As the sun began to disappear, Lusian found himself alone in a small clearing within the camp.
The evening light slowly faded between the trees.
Standing before him, Garet remained motionless.
The old man held his blackened iron staff in one hand.
His eyes never left Lusian.
"Again."
Lusian closed his eyes.
He breathed slowly.
He searched for the mana within his body.
He did not have to look far.
He found it.
Darkness.
Dense.
Silent.
Deep.
He let it flow.
His shadow began to spread.
First a few inches.
Then several yards.
Until it stopped behaving like an ordinary shadow.
It separated from his feet.
It spread across the ground like spilled ink.
The fading sunlight touched the earth...
but disappeared the moment it reached that darkness.
Garet narrowed his eyes.
"My lord."
Lusian opened his eyes.
"Yes?"
"In this duchy, there has never been a heir with an Epsilon affinity."
The old man slowly stepped forward.
"Not Laurence."
He paused.
"Nor any of the previous dukes."
Garet stopped in front of him.
"Darkness cannot be mastered by forcing it to obey."
He raised his staff slightly.
"Feel it."
Lusian remained still.
"Understand it."
The shadow beneath his feet began to move.
"Become one with it."
Lusian swallowed.
Garet watched him with unusual seriousness.
"Do not waste this blessing."
Lusian nodded.
There was something different inside him.
His dark mana did not feel like a reservoir of energy.
It felt like a part of his own body.
Another arm.
Another hand.
Another limb he was still learning to control.
Lusian extended one hand.
The shadow responded.
It rose around his legs.
Slowly climbing.
Covering his torso.
His arms.
His face.
And then...
it vanished.
Garet's eyes widened slightly.
He could no longer see him.
He could not sense his mana.
He could not even perceive his presence.
For several seconds, the old man remained completely still.
"..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"That's it."
Lusian's voice came from somewhere within the darkness.
"Like this?"
Garet turned his head.
Nothing.
"No."
The old man's smile widened.
"Much better."
A moment later, Lusian reappeared behind him.
Garet did not even turn around.
"If I were your enemy, you would already be dead."
Lusian looked down at his hands.
"I can't feel my own presence."
"That is the point."
Garet gently tapped the ground with his staff.
"As long as you remain within the darkness, your enemies will not be able to detect you by ordinary means."
Lusian looked toward the forest.
"Then it's perfect for infiltration."
"And assassination."
Lusian fell silent.
Garet continued.
"You do not need to fight ten enemies if you can kill the first before the others even realize you are there."
Lusian slowly nodded.
That fit far too well with how he had imagined using his magic.
Garet studied him for a few seconds.
"But you are still far from mastering it."
"Why?"
"Disappearing is easy."
The old man raised one finger.
"Returning without leaving a trace is the difficult part."
Lusian smiled faintly.
"Then I'll have to practice."
"Exactly."
A noise from the trees interrupted them.
Both turned their heads.
Several glowing eyes appeared between the vegetation.
Garet sighed.
"Looks like you have an opportunity."
Lusian extended a hand.
Darkness wrapped around him again.
The glowing eyes disappeared.
A moment later...
a violet flash tore through the forest.
One body fell.
Then another.
The magical predators did not even have time to react.
When Lusian returned to the camp, there was not a single drop of blood on his clothes.
Thunder let out a low whinny.
Umber bared his fangs.
Garet watched the young man for several seconds.
"That ability may save your life someday."
Lusian looked toward the forest.
"And how many lives will it take?"
Garet smiled.
"Probably many."
Ten days later, the sky began to turn red.
The caravan moved slowly.
It was no longer two thousand people.
More than seven thousand civilians now traveled alongside the army.
Soldiers guarded the flanks.
Mages maintained barriers around the column.
The wounded rode in carts.
Children walked beside their families.
And every day, more survivors appeared.
Several groups of adventurers scouted ahead of the column.
The guild had sent scouts to investigate the monster migrations.
At the same time, the Douglas Duchy needed people capable of identifying routes, recognizing creatures, and locating dangerous areas.
That coincidence had brought several groups under the army's protection.
Among them was Blue Current.
Five Delta-rank adventurers.
Until then, they had kept their distance from Lusian.
They did their jobs.
Scouted.
Reported.
And avoided drawing too much attention.
But that day, everything changed.
A tremor shook the ground.
Then came a roar.
Another followed.
And finally...
the sound of flesh being torn apart.
Albert raised a hand.
"Stop!"
The column halted.
A scout came running from the vanguard.
"My lord! The adventurers are fighting!"
Lusian spurred Thunder forward.
"Let's go."
Albert followed.
When they reached the top of a small hill, they saw the battle below.
Five women were fighting a Garrakom.
The reptile was enormous.
Its body was covered in bone plates, and every sweep of its tail made the ground tremble.
The adventurers had managed to surround it.
But they were too focused on the beast.
Lusian narrowed his eyes.
There was something else.
A smaller creature was moving slowly through the bushes.
Approaching from behind.
No one had seen it.
No one except him.
Thunder had detected it too.
Lusian raised a hand.
"Thunder."
CRACK!
Lightning struck from the sky.
The creature vanished in an explosion of electricity.
The five adventurers turned.
The Garrakom seized the opportunity.
"Now!" Lusian ordered.
The women reacted immediately.
Water.
Ice.
Steel.
All three attacks struck at once.
The Garrakom collapsed.
For several seconds, the only sound was the adventurers' heavy breathing.
Then their leader stepped forward.
All five bowed.
"My lord."
Lusian dismounted.
"Are you injured?"
"Nothing serious."
The woman looked up.
"Lirianne Velmont. Delta-rank adventurer."
She paused.
"Leader of Blue Current."
Lusian nodded.
"Good work."
Lirianne looked surprised.
"That's all?"
Lusian raised an eyebrow.
"Were you expecting punishment?"
"We made a mistake."
"Yes."
Lusian looked at the dead monster.
"But you corrected it."
Lirianne remained silent.
Lusian turned his gaze toward the caravan.
Thousands of people were walking behind them.
"If one person falls in a situation like this, we all lose time and resources."
He pointed down the road.
"Noble, soldier, or adventurer. It makes no difference."
Lirianne looked at the enormous column.
Women.
Children.
The elderly.
Soldiers.
All moving together.
"We're not used to seeing a noble care this much about civilians."
Lusian did not answer immediately.
"I'm not used to having seven thousand people behind me either."
Lirianne blinked.
Lusian sighed.
"But now they're under our protection."
The adventurer lowered her head slightly.
This time, it was not out of protocol.
It was respect.
"I understand."
Lusian mounted Thunder again.
"When we reach Carter territory, I'll need scouts who can move quickly and make decisions without waiting for orders."
Lirianne placed a hand over her chest.
"Blue Current is at your service."
"I don't need you at my service."
Lusian looked at her.
"I need you to survive."
Lirianne's expression changed.
"Understood, my lord."
Lusian spurred Thunder forward.
Umber moved alongside him.
The five adventurers watched Lusian walk away.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
"He doesn't seem like a noble," Lirianne said.
"That's what worries me," one of her companions replied.
Lirianne looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because no one does all this for free."
She pointed toward the caravan.
Thousands of civilians, soldiers, mages, and supplies traveled beneath the Douglas banner.
"He could have gone straight past them," she continued. "He would have reached Carter territory much faster."
"And yet he stopped for every group of survivors," another added.
Lirianne watched Lusian.
She had known nobles who pretended to care about the people.
But he did not seem to be pretending.
And that was what troubled her most.
"I don't trust him."
"Then why are we still here?"
Lirianne pointed toward the forest.
"Because I don't trust what's happening either."
The creatures were fleeing.
Territories were falling.
And for now, following Lusian seemed like the safest option.
"That doesn't sound like trust," one of them said.
Lirianne adjusted her sword.
"It isn't."
She looked at the Douglas heir one last time.
"It's survival."
The five began walking.
Not out of loyalty.
Nor admiration.
They wanted answers.
And in a world that was beginning to break its own rules, losing sight of the man who seemed to have prepared for all of this long before anyone else was simply too dangerous.
Lusian did not know it.
But Blue Current had just begun watching him.