Three days passed by in a flash.
The day the entrance to the Nightmare Forest was to be opened had finally arrived. Monster hunters who had come from various kingdoms had gathered in front of the forest's entrance.
Although some kingdoms were incredibly far from the Zivilia Kingdom, they still managed to arrive on time by using costly magical teleportation devices. This proved just how ambitious these kingdoms were to hunt the Light Dragon.
There were about 80 delegations from the best monster hunter groups from 50 different kingdoms present at this moment. Each group had more than 10 members, with some even exceeding 20. The number of hunter groups was much higher than anticipated, this was because several kingdoms had sent more than one of their elite groups, thinking that sending more would greatly increase their chances of capturing the Dragon. As a result, the number of groups participating in this hunt far exceeded expectations.
Currently, the area was filled with the sound of human chatter, the clinking of weapons, and the stomp of horses' hooves.
Tsana and Zephyr had also arrived. They stood at the entrance, directly facing the ranks of monster hunter groups waiting for the gates to open.
The two were waiting for the rest of their group members who had not yet arrived.
Tsana had read the letter Cayn sent two days ago, which stated that there would be two additional members in her group. They were the top students representing Roswell Academy.
So, in total, Tsana's group would consist of five people; herself, Zephyr, the two students from Roswell Academy, and also Cayn. She didn't understand why Cayn had agreed to let these two students join their group. This journey was incredibly dangerous, bringing two academy students of unknown ability would be troublesome.
But Tsana chose not to ask. After all, she had to follow whatever Cayn decided, as he was her guide to meet the Dragon. She was confident that Cayn had his reasons for every action, and she just needed to follow.
Before long, her group members finally arrived. The first to arrive was Rolan, followed by Helena, and the last was a man with waist length white hair, wearing a mask that covered half of his face.
The man's attire was simple, a plain white long sleeved top, long black trousers, and black boots with gold embroidery decorating the sides. A gold earring dangled from his ear, adding to his elegant charm.
Tsana furrowed her brow upon seeing the man. She clearly recognized him by his undetectable mana, but why was his appearance so different?
When the man arrived, he immediately approached Tsana and leaned in slightly to whisper. "Don't look at me like that. No one knows I am the Dragon's friend except for you. Besides, it would cause chaos if they saw Duke Ennel himself joining this journey to meet the Dragon and grouping up with the Guardian of the Nightmare Forest."
Tsana didn't reply to Cayn's words, but she stared at him intensely, which made Cayn freeze.
"Is something wro-"
Cayn's words were cut off when Tsana suddenly raised her right hand to touch his white hair. She stroked the fine strands from top to bottom and lifted a few to smell them.
The action stirred an unfamiliar feeling within Cayn.
Heat spread from his ears to his cheeks, and a faint red blush was visible on his face despite the mask. His blue eyes suddenly lost their focus.
"Is this your real hair?" Tsana asked.
Understanding her question, Cayn nodded. "Yes."
Then Tsana looked directly into Cayn's eyes. "Your eyes, too?"
Cayn shook his head.
Tsana sighed. "I knew it."
After meeting Cayn twice, Tsana had always felt that this man was fake. But she could never pinpoint where the falsehood lay, as she never sensed any magic energy from him. But after seeing Cayn's appearance today, she had finally found it.
She wanted to ask how Cayn could change his appearance, seemingly without magic.
Ever since Zephyr told her about Cayn being Duke Ennel three days ago, the doubts in Tsana's mind had only grown. She was curious, how could Cayn become the Duke, and how long had he held that position?
However, she couldn't possibly talk about it now, in front of others. She would ask him directly later when it was just the two of them.
Tsana's pensive face looked incredibly soft, and her hand still hadn't let go of Cayn's white hair.
Just as Cayn raised his right hand to touch Tsana's wrist, which was still holding the strands of his hair, a loud cough echoed from behind Tsana.
Tsana turned around. She and Cayn looked at Zephyr, who was glaring at them, displeased. "The entrance is about to open, we can't waste time- Hiii!"
Tsana sensed something strange about Zephyr's tone, which grew quieter and quieter until it ended in a strange shriek. She followed Zephyr's gaze, which was fixed behind her, but when she turned back to Cayn, she only saw him still standing there with the same smile on his face.
"Is something wrong?" Tsana asked.
Zephyr immediately shook his head rapidly, shifted into his child form, and hid behind Rolan and Helena, whose expressions weren't much different from his.
"Are you all nervous?" Tsana asked again.
The three shook their heads quickly.
Rolan hurriedly said. "G-Guardian, i-it's time for you to open the entrance. Y-you should do it now."
Tsana glanced at Cayn, who was still standing there with that same smile, then sighed.
Fine, it seemed everyone in her group was keeping secrets from her now.
She sighed. "Alright."
Tsana walked to the front of the entire assembly of hunter groups.
Then, she slowly raised her staff and tapped it once on the ground.
As the staff struck the earth, a fresh wind blew gently from it, forming a wave of air that gusted in all directions, successfully capturing the attention of all the monster hunters present.
Tsana used magic to make her voice strong and clear, so that everyone could hear her. "Today is a great day for all kingdoms. There are no special rules for anyone entering this forest starting today. This forest is no longer the 'Nightmare Forest' as you knew it. The danger level within is far higher because its structure has changed greatly, and there will be no one to save you as before, because I, too, will be entering as a monster hunter. Deep within this forest, a magnificent ancient gate stands, one that I have never entered. The forest beyond that gate is no longer part of the Nightmare Forest. That is the place where the Dragon you seek resides, and with this, I hereby open the entrance to the Nightmare Forest wide for all of you."
After she spoke, the massive gate behind Tsana began to swing wide open. The monster hunter groups there shouted in excitement and immediately charged into the forest. The thunderous sound of hundreds of human footsteps echoed through the area.
Tsana stood in the middle of the rushing crowd. She heard the roaring cheers around her, mixed with the clinking of weapons and the echoing footsteps of humans and horses.
This situation felt so familiar, as if she were standing in the middle of a war.
Suddenly, random images swirled in her head. She saw what looked like ranks of millions of humans holding weapons, some on horseback. A flag shaped like two red triangles, bearing a foreign emblem, fluttered at several points.
War chants roared, and the drums signaling the start of the war sounded. Shouts of passion and struggle erupted, and the thunder of human and horse footsteps echoed across the barren land.
The sight of the monster hunters before her now overlapped with the sight of the people in that vision.
Then, that magnificent and resolute scene suddenly changed into something starkly different. Tsana saw corpses scattered everywhere, piled on top of each other into mountains of the dead. Fire blazed everywhere, black smoke plumed from all directions, and when Tsana looked down, she saw pools of blood so vast.
The place had completely transformed into a sea of corpses and blood. The flags that were once clean now lay everywhere, torn and filthy. There was no wind to make them fly. It was as if the flags themselves signified total defeat.
The place was filled with a choking stench, as if her throat was being squeezed, making it hard to breathe.
Tsana staggered back a few steps, clutching her aching head. 'What is this? Why am I seeing images like this? Is this an illusion? But from where?'
Zephyr, seeing Tsana's body about to fall, was about to run to help her. However, he suddenly sensed something flash past him from the side, and a second later, he saw someone already standing behind Tsana, supporting her.
It was the man with waist length white hair and a half mask. He caught Tsana's body with a gentle movement.
"So fast," Zephyr muttered.