenly, he felt warmth behind him and heard Arc screaming, causing Vanir to turn and look behind him.

A mesmerizing white flame floated and flickered, illuminating the space inside the royal carriage in a blinding white light. Without warning, the flame erupted in a violent explosion, sending shrapnel and flames flying in all directions.

Echo and Char were too slow to shield Vanir and Carter from the explosion, but Vanir was able to guard Carter. The blast of flames and shrapnel launched Vanir and Carter, soaring through the air. Vanir landed with a dense thud and a shriek of pain as a large chunk of shrapnel pierced through his back, stabbing into Carter.

Echo and Char ran over, trying to figure out how to help the duo.

“Help Car…” Vanir tried to scream a demand at the pair, gawking at him with dumb looks, but blood pooled in his mouth as he tried to talk, causing him to cough violently.

“VANIR!” Arc and Nesha screamed at the same time.

Arc whipped his head around, “You Seedling! How could you!” he said as his foot smashed through the stomach of the man crawling away,

Osiris grunted as he felt his life seed being crushed.

“Finally, I will be released from that madman,” That was the first thought that crossed his mind, but it shifted almost instantly, “I don’t want to die!” He screamed as white flames began to billow out of him once more; the once green eyes were gone, replaced with pure white.

Arc, Nesha, and Sivie jolted, moving as fast as they could, “This lunatic is going to explode his essence art seed!” Sivie screamed at the others.

Upon arriving in front of the group, Arc quickly assessed Carter and Vanir's conditions. It seemed that Carter had suffered only a superficial wound, while Vanir's central heart had been pierced and required immediate attention.

“Arc!” Vanir screamed as blood splashed out of his mouth, “Take Carter and run!”

“Quiet!” Arc shouted. He turned around, looking at the growing flames as they exploded in slow motion, “How do I handle this?”

Arc started to emit a glow, preparing for something, but before he could, a shadow suddenly leaped in front of him.

a feminine shout sounded from the shadow, “Autumn Gale!” Suddenly, a strong gust of wind emerged from the movement of Nesha's blade, splitting the growing explosion and diverting it around the group.

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Nesha stumbled backward but was caught by Sivie. "You did great, leader," whispered Sivie to Nesha, who was fainting.

At a distance, concealed in the shadows of a group of trees, a pair of silhouettes stood, intently observing the events.

One of the figures shook his head and exclaimed, "What a useless son!"

"Orion, you should feel grateful that this kid helped you get into the organization," the other person chuckled before shifting to an annoyed tone. "Those annoying metal races always seem to get in the way of our plans."

Orion spoke in a condescending, almost smug tone, “Is that how you refer to your family, shame.”

The other figure snorted, “No matter what you say, I refuse to acknowledge that I came from that race.”

Orion sighed as he turned to face the burning scene before him. "We've been searching for my son for almost six months now. It's hard to believe that this is where he ended up… Is this what they call destiny?"

The other man snorted, “He escaped your eyes, not the organization’s.”

“Oh?” Orion said in an escalating voice, “I expected nothing less.”

“I have already reported your incompetence to the higher-ups.”

“What? Why? I did what you wanted me to do! L-Look what I created!” Orion said in a panic, “Please, just think about how useful I am… I can make another like him. I-I already have the data… I can do it again.”

The figure gave a toothy sinister smile, “Come, Orion, we will be moving on to the next plan since this failed.”

Orion smiled in relief, “Yes, Arbiter.”

As Nesha was carefully laid down, Sivie felt a sense of relief wash over him. The situation they had just faced was nothing short of terrifying and deadly. Sivie couldn't help but feel grateful for Arc's arrival, as it likely prevented multiple casualties.

“AHHHHHHHHH!” A scream rang out from the smoldering ashes.

“HOW IS THAT THING STILL ALIVE!” Sivie jumped in fright at the shriek.

Arc remained silent and focused, waiting for the man to make a move.

In the smoldering ash stood a husk of a man, his body charred and falling apart; his pure white eyes were unfocused, and flames fell out of his mouth like water. With every breath he took, smoke billowed in and out. The pair stood ready, but when they saw the once-broken arm fall and turn to dust and motes of green light, they knew this battle was over.

The man took a long and slow step, his still attached arm stretching out to the boy, who stared at him emotionlessly, “I see they got you too, little one,” he whispered to himself.

The leg the man had put his weight on fell apart, turning into dust and motes of green light, but he still reached for the child, “Carter, please sa…m…e…” the whispers of a dying seedling that were never heard.

Carter remained silent, his head turned to the side while he lay on top of Vanir. A pillar of green light slowly illuminated above the withering Seedling, marking the end of his life.

Arc stood rooted in place as he stared at the growing green light; his fists were clenched so tight blood could be seen dripping.

“Is this really the difference one level can make,” Arc muttered as he looked at Nesha, who lay unconscious on the ground before him, “If so, then what is a nine-star capable of?”

Just like the two hidden in the shadows, two other figures stood watching the scene; the only difference is they stood in the open with their white clothes billowing in the wind.

“Six thousand years,” one of the figures said with sadness as they fell to their knees, “I followed every clue and looked under every rock, but…”

“Grandmaster Hermes,” the other figure said, their hand hovering over Hermes's shoulder, unsure what to do to comfort him.

“Why is everything so unfair?” Hermes asked, tears falling from his green eyes, “I just wanted to give him… I wanted him… I wanted him to live, just to live a normal life of the Divine Race… something that I knew he would not have… I-I knew what kind of hardships he would face as someone who was close to Orion…but…”

“Grandmaster Hermes, it has nothing to do with you. It has to do with his cursed ancestry and the mutations that happened from the Burning Light Race. You and he are innocent in this. If anything, just blame fate.” the figure said, kneeling beside Hermes.

“Burning Light Race! Burning Ash Race!” Hermes said with gritted teeth, “How many more of these races will keep cropping up! They are becoming more and more prevalent. Is the Goddess of Life punishing us?”

Hermes stood up, wiping the tears from his face, “It seems like we need to take drastic measures then…” Hermes looked up at Morin in the sky and sighed, “Execute the Burning Light Race, leave no survivors… We cannot have another Orion or Osiris… and if another race like them crops up, repeat that action.”

“Grandmaster Hermes, is this not a little extreme?”

“Yes, but it is something that needs to be done, and as a grandmaster, my words are enough. I will hold all responsibility for this… and I will be the one to investigate all the races to ensure that something like Osiris never happens again.