After Archer explained that it had been his first time spreading mana across such a large area, Adrian let out a slow breath and pushed against the ground. His arms trembled as he forced himself upright, stopping halfway before adjusting and settling into a seated position. The movement dragged a dull ache through his body, making his jaw tighten.
Across from him, Archer did the same. Slower. More controlled. But the strain showed in the way his shoulders tensed and his breathing stayed uneven.
For a while, neither of them spoke. The cavern remained still, thick with the aftermath of the fight. The smell of scorched stone mixed with blood hung in the air, and faint drops of water echoed somewhere deeper in the cave.Adrian broke the silence.
"Do you have any mana left?" he asked, voice low. "Enough to heal us?"
Archer turned his head slightly, looking at him as if the question needed a moment to settle. Then he shook his head.
"No. I've got just enough to keep myself alive."
He glanced down at his hands, flexing his fingers slowly.
"If I use it for anything else… that's it. I'd be empty."
Adrian exhaled through his nose. 'So that's where we stand. No recovery. No safety net.'
The reality settled in without resistance.After a moment, both of them pushed themselves up. Their bodies protested immediately. Muscles quivered, joints stiff, every step deliberate as they forced themselves to stand fully. Neither rushed it.
Archer moved first, walking across the cavern floor. The Goblin King's headless body lay where it had fallen, its massive frame casting a long shadow under the dim light filtering in from cracks above. He passed it without slowing, his focus set on the sword still embedded in the stone.
He reached it and wrapped his hand around the hilt. When he pulled, the blade didn't move.His grip tightened. He tried again, putting what little strength he had left into it.Nothing.
On the other side, Adrian started walking. His breathing was uneven, his body heavy, but his steps stayed steady. As he passed the Goblin King's corpse, his eyes lingered for a moment.
'All that strength… and still couldn't finish it.'
He walked a few more steps before the thought settled deeper.
'It wasn't strength. It was arrogance.'
The realization stayed with him as he approached Archer.Without saying anything, Adrian stepped beside him and placed his hands over Archer's on the hilt.They pulled together.
The blade came loose with a sharp crack, the force throwing both of them off balance. They dropped to the ground almost immediately, bodies refusing to hold themselves up any longer.For a moment, neither moved.
Then Adrian let out a quiet breath and pushed himself up again, slower this time. Archer followed, steadying himself before sliding the blade back into its sheath.They turned toward the tunnel they had come from.
The walk out was slow.Every step carried weight. The cavern narrowed as they moved, the air growing heavier with the smell of blood. The walls were stained dark where earlier fights had taken place, and broken bodies of goblins lay scattered across the path.
Some had been cut cleanly. Others were torn apart.Neither of them spoke.They reached the third cavern.
The space opened wider than the tunnel before it, the ceiling higher, jagged stone hanging above. The air here felt colder. Still.The bodies of the women remained where they had fallen.
Adrian didn't stop. He didn't look. His gaze stayed forward as he walked past them, his steps unchanged.
"Adrian."
He stopped.
Not immediately, but after one more step, as if deciding whether it was worth it.
Then he turned.
Archer stood a few paces behind him, eyes fixed.
"Where are you going?" Archer asked. "We have to bury them."
Adrian looked at him, expression flat, tired.
"They're already dead," he said. "Let's just leave. We're injured. We don't have the strength for this."
Archer's jaw tightened.He stepped forward, ignoring the way his body protested. Each step was heavier than the last, but he didn't stop until he stood directly in front of Adrian.
"These are my people," Archer said, voice steady despite the strain. "I will bury them."
Adrian's eyes didn't change.
"A body buried or not buried still rots the same."
The words landed hard.Archer grabbed him by the front of his clothes and pulled him closer. His grip was tight, even with what little strength he had left. His eyes were sharp, focused in a way that cut through the exhaustion.
"Adrian," he said quietly, "you claim to be a villain. I don't care about that. But you will at least give me the common courtesy of respecting my dead and doing what I ask."
Adrian held his gaze.For a moment, neither moved.
'He's not backing down. Even like this.'
Adrian let out a quiet breath.
"Okay," he said. "I'll do as you say."
Archer released him.They didn't speak again after that.
Each of them moved toward the bodies. Adrian bent down, ignoring the strain in his back, and lifted one over his shoulder. Archer did the same.The weight slowed them, but neither complained.Together, they carried the bodies out of the cave.
With every trip they made, their bodies pushed back harder.
Muscles strained under the weight. Their arms trembled each time they lifted another body. Breathing came rough and uneven, dragging through their chests as if the air itself had thickened. Still, neither of them stopped.They went back into the cave.Then out again.Over and over.
The path between the cavern and the outside ground became worn with their steps, dirt disturbed, blood faintly marking where they passed. Each trip took longer than the last. Their pace slowed, their footing less steady, but they continued without speaking.
'No point stopping halfway,' Adrian thought, shifting the weight on his shoulder as pain flared down his spine. 'If we started it, we finish it.'
By the time they carried out the last body, the light outside had already begun to dim.They laid her down beside the others.For a moment, neither of them moved.
Archer stepped forward first. He drove his blade into the ground and gripped the hilt, using it to steady himself before pulling it free again and forcing it into the soil.The earth was compact.Dry.Each push took effort.
Adrian watched him for a second before turning back toward the cave. Inside, near one of the earlier tunnels, he found a broken sword half-buried under debris. The blade was chipped, the handle worn, but it would do.
He returned and started digging beside Archer.The sound of metal scraping against earth filled the quiet.They dug without speaking.Time passed slowly.
The sky shifted from gold to orange, then to a dull red as the sun sank lower. The ground resisted them at every turn, roots catching the blade, stones forcing them to adjust their angle again and again. Their hands slipped more than once, knuckles scraping, fingers stiff from overuse.Still, they dug.
'This would be easier with mana,' Adrian thought, driving the broken blade down again. 'But that's not an option. So this is what it takes.'
Hours went by before the first grave was finished.Then another and another.By the time they were done, the light had nearly faded completely.Thirty-three graves.That was all they could recover.
They carried the bodies again, this time only a few steps, laying each woman down carefully into the earth. Archer adjusted some of them, straightening arms, brushing dirt from faces where he could. Adrian didn't interfere. He simply did his part, lifting, lowering, covering.
When the last grave was filled, both of them stood there.The ground was uneven now, freshly turned earth forming a rough line where the graves had been made.Archer stood in front of them, shoulders still, breathing steady.Then he spoke.
"With this last act, I honor you."
His voice didn't rise. There was no visible emotion on his face, but it carried weight.Adrian stood a short distance behind him, watching.
'Not something I would've done on my own,' he thought. 'But I get it.'
He didn't say anything.The sun had already dipped below the horizon.They turned and began walking.The path back to Adrian's camp stretched ahead of them, uneven ground leading toward the hill where it sat. The air had cooled, and the forest around them grew quieter as night settled in.
After a while, Archer spoke.
"By this time tomorrow, I think I'll have enough mana to heal us both."
Adrian kept his eyes forward.
"Good," he said after a moment. "Because I'm not doing that again in this condition."
There was no humor in it. Just a statement.They reached the base of the hill and stopped.Both of them looked up.The slope wasn't steep, but after everything they had done, it might as well have been a mountain.
Adrian let out a slow breath. "Not happening."
Archer nodded once. "We stay here."
They didn't argue.They gathered what little they could—dry branches, scattered leaves—and set a small fire. It wasn't much, just enough to keep the cold away. The light flickered against the base of the hill, casting long shadows behind them.
They sat on opposite sides of it.No words followed.The silence wasn't uncomfortable. It just existed, like everything else.Adrian leaned back against a rock, eyes half-lidded.
'He didn't hesitate back there,' he thought. 'Even when he could barely stand.'
His gaze shifted briefly toward Archer.
'Stubborn… but not in a bad way.'
Sleep came without warning.When Adrian opened his eyes again, the light had changed.Morning.The air felt different—lighter.His body still ached, but not in the same way as before. It was manageable now.
Across from him, Archer was already awake, sitting upright.
Without saying anything, Archer raised his hand and let mana flow through his body. The energy moved cleanly this time, steady, restoring what had been damaged. Cuts closed, bruises faded, and his breathing evened out.When he turned toward Adrian, preparing to do the same, Adrian lifted a hand slightly.
"I can do it myself."
Archer paused, then lowered his hand.Adrian raised his handwraps, focusing. The mana stored within them was limited, but it was enough. Slowly, he guided it through his body. The process wasn't smooth—his damaged core resisted—but it worked.
The worst of the injuries faded.When he finished, he looked down at his body.Archer stood.
"Then we're leaving," he said. "We're returning to my domain."
He started walking.Adrian pushed himself up and followed without question.They moved away from the cave, taking a different path this time.The forest began to thin gradually, trees spacing out as the terrain shifted. The ground became less uneven, patches of grass replacing the dense undergrowth. In the distance, low hills rolled outward, and beyond them, the outline of mountains stretched across the horizon.
For the first time in days, the air didn't feel suffocating.They walked in silence for a while.
Adrian eventually spoke. "Where are all the monsters?"
Archer didn't slow. "If a Goblin King controls an area, most creatures stay away from it."
Adrian nodded slightly.
'So that's why nothing came near me all that time,' he thought. 'I wasn't lucky. I was just in the wrong place for anything else to show up.'
He glanced ahead.
"So there should've been more goblins too."
"I exterminated most of them," Archer said.
That answered that.They kept moving.The days that followed settled into a rhythm.
They walked during the day, keeping a steady pace, and stopped when the light began to fade. At night, they made small camps—nothing permanent, just enough to rest before continuing again.As they moved farther from the forest, signs of life began to appear.At first, it was small things.A narrow dirt path worn into the ground.Cut tree stumps.Then, eventually, people.
A pair of travelers passed them one afternoon, carrying supplies on their backs. They slowed when they noticed Adrian and Archer, their eyes lingering briefly on their clothes, their posture, the way they moved.Adrian noticed it immediately.
'They don't sense any mana from me,' he thought. 'So to them, I'm just… nothing.'
The travelers didn't stop. They moved on after a short glance, uninterested.Later, they passed a small patrol—four soldiers moving along the road, armor worn but maintained, weapons at their sides. The soldiers gave Archer a longer look, noticing the way mana sat around him even when he wasn't using it.
One of them straightened slightly as they passed.Adrian caught that.
'Knights would've acted differently,' he thought. 'These are soldiers. Different role. Different attitude.'
No one stopped them.No one questioned them.They kept walking.Eventually, the forest fell completely behind them.Open land stretched ahead, broken by scattered hills and distant structures.Archer spoke as they walked.
"My domain is near the edge of the Monster Forest," he said. "We're close, but not there yet."
Adrian nodded.They continued.More days passed before the first signs of Archer's territory became clear—wider roads, better maintained, with more people traveling them. Carts moved along slowly, merchants speaking among themselves, and guards were posted at certain points along the way.Knights.Not soldiers.Their armor was cleaner, their posture sharper, and their attention more focused as Adrian and Archer approached.
Adrian took note of everything.
'So this is where it starts,' he thought. 'Different rules now.'
They walked past without stopping.Ahead of them, in the distance, the outline of Archer's estate finally came into view.And they kept moving toward it.
The Archer estate stood ahead of them.
From a distance, it had the shape of a proper noble residence, but the closer they got, the more the details fell apart. The stone walls were worn down, cracks spreading across the surface like veins. Some sections had chipped away entirely, exposing the rough layers beneath. Parts of the outer structure leaned slightly, not enough to collapse, but enough to show neglect.
The place wasn't abandoned.But it wasn't maintained either.Adrian took it in as they approached.
'So this is a noble's estate…'
It didn't match the idea.There were no guards stationed at the entrance. No servants waiting. The front path was uneven, grass growing through the gaps in the stone.Archer stepped forward and pushed the doors open himself.The hinges creaked as they gave way.
"I'm home."
His voice carried through the hall.The interior wasn't much better. Dust had settled into corners, thin layers coating surfaces that hadn't been touched in a while. A staircase stood at the center, leading upward, with a narrow corridor stretching deeper into the estate behind it.
A girl stepped into view from the upper level.Her hair was a light gray, close to Archer's, though softer in tone. She moved quickly down the stairs, her steps light but controlled.
"Brother… you're home."
Adrian watched her without speaking.She was the first person he had seen inside the estate.No servants. No staff. Just her.
'So it's just the two of them,' he thought.
As she reached the bottom, she stopped in front of Archer.
"Brother, you've been gone for almost three months," she said. "I thought you were dead."
Her voice held steady at first, but it didn't last. Her expression tightened, and tears began to form despite her effort to hold them back.Archer looked at her for a moment.Then his expression softened slightly, a faint smile appearing.
"As you can see, I'm not dead," he said. "So you don't need to worry."
She let out a quiet breath, wiping at her eyes before they could fall fully.While they spoke, Adrian studied her.The resemblance was clear, but that wasn't what held his attention.It was her mana.It wasn't just large.It was dense.
Deep enough that even standing a few steps away, Adrian could feel it pressing faintly against him. His body reacted on instinct, a slight tension running through his muscles before he forced it down.
'That's… bigger than mine ever was,' he thought. 'Or at least close enough to notice the difference.'
He kept his expression neutral.Archer glanced toward him.
"Adrian," he said, "this is my sister. Theodosia Ziva."
She turned toward him, her composure already returning.
"Nice to meet you."
Adrian gave a small nod.
"Nice to meet you too. I'm Adrian."
Her eyes lingered on him for a moment longer than expected.Not curiosity.Assessment.
'She noticed,' Adrian thought. 'No mana. That's the first thing people pick up.'
Archer spoke again.
"Show him where he'll be staying," he said. "I'll be in my office for a while."
Theodosia nodded, then hesitated slightly before speaking.
"Brother… Baron Devon Vein hasn't come to collect the taxes," she said. "We assumed you were waiting, but if that's not the case… you'll have to deliver them yourself."
Archer closed his eyes briefly and tilted his head back.
"Not even a moment after I get back…" he muttered. "I'm already dealing with this."
He let out a quiet breath before waving it off.
"I'll handle it."
Theodosia didn't push further. Instead, she turned and gestured for Adrian to follow.They walked up the stairs together.The wooden steps creaked under their weight, the sound echoing slightly through the quiet hall. As they moved, Adrian's gaze shifted around, taking in the layout.No decorations.No signs of recent activity.
Doors lined the hallway, some slightly open, revealing empty rooms inside. Dust had settled across most surfaces, and the air carried that stale stillness of a place that wasn't lived in fully.
'So it's not just the outside,' he thought. 'The whole place is like this.'
Theodosia stopped in front of one of the doors and pushed it open.
"This will be your room."
Adrian stepped inside.The space was simple. A bed pushed against one wall, a wooden desk near the window, and a chair that looked like it had seen better days. Dust covered most of it, thin webs hanging in the corners, but compared to the forest, it was more than enough.
"It's fine," Adrian said.
Theodosia gave a small nod.
"I'll leave you to it."
"Thanks."
She turned and walked back into the hallway, heading toward Archer's office.When she reached the door, she knocked once before opening it.Archer was already inside, leaning back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling.
"You can come in," he said. "Close the door."
She stepped inside and shut it behind her.
"Brother, what did you want to talk about?"
Archer straightened in his seat, resting his arms on the desk.
"The person I brought here," he said. "Adrian."
Theodosia sat across from him, posture relaxed but attentive.
"What about him?"
Archer's gaze sharpened slightly.
"When we first met, he told me he's a villain."
Theodosia didn't react immediately.Then her expression shifted, losing its warmth, becoming more focused.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
Archer leaned back slightly.
"He said he's not a villain in the usual sense," he continued. "But that he'll do things others would consider villainous."
The room went quiet for a moment.Theodosia watched him carefully.
"And you brought him here anyway."
"Yes."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's not like you."
Archer didn't deny it.
"I know."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But he's useful."
Theodosia didn't speak right away. She studied him, searching for something in his expression.
"You trust him?"
Archer shook his head.
"No."
"Then why?"
Archer's gaze remained steady.
"Because I know what he is capable of," he said. "And I'd rather have that close than somewhere I can't see it."
Theodosia leaned back slightly in her chair.
"That's a risk."
"It is."
"And if you're wrong?"
Archer didn't hesitate.
"Then I deal with it."
Silence settled between them again.
Theodosia let out a quiet breath, her expression easing just slightly.
"…You haven't changed," she said.
Archer gave a faint, tired smile.
"No. I haven't."
Even now, sitting in a worn-down office inside a crumbling estate, there was still something about him that held firm.Not wealth.Not status.Just presence.
The silence in the room didn't break on its own.Archer was the one who ended it.He looked at Theodosia, a small, familiar smile forming—something softer than anything he had shown outside this room. As his finger traced absent patterns along the surface of the desk, he spoke.
"As I said, we can use him. Adrian is an asset."
Theodosia didn't respond. Her eyes stayed on him, steady, waiting.Archer continued.
"He survived six months in the Gravebloom Forest," he said. "Alone."
That got a reaction.Not visible at first, but it was there.Theodosia stared at him, trying to measure whether he was serious or not. She didn't interrupt. She just let the weight of what he said sit between them.Archer stood from his chair and walked toward the shelves lining the wall. His fingers moved along the spines of the books until he found one and pulled it free.
Theodosia watched him for a moment before speaking.
"Brother," she said, voice controlled, "do you understand what you're bringing into this house?"
Archer flipped the book open, scanning a page as if the conversation wasn't urgent.
"He could be a threat," she added.
Archer turned a page.
"If another household finds out about him first, they'll take him," he said. "And if they do, that becomes our problem later instead of now."
He paused, then looked up.
"And if you're worried about him being a threat…"
His gaze sharpened.
"Don't be."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
"If that ever becomes an issue," he said, "I'll deal with it."
Theodosia held his gaze.
"You mean you'll kill him."
Archer didn't look away.
"Yes."
The answer came without pause.Theodosia leaned back slightly in her chair, studying him.
"You're confident."
"I'm aware," Archer replied.
He closed the book and returned it to the shelf, placing it back exactly where it had been.Then he walked back toward her.The tension in the room shifted before he even spoke again.
"I'm sorry," he said, quieter now. "For being gone that long."
Theodosia's expression changed. The edge in her eyes softened, replaced by something more familiar.
"I know that wasn't easy for you," he added.
He reached out and placed a hand on her head, resting it there gently.The gesture was simple.Routine.She didn't pull away.Instead, she lifted her hand and rested it over his.
"Don't do that again," she said.
Her voice wasn't raised. It didn't need to be.Archer nodded.
"I won't."
A faint smile lingered between them before the moment passed.By the time their conversation ended, the sun had already begun to dip.
Outside, the estate shifted with the light. The broken edges of the stone caught the fading glow, cracks stretching long across the walls as shadows deepened. The red and orange sky hung low over the land, fading slowly into dusk.The grounds remained quiet.
A few soldiers moved along the outer paths, lighting small lamps fixed into the ground. One by one, they flickered to life, casting dim pools of light that barely pushed back the darkness.
Up close, the damage to the estate was clear.From a distance, it almost looked intact.Adrian stood outside, watching the horizon.He hadn't said anything since arriving.The last of the sunlight slipped beneath the edge of the land, leaving the sky dark.He stayed where he was.Still.
'So this is where he lives,' he thought. 'Not much… but it works.'
His gaze shifted slightly, taking in the estate again, the quiet movement of soldiers, the lack of servants.
'Poor noble. Makes sense now.'
The night settled fully.Adrian didn't move.After a while, he spoke.Not loudly.Not like he expected anyone to answer.Just… testing something.
"By thought alone, I reach beyond what I can see…"
His voice stayed calm, steady.
"I take what has no shape, and I force it into form…"
The air didn't change.Nothing responded.He kept going anyway.
"If something answers… then it exists."
Silence.Adrian exhaled slightly and lowered his gaze.
"…Yeah. Didn't think so."
Nothing happened.The world stayed the same.Nothing shifted. The air didn't move. The words faded out on their own, like they had nowhere to go.Adrian stood there for a moment longer, waiting.Then the feeling hit.
Frustration came first. Sharp. Immediate. For a second, it felt like something had ignored him—like the world itself had just… refused.He frowned slightly.
'No… that's not it.'
The thought settled almost as quickly as it came.
'There's nothing left to use.'
His mana was empty. Whatever he tried to reach, whatever he thought he could pull, there was nothing backing it.Still… something didn't sit right.
The feeling didn't disappear completely.It wasn't pressure. It wasn't intent. It didn't feel hostile either.Just… there.Like something had brushed against the edge of his awareness and then stayed just out of reach.Adrian narrowed his eyes slightly, looking into the dark.
'If something's there, it's not showing itself,' he thought. 'So it doesn't matter.'
He let it go.There wasn't anything he could do about it in this state anyway.Inside the room, Adrian shut the door behind him.
The place hadn't changed since he saw it earlier. Dust still covered the surfaces, and the air carried that stale weight of a room that hadn't been used properly in a while.He pulled off what was left of his torn clothes and dropped them near the side of the bed.Then he lay down.The mattress dipped under his weight.For a second, he didn't move.
'…Yeah. This is better.'
It wasn't complicated. Just soft. Something that didn't push back against him the moment he tried to rest.After months of sleeping on stone, dirt, and uneven ground, the difference was enough.His body relaxed without him forcing it.The tension in his shoulders eased. His breathing slowed.Thoughts started to drift.
'No mana. No stamina left. Barely held together…'
He let out a quiet breath.
'Still worked out.'
That was enough for him.Sleep took him before he could think much further.Morning came quietly.Light filtered in through the window, faint at first, then stronger as the sun rose higher. The air felt different—cleaner than the night before.Adrian opened his eyes.For a moment, he just stared at the ceiling.
Then he pushed himself up, sitting on the edge of the bed.His body didn't ache the same way it had before. There was still some stiffness, but nothing that slowed him down.As his gaze shifted, he noticed it immediately.His old clothes were gone.In their place, a clean set had been folded neatly at the foot of the bed.Adrian frowned slightly.
'Theodosia,' he thought. 'Has to be.'
Still...
He hadn't heard anything.No footsteps. No door opening. Nothing.He stood, rolling his shoulders once as he moved.His body felt normal again. No injuries. No lingering damage.Just… back to how it was supposed to be.He picked up the clothes and put them on.They fit.Not just close—exact.Adrian paused for a second, looking down at himself.
'She either guessed right… or she's paying attention.'
He didn't dwell on it.The room itself hadn't changed. Dust still sat where it had yesterday. Nothing had been cleaned, nothing rearranged.Only the clothes.
Adrian stepped out into the hallway.The estate was quiet.No movement nearby. No voices. Just the faint sound of something shifting in the distance—maybe someone walking on the lower floor.As he made his way toward the stairs, his stomach tightened.Hunger.
He hadn't eaten properly in a while, and now that his body wasn't running on pure exhaustion, it was catching up to him.
He reached the stairs and started down.At the bottom, Theodosia was already there, waiting.Her posture was relaxed, one hand resting lightly at her side.When she saw him, she lifted her hand slightly and gestured.
"Follow me," she said.