I nodded as I listened to Lana recount what had happened in detail. Her team of 'explorers' had gotten wind of the appearance of an unknown knight with magical abilities, unlike anything anyone had ever seen.

His usage of mana was strange, to say the least. That was understandable, however, since the knight seemed to be possessed by a Shade. Or so it seemed from the description Lana gave. It appeared that he would occasionally gain instants of clarity when he takes over his body from the Shade's control.

This made me wonder, how did things end up this way for the knight in the first place? And how did a Shade end up attached to him? From Lana's description, it did not seem to be that strong, at least not something I was incapable of handling. If anything the Shade seemed weak. Perhaps it was forced to take refuge in the knight's body in order to survive.

His weakness could potentially explain how his presence went unnoticed by the dragons. It was simply too insignificant.

"I see," I nodded as she finished her explanation before I turned my gaze to the collapsed blonde knight by her side.

Lana subconsciously glanced at the mana stone in her hand that she was going to use to heal the knight before she turned to me with an ashamed expression, "Please forgive me, my lord. I did not get to participate in the ascension ceremony so my magic is still lacking. I can only use these."

Hearing that, I shook my head in dismissal, "It doesn't matter. But I doubt you would be able to save your companion with just that, he is barely holding on as it is."

Lana's eyes widened at my words as she hastily turned to grab the collapsed knight and held his head up with her hand, "Damn it, Shane! Stay with me! You are going to be alright, you hear?"

She then turned her gaze toward me and lowered her head, "My lord, I beg for your mercy, please help me save him," she pleaded.

"Hmm" I didn't answer and instead reached out to the abundant water elements in our surroundings, the mana quickly started to conjure around the knight's body. It rushed up to his wounds, as a soft blue hew began to surround him.

Lana watched in awe as the knight's injuries closed at a rate visible to the naked eye. His pale face regained its color before his eyes slowly opened. He seemed confused as he stared at Lana's face for a second.

"Lana-" His words were cut short as he noticed my massive figure looming behind them.

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"D-D-Dragon!" Unable to believe the sight before him, the knight's eyes rolled back before we fell unconscious in shock.

A chuckle escaped my mouth at his reaction. Lana on the other hand seemed embarrassed by her companion's action and quickly bowed her head.

"I apologize for his disrespectful behavior my lord, we have been through a lot, and it seems like the stress finally got to him."

I shook my head before replying, "I don't mind."

"Thank you, my lord."

I nodded before raising my head to look out across the open snow-covered plain, I couldn't help but furrow my brow in frustration. There was no sign of the shade. It seemed like when the human side of the knight takes over, the aura of the shade disappears completely making it impossible to pinpoint its location.

Turning my gaze to Lana, I noticed that she was still holding the unconscious knight in her hand. She looked up at me with concern in her eyes, "What should we do, my lord?"

I quickly shook my head, "There is no we. You need to leave, while I will head to hunt the Shade."

"Leave, but-"

"You will only be a burden if you stay. Besides, you still have your companion to take care of."

Hearing that, Lana frowned and glared at the unconscious knight for a few seconds before she took a deep breath to calm herself and nod. "I understand, I will head back to the church's headquarters."

"En, good."

As I prepared to take flight, Lana suddenly spoke hesitantly, "My lord..."

"Hmm, what is it?"

"About the ascension ceremony... I-"

"I see you still haven't given up."

"I'm sorry, my lord, but I just can't."

"So be it, your wish, I'll grant it. Though whether or not you will survive will be up to you."

Her eyes beamed with gratitude as she hurriedly nodded and bowed.

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, my lord!"

"Now go, you may use that," I motioned with my head to the mana stone before continuing, "To run away. I'll handle the bastard."

With a final nod, Lana rummaged through the knight's pockets and took out two more mana stones, she then placed the one in her hand along with the other on the ground surrounding them in a circle before she walked over to the dead body of her other companion and dragged him along with her toward the inside of the circle before she reached out to the mana.

I frowned as the elements unwillingly rushed to the mana stone, their fundamental affinity changing visibly. Lana must have noticed my dissatisfaction as she quickly flashed me an apologetic smile. The elements continued to gather toward the mana stones for a few minutes before a sudden flash of light appeared followed by the disappearance of Lana and the knight.

"Oh, that's an interesting spell." It wasn't teleportation, instead, it was more correct to call it a movement spell of sorts. Lana and the knight did not teleport, instead, they moved so fast that it appeared as if they did. Still, with my affinity for the elements it was easy for me to figure out what happened.

I was tempted to try the spell for myself, though I wasn't sure what element would be best to use it with. 'Water? No. Earth? Not that either. Darkness might do the trick, but I'm not sure. Cosmic... Too dangerous and unstable to try.'

I shook my head to rid myself of the sudden distracting thoughts before I shot to the sky. I still had a Shade to hunt.

I first started by scanning the area around where I found Lana and her companions, before I widened the range.

"Where are you, you sneaky bastard?"