Then a calm voice spoke from the trees.
"Is that how you thank the person who saved all of you?"
...
The leader of the group stood frozen for a moment before letting out a long breath of relief.
"I'm sorry," he said. "We had to stay alert. Most of my members are injured."
The voice from the trees answered again.
"Well, you seem alert toward me, but not toward the group of monsters that almost killed you."
The leader opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. After a moment he simply lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
By then, the figure had stepped close enough for them to see clearly.
It was a young man.
His skin was pale. Long silver hair reached down to his waist, moving gently with the wind. His left eye remained slightly closed, as if it had been injured long ago. His right eye had a dark grey pupil. His nose was straight, his lips slightly rosy, and a thin scar ran from his left eye down to his cheek.
His body looked no older than a seventeen year old boy.
His clothes were worn and damaged, as if he had been wearing them for years. The design looked like the clothing of a noble, though dirt and tears covered the fabric. His shirt was deep blue with golden trim, while his black pants were also worn and frayed.
The young man looked at the group and spoke calmly.
"Follow me. Night is coming. We need to hide."
The leader raised a hand cautiously.
"May I ask why? And why should we follow you? How do we know you are safe?"
The boy's voice turned cold.
"For your first question. When night arrives, more monsters become active. The forest becomes far more dangerous."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"For the second and third questions. The answer depends on you. If you want to survive, follow me. You are already deep inside the forest."
The leader looked back at his group. Many of them were exhausted. Some were injured and barely standing.
Several members nodded weakly.
He sighed.
"Fine. We will follow you for the night."
The young man smiled slightly.
"Good choice."
He then tapped his left foot against the ground.
"Ice Manifestation. Slide."
A surge of ice spread from beneath his foot, forming a wide frozen road across the forest floor.
He raised his hand again.
"Ice Formation. Boat."
Then he snapped his fingers.
Snap.
A large boat made entirely of ice formed in front of them. It was wide enough to carry nearly twenty people.
The boy gestured toward it.
"Get in. We will move faster this way."
Most of the group quickly climbed aboard without hesitation. Only their leader remained standing for a moment, still unsure.
But when he looked at the injured members of his group, he knew he had little choice.
He stepped onto the boat as well.
The young man walked to the front of the ice boat. He tied a rope to its bow and wrapped the other end around his arm.
Then he began sliding across the frozen road, pulling the boat behind him.
With the ice path guiding them, the boat moved at incredible speed.
The passengers screamed loudly.
Some held onto the sides while others covered their mouths in panic.
After nearly half an hour of fast travel, the boy finally slowed down.
They had arrived.
He stopped in front of a hidden cave.
He looked back toward the group.
They were a mess.
Several people staggered as they stepped out of the boat. Others leaned against trees, dizzy and disoriented.
"Uhh…"
"My head…"
"I feel like I'm about to vomit…"
"Help…"
The boy scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Sorry. I had to move fast."
The leader tried to respond.
"No… we are fi—"
He suddenly gagged.
"Ghrk!"
At that moment, the ice boat and frozen road both disappeared.
The boy turned toward the cave.
"Come inside my little home. I will make soup for everyone."
With a simple swipe of his hand, the thick ice wall sealing the cave entrance vanished.
The group stared in shock, including their leader.
But he quickly regained his composure.
"Those with strength, carry the injured. Move into the cave now!"
The group followed his command immediately. Those who could walk hurried inside, while the stronger members carried the wounded.
Within five minutes, everyone had entered the cave.
The boy sealed the entrance again with ice.
Inside the cave, the young man approached the leader.
"Do you have someone who can light the campfire?"
The leader nodded and called out.
"Fiona. Come here."
A girl with blonde hair and clear green eyes stepped forward.
"Yes, Professor Tuff?"
"Can you light the campfire with your magic?" he asked.
"Gladly," Fiona replied with a cheerful tone.
She sat near the wood and began her incantation.
"Glory to the Fire. Glory to the Goddess. Oh Goddess of Heat and Fire, grant me your flame. Fireball."
A small fireball formed in her palm. She released it toward the wood.
The fireball burst upon impact, and the campfire immediately ignited. Warm light spread through the cave.
Meanwhile, the boy walked deeper into the cave.
Inside were several wooden shelves he had built himself. Each shelf held different items and had labels carved above them.
Ingredients.
Herbs.
Spoils of War.
And several others.
He placed the Bloody Tarantula claws and ruby eyes onto the "Spoils of War" shelf.
Then he gathered several herbs, including basil and mahogany herbs, along with various spices. The amount he collected was large enough to feed dozens of people.
He walked deeper into another section of the cave where he stored hunted monsters.
Several frozen carcasses hung there.
A wild brown bear he hunted earlier remained frozen. Nearby was the body of a wild boar he had hunted weeks ago, though some of its meat had already been used.
He carried several pieces of meat along with the herbs back toward the campfire.
At the center of the cave, the group remained busy treating the injured. Some rested quietly while others wrapped wounds.
Lucian arrived carrying meat and herbs.
Professor Tuff quickly walked toward him to help.
Lucian placed a large pot over the fire and filled it halfway with water.
Then he sat beside it and began preparing the soup.
After a moment, Tuff sat down beside him.
Lucian spoke first.
"Are you finished treating them?"
Tuff shook his head.
"No. We do not have enough healing herbs. Some of them might not survive the night."
He sighed heavily.
"I only need some time to recover my mana. Once I have enough, I can help stabilize them."
Lucian looked confused.
"Mana can do that?"
Tuff nodded.
"Yes. If you gain control over the mana inside your body, you can manipulate it directly. The technique is called Mana Manipulation. Unfortunately, I do not have full control over mine, so it is difficult."
He paused before speaking again.
"Anyway, I still do not know your name. I am Tuff Dwayne, a professor from Aetherion Arcane Academy in the Central Dominion."
He looked at the boy.
"What is your name?"
"I'm Lucian," the boy answered. "What is an academy?"
Tuff blinked in surprise.
"You are just a child. What are you doing in such a dangerous place?"
Lucian immediately returned the question.
"That is my question. What are all of you doing here?"
Tuff was caught off guard by the response, but he answered calmly.
"We came here for a field trip. Unfortunately, we got lost and accidentally entered the most dangerous region of this mountain."
Lucian tilted his head.
"Mountain? You mean this place?"
"Yes," Tuff replied.
"Isn't this a volcano? How did it become a mountain?"
Tuff nodded.
"It used to be a volcano. The last eruption happened seven hundred fifty years ago. Since then, there has been no activity. The Magic Towers officially declared it safe and reclassified it as a mountain."
Lucian thought about this quietly.
"I see… but what do you mean by field trip and academy?"
The nearby students exchanged confused looks.
Tuff suddenly frowned.
"Wait… how long have you been living here?"
Lucian answered calmly.
"Since I was twelve. The only thing I remember is that the sky was extremely dark when my parents and I entered this place. After that, we stayed here and never left."
Tuff's mind began racing.
Dark sky.
Altair family.
Raid.
The Altair bloodline was known for their mastery of dark magic. Years ago, their house had been attacked.
Records said that most members died.
But there were rumors.
A woman and her child escaped before the raid.
Tuff looked at the boy carefully.
Could this be that child?
But earlier he saw Lucian use ice magic.
Not dark magic.
Still, he decided to ask.
"Lucian… is your surname Altair?"
Lucian looked at him.
"How did you know?"
Tuff leaned slightly closer.
"Do you remember anything else from that night, besides the sky being dark?"