“Kai, drink some water!” Delphine’s voice was laced with urgency as she extended a bottle of water towards Kai, her concern evident in her eyes.
With each laboured breath, Kai accepted the bottle. Slowly, he unscrewed the cap and brought the bottle to his lips, allowing the refreshing liquid to trickle down his throat, providing some relief to his parched and strained voice. Meanwhile, Timmy moved to his side, gently rubbing Kai’s tense back in a soothing gesture of support.
Beside him, Selene stood, her worry etched across her features as she watched Kai with a furrowed brow.
As Kai’s breathing gradually steadied, it became apparent that there were no more severe internal injuries, indicating that Aether was likely unharmed.
Once Kai had calmed down, Delphine posed the crucial question. “Can you feel the connection?”
Kai understood the significance of her inquiry now. It pertained to the bond between him and Aether, forged by the Contract. Regardless of the distance separating them, Kai possessed the ability to sense Aether’s whereabouts.
Closing his eyes, Kai focused inward, reaching out with his senses to grasp the intangible thread that bound them together.
If Aether knew about this….. He would feel really disgusted!!
‘sssshhh’
The scene unfolded with a sudden intensity, a white-coloured light pulsating through the wire, seeking its endpoint. But before it could reach its destination, “AAAHHH!!” Kai’s cry of distress echoed through the room, his expression contorted in agony.
“Young Master!!” Timmy’s voice rang out in alarm, his eyes wide with fear.
“-ha-I-I am fine-ha-” Kai gasped, his breathing ragged as he struggled to regain his composure. With a wry expression, he admitted, “I cannot sense him.”
“W-What? Are you sure?” Delphine’s brow furrowed in concern, her worry evident in her tone.
“Y-Yes. When I tried to reach out, I was met with… darkness. I am not sure how to say this but….” Kai explained, his voice tinged with uncertainty, “It felt like a void, a place where nothing enters and…. nothing leaves.” He squinted, attempting to make sense of the unsettling experience, his mind grappling with the implications. ‘It worked before, but what now…?’ he wondered, a sense of unease settling over him.
“Okay, take it easy,” Delphine comforted Kai, her hand gentle as she patted his head. With a reassuring smile, she continued, “We will search for him.”
“B-But I think he will come here–”
Before Kai could finish his sentence, Delphine’s expression hardened, her gaze piercing as she interrupted him, “I think you are underestimating the s.i.g.n.i.f.i.c.a.n.c.e of the Eternal Contract, Kai! It’s not something to be taken lightly. And if anything were to happen to him… we cannot predict the consequences for you.”
“B-But, M-Master Velc said, Young Master will be fine even if Ether died,” Timmy interjected, his voice tinged with dissatisfaction.
‘…’ Delphine fixed Timmy with a steady gaze, her silence speaking volumes as if to convey, ‘You have some nerve to dare to question me.’
Nevertheless, she eventually responded her tone firm, “Yes, even if Aether were to perish, Kai would not meet the same fate. However… he would be forever bound by the consequences of enslaving someone… Eternally!!”
“What are the consequences then?” Selene’s voice cut through the tension, her curiosity evident in her tone.
“…..I don’t know…. No one knows what exactly the punishment is because even in history, those who eternally enslaved someone… They didn’t… no, never lived a wonderful life,” Delphine admitted, her expression sombre as she avoided delving further into the grim topic.
Kai’s expression darkened with concern, his voice trembling as he voiced his fears. “B-But my father assured me that I would be safe as long as Ether is by my side!”
“…. Yes, you will be safe as long as…” Delphine trailed off, her gaze sweeping over their surroundings before she continued, “…Aether remains with you?”
“I don’t think it’s the right idea to delay anymore,” Selene asserted with a serious expression, her gaze fixed on Kai. “Brother, you can stay here in the hotel to rest while Aunt, Timmy, and I search for Eth– Him.”
Kai felt a surge of gratitude towards his determined sister. He knew that once Selene had made up her mind, there was no stopping her. With a silent nod, the group quickly divided.
….
…
“Aunt, where should we search first?” Selene inquired, her voice filled with determination.
However, Delphine’s thoughts were elsewhere, consumed by the enigma of the void Kai had described, ‘A void…ah? Where nothing enters and nothing leaves….hmm?’ She pondered the implications, trying to recall any few rare cases from the past where such phenomena had occurred…. But to her dismay, there was nothing like that.
‘Eternal contracts are ordained by the Almighty ‘Arcane,’ The Supreme Energy above all!! There should be no conceivable way for someone to disrupt it…’ Delphine’s brow furrowed with concern, her thoughts spiralling into darker conjectures. ‘Unless… someone has somehow surpassed the Almighty Arcane… or… Is Arcane the one who blo–‘ Her contemplations were abruptly interrupted by the sight of a group of injured individuals making their way towards the temple for healing.
With a furrowed brow, Delphine hastened towards them, Timmy and Selene trailing behind. However, she halted them with a gesture, indicating for them to stay put.
Timmy’s heart fluttered with anticipation as he stole a glance at Selene, his eagerness evident in his gaze.
‘I-I never had this kind of chance before. Come on, Timmy, this is your chance to get–‘ His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Selene’s voice.
“So, you guys let him sleep in that rotten place even knowing what it is?” Selene’s question hung in the air, though she didn’t direct her gaze towards Timmy.
Despite not expecting the question, Timmy felt a rush of happiness that Selene was engaging in conversation with him. With a determined nod, he replied, “As Young Master said before, we cannot allow that slave to sleep on the same ground as Young Master.”
Silence settled between them for a moment before Selene muttered under her breath, her words barely audible. “So do you…”
“Pardon?” Timmy cocked his head, unable to catch her words before he was hushed by Delphine’s sudden appearance.
“Sshhh!!”
Delphine materialized before them, her expression grave.
“I found him where he went” Delphine announced with deadly seriousness, her tone laced with urgency.
“Where?” Selene was the first to inquire, her concern evident in her voice.
“They said they saw a white-haired boy running around like a drunkard before entering the Hunting Zone last night,” Delphine revealed her tone grave with implication.
Selene’s body trembled, frozen in place like a statue, her mind racing with fear and worry. Meanwhile, Timmy couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement inwardly, ‘Hunting Zone! Hell Yeah, Man!!’ he thought to himself, his apprehension masked by a sense of happiness.
The Hunting Zone was a forest but it was not an ordinary forest; it was teeming with countless monsters of varying levels of strength. While it was customary for high-level monsters like orcs to inhabit certain areas and lower-level creatures like goblins to dwell elsewhere, in the Hunting Zone, there were no such distinctions… No Rules or anything. Any monster could lurk anywhere, making it a perilous environment even for seasoned adventurers, making it a treacherous and unpredictable environment. It was precisely this dangerous setting that Kai sought to test and hone his skills.
Upon arriving at the scene, Delphine and her group were met with a blockade of town guards, preventing them from entering the forest.
“Sorry, sir, but we’ve received intel that a 2-Sliver Star monster is nearby. We cannot allow anyone to enter until the Village Chief gives the order,” one of the guards explained.
“W-What do you mean? My partner is in there! How could I leave him?!” one of the men protested, his frustration evident in his voice.
“I am sorry,” the guard replied solemnly, his tone regretful but firm. It was clear that their orders were not to be disobeyed, regardless of the circumstances.
“A-Aunt?” Selene’s voice cut through Delphine’s thoughts, her frown deepening with concern, “hmm? Who said Ether was her–”
“P-Please, someone helps us!!” Another voice pierced the air, accompanied by the sight of a man emerging from the forest, cradling an unconscious woman in his arms. Her body was bloodied and limp, a stark contrast to the urgency in the man’s voice.
The guards sprang into action, swiftly taking the woman from the man’s arms and calling for healers to attend to her.
“What happened?” the guards questioned, their voices tinged with urgency.
“W-We didn’t…’sob’ we didn’t know, but it was the only way…” the man’s voice wavered with guilt and pain, his eyes haunted by the horrors witnessed in the forest.
“Coming through!!” Another cry echoed as a new group of people emerged from the forest, their bodies also bearing the marks of battle, blood staining their clothes and wounds littering their forms.
Delphine approached one of the survivors, her expression intent as she inquired, “Did you see a white-haired boy?”
The survivor flinched, turning away before Delphine could press further.
“Hey, I am as–” She frowned and Before she could insist, another man approached with a serious expression, “May I presume you are related to the white-haired, lean-bodied 15-year-old?” the man asked solemnly.
“…Yes,” Delphine confirmed, her heart pounding with a mix of dread and anticipation.
At the man’s words, the guilt etched on the faces of the passing survivors was palpable. “He…saved us,” the man admitted, his voice heavy with emotion.
“???” Delphine’s confusion deepened, unable to comprehend the situation fully.
However,
“Where is he now?” Selene’s next words cut through the tension like a blade, her expression darkening with an ominous intensity. Even Timmy couldn’t help but flinch at the sudden shift in atmosphere.
“Gulp” The sound was audible as the man swallowed nervously before delivering the grim news.
“He is… d-dead.”