The cry of rage that had just echoed through the forest froze the blood in both boys' veins. It was nothing like an ordinary animal cry: too human, too charged with emotion, too powerful to ignore. Lucian immediately pressed himself against Kenzo, his eyes wide, his white tunic trembling from panic.
— « What… what is that? » he asked in a shaky voice, moving even closer to Kenzo, as if he genuinely thought Kenzo was more reassuring than the giant three-meter spider standing right behind him.
Kenzo, just as terrified, sincerely wondered why Lucian was clinging to him instead of to Madame Spider, who had to be at least as strong as he was, if not ten times stronger. But he pushed the thought aside, took a deep breath, and tried to become pragmatic again despite his heart beating far too fast.
— « That was a human scream, » he finally said, trying to keep his voice steady. « We should go there. If we manage to help them, we'll have more people with us after that. Can Madame take us there? »
Lucian stared at him in horror.
— « What? You want to go over there??? »
He was clearly torn between doing "the right thing" and listening to the fear screaming at him to run in the opposite direction. His hands were trembling slightly, and even his flower sword seemed unsure whether it was supposed to be a weapon or a decorative accessory. Yet after a long moment of visible inner struggle, he finally nodded.
— « Okay… but stay close to me, please… »
At those words, the two boys climbed onto Madame's back. The creature let them, her eight legs steadying themselves to give them secure footing. As he settled on her, Kenzo finally observed the texture of the spider's back: it was not completely white like the rest of her body. It almost looked like a shape, a pattern, something vaguely resembling a face carved into the shell. A frozen face. It sent a long shiver up his spine.
If Kenzo had run into this Void Creature the moment he arrived in the forest… he probably would have lost his mind before even considering a fight.
Madame began to move, fast and silent. Lucian, tense, clung to Kenzo with all his strength, which did absolutely nothing to help the dark-haired boy stay focused. He tried to distract himself by talking.
— « Can you tell me… what rank your artifacts are? » Kenzo asked, trying to understand the blond boy's real level.
— « Yes… they're all Condemned Unconscious rank… » Lucian answered.
— « Okay. My armor too, » Kenzo said with a nod.
Lucian blinked.
— « Then what about your spear? »
A faint discomfort passed through Kenzo. He would rather not have answered that question.
— « It's not an artifact… I found it on a skeleton. »
But instead of looking disappointed or worried, Lucian gave him the softest, most innocent smile possible.
— « You managed to fight with a non-artifact weapon? It's normally impossible to survive against a Void Creature without an artifact! I think even our fists would be more effective… »
Kenzo let out a nervous laugh.
— « Trust me… I barely survived. »
If Lucian had seen him two days earlier, covered in blood, staggering, on the verge of fainting… he probably would have taken that back.
The sky was darkening. Night was starting to settle in, bringing with it a cold wind and the heavy silence characteristic of the fragment. Madame moved quickly, her legs gliding over the ground without a sound, and both boys had to stay focused not to lose their balance. The creature's pace was so fluid that they sometimes had the impression they were flying over the forest rather than crossing it.
When they arrived near the place the scream had come from, both boys were surprised. Very surprised.
In front of them were two girls in the middle of a fight against a group of around ten Void Creatures. These creatures had humanoid shapes, but their bodies seemed entirely covered in floating black cloth, like specters. Each one held thin daggers and attacked without pause, with an almost unreal speed.
But it was not the creatures that surprised Kenzo.
It was the two girls.
He recognized them instantly.
The first was none other than Ananta Ael'thari, the crown princess of Sylvanea. The very same one who had been talking with Yareth during the ceremony. Her dark hair was tied back, her bronzed skin almost seemed to shine despite the effort, and she was barely sweating at all. She wore green armor that looked a lot like the ones on the skeletons from the giant trees, and she fought with a whip. Her movements were extremely fluid, almost dance-like. She dodged, attacked, stepped back, struck again, each crack of her whip leaving a luminous trail before hitting one of the specters.
The second girl was Ophelia.
Ophelia, the Phoenix.
The one destined to save their world.
Her red hair was in disarray, her open red tunic revealed a coat of mail beneath, and her blazing eyes overflowed with a rage that almost seemed to set the air around her on fire. The scream had come from her. She fought with two daggers, her movements brutal, fast, precise. It looked as though she tore the air apart with every strike. Kenzo knew it without the slightest doubt: in a one-on-one fight, he could not defeat either of those two girls.
Panicked, Lucian whispered:
— « They're… »
But Kenzo did not even wait for him to finish. He jumped off Madame without thinking for a single second.
— « If you're too scared, get somewhere safe and ask Madame to come help us! » he shouted as he ran toward the two girls.
Lucian stayed frozen for a moment before nodding nervously. Madame, meanwhile, shifted into a defensive stance.
Kenzo was already sprinting. He could feel the earth trembling beneath Ophelia's attacks, hear the steady crack of Ananta's whip, see the specters partially reforming after every hit, as though they were made of solid mist.
But seeing those two fighters face ten specters alone… only one thought crossed his mind, burning, determined, obvious:
I want to be as strong as they are.
He tightened his grip on his spear, his eyes shining with a new resolve.
The fight waiting for him was going to be terrible.
But he had never been so motivated.