With a sharp pain twisting in her body, Eri slowly opened her eyes.
A faint groan escaped her lips before she tried to sit up.
Her neck, stomach, and right hand were all wrapped in bandages.
In the dark, a fire burned in front of her, and beside it sat a man, all his face hidden behind a black mask.
But before anything else, Eri's attention was completely drawn to the fire. It was so bright, so dazzling—brighter than any crystal.
Just like she had read in the books. And this was the first time Eri had seen real fire.
She reached her hand toward the flames, almost touched it, but the man stopped her.
"Whoa, easy there… we're not at the self-immolation stage just yet," he said in a silky voice.
"W-who are you?" Eri asked in confusion.
The man's black mask turned toward her, as if looking right at her.
"Call me V."
Eri's gaze fell on Noah, lying beside her, in sleep.
His shirt was folded beneath his head like a pillow, and his entire body was covered in bloodstained bandages.
She reached out a hand toward him, but quickly pulled it back. The worry for Noah's condition was clear in her eyes.
"You… you saved me and Human?"
"Of course!" A smug chuckle slipped out from V. "With barehand, just a single finger, I crushed that Severan. You won't find anyone stronger than me in this world."
"Really?! Are you the Master of Nature?!" Eri asked in shock.
V, clearly basking in pride, suddenly straightened and struck a dramatic pose.
Crossing one leg over the other, leaning on one arm, he made himself look even grander. "Yes, I am! Though it was supposed to be a secret, I'm amazed you figured it out."
That was more than enough to make Eri sparkle with excitement.
She leaned a little closer, eyes shining as if she were staring at a hero brought to life from her books.
Enjoying the attention, V shifted his pose for extra flair. Even though his face was completely hidden by the mask, his arrogance and vanity practically radiated.
"I am the Master of Nature—also a Master. You should spend years praying to the angels that you had the fortune to meet me."
"Wow! You're a Master too? But... umm... What does that mean at all?" Eri asked eagerly, curiosity burning brighter.
"I'm a teacher. Though I don't have a disciple yet. Two… no, at least four disciples are what I'll need. I wonder where I could find them." He sounded thoughtful, though his mask made it seem like he was sneaking glances at Eri every few seconds before turning back toward the horizon.
"M-me, me, me! Ow—" Eri jumped up hastily, but her body's pain stopped her in her tracks. "Ugh I'll be your disciple, Master! Please! Can I?"
V slowly turned his head toward her.
"No." A single calm word slipped out from beneath his mask, blunt and absolute.
"B-but why not?!" Her voice dripping with disappointment.
"Why yes? I can't just take anyone as my disciple. You have to prove yourself to me first." His voice carried a mocking edge—not meant as insult, but clearly meant to provoke.
At the mention of proof, Eri's despair was replaced with a flicker of hope.
That meant she still had a chance.
"Prove myself? How?"
"If I knew, I'd already be my own disciple," V shrugged.
Eri blinked several times, struggling to make sense of his words.
"Umm… so the Master of Nature is strict and maybe a little… crazy?" she muttered aloud as always.
V's laughter rang out loudly, filling the dark forest. "The real crazies are you two kids, fighting that Severan. There are easier ways to commit die here, yet you still chose a Severan? that's cool."
"You and Human keep calling him Severan, but… what does that even mean?"
V threw a few pieces of wood into the fire, and before looking at Eri, he dusted his hands off. "You know what a Nexus is, right?"
"Like… a bond with powers?"
"Kinda like that." V nodded. "But they are different. Imagine two men with Space Nexus. One might barely teleport himself to a place he sees, while the other can go anywhere in the world. Which one is stronger?"
Eri tilted her head. The answer was obvious. "Of course the second one."
"Exactly. The deeper the Nexus, the stronger the person. But depth isn't something you gain through effort. It doesn't change. If someone's Nexus is shallow—say, they can only make plants grow—they'll never be able to heal wounds. So the depth of a person's Nexus is decided at birth. It stays with them for life."
He paused, then added:
"Anyway... Only a very small number ever reach the deepest point of a Core... and Severans are one of those. There are eight of them, each has at least one Nexus that's deeply rooted."
Eri blinked a few times. Questions swirled in her mind. "But… why only eigh? Are deep Nexus really that rare?"
"Well... Actually the Empire finds people with deep Nexus and ranks them as Severans." V leaned forward slightly, voice calm. "The last one discovered was Zaskar—but that's it. They haven't found any more yet..."
V leaned back again, moving closer to the fire and continued:
"And honestly… it's better if they're never found at all. Every Severan serves the Sakaris Empire—and for the world… that's just another nightmare."
Eri realized how dangerous the Severans were and now understood that Zaskar was really someone she couldn't fight.
She remembered when she got trapped by Zaskar in the forest and bit her lip in despair.
"Well… That Severan said if I confessed I'm the Princess of Arindor, he'd kill my family. Could he really do that?"
"Oh yeah, it's legal." He nodded casually, poking the firewood with a stick. "If a ruler has a daughter, the entire government's officials are sentenced to execution. So the moment you're caught, your whole family dies."
As the harsh truth sank in, Eri lowered her head.
That was why her father had locked her away for eighteen years. That was why her entire life had been one long game of hide-and-seek.
It wasn't just a game—it was survival.
Being found meant losing. And losing? Death for everyone she loved.
Now she was here, escaped, out in the world—but every moment, she was standing at the edge of capture.
She felt warm, tired. Slowly, she lowered her head to the ground—right beside Noah—and closed her eyes.
Her face was flushed, her breathing heavy.
It was clear the poison of Blackfang had finally reached its last stage.
She had pushed herself to release as much energy as she could, then she had collapsed.
All that remained was to endure the fever.
-
A little boy sat curled up in the corner of a vast, empty room.
Knees drawn to his chest, head buried in his arms, his small hands pressed tight against his ears as if trying to block out the world.
The tall, filthy walls loomed around him. The stone floor was cold and uneven, dark damp stains spreading through the cracks where old cobwebs clung.
Another clap of thunder split the silence.
The boy squeezed his ears tighter, flinching as the rain hammered down above him, so heavy it felt as if the ceiling might collapse.
Only a flash of lightning illuminated the dark chamber, shining faintly through a tiny window high on the wall.
It took a long time for the storm to finally ease.
When the noise died down, the boy slowly raised his head. He stood up, taking careful steps toward the small window.
It was set too high for him to reach, but like always, he climbed using the cracks in the wall until his small hands wrapped around the rusted bars.
Pressing his face close, he peered outside.
The sky was still black. The forest remained lifeless—trees shriveled, the ground dead. The storms brought no renewal to this bleak land.
And yet, the boy's eyes caught something.
Between the twisted, lifeless plants, a single white flower bloomed. So pure and bright that even from this height, it stood out.
His gaze locked onto it, unblinking.
"Pretty, isn't it?"
The sudden voice behind him made his hands slip. He lost his grip and fell hard to the floor. His arm scraped against the sharp edge of the window frame, leaving a shallow cut.
"Easy there, little bro. No need to be scared." Nerza's voice carried a soft laugh as he stepped closer.
"I…" Noah's whisper faltered before it could even begin.
He quickly straightened up, forcing himself to stand, his head bowing low in front of his older brother.
Nerza knelt down, lowering himself to Noah's level.
His hand brushed over the cut on the boy's arm, and Noah's face pinched at the sting.
"You liked that flower, didn't you?" Nerza's tone was gentle.
The boy lifted his eyes with hesitation, then gave the faintest nod.
"Then why not go pick it?"
A flicker of hopelessness crossed Noah's face at the thought. He knew he couldn't leave this place. Did his brother really not know that?
"But… I'm not allowed to leave this tower." His voice was barely a whisper.
Nerza's hand stroked Noah's hair.
His smile seemed genuine, yet his manner carried something unsettling. "How long will you let Father keep you locked away in here? Don't let anyone force you or twist you into what you're not. That's a brother's advice."
Noah's eyes darted between the window and Nerza, still uncertain. "But… the guards. How would I even get out?"
Nerza's eyes lit up at the question he'd been waiting for.
He put on a thoughtful face, though the answer was already prepared.
"You could slip through the window. The bars aren't that strong, and you're small enough to fit if you try. With just a little push, you'd be free." A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he waited for Noah's respond.
The more Noah's doubt wavered, the more his guard fell—then nodded slowly.
Nerza lifted him up with ease, setting him onto the window ledge. With one hand, he bent a bar slightly out of place.
Noah squeezed himself through, sliding his small body to the other side until he sat on the wet outer edge, gripping the iron tightly, staring down at the dizzying drop below.
The tower was high—higher than he'd ever imagined.
His heart pounded as fear twisted through him. If he slipped, if he fell…
The sky rumbled again, rain lashing harder.
Terror rushed in, and regret followed instantly.
Noah's tiny hands clutched the slick bars desperately, eyes screwed shut. He turned his body, trying to climb back inside.
But at that moment, Nerza straightened the bar back into place.
Noah's eyes flew wide, shock freezing him in place.
"B-Brother…?" His voice was thin with fear.
"What's the matter?" Nerza's smirk stretched ear to ear. "I thought you wanted that flower."
"I-I don't want it anymore! Please, let me back in!"
But Nerza's hand slipped past the bars, pressing gently against Noah's head—pushing him further out.
The satisfaction gleamed in his eyes, as if Noah's fear was entertainment… or perhaps the thought of his fall. "Relax. I'll help you get what you really want."
Noah's weak, trembling hands clutched tighter at the bars.
He didn't dare glance down at the abyss beneath him, his breathing ragged and broken.
"P-Please… Brother… don't. It's too high… I'm scared…" Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the relentless rain as he looked up at him—eyes begging for mercy.
"Shhh… it's okay. You can do it." Nerza's voice dropped to a whisper. "We're descendants of Lord Sakaris. Fear doesn't suit us."
The pressure on him grew. Noah slipped, his body jolting as he fell—but his hands caught the ledge just in time...
"NO! Please—help me!!" His scream tore through the storm, raw with despair.
His bleeding fingers slipped bit by bit—whole body trembling as he fought to hold on.
Worse than all—Nerza's hand was still on his head, pressing him down, his gaze cold. "You're an Unseen. A disgrace to our bloodline. If you can't be strong, then just accept your death, can you?"
Noah's pleading eyes met Nerza's one last time—just before his brother gave a final push.
His fingers slipped, and Noah fell... from the towering height, into the abyss below.
-
Noah jolted awake, sitting up fast.
Sweat drenched his body—breaths coming in ragged gasps.
A nightmare… again.
It took a moment for him to calm down, wiped away the beads of sweat.
When he lowered his hand, he felt something beneath it.
Glancing down, he froze. Eri was lying beside him—asleep.
His eyes widened instantly. Startled, he recoiled in a hurry, only for a sharp pain to shoot through his body, forcing him to curl in.
"What...?!" Wincing, his expression flustered.
His gaze lingered on Eri, still peacefully asleep. She looked fine now, though she had definitely endured a fierce fever last night.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, his hand reached toward her forehead, hovering right on the verge of touching.
"You're finally awake?"
A deep voice stopped his hand midair.
All the tension he'd been holding the past two days boiled over as Noah snapped his head toward the figure—eyes burned with annoyance.
He immediately shifted forward, putting himself between Eri and V. Pain tore through his body, but he held a full guard.
"Who the hell is this now?"