The troll's body had collapsed several seconds earlier, and the sphere of chaos was now nothing more than a memory, consumed by lightning and fire.
Eric stood motionless.
Amidst the ashes, a black object slowly fell to the ground.
The necklace.
The one worn by the shaman. It still glowed with an unhealthy light... then, as if burned from within, it began to disintegrate, fragment by fragment, releasing one last dark wave.
Eric stared at it, his mind frozen by a heavy thought.
-"How is this possible?"
He gripped the hilt of his sword, but did not sheathe it.
-"The demons... Have they already advanced this far into the human continent?"
His gaze darkened.
-"I thought they were still tied up in the war against the elves... but clearly, the border has become porous. If they've had the time, the energy... and the means to forge alliances here, then the situation is much more serious than I thought."
'
His gaze returned to the ashes of the necklace.
-"This isn't normal. The demons could never have acted with such precision without local complicity. There must be traitors."
A heavy silence fell over the destroyed clearing.
-"This necklace... where did it come from? Who is behind this mutation? Someone has provided them with forbidden tools."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
-"I'll think about it later. For now... we need to move."
He looked up at the sky, then said in a low voice:
-"The Paxson estate... They must have sensed it. They'll surely send an investigator soon."
With a fluid movement, he turned on his heel.
And he sped up.
His silhouette blurred, his body darting between the charred trees, slaloming through the ruins of the forest.
In a few heartbeats, he emerged at the edge of the woods...
And found himself face to face with Max.
Max hadn't moved.
He was standing there, staring straight ahead. He hadn't even flinched.
He looked at Eric as one looks at someone one admires... but doesn't really understand.
Eric's clothes were still burnt in places, his sword was smoking. And yet he walked as if nothing had happened. As if it had all been normal. Expected. Obvious.
Max narrowed his eyes, his arms crossed.
-"Tell me, Eric... How did you do it?"
He wasn't really expecting an answer. But he asked anyway. As always.
Eric stopped beside him, a slight smile playing on his lips. It was the smile he reserved for the few people he respected.
He looked Max straight in the eye.
-"The usual,"he said calmly.
Max snorted nervously.
-"You always answer like that, don't you? Seriously... It's not human."
"
Eric responded with a quiet silence, his arms relaxed, his demeanour calm.
He liked the way Max was direct, honest, blunt.
That was why, deep down, he had accepted him into his team.
Eric glanced at Max and Lucinda, then his eyes slid over to Irene. She, with a discreet smile on her lips, watched the duo before speaking.
-"I need to talk to you... about what we saw today," she said in a low voice. "I've tried to forget, to convince myself that it was just a dream... but I can't."
Max and Lucinda exchanged glances, their brows furrowed.
-"Why?" asked Lucinda.
Eric sighed, looking serious.
-"Because... it's something I can't tell you about. It's a secret. And knowing it would put you in more danger than it would keep you safe. For your own good, and for ours, I ask you to trust me... and not to tell anyone."
Max turned to Irene, clearly intrigued.
-"But... who are you really?"
Eric locked eyes with Max.
-"I'm Eric. I'm your leader. I know our relationship hasn't always been easy, but what matters is that we're united. That's all that matters to me."
Max smiled slightly.
-"in that case... that's all that matters to us too."
Lucinda nodded softly.
-"All right. I won't say a word."
-"Good," Eric concluded. "What happened today... stays between us. In any case, this energy won't go unnoticed. Someone is bound to come looking for us. When that time comes, we need to have a common story... and a solid one."
-"So here's what we'll say," Eric continued firmly.
-"The orbs lost control... and a strange artefact appeared. It absorbed vital energy, as if it were feeding on us. It was shaped like a small dark nut, but it gave off an aura almost identical to that of chaos."
He paused, searching for the right words.
-"We must be clear in our account. We need to give enough detail to make it sound credible... but not so much that we reveal the whole truth about the energy of chaos."
His eyes narrowed.
-"We'll also say that a young man appeared. His body was enveloped in lightning and flames. Then, in an instant, he was covered in shadow and darkness, and he destroyed the chaos energy. This man... he had red eyes. And right after that... he disappeared into the sky." After closing the discussion, Max, Lucinda, and Erian simply nodded. They seemed ready to leave... but Eric remained motionless.
His gaze swept across the scene, calculating, as if he were tracing an invisible map in his mind of the traces to be erased.
-"Go ahead," he said calmly. "I'll catch up with you."
Lucinda frowned.
-"Why?"
-"Just... a precaution," he replied in a tone that did not invite questions.
They exchanged puzzled glances, but eventually walked away, leaving Eric alone amid the debris.
He closed his eyes. The silence grew heavy. Then, suddenly, a shiver ran through the air. The stones scattered around him vibrated, some lifting slightly before falling back down, others cracking with a sharp sound. The ground seemed to settle in places, as if an invisible force were compressing it. A luminous mist began to snake along the ground, obscuring the footprints and blurring the marks left by the fight. The impacts on the rock subtly distorted, losing all recognisable form. Metal shards still littering the ground began to curl up, melting into the earth as if swallowed by it.
When he opened his eyes again, the most obvious traces had disappeared. To any potential witness, the scene would now be nothing more than natural chaos, with no usable evidence.
Eric took a deep breath, released the tension, then turned on his heel to rejoin the others, leaving behind a silent... and deceptive field.
Eric slowly emerged from the forest, his footsteps barely breaking the heavy silence. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks.
-"You're still here..." he whispered.
A figure emerged from the shadows of the trees. Erian.
-"Young master," she said, bowing slightly.
Eric frowned.
-"I've told you not to call me that."
-"There's no one here," she replied with a discreet smile. "Just the two of us."
He sighed.
-"Very well... what do you want?"
Ariane's face grew serious.
-"After what happened today... there's a good chance it will reach the Clan."
Eric held her gaze.
-"Don't worry about that. Their domain is too isolated. I doubt they can learn what's really going on outside."
Erian shook his head.
-"That was true... before. But the Clan is actively searching for you. They'll find traces eventually. And that's dangerous."
-"I told you not to worry," Eric repeated firmly.
Ariane hesitated, then changed the subject.
-"And... the young master? How did his evaluation go?"
A gleam flashed in Eric's eyes.
-"Better than expected. From the very first moment, I knew he had terrifying talent. I expected him to be either like me or like you... but he's a mixture of both our strengths. And his potential exceeds anything I've seen so far."
His gaze darkened.
-"If the Ombris Clan finds out, we'll have a problem... a problem we may not be able to solve. That's why his talent must be hidden, at all costs."
Erian stared at him, silent.
-"And in the worst case," Eric added, "we'll find a way to send him away."
She nodded slowly.
-"I understand... young master."
Eric smiled bitterly.
-"Then prepare yourself for what lies ahead."
Erian bowed her head slightly, her eyes narrowing as a fleeting shadow passed over her face.
Inside the house, Lucas sat with his back slightly hunched, his hands clasped in his lap. Despite the apparent calm of the evening, his mind remained restless. He couldn't shake the strange, almost oppressive feeling that had come over him when that incredible energy had dissipated. Sitting nearby, his mother, Séraphine, pretended to be busy, her movements measured, almost mechanical. Lucas watched her discreetly. Her face wore a mask of serenity... but her eyes betrayed a slight anxiety. An anxiety she was trying to hide. 'Mum,' Lucas said in a low voice, 'I can't calm down. It's strange... Dad always comes home earlier than this.'Seraphine looked up at him.
Her clear, gentle gaze seemed to want to reassure him, but Lucas sensed that there was something behind that façade.
-"Don't worry, sweetheart. Your father will be home soon," she said softly.
Lucas looked away towards the window, searching the darkness outside for an answer to his thoughts. She's not really worried that Dad is late... No, she's worried about something else. The image of the mysterious energy flashed through his mind. Is that what's troubling her?
Ever since he was little, Lucas had felt that his parents were hiding things from him. Now he was old enough to understand that some truths couldn't be forced... but he promised himself that one day he would find out what they were hiding from him.
-"Come on, go to bed," said Séraphine, breaking his train of thought.
-"No... I'm going to wait for Dad to come home,"replied Lucas with quiet determination.
She stared at him for a few seconds, then bowed her head slightly.
-"All right...'
Silence fell, broken only by the soft crackling of the wood in the fireplace. Then, suddenly, three loud knocks sounded at the door.
-"Good evening, my love... I'm home," said a familiar voice from outside.
In an instant, Lucas jumped up, looking like an impatient little boy. Séraphine turned towards the entrance, a smile mixed with relief on her lips.
-"Finally... You're here," she whispered. "Lucas was waiting for you."
Eric crossed the threshold and closed the door behind him. His eyes scanned the room before settling on his family. In that look, Lucas thought he saw both warmth and a silent seriousness that he did not yet understand.