---
The road to the Quán Clan estate was supposed to be safe.
Kaito had been looking forward to a quiet journey—maybe a nap under the shade of a tree while Ren and Aiko bickered over maps. But fate, as usual, had other plans.
The first sign of trouble was the smell.
Rot. Blood. And something sharper, like lightning scorched into flesh.
Then came the screams.
The trio crested a hill just in time to see the merchant caravan under siege. A horde of monsters—twisted, furless things with too many teeth and claws like rusted daggers—swarmed the wagons. At their head stood five larger beasts, their hides ridged with bony plates, eyes glowing a sickly yellow.
Elite-rank.
"Damn," Aiko muttered, already unslinging her guandao. "That's a problem."
Ren's fingers twitched, mana already coiling around his staff. "The merchants won't last long."
Kaito sighed, stretching his arms. "Guess napping's canceled."
---
Chaos ruled the battlefield.
The merchants—scholars, traders, and a handful of guards—were holding, barely. A robed mage, his sleeves embroidered with the crest of the Magic Tower, stood at the center of the fray, his hands weaving intricate patterns as fire and ice lashed out in alternating waves. Expert-rank.
Nearby, two adventurers—a grizzled swordsman and a whip-thin woman with twin daggers—fought back-to-back, their movements sharp but strained. Intermediate-rank veterans.
And then there was 'him'.
A boy barely older than Kaito, his dark hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, his sword flashing as he cut down one normal-rank monster after another. His technique was rough, unpracticed, but there was something fierce in his eyes—something that made Aiko grin.
"Oi, lazybones!" she called over her shoulder. "Try to keep up!"
Then she was gone, her spear a silver blur as she crashed into the fray.
Ren exhaled, then raised his staff. The air hummed as mana condensed, forming a dozen shimmering blades of light. With a flick of his wrist, they shot forward, each one finding a monster's throat.
Kaito watched for a moment, then sighed again.
"Fine, fine."
He didn't run. Didn't shout. Just walked forward, his katana still sheathed.
The first monster lunged.
Kaito stepped aside lazily, his blade flashing once. The creature's head hit the ground before its body did.
The second came. Then the third.
Each time, Kaito moved just enough—no wasted motion, no wasted energy. He wasn't showy like Aiko, or precise like Ren. He was just… 'efficient'.
By the time the last elite-rank beast fell—charred by the mage's flames, its skull split by Aiko's guandao—the battlefield was silent.
---
The merchant leader, a portly man with a bloodied sleeve, bowed deeply. "Blessings upon you! We'd have been overrun without your aid!"
Ren inclined his head. "You're scholars?"
"From the Magic Tower," the mage confirmed, wiping soot from his brow. "Research expedition. These monsters shouldn't have been so bold…"
Aiko nudged the nearest corpse with her boot. " Are they're getting stronger?"
The mage nodded. "Indeed, they are."
The boy—Ryn, as they soon learned—sheathed his sword with a grunt. "They've been attacking our caravans for days. Not just normal-rank either. Something's happening here."
Kaito said nothing. But his gaze lingered on the dead elites. Their eyes, even in death, still gleamed with that unnatural yellow.
---
They traveled together after that.
The merchants were grateful, the scholars curious, and the adventurers—especially the two leaders—watched Kaito with narrowed eyes.
"You fight like a Kurogane," the swordsman said bluntly over the campfire that night.
Kaito shrugged. "Maybe."
Aiko, meanwhile, had taken to needling Ryn. "You're not bad," she admitted, tossing him an apple. "For someone who swings like they're chopping wood."
Ryn caught it, scowling. "I'd like to see you do better with a rusted practice blade and three days of training."
Aiko's grin turned sharp. "Oh? Challenge accepted."
Ren ignored them. He was thinking about something he heard at he palace, that was on his mind for a while now. After a bit longer of thinking he decided, turning to the mage. "The Central Kingdom of Luminara's alliance—how stable is it really?"
The mage hesitated, then sighed. "On paper? Seven factions, equal power. In reality?" He lowered his voice. "The Church and Merchant Association are at each other's throats. The Academy stays neutral, and the Magic Tower… well, let's just say Lady Aranis has her own agenda."
Kaito listened, filing away each name, each hint of discord.
---
The Quán Clan estate rose from the mist like a mirage—pagodas of dark wood and silver filigree, their roofs curved like claws.
Lady Lin awaited them at the gates, her brother—a tall, silent man with eyes like polished obsidian—at her side.
"You're late," she said coolly.
Ren bowed. "Apologies, Aunt."
Her gaze flicked to Kaito, then Aiko. "I see you've brought strays."
Aiko bristled, but Kaito just yawned.
Lady Lin's lips thinned. "Come. We have much to discuss."
As the gates closed behind them, the last thing they saw was Ryn's scowling face—and the two adventurer leaders, still watching Kaito like he was a puzzle they couldn't solve.
---
End chapter 8