Everyone froze in shock.
Nobody dared to open the door, until a deep, low voice came from outside—full of urgency and fear.
"Boss! Boss, please open the door!"
"Wait, that's…" Harold's expression softened when he heard the voice.
He hurried to the door and opened it. "Mister Wood? What's going on?"
At the door stood a tall man, thin like a scarecrow, with a body made of dark wood. Green leaves and vines hung from him, like he had grown out of the forest.
Still, his whole body was trembling with stress and panic.
As the door opened, he jumped inside, dragging with him a huge pile of light crystals bundled up in a net.
"B-Boss! Shadow Severan burned down every place that had light crystals. I grabbed all the ones from the farm and near the house, so I don't think we're in danger. He's only looking for some white-haired Namele—ss…"
His eyes landed on Eri and his words died in his throat.
He stared between her wrist and her hair, completely horrified, like he was about to drop dead from shock. "Holy crap!!! The girl's right HERE!!"
Harold instantly clamped his hand over Mister Wood's mouth before he could yell any louder. His eyes darted nervously to Eri, then back to Wood.
"Mister Wood, take the Princess to the border—right now!" Harold ordered, his tone sharp.
Mister Wood tried to say something, but Eri cut in, her voice shaky. "Wait—what? I can't just—"
Maya grabbed Eri's shoulders and shook her slightly. "You have to run, Eri! Now!" she said, deadly serious.
"We'll be fine. But you have to leave Arindor as soon as possible," Rosita said softly, forcing a sad smile as she brushed Eri's hair from her face.
"Ah, damn it!" Mister Wood grumbled and stormed out the door, "Follow me!"
Noah didn't hesitate for even a second. He grabbed Eri's hand and pulled her after him, following Mister Wood at full speed.
As they disappeared into the dark fields, V casually handed his empty plate to Rosita, grabbed his bag from near the door, and headed out too.
"That was delicious. See you around," he said simply, waving lazily as he walked away.
.
.
Mister Wood dashed through the field and into the winding paths of the forest. Finally, he stopped in front of a tall tree.
He pressed his palm against its bark—glowing patterns appeared, then faded.
"Come on," he said, gesturing toward the tree.
Eri blinked in confusion, but when Noah tugged her along without hesitation, she followed.
They stepped into the tree like it was a portal—and came out of another tree somewhere far away.
They were far from the elves' home now, but the smoke from the burning city was still faintly visible behind them.
"This is the farthest portal I can open. We'll have to walk the rest of the way," Mister Wood said, thinking for a moment. "Or maybe… find a cart. Wait here. I'll be right back."
He'd heard The Honoring's boys were traveling that route with a group of Shadow Knights. If he could find them and steal a cart, they might reach the border faster than Zaskar could find them.
After he left, Eri and Noah just stood there in silence for a while.
Eri kept her head down.
Noah looked at her quietly.
Maybe now was the time to say what he couldn't say back at the elves house.
"Well... about what I was trying to tell you back there…"
"I know," Eri whispered, cutting him off.
She lifted her gaze to him, smiling faintly. "It's my fault. That's what you wanted to say, right? …It's okay. I already know."
Noah froze, eyes widening slightly.
She was right—that was what he wanted to say.
If Eri realized that her struggle to survive only brought death to others, maybe she'd give up on V—and he could easily take her away and finish his mission.
He should feel relieved now... But his jaw tightened, and he just stared into her eyes.
Slowly, he raised a hand and gently placed it on her head.
"Eri…" he finally murmured.
'What the hell are you doing, Noah? Stop it. Just shut up!' he thought bitterly.
"…It's... It's not your fault. None of this."
'…Great. Now I can't even control my own damn mouth,'
A flicker of surprise showed in Eri's eyes, and her smile faded.
She definitely hadn't expected that.
Normally, Noah would say something sharp, maybe even cruel—so she thought that in a situation this bad, he'd be even harsher than usual.
But he wasn't. It looked like Noah was just having an off day. It shouldn't be a big deal for him, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say something bitter—at least not today.
Maybe not about this—maybe deep down, he really couldn't accept that Eri was to blame.
That's when Noah noticed the tears on her cheeks.
He froze, completely startled, but stayed silent. Whatever he'd said wrong had somehow made her cry.
Feeling awkward, he just stared until Eri wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and smiled again.
"I must look pathetic, right? Crying like a kid," Eri said, her voice a little hoarse. "It just… felt nice for a moment. I didn't expect you to lie for me like that."
"Lie?" Noah sighed. Well, he'd said it—might as well stand by it now. "I wasn't lying. You're really not at fault. At least not to me. Not while you're just a girl with sweet dreams, waking up in a bitter world."
Eri's gaze softened, something stirring inside her that she wanted to say out loud.
"I know you said you wanted to follow me…" she murmured, unsure. "But... can I ask why? I mean… the lights showed me you, so I have to try to stay close to you. But what's your reason for wanting to stay with me?"
Noah's eyes narrowed, and his hands clenched into fists.
What could he even say?
He already knew that following this path meant lying to her, deceiving her. It had seemed easy before—but now the words just wouldn't come out.
He thought for a while, then finally decided to just let whatever came out, come out.
"The shadows… they told me I had to stay by your side. I... I mean... You and I are the same—alone, without a place to belong. And you... you just reminded me of myself, so I decided to follow you. Or maybe… guide you. Though you really have no reason to trust me—"
"I trust you!" Eri said firmly. Dead serious.
That trust—something he needed—and now was already his, yet it made him feel awful.
Eri took a step closer and gently tugged on his sleeve, making him step closer too, confused.
"I really hate this world. There's no place I can live or call home. So… let's change it together. Noah, let's build a place where we actually belong."
Noah's eyes widened slightly at her words.
He didn't reply, but for a split second—just one—he imagined it. A place where they actually belonged.
That tiny image, that single moment of false hope, was enough to make a faint thread appear between them.
It shifted between gray and a very pale blue, glowing faintly as it twisted and trembled like it was alive.
Both of them stared at it in confusion—right before they felt a sudden burning pain in their necks.
Eri stepped back, clutching her neck with both hands, squeezing her eyes shut from the pain.
Noah wasn't any better.
"Ah… w-what is this?!" Noah groaned through gritted teeth.
When the pain finally faded a bit for Eri, she looked at Noah's neck.
A black mark had appeared at the center of his throat—a straight, vertical line.
"There's… there's something on your neck," she said, her voice shaky.
Noah blinked in confusion but then noticed a similar mark on Eri's neck too.
'The hell…? A… Nexus? No, that doesn't make sense. What kind of Nexus is this? Or maybe… it's not a Nexus at all? Ugh, it still hurts like hell…'
-
The last cart moved at a steady pace, covered on all sides with cloth, leaving only the road behind visible.
Most of the boys sitting in the back were dozing off.
Eric, still hidden under his black cloak, stared tiredly at the fire burning far away behind them.
"I wonder if Eri's okay…" he murmured, then glanced at Aro, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder.
Nobel sat on his other side, leaning against him too.
Suddenly, the cart hit a bump, and one of the wheels popped out.
Everyone jerked awake instantly.
"What the hell was that?" one of the boys asked.
The knight driving the cart jumped down to check.
Something like a chunk of black wood had grown across the path, knocking the wheel loose. He frowned, confused, but didn't think much of it.
"This might take a bit. Do whatever you gotta do now—we can't stop again later," he said tiredly and got to fixing the wheel.
"I think there might be some fruit bushes nearby. Let's grab some more for the trip," one boy said.
"Maybe there's a stream around? Anyone know?" another asked.
The boys started wandering off in small groups to look for food or water.
Eric got off the cart too, his eyes still fixed on the rising smoke in the sky.
Aro was still half-asleep, this time resting his head on Nobel's lap.
Nobel noticed Eric's worried expression and spoke quietly, not wanting to wake Aro.
"I heard Shadow Severan went that way. Seems like there's a bounty out for a white-haired Nameless. What do you think?"
Eric looked away. He was obviously tense, terrified that a monster like Zaskar might be after his little sister—but he couldn't say that.
"Demons sure sleep a lot, huh?" he said, changing the subject as he started walking away. "I'll go take a look around."
.
.
After a while, the knight straightened up with a groan, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He'd finally fixed the wheel—just needed to clear away the black wood.
As soon as he touched it, the wood moved—shooting up like roots, wrapping around his arms, legs, and mouth before he could even scream, dragging him into the forest.
Nobel felt something off but couldn't see much from where he sat.
He gently shook Aro awake.
"Huh—what's—" Aro started, but Nobel quickly covered his mouth.
"I'm gonna check it out. Stay here," he whispered, slipping out of the cart and heading toward the noise.
Aro stayed still, wrapped tightly in his oversized black cloak, staring at the cart's exit.
After Nobel's footsteps faded, everything went completely silent.
He hesitated, edging closer to the flap of the cart, trying to hear something—anything.
Then suddenly—a hand shot in from the side, grabbed his by the collar, and yanked him out.
Eri, in one swift move, twisted Aro's arm behind his back and locked his neck with her forearm.
"Sorry, but we really need this cart!"
But then—another hand grabbed Eri's shoulder and yanked her back hard, forcing her to release Aro.
Eri stumbled back, clutching Aro's cloak. She quickly threw it over herself, eyeing the tall figure that had appeared behind her.
Nobel, still unsure what was going on, froze when Aro suddenly threw himself into his arms, trembling.
He instinctively wrapped both arms around Aro, hiding him from sight.
Eri realized neither of them wanted to fight, so she quickly adjusted the cloak around her shoulders.
At that moment, Eric—hearing the noise—ran toward them. Seeing Nobel holding Aro and a cloaked stranger nearby, he frowned, ready to step in.
But before he could move, a cold blade touched his throat from behind.
"Move, and you die," Noah whispered in his ear.
Eric froze. His jaw tightened and he lowered his head.
Because of Eric's hood, Eri hadn't realized it was him—and Eric didn't know the person standing across from him was his sister.
Aro buried his face deeper into Nobel's chest, shaking. Nobel tightened his grip, shielding him completely.
Then—suddenly—the cart started moving again.
Noah blinked, dumbfounded. Mister Wood was driving off—without them...
He was supposed to take Eri to the border, not leave her behind!
"Damn it!" Noah cursed under his breath, releasing Eric and sprinting after the cart.
Eri quickly ran after him.
Noah grabbed the edge of the moving cart, trying to pull himself up, but the jolt tore open his palm. Blood dripped down his wrist.
"Tch… seriously?! You couldn't go any slower?!" he yelled, ignoring the pain and trying again.
This time, he managed to climb in.
But as soon as he got in, he turned back toward Eri, who was still running after the cart, and reached out his injured hand to help her up.
Eri ran faster, reached for his hand, and with one strong jump, Noah pulled her inside.
Both of them lay flat on the floor of the cart, panting hard.
Once the rush of adrenaline started to fade, Noah realized the pain in his hand was gone. When he'd grabbed Eri's hand, his palm had been badly cut—and normally, even touching her caused those painful sparks.
But now… he wasn't even sure if he'd felt any pain at all.
He looked at his palm—and his eyes widened.
The cut was completely gone. Only the dried blood remained.
Still lying down, Noah turned his head toward Eri, who was catching her breath beside him.
He hesitated, then decided to test something.
To see if touching her still caused that painful spark.
Eri turned her head toward him too, confused.
Then Noah slowly reached out—and touched her cheek.
Soft. Warm. No pain. No sparks. Nothing...
They just stared at each other in silence for a moment—until a certain voice broke it.
"Tsk tsk tsk tsk… I'm gone for two minutes and you kids already start getting cozy?" V's mocking tone filled the cart.
He was lounging lazily at the front, head propped on one hand, mask turned toward them. Even without seeing his eyes, it was obvious he was staring right at them.
Noah instantly yanked his hand back, glaring. "Why the hell are you still following two kids—you damn perv?!" he snapped, sitting up straight.
Eri also sat up, grabbing Noah's hand again and pressing it to her face. "Let me see it again—it felt warm."
"Stop touching my hand already!" Noah hissed, pulling it back once more.
-
"Light Elves?" Zaskar said, staring at the wooden house.
"Yes, Commander," Captain Lu nodded, flipping through a few files in his hands. "Reports say they're a Light Elf family who escaped from the last war. There's also a record of a man who once served in Arindor's royal guard."
Zaskar glanced around at the darkness surrounding the house and scoffed. "Royal guard, huh? Light Elves with no light crystals on the damn 'Day of Light'? That's one hell of a red flag if I've ever seen one."
His grin widened as he stepped toward the house.
"Well then… since they wanna play games—let's play."