Cayn immediately carried Tsana's body to the side, away from the crowd of monster hunters.
As Cayn's skin touched hers, he felt that Tsana's was ice cold. He quickly channeled warming magic into his palm and gripped her hand.
No one noticed, but Cayn's own complexion had turned slightly pale.
"Master! Are you alright?" Zephyr asked, his tone filled with worry as he rushed over.
"Use this. It's a signature fragrance from the Solom Kingdom. I just bought it while on vacation there a few weeks ago. She will relax if she uses this," Helena said, offering a small, purple glass bottle.
Cayn looked at the bottle and was about to take it. However, Tsana's hand had already reached out, taking the bottle and inhaling its contents.
Tsana regulated her breathing and gradually calmed down. She looked at Helena. "Thank you. It smells wonderful, and it really helped me relax."
Helena's shoulders, initially tense, relaxed. In a small, slightly choked voice, she said, "Really? Thank goodness."
Cayn watched Tsana in silence.
"Master, what's wrong with you? You don't look well," Zephyr asked.
Tsana shook her head. "It's nothing."
Although she appeared calm, her heart was still uneasy. The vision of the red flag and the blood stuck to the back of her eyelids. She didn't know what it was, whether she was dreaming or just imagining it. But it had felt so real.
Zephyr frowned, clearly Tsana was lying to him. But, he chose not to ask again. Perhaps Tsana had her reasons for not saying anything now.
Zephyr would ask again later.
The place had grown quiet, as all the monster hunter groups had entered the forest. Only they remained.
Then Tsana looked at Cayn. "Now, are we going directly to the ancient gate?"
Cayn nodded, "Yes. Let's just use teleportation magic. It will save time."
"Wait!" Rolan spoke up. "Shouldn't we introduce ourselves first? We're a group now. It will be easier if we know each other."
Cayn snorted coldly. "Unnecessary. Our time is too precious for such trivial matters."
Seeing Cayn's cold attitude, Rolan's courage suddenly shrank. He bit his lip nervously.
Seeing Rolan's face, which looked like a child who had just been scolded by his father, touched a certain spot in Tsana's heart.
Her voice was heard. "I am Tsana Norton. You probably already know me, so I don't need to introduce myself further."
Cayn blinked at Tsana.
This time Zephyr introduced himself. "I'm Zephyr."
"I am Rolan Gilbert, top student of Roswell Academy," Rolan said, his confidence returning.
"I am Helena Kamal, top student of Roswell Academy," Helena said with a graceful gesture, nodding her head slightly. From her elegant posture, her upbringing as a noblewoman was obvious.
Cayn furrowed his brow. "Kamal, is it."
Helena looked at Cayn nervously, a drop of sweat trickling down her temple. For some reason, she had felt this man was terrifying from the start. It was as if his eyes were constantly watching her like a hawk, brutally prying into her thoughts.
Although it was undeniable that the man was incredibly handsome.
'I must be careful around him,' Helena thought.
Cayn realized another pair of eyes was watching him, and when he turned, he saw Tsana waiting for him to introduce himself.
Cayn let out a resigned sigh and finally joined in. "My name is Cayn."
Tsana furrowed her brow. 'He's really using his real name?'
Zephyr immediately blinked. 'So he's Duke Ennel? How can his appearance change like that without magic? I can't sense any magic energy from him at all.'
Tsana stared at Cayn's mask. 'If I look closer, even though his appearance is vastly different, his face is still the same. So that's why he's wearing a mask.'
Zephyr held his own chin. 'This person is just as mysterious as Master said. I have to watch him closely, just as Master ordered.'
The strange silence made the situation a bit stiff. No one could hear Tsana's and Zephyr's inner thoughts, so they just stood like statues in the awkward hush.
"Well, how about we go now? We've spent enough time," Rolan said, breaking the silence.
Helena cleared her throat haughtily. "Yes, we must go now."
Zephyr and Tsana stopped daydreaming, and finally, everyone gathered in a circle.
Cayn was still holding Tsana's hand, channeling warming magic to her, and Tsana really felt comfortable with that. Everyone standing in the circle had to hold onto each other if they didn't want to be thrown elsewhere. Teleportation magic uses the mana of all its users. If one user wasn't connected, they would be flung who knows where, and in the worst case scenario, their limbs could be teleported separately.
Their current position was: Cayn held Tsana's hand, Tsana held Helena's shoulder, Helena held Zephyr's shoulder, and Zephyr gripped Rolan's wrist.
However, Rolan, standing on Cayn's other side, was confused about where to hold. Cayn pretended not to care, and every time Rolan tried to touch him, Cayn would glare at him with a suffocating aura.
It made Rolan frustrated.
Finally, Tsana placed her staff between the two and asked Cayn and Rolan to step on opposite ends of it. That way, everyone would remain connected.
Tsana shot Cayn a protesting look. But Cayn only replied with a gentle smile.
Then, Cayn began to chant the teleportation spell.
Right after that, an intricate, glowing magic rune appeared right beneath their feet. A slight warmth touched their feet, and a gentle wind blew, rustling their hair and clothes. They closed their eyes against the blinding light.
A second later, the light gradually faded, and when they opened their eyes, they were in a different place.
They stood in the middle of a vast green meadow, and a magnificent gate stood right before them. The gate looked ancient, covered in moss and intricate carvings.
"Whoa, so this is the entrance to the Dragon's place?" Rolan said enthusiastically.
"It looks so ancient," Helena remarked.
While the two students were admiring the gate, a man with short black hair, wearing a black robe and possessing phoenix eyes, approached them.
"Hello everyone, I am William, Lord Cayn's fire spirit. I will also be joining this journey."
Zephyr, still in his child form, immediately approached William. "Whoa, you're a high level fire spirit, too?"
William nodded. "Yes."
Rolan and Helena also grew curious, and an enthusiastic conversation broke out between the two high level spirits and the two Top Roswell Academy students.
The four of them truly looked like siblings playing together.
Tsana stared at the gate in silence. She felt a little nervous after the strange vision she had at the entrance moments ago.
Why did she see a war before her eyes? When did it happen? Who were they, and who were they fighting? Was it all related to her past?
Would all of it be answered after she passed through this gate?
Would the curse on her body disappear after she passed this gate?
It was hard to say, but one thing was certain. All the answers to those questions would be found after she passed through this gate.
"Are you ready?" Cayn asked from her side.
Tsana nodded. "Yes."
William, Zephyr, Rolan, and Helena turned toward Tsana and Cayn.
"Let's go in," Cayn said.
With that, the entire group finally walked through the gate, completely cutting off their connection to the outside world.
No one knew how long they would be inside or what the future held. But one thing was certain: they would return after successfully passing every trial within and meeting the Dragon.
•••
End of Volume 1
To be continued with Side Story 1 (Zephyr's Story and how Tsana first became the Guardian of the Nightmare Forest).