The road narrowed between a line of gentle hills and a winding brook, its banks overgrown with reeds and thorny grass.
Crystal walked in the sunlight without disguise.
She made no effort to conceal her appearance. There was no cloak, no hood, no illusion magic. Her perfected form—slender, delicate, luminous—moved like liquid moonlight through the trees.
Her prismatic hair caught the sunlight with every step. Her skin shimmered faintly, her crystalline golden eyes reflecting the sky's every shade.
She was, simply, herself.
And when wild creatures saw her—
—they hesitated.
But hesitation alone wasn't enough because she was concealing her Divine aura and presence along with her unique dragon horns, making her look human and non threatening.
The first attack came with a growl.
A blur of fur and teeth leapt from the underbrush—wolf-shaped, long-limbed, its eyes glowing red. A feral thing, drawn by instinct and the scent of power it could neither comprehend nor resist.
Three more followed it, bursting from both sides of the road. Fangs bared. Coordination perfect.
But they were no threat.
Crystal didn't raise a hand. Didn't even glance at them.
A flash of motion—Elyssia was already in front of her, palm extended.
Silver threads laced with mana flickered into view. Not rope. Not string.
Soulweave. (A/N: for imagination, you can think of this is something kinda similar to Mahito's Idle Transfiguration with the threads being an extension of Elyssia so she wouldn't need to directly touch something or someone with her hands.)
The first wolf never touched the ground again. It was suspended mid-air, body unraveling at the seams like cloth caught in wind.
The second lunged—and met a lattice barrier that crushed its ribs before it could yelp.
The third and fourth stopped too late.
A flick of Elyssia's wrist.
Their momentum collapsed in on itself. Like puppets with their strings cut, they fell—lifeless. Unmarked.
Silence returned.
Elyssia adjusted her stance and turned to Crystal, who hadn't moved.
"Minor ambush. Local fauna. No significant threat."
Crystal nodded. "Good."
They resumed walking as if nothing had happened.
The corpses were gone by the time their shadows passed over the spot again. Elyssia had absorbed them into her dimensional folds without effort.
But they had only taken a few dozen more steps before a subtle ripple tugged at Crystal's awareness.
Mana.
And blood.
She turned her head slightly—toward the road ahead, down a bend in the path.
Sounds reached them.
Shouts. Screams. Metal against bone. A horse screaming.
Elyssia had already reacted.
"A cluster of goblins. Ten, no—twelve. Ambushing the caravan we observed earlier."
Crystal said nothing.
But she had already turned toward the sounds.
Elyssia followed without needing a command.
---
The trees opened into a shallow clearing.
The caravan had halted. The lead wagon had toppled sideways, a wheel cracked and smoking. Several guards were down, one bleeding badly from a gash to the thigh. Two others were desperately holding off the goblins—small, vicious, armed with jagged iron.
The creatures shrieked and snarled, emboldened by numbers and panic.
One was climbing the side of a wagon, dragging a terrified merchant girl out by her ankle.
Elyssia stepped forward.
No words.
She raised her hand—
And the world fell silent.
A shimmering dome of threads spread out from her, invisible to normal sight. Every goblin within twenty meters froze.
Not from fear.
From having their souls pinned in place.
One by one, they collapsed without injury or noise—gently, as if put to sleep by death itself.
By the time the last one hit the dirt, the humans were still gasping, mid-breath.
The guards lowered their weapons, confused. The merchant girl stared wide-eyed from where she had fallen.
And then Crystal stepped into view.
The reactions were immediate.
The guards froze.
She stood barefoot in the grass, looking barely older than 17 or 18, her expression unreadable. Her beauty didn't seem natural—it struck like a spell. Ethereal. Otherworldly.
But her eyes held no warmth, no vanity.
She didn't need to prove she was strong.
Elyssia stood beside her, brushing dust off her sleeve like a noble.
The silence dragged for several seconds.
Finally, one of the older guards stepped forward hesitantly. "Are… you two travelers?"
Elyssia inclined her head.
"Perhaps. We are just passing through."
"Thank you," he said, voice shaking slightly. "We… if you hadn't shown up…"
He didn't finish.
The man who stepped forward next was better dressed—fine cloak, ornamental chain across his chest, scroll cases at his belt.
A merchant. Likely the owner of the caravan.
He bowed low, with practiced grace.
"I am Seran Maedrin. This caravan belongs to House Maedrin, licensed under Veldara's Trade Guild. I thank you on behalf of everyone here."
He paused. His gaze lingered on Crystal, but he quickly turned to Elyssia, assuming (correctly) she was the speaker.
"You're adventurers?" he asked.
"No," Elyssia replied calmly.
"Mercenaries, then?"
"No."
"…Then may I ask your business on this road?"
Elyssia gestured gently to the path. "We seek knowledge."
Seran blinked, then gave a nervous laugh. "Forgive me. That's… rare."
Crystal finally spoke—her voice was soft, crystalline in tone. Barely above a whisper.
"Where does this road lead?"
Seran straightened at the sound.
"To Velnaira," he replied. "The capital of Veldara. It's three more days by wagon. One if you walk."
The reason that caravan is slower is because it carrying a lot fragile goods and other things and with many they had to move slowly as compared to travelling without any luggage or baggage.
Elyssia tilted her head. "May we travel with you?"
The man looked surprised. "Absolutely! It would be an honor—if you're willing to accept a humble request."
She remained quiet.
Seran cleared his throat. "If I may be so bold… we could use escorts. I understand your time and power are valuable—but we can offer payment. Coin, documents, lodging. Entrance to the city will be simpler as part of a trade convoy."
Crystal looked to Elyssia.
She nodded.
"Accepted."
---
And just like that, the road changed.
Crystal and Elyssia walked beside the caravan as it moved again—slower, more cautious. The guards now gave them wide berth, though none showed disrespect.
The merchant occasionally tried small talk, but quickly learned Crystal didn't speak unless necessary.
Elyssia handled all questions with polite efficiency. To get familiar with the local customs or currency. And just as she except it was the standard currency with 100:1 ratio from copper → silver → gold → platinum.
She gave no details. Offered no origin. But her words were elegant, well-spoken, and left no room for challenge.
Crystal remained silent.
Eyes on the horizon.
Winds shifting.
The city was close.
---