Tyrus was in the worst mood possible, and it only soured more when he arrived at the foot of Wildwood, the hub of all the commotion. A crowd of treants formed a line, blocking his view of whatever they were dealing with. Spirits watching from the sidelines observed in silence and the moment they laid their eyes on Tyrus, a fairy hurried over and whispered something in their ears.

"The treant's cannot advance because the sorcerer wields fire."

The sorcerer wields fire? Tyrus couldn't recall the dark sorcerer using fire in their last encounter. Then again, fire is effective against treants and such, so he probably thought to take advantage of his opponent's weaknesses and strike right before the trees could attack or get closer.

"I don't mind using your branches as kindling, so come closer if you dare!" a voice yelled.

Tyrus immediately recognized the culprit and could only heave a sigh as he marched forward, willing the enchanted coat to change to its long form. The treants noticed him approaching and opened up a path, each one kneeling as soon as Tyrus passed them. Ignoring the embarrassing display, his eyes laid upon a red hair faced off against armless treant, flames dancing along his palms. Igneal finally caught sight of Tyrus approaching. A smile crept along the fire sorcerer's face, but that quickly dissipated.

"You," he said, while pointing at the treants, "why did they begin kneeling as soon as you arrived? Are you their king or something?"

Tyrus stopped in front of Igneal. "You're scaring the residents with your fire magic. Put it away."

The armless treant raised its head and said, "Do you know this flame caller, Tyrus?"

"Yeah, I know him, and I also know that he won't harm you guys. Right, Igneal?"

Igneal stood there in silence, his eyes settling on the treants, the spirits flying around, and then back to Tyrus. At first, Tyrus thought Igneal would ignore him and go on a rampage against the treants because of what they were, all because of the look he had on his face. The Lockhart seemed to be annoyed, maybe even angry about the whole thing. But after a few seconds of staring each other down, Igneal clicked his tongue and waved away his flames.

"Since you asked nicely, I'll forget this ever happened," Igneal said.

Before he could continue his usual boasting, Tyrus interjected. "What are you doing here? You don't seem like the type to take a casual stroll through a forest."

Igneal scoffed and said, "My sister has been trying to find out where you are. Once I heard about her actions, I knew you must have left Valis. So, I asked the patrols near the gates if someone who looked like you had left. It was easy to find you after that."

Smiling, he glanced at the kneeling treants and chuckled. "To think you were here, getting along with beasts and spirits. Then again, that is not surprising after what happened in the Wasteful Wetlands. I'm beginning to think you favor these creatures more than humans."

Tyrus had the option to disagree and defend himself, but he remained silent. "Favor" wasn't the right word to describe his feelings in this situation. He simply preferred this environment over city life, at least for now. With time, he was confident that he would become accustomed to cities like Valis or Valiedge. Additionally, the mana quality in the sanctuary was truly unparalleled. It was the most incredible sensation he had ever encountered, like a man dying of thirst stumbling upon a pristine lake and eagerly drinking every drop.

Of course, he'd never mention the sanctuary and Elder Treant to Igneal. Not only had he not earned the right, but he would be betraying Elder Treant's trust by exposing its identity. It was already too late for the others, which was out of his control. Hopefully, the big treant would forgive him. What he can do now is divert Igneal's attention away.

"You said Fiona is looking for me? Is something the matter?"

"Hell if I know," Igneal said with a shrug. "She's waiting in the Explorer Guild with a dumb look on her face."

"Alright, I'll head over there now." Tyrus turned to the treants with an apologetic smile. "Sorry guys, but I'll be gone for the time being. Don't know for how long, though. Tell the others I'll be back whenever I get the chance."

"Yes, Savior!" they shouted in unison.

One by one, the treants rose from their positions, their bodies creaking and branches rustling against the breeze. A noise like distant thunder pounded the air as the mighty footsteps of a dozen treants marched away from Tyrus and scattered off into the forest. As soon as the quaking ground and tremors ceased, alongside the disappearance of the buzzing green lights, Tyrus turned to Igneal.

"They dislike it when humans get too close. I made the same mistake before, and it wasn't easy getting on their good side."

"I'd rather live as a commoner than get along with those creatures."

"Hey, they aren't all bad once you get to know them. They're a great help in whatever issues you may have."

Igneal rolled his eyes and pointed behind him. "It's time to get out of this forest. I didn't come all the way out here for sightseeing. I've had enough of smelling dung while I made my way here. Those treants ought to clean up the place."

"I don't think they care all that much," Tyrus muttered as Igneal walked away. He didn't know long he'd be gone for, so hopefully it wasn't anything serious. Whenever he returned, he should make a note to immediately get to training his body and magic.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Tyrus gazed beyond the treetops, his eyes fixed on the speckled sky. Fluffy clouds loomed in the distance, gradually casting a growing shadow over the forest. A storm was approaching, and it seemed to be an especially fierce one, judging by the ominously dark clouds. It wouldn't be much time before lightning illuminated the sky and the rumble of thunder crept in. Thunderstorms were always something he despised.

Speaking of despise, there was also the matter with his new element. It sucked that he gained the dark element without meaning to. Even worse was that it was a power that was loathed, which was understandable given what the dark sorcerer was capable of. To Tyrus, it seemed extremely dangerous to wield in front of others lest he gives off the wrong impression.

His reputation amongst the explorers was shaky at best. Their stares at times were nothing short of skin crawling. Best to lie low and never mention it to anyone. Nothing good would come out of using it in their eyes. Still, that doesn't mean he'll neglect using the dark element. Out of the bad he witnessed, maybe there were some excellent uses among the element. Fire can be extremely dangerous as well, but it still had its practical uses.

"I should catch up with Igneal before he comes and yells at me," he mumbled.

***

The streets of Valis were surprisingly less crowded than usual. There were noticeably fewer carriages traversing the roads. Every now and then, a man would pass by, pulling a wagon filled with herbs, fruits, and trinkets. The annoying vendors that used to swarm the plaza and streets had disappeared, leaving their stalls either gone or concealed under tarps. The baking chambers had all been meticulously cleaned, with just a faint hint of ash and crumbs remaining. Only the permanent structures, namely the bakeries and clothing stores, remained open. People hurriedly walked in and out of these establishments, their strides filled with a sense of urgency from the coming storm.

Either way, doors slammed, and a handful of voices mingled with rolling wheels and hooves clopping. Those birds that pulled wagons instead of horses would sometimes squawk whenever someone got too close or their owners pulled on their harnesses. What were those creatures anyway? In fact, the only ones who owned those beasts were folks who wore rags that covered most of their bodies, leaving only their faces exposed. Now that he thought about it, they reminded him of that Zephyr guy. Maybe they were related in some way and hailed from the same area.

As Tyrus passed by the alleyways, he glanced at his side, frowning at Igneal. A thought occurred to him during their walk: where was Sir Wayne? Usually that man would follow Igneal around as if he were his guardian, but he was nowhere in sight, and that worried Tyrus a little bit.

"Where's that guy who follows you around?" Tyrus asked.

"Are you referring to Sir Wayne? I sent him away on an errand just before leaving the city. I despise when I'm constantly monitored. It alludes to the assumption that I require a guardian to protect me at all times, which just isn't true. Still, Sir Wayne is pretty useful to have around, given that most of my servants are back in Lockhart territory."

"Servants? How many servants do you have in total?"

Igneal pondered the question, tapping his chin. "I have no idea. There are just too many of them to count, and to be frank, I couldn't care less about keeping track. They are simply commoners whose sole purpose is to enhance my standard of living. Fortunately, they have been serving the Lockharts adequately and understand their place within the family, so that's something, I suppose."

Well, that wasn't the answer he was hoping to hear, but it was reassuring to know that Sir Wayne wasn't around when Igneal barged into Wildwood. That man most definitely would've attacked the treants at the slightest hint of danger. Tyrus could still remember Sir Wayne's blade just a hairbreadth away from his neck when he defeated Igneal. Just the thought of it causes a tingling sensation to run down his neck.

As Tyrus rubbed his neck, they arrived at the Explorer Guild. Through the giant windows that occupied the first floor, there weren't that many explorers lounging around, maybe around fifteen. Most of them were chatting at the tables or were pursuing the contract board. As for the receptionist, she appeared to be handling paperwork that covered most of the table's surface, muttering to herself as her pen glided across the papers. No sign of Fiona or the others, though.

"Tch. He's back already?" Igneal mumbled.

Tyrus turned to see Sir Wayne appearing from a nearby alley, holding a small sack with red apples sticking out. The man waved toward Igneal, yet when his gaze landed on Tyrus, there was an unmistakable hint of a glare before his neutral mask was instantly reformed. Not wanting to deal with Sir Wayne, Tyrus hurried into the Explorer Guild before the man could reach him and closed the large doors with a bang. Everyone seated at the tables stopped their conversations and turned.

At the drop of a hat, a handful of them shot Tyrus an icy glare that could freeze a forest in a matter of a day. His enchanted coat was in its long form at the moment, doing a great job of covering his tail and ears. At the end of the day, that didn't truly matter since they were already aware of what he was. Still, it would take some time to get used to walking around without hiding his features. Breaking out of habits were difficult to overcome.

He ignored the glances and swept his gaze around the place, and immediately spotted Blue Dawn huddled around a table, their backs turned. Sprawled out on their table was a sizable piece of paper. The three sorcerers appeared to be going over some sort of notes, pointing and speaking in hushed voices. They probably hadn't noticed him enter the guild, too busy to even look up from their business.

Tyrus was about to walk up to them until he heard chairs screech against the floor. One after another, the explorers glaring at him earlier stood up and stomped over to Tyrus, each one holding a disgusting smirk across their faces. The one that stood up first and approached him was a man who seemed to be in his thirties; a grizzled face with his auburn hair cut short and a plain, metal blade hung at his left hip. The other ones, two of them to be exact, were around the same age, maybe a few years younger, both male with sandy brown hair. Tyrus could only sigh when they crowded around him, snickering like hyenas.

"Well if it isn't the Demi-human brat!" said the grizzled man. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face here. This place really has gone to shit if they're allowing brats to apply. What are you, seven? Eight?"

Tyrus remained silent and tried to walk past the loud men, yet one of them grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him back. For a moment, a tinge of anger flared inside Tyrus, but he bit the corner of his lips to calm himself. It would do him no favors to fight back.

The one who had grabbed Tyrus shoulders chuckled. "Filthy beasts like you should run along back to wherever you came from. Really, what was Branch Leader Selena thinking in recommending weaklings like you? Does she think a mere kid is better than us adults? She might as well as spat on our faces in electing you and that Lockhart brat."

The three of them snickered in unison and looked at one another, as if satisfied in bullying a little kid. It was sickening and their stench wafted in his direction, causing him to scowl. On a brighter note, Blue Dawn had taken notice of him by now and were moving from their table, until the door behind Tyrus burst open and in came Igneal.

In a heartbeat, the building grew silent enough to hear a scuttling rat. With a face unreadable expression, Igneal strolled forward and stopped in front of the assumed leader of the group. Slowly, he inclined his head and pointed at the man, who flinched at the action.

"I must have some wax in my ears. Please, do repeat yourself and this time, say it clearly. Who are the weaklings, exactly?"