"Wow. So, you were really here, Prince Noah. What are you doing in Arindor's woods? Taking a stroll far from home?" Zaskar mocked.
"Just a casual visit with my dear friend, Prince Eric. Nothing for you to meddle in," Noah replied coldly.
Zaskar's dark laughter made several birds take flight. "Haha... Somehow believable. Two incompetent kids making friends. But if you're really friend with him… not with his sister, though."
Noah's jaw tensed. Zaskar was the last person he could ever tolerate.
Zaskar glanced between Noah and the bush, smirking. "Come on, little prince. I know you hid her behind that bush,"
Noah could easily sense Eri's presence—and that meant Zaskar might sense it too, right?
But still, Noah couldn't just give her up so easily.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Noah insisted, playing dumb.
Zaskar's patience was thinning as he inched even closer. "I'm talking about that Nameless."
"I don't recall ever seeing a Nameless in my life,"
Zaskar's eyes narrowed. Enough with Noah's games.
He stepped forward, moving toward the bush. "Fine. I'll check."
That's when Noah moved in front of him, blocking his path.
This little prince was really going to stand up to him? Foolish—and brave.
Zaskar raised an eyebrow, a mix of amusement and surprise. "Oh, finally reaching the point where you're basically wishing to die? Though… I'll still try not to kill you. For now, at least."
With that last word, a black, shadowy pillar rose beneath Zaskar, twice his height.
It spread wider and wider, pulling more of the forest into darkness, creeping ever closer to Noah.
Seeing the towering shadow walls approaching, Noah took a step back. This was Zaskar's infamous technique—one he had only heard rumors of.
Anyone caught in Zaskar's Shadow Walls risked losing one of their senses with each strike.
For someone like Noah, that was death.
Zaskar, Shadow Severan, the world's most renowned Shadow Nexus. And Noah? An Unseen. An outcast with no Nexus at all.
"What's wrong? Running away now?" Zaskar taunted.
The rain poured harder, storm clouds blotting out the sun.
Noah glanced at the bush behind him, clenching his fists. He wouldn't step back any further. He hoped Eri had escaped by now, and letting himself to enter Zaskar's Shadow Wall.
From outside the Shadow Wall, it looked like pure blackness. Yet, when Noah stepped in, the wall seemed to vanish. He could see the entire forest, but shrouded in a dark, opaque layer.
Zaskar's and Noah's shadows glowed white in that darkness, even larger and clearer than before.
"Wow... You actually stepped in on your own. But don't you think an Unseen being this reckless is… overconfident? You know I could kill you, kid?" Zaskar's voice dripped with threat.
One hand went to his invisible scabbard, and his sword reappeared—thin, black blade, hilt glowing with veins of dark light.
'Stay calm. Just watch.' Noah thought, eyes fixed downward—not on his sword, not on his hand, but on Zaskar's white shadow.
In Noah's eyes, before Zaskar even moved, his shadow does. With the shadow, Noah anticipated the attack.
Noah didn't have a Nexus, sure. But ever since he was a kid, he'd had this strange bond with shadows.
Something only he could notice, something he never told anyone. Sometimes, shadows would move on their own in his eyes, sometimes they whispered things to him.
He could sync with shadows, reading every move his enemy's shadow made before it even happened. And he just accepted it as part of himself, just kept thinking he was some cursed boy.
When Zaskar's strike landed for real, Noah easily dodged.
The sword hit the ground, sliding over Noah's shadow.
And right then, a cut tore open across his back—exactly where the blade had dragged across his shadow.
But Noah didn't feel a thing—he'd lost his sense of touch anyway.
That was Zaskar's dirty trick.
Nobody who ever got caught in it lived long enough to figure it out.
In Zaskar's dark domain, you didn't need your body to be hit to get hurt. As long as your shadow was in his hands, he could carve deep wounds all over you. And with each strike, one of your senses got taken away.
"Well done, Prince Noah. Quick reflexes. Though… pointless," Zaskar smirked.
Another strike.
Noah dodged carefully, yet the blade still hit his shadow, not realizing his back had started bleeding from the impact.
Zaskar tilted his head slightly, like he was thinking. "First hit took your sense of touch. This one, your hearing. Vision next, maybe?"
Noah stared at Zaskar's mouth, trying to hear, but nothing reached him.
'Lost my hearing? But I didn't even get hit…' His mind raced, still catching the next move.
Zaskar drew his second blade from another invisible scabbard, spinning it and bringing it up to down toward Noah's head.
Noah stepped back just in time—but it slammed onto the ground on his head's shadow.
He felt no pain, yet the impact rattled his head. Vision blurred.
'My… sight? What's happening?' Noah panicked. No matter how wide he opened his eyes, he couldn't see a thing.
Struck by multiple attacks while blind, he was thrown back out of Zaskar's Shadow Wall, slamming into a tree beside the bush.
Bloodied, semi-conscious, he pressed his hand to his side, trying to stop the flow.
The Shadow Wall retracted, thinning into a faint dark line.
Zaskar, still holding both swords, glanced at Noah lazily before stepping forward.
"That was quick... so tiresome." He bent down, grabbing Noah by the hair to lift his head. "Not worth my time at all."
Noah's frown deepened. Jaw clenched tight. But there was nothing he could do, not even to move his muscles, barely able to see—helpless in Zaskar's hands.
Zaskar let go of Noah's hair with a harsh shove and stepped toward the bush.
"D-damn it…" Noah's muffled struggle reached the air.
Zaskar paid no attention and casually pushed the bush aside.
But no one was there.
"So, she ran. Just as I expected."
Seeing Eri was gone, Noah exhaled a sigh of relief and leaned against the tree. But his calm didn't last long.
There was a problem.
Noah could still feel Eri's presence nearby!
Just then, a soft, sharp voice echoed from somewhere in the forest.
"Shut up, please."
At the same moment, a sudden strike hit Zaskar's calf, making his knee buckle for a moment.
He quickly regained balance and looked around—but saw no one.
"I'm done hide-and-seek…"
The same voice called again, and Eri dangled from a tree branch above Zaskar, delivering a swift kick to the back of his head.
Before he could turn, she hooked her foot on the next branch and swung upward, disappearing among the foliage.
"Swift… but pointless," Zaskar sneered, looking toward where he had felt the hit.
Noah spotted Eri moving silently along a branch behind Zaskar.
Her steps were ghostlike—she had clearly spent her life as a hidden spirit.
Yet confronting Zaskar so boldly… it was insane. Two kicks weren't enough to beat him.
Noah shook his head, powerless, for stop her.
But... Eri leapt onto Zaskar's back, landing across his lower back.
Zaskar's face sank into the muddy ground as Eri straddled him, picking up one of his fallen swords and pressing it against his neck.
"As long as I enjoy the hero game, it doesn't matter if my actions are pointless," Eri said with a calm satisfaction in her voice.
A dark laugh echoed from Zaskar. Amusement shone in his eyes.
Why is Zaskar laughing at a time like this?
Eri blinked, confused. "Psychotic villain? Disgusting. Move and I'll kill you,"
"You would kill me? Come on, little mouse. That sword you grabbed It's a Solar. You know what that means?"
"Solar? Wasn't that a dessert?" Eri mumbled, unaware.
"Fool. That means… one of the world's sentient weapons," Zaskar sneered, eyes wide. "A weapon with its own will. Alive. Literally."
"Throw it, Eri!" Noah shouted in shock.
But it was too late.
Both swords—the one in Eri's hand and the one on the ground—started moving on their own.
With incredible force, they spun and shot toward her. One pierced her stomach, the other her hand, slamming her against the tree behind her.
Bloodied, in pain, right in front of Noah.
Zaskar rose, shaking the dirt and mud from his face, and looked down at Eri with triumph. Victory over a girl who hadn't even been outside for two days, hadn't put on shoes, hadn't eaten.
"You should've run the moment you had the chance," he mocked.
Eri coughed up some blood, trying to pull herself together despite the agony.
Zaskar knelt before her, cupping her cheek, thumb brushing over dirty, blood-streaked skin.
"It's okay. Cry. Weaklings always cry and beg," he taunted.
Eri jerked her face away.
"Beg and cry? I'll make sure you experience that one day!" she said, controlled yet full of anger.
"Ladies first," Zaskar smirked. "Maybe when I execute your father and brother, hmm?"
"You can't—" Eri gasped, shocked.
"Oh, little one… I can. And it will be gloriously insane."
This man could really kill her father and brother. He only needed a small excuse to justify their execution and disgrace the royal family.
A girl without a code—this Nameless—was enough.
"I just need you to do one small thing," Zaskar whispered, leaning close. "Confess you're Princess of Arindor."
"What?"
Zaskar's smile softened, almost patient, as he explained. "Simple. Say you're the king's daughter… then I can kill your family."
Eri stared at Zaskar in disbelief.
This man seriously expected her to admit something like that?
But she just scoffed angrily. "Either you're an idiot… or you think I am,"
His smile widened, drew the sword from her hand and pressed to her neck.
"I suggest you listen. Say it and I promise to end you without pain. But if you're naughty… well, it'll take longer. With more pain."
He leaned in closer, pressing the blade harder. "Tell me, darling. Don't be afraid."
Eri looked him straight in the eye... look like she studied him, then let out a slow breath.
"Fine. I'll say it," she whispered, calmly.
Noah, on the brink of unconsciousness, stared at Eri in shock.
Zaskar's smile twisted into a victorious smirk.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden crystal streaked with blue, a perfect hexagon hovering in front of Eri.
The crystal glowed softly.
It was a combination of the Time Core and the Water Core—to record and replay events.
Zaskar intended to kill Eri right there, so he had to take her confession first.
"Smart choice. Now tell me… who is your family?"
"Well… I have no family," Eri said with the utmost seriousness.
A mocking laugh erupted from Zaskar as the sword sank lower against her throat, leaving a streak of blood.
"Repeat that, please," he said calmly, his control thinly veiling his rage.
Eri's eyes squinted from pain, but stubbornness outweighed it.
She gave a smile, which made her get under Zaskar's skin, and with her large, innocent eyes, she spoke as if it were the truth:
"I have no family, sir. I'm only one of the Master of Nature's creations. I've spent my entire life in the forest and I've never even seen that human over there. I don't know what problem you have with me, but since I have no connections with anyone… you can kill me alone, sir. But because you're bullying an innocent little girl like me, my spirit will haunt and curse you after I die."
The crystal still recorded everything, and Zaskar was stunned.
He was certain she was the princess—but how could a princess lie so convincingly? Anyone in his place would believe her.
Zaskar didn't know what to do now.
Just then, a laughter rang out. Noah, barely conscious, leaned against tree, eyes closed, laughing weakly. He seemed almost delighted that Eri had gotten under Zaskar's skin.
Zaskar glanced at Noah, who was laughing like a madman between life and death, then at Eri, who still wearing her innocent expression, indifferent to death.
For the first time, he felt like the sanest person in the group.
He exhaled, examining her neck. No Nexus.
"You're an Unseen too… Two Unseens, unseen by the Master of Nature, dared to mess with me?" he hissed, fury rising.
But... Eri had already passed out.
She had been poisoned earlier by Blackfang and was only releasing her energy, and now with these wounds and blood loss, she had finally reached her limit.
"End the show. Wake up already!" Zaskar grumbled, annoyed.
Noah tried to reach for Eri but couldn't.
His eyes were closing, and the last thing he saw was a man—white hair falling to his neck, long dark robes, and a completely featureless black mask—walking slowly toward them.
Zaskar hadn't noticed him.
His fists clenched on his swords as he restrained himself from harming Eri, though fury was written all over his face.
The man reached behind Zaskar with calm steps, leaned beside his face, and spoke from beneath the mask:
"The Master of Nature would be very upset to see it."
Zaskar froze, spinning to look—but no one was there.
"Tsk tsk tsk… hurting two little babies? Vile," the mysterious man said, leaning against the tree near Noah.
Both of Zaskar's swords were now in his hands, inspected casually.
The black mask on his face was one seamless piece, covering everything from forehead to neck. No holes for eyes, nose, or even mouth.
Zaskar's sharp gaze darted at the calm stranger.
"Who the hell are you?" he growled through clenched teeth.
"Knowing doesn't matter. You weren't supposed to remember anyway," the man said, running a finger along the blade.
"Return them," Zaskar snapped, gesturing at the swords.
The man tossed the swords toward Zaskar. "Here."
But before they reached him, they hovered midair.
Time froze.
Birds in flight, leaves twirling in the wind, raindrops falling, even Zaskar—all stopped in an instant.
The man lifted Noah and Eri effortlessly.
Before turning to leave, his black-masked face turned toward Zaskar.
A finger pressed against Zaskar's forehead, pushing him backward to the ground.
Leave him all dirty in muddy ground.