The forest held its breath.
Every leaf, every branch, every creature seemed frozen as the Chain Commander towered before them—an iron monolith wrapped in rattling chains, each link carved with strange glowing runes. His mask had no expression, yet somehow Aru felt he was being judged… measured… weighed like prey on a hunter's scale.
Aru's legs glowed faintly again, golden pulses rippling like tiny heartbeats.
Zara whispered without turning her head, "Aru… stay behind me. I know you want to be noble, but there's noble and then there's suicidal."
Aru whispered back, "No. I can't hide. He wants me."
"Well, yes, obviously," Zara hissed. "But he can't take you if you're alive, and I would like you to stay that way."
Tiko climbed onto Aru's head and whispered, "IF WE DIE LET IT BE KNOWN THAT I WANT TO BE BURIED WITH SNACKS."
The commander tilted his head slowly, chains clinking like metallic laughter.
The Negotiation That Wasn't
The Chain Commander stepped forward. The ground cracked under his boots.His voice echoed through the trees—cold, distorted, but disturbingly calm.
"Antelope. You possess ancient energy. You will surrender peacefully."
Aru stepped closer before anyone could drag him back."No."
Zara facepalmed hard. "Why are you like this?"
The commander's visor gleamed.
"You refuse?"
"Yes," Aru said, trying to keep his voice from squeaking."I'm not going anywhere with you."
The commander paused—just a heartbeat—then spoke:
"Very well. Then your friends will die first."
Bolo stepped forward immediately."Try it."
Eldros lifted his trunk."You harm one, you face all."
Even Rella—who normally preferred a calm, non-death-related afternoon—leveled her staff."You'll have to walk over our bodies."
Tiko shouted, "AND THAT WILL NOT BE EASY BECAUSE I'M VERY SMALL AND HARD TO STEP ON!"
The commander did not react.
He simply reached behind him…grabbed one of the rune-carved chains…
…and flicked it.
A shockwave of force blasted outward like a storm.
The First Clash
The ground tore. Trees bent.Everyone was thrown back— except Aru.
Aru skidded, but his glowing legs rooted him like anchors.
The commander's voice rumbled:
"Interesting."
Zara rolled across the ground, coughing."ARU WHAT KIND OF MAGIC DO YOUR LEGS HAVE—HYDRAULIC ANTI-BLOWBACK SYSTEMS!?"
Aru didn't know.He didn't feel like he was doing anything.
His legs seemed to move on their own, guided by instinct older than memory.
The commander cracked the chain again.
Aru dashed.
It wasn't running—it was a blink.A golden streak.
He didn't even think.His body simply reacted.
He ended up behind the commander without realizing how.
Tiko screamed, "BRO TELEPORTED LIKE AN ANGRY FIREFLY!"
The commander finally turned.
"You have awakened the Primordial Flow. Rare."
Aru blinked. "The what-now?"
"Your speed is not mortal. Nor natural."
Zara staggered up. "We noticed!"
Aru's First Strike
The commander swung the chain like a giant iron whip.
Aru felt something—a pull in his legs, a warm rush, like wind begging to be used.
He leaped.
Not a normal jump.A supernatural one.
Aru soared through the air, golden trails following like comet tails, and kicked the chain mid-flight. The impact sang like a gong. The chain ricocheted off a tree, cutting it clean in half.
Bolo yelled, "THAT'S OUR ANTELOPE!"
Tiko screamed, "KICK HIM AGAIN KICK HIM INTO NEXT WEEK!"
Even Eldros nodded with approval.
The Commander Gets Serious
The commander didn't fall.Didn't stumble.Didn't even seem bothered.
Instead, he planted the chain into the ground…
…and the earth cracked open as if breathing.
Rune-light burst upward.
Even Zara froze. "Oh, that's bad. That's very bad. That's the kind of bad where we run and cry at the same time."
The commander raised his hand.
"Binding Art — SEVENTH SEAL."
The forest dimmed.Shadows stretched.Iron symbols formed in the air like floating brands.
Aru tensed.His legs buzzed wildly, like they sensed a predator.
Tiko screamed, "I DON'T WANT TO BE BOUND I CAN'T EVEN COMMIT TO A RELATIONSHIP!"
Aru didn't run.
He lunged forward.
The Golden Counter
The seals shot toward him like spears.
Aru's legs moved on their own—dipping, twisting, blurring, dodging between the seals until he was a shimmer of light weaving through darkness.
The world slowed around him.
Left.Leap.Twist.Dash.
His instincts chanted:
Faster.Flow.Become the wind.
Aru reached the commander—too close for chains to strike effectively—
and kicked him square in the chest.
The blow landed like thunder.The commander slid back, boots carving trenches in the soil.
Zara gasped. "He actually pushed him! That armor weighs tons!"
Aru collapsed to one knee, panting.His legs felt like molten metal.
The commander straightened.
For the first time…he seemed impressed.
"So it is true. The Golden Runner bloodline exists."
Aru blinked. "The what exists!?"
But before anyone could ask anything else—
the commander lifted his hand for a third strike.
The Unexpected Arrival
Suddenly—
A shadow flew overhead.
A gust of freezing wind blasted the clearing.
And then—
A colossal creature landed between Aru and the commander, talons digging into the soil.
A Skyrazor Eagle, wings glowing with blue lightning.
Fenrirous staggered forward. "Impossible… That is the High Sentinel of the Northern Ridge."
The eagle turned its head, glaring at the commander.
Its voice echoed like thunder:
"Step away from the boy, chain-walker."
The commander's chains rattled, as if annoyed.
"You interfere, winged relic."
The eagle spread its mighty wings—lightning crackled across the sky.
"The Primordial Bloodline is under my protection."
Aru pointed at himself.
"…Wait. ME!?"
Everyone screamed:
"YES, YOU!"
And the commander stepped back.
Not in fear.
But in calculation.
Then he spoke one chilling sentence:
"Very well. I shall claim him later."
He vanished in a burst of shimmering chains.
Leaving the clearing broken, scorched—and Aru shaking on trembling glowing legs…
while everyone stared at him like he'd just become king.