[Forest of Farlios – Night]
Thin mist curled between the trunks of giant trees.
The glowing bird that Zeydan followed floated low, leaving behind a soft trail of blue light in the air. Each of his steps made a "kres... kres..." sound from the damp twigs beneath his combat boots.
Moonlight pierced through the leaves, creating shadows that moved like living creatures.
Then—
BOOM!
A loud explosion shook the air. A deep roar followed from ahead.
Zeydan froze. "What was that…?"
The guiding bird flapped its wings rapidly, flying higher — as if urging him toward the source of the sound.
He dashed through the fog, his breath mixing with the scent of moist earth and dust of energy.
When he reached a gap between the massive trees, his eyes widened.
Before him, in the middle of cracked ground and bursts of blue energy, two figures were fighting against an Astrat monster.
The creature towered like a giant — its skin dark greenish-black, steam seeping out from cracks between its scales, and its eyes burning red like living embers.
Its enormous claws smashed the ground, scattering wild sparks of energy from the remnants of magic within Farlios soil.
Two young Wardens fought before it —
a girl, Lina, with short silver hair and a blue energy blade that shifted into a shield, and a man, Victor, slightly older, holding a spear of glowing energy.
Zeydan gasped. "That's—!"
Without thinking, he activated his Photon Edge sword. The blue energy blade hummed softly, its glow reflected on his tense face.
(If that's an Astrat, I can't let them fight alone.)
He leaned forward and sprinted.
The direction of the wind shifted, the fog trailing behind him.
The Astrat roared furiously, swinging its arm — the energy wave slammed into the surrounding trees.
Lina held up her energy shield, her body pushed back. "Victor! I can't hold it much longer—!"
"Just hang on! I'll—"
But his words were cut off as a flash of blue light streaked across the battlefield.
CLANG!
A glowing blade sliced through the air, slashing the Astrat's claw and sending sparks of energy flying.
Zeydan emerged from the mist, standing between them, face stern.
"Don't fight it in pairs," he said shortly. "I'll help."
Victor glanced at him briefly, startled by the stranger's sudden arrival.
"Who are you—?"
"A temporary ally," Zeydan replied quickly. "We'll talk later."
The three of them immediately spread out —
Lina took the left flank, Victor attacked from the right, and Zeydan charged straight from the center.
The Astrat bellowed in rage, smashing the ground so hard that dust and rocks burst into the air.
Zeydan leapt high, spinning midair, then slashed at the creature's head — the blue light of his Photon Edge carving a glowing wound into its thick scales.
Lina fired a wave of energy from her sword, piercing the creature's back.
Victor shouted, planting his energy spear into the ground and summoning arcs of plasma lightning that wrapped around the monster's body.
The earth trembled. Blue and red light clashed wildly in the air like a storm.
The Astrat roared, its massive body swaying — but not yet falling.
Zeydan landed, pivoted swiftly, and gathered energy into his blade.
His weapon flared in a burst of blinding blue light. He dashed forward, cutting straight through the monster's chest in one massive swing.
SLAAASHH!
Blue light erupted. The Astrat's body split partially and collapsed with a final, echoing roar.
Lina bent down, panting heavily. Victor stuck his spear into the ground, breathing hard.
The mist around them began to fade, replaced by the warm air left from the Astrat's evaporating energy.
A few meters away, Irsyad crouched behind thick bushes, eyes sharp as he watched the three young Wardens.
His hat tilted slightly forward, hiding his serious expression.
"Quick coordination… even without knowing each other," he muttered softly. "Interesting."
But suddenly, the wind around him shifted.
His black hair lifted slightly —
he looked up, his face tensing.
"…Something's coming."
He sensed a strange vibration in the air, like pressure from an unknown element.
Without hesitation, Irsyad pulled a Crystal Device from his belt and pressed it.
In an instant, his body was wrapped in white light and vanished.
Teleportation.
The trail of energy led him to the other side of the forest.
Meanwhile, Zeydan stood still, staring at the black ashes of the Astrat fading on the ground.
The glow of his sword slowly dimmed, leaving only a soft shimmer.
Lina looked at him, still catching her breath. "You… who are you, exactly?"
"Zeydan. Warden — though maybe not from the same unit as you," he replied, lowering his sword. "And you are?"
"Lina," the girl answered quickly. "And this is my brother, Victor."
Victor gave a curt nod. "You arrived just in time. Without you, we might've become that thing's dinner."
Zeydan gave a faint smile. "Heh… I also owe that little bird. Without it, I wouldn't have found you."
Lina glanced at the glowing bird perched on a branch nearby, fluttering softly as if proud of itself.
But before they could talk further—
Zeydan suddenly stiffened.
His voice caught.
"…Did you hear that?"
Victor frowned. "Hear what?"
Zeydan stared blankly into the trees.
A faint whisper crawled into his ears, like a voice from within his mind.
"He's… about to awaken."
Zeydan's face went pale. His hand reflexively touched his chest. "What… is this? Where's that voice coming from?"
Lina looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Zeydan lowered his head, trying to sense the energy flow around them. "There's something… something very close."
Suddenly, his body staggered — Victor quickly caught him.
"Hey, calm down! Maybe you've lost too much energy."
But before they could steady themselves, the sound of footsteps echoed from the dark woods.
Calm, steady steps — like metal striking earth.
Lina reflexively reactivated her sword. "Who's there!?"
The mist parted.
From behind the shadows, a female figure emerged — clad in a long black-and-white coat.
Her right eye glowed red like a mechanical lens, her skin shimmered faintly gray like steel.
A long sword hung at her left side, gleaming bluish-silver under the moonlight.
Azura stepped out, her expression unreadable.
The sound of her boots echoed clearly between the trees.
Zeydan froze, breath heavy —
the whisper still echoed in his mind.
"He's… about to awaken."
[The Other Side of Farlios Forest]
The night mist thickened among the ancient trees.
The air was damp and cold, broken only by the rustling of dry leaves stirred by the wind and the sharp scent of wet soil.
In an instant, a white light flashed between the bushes — and the figure of Irsyad appeared.
His black cloak fluttered softly as he raised his head, eyes scanning his surroundings with caution.
But his gaze soon fixed upon a man in a black cloak standing in the distance — on top of a pile of stones, surrounded by the corpses of freshly slain Astrats.
Dark greenish blood still dripped from the tip of the carved staff held in the man's hand.
Irsyad stepped forward slowly, his voice calm but clear:
"Hey, . You look exhausted... killing thirty-five Astrats in less than twenty minutes. I can feel it — even without seeing their bodies."
The man turned slowly. His breath was heavy, white vapor escaping his lips in the cold air.
Behind his round black glasses, his eyes looked weary yet still carried an unshakable authority.
"Irsyad," he replied flatly but with a hint of warmth, "you always have impeccable timing… for the wrong moment."
He sheathed his staff, wiping the sweat from his temple with a light motion. Then, lowering his glasses slightly, he revealed eyes that looked perfectly human — calm yet piercing.
Irsyad smirked faintly, tilting his hat downward.
"I was just curious. There are four young Wardens wandering around this forest.
They don't realize the woods are… pulsing unnaturally tonight."
Abdullah lifted his gaze toward the mist-covered night sky.
"Yes, I can feel it too. Something is awakening.
And it's not just the Astrats."
They stood in silence for a few seconds. Only the sounds of forest insects and snapping branches echoed in the thick fog.
Then Irsyad spoke again, his tone lower, almost wary:
"You've heard the rumors, haven't you? About the organization formed by those who wield Atharlez power."
Abdullah nodded slowly. The wind blew through his cloak, briefly revealing the sheathed Dzulfikar sword strapped to his back.
"I have. They call themselves… the Resonance Circle, if I recall correctly.
The outcasts — those rejected by the world itself."
Irsyad's eyes darkened. He looked down at the damp soil, his voice tense.
"They're not a normal organization. Every one of them is… fractured.
Blinded by their own power."
Abdullah took a long breath, his gaze shifting westward — deeper into the forest.
"In that case… they'll come here. Sooner or later."
And indeed—
The ground beneath them began to tremble faintly.
Trees creaked, leaves scattered through the air, and from within the mist, dozens of red and black eyes began to appear one by one.
"Hmph…" Abdullah slid his glasses back on. "Looks like it's not sooner or later anymore."
"It's now."
From between the trees emerged twenty Mostoles — colossal rhino-like monsters, their skins gleaming like molten metal.
Each step they took made the earth quake, while from the other side came twenty-five Astrats, accompanied by trembling Forest Spirits that looked terrified and disoriented.
But there was something wrong —
all the monsters' eyes were pitch black, without pupils, as if controlled by an unseen force.
Abdullah reached for the karambit at his waist. The bluish-silver glow ignited the fog around him.
"They're being controlled," he said quietly. "By someone."
Irsyad immediately activated the Crystal Device in his hand — white light began to envelop his body, the sign of teleportation.
But in a split second, Abdullah moved faster than lightning, dragging Irsyad out of the circle of light.
"Don't run just yet."
"Let's face them together."
Irsyad sighed sharply, adjusting his hat lower to hide his expression.
"I already regret agreeing to your insane ideas again…"
Then he smirked faintly. "But fine."
With a swift motion, he summoned a katana from thin air — the blade glowed with a faint violet-silver hue.
The two men stood side by side in the middle of the misty night.
The Mostoles and Astrats roared, shaking the forest around them.
The ground trembled. Leaves fell in waves from the branches above.
Abdullah lowered his stance, drawing a deep breath.
"You ready, Irsyad?"
Irsyad tilted his head slightly, smirking.
"I was born for this."
Energy light began to surge around them — violet and blue intertwining in the air.
And as the first Mostole stomped the ground, a deafening explosion tore through the silence of Farlios Forest.
The battle had begun.