The muscles of all three individuals from the foreign race tensed as they felt a sliver of Will residing in the shrub.

The lady among them stamped her staff into the soil as she began to mutter an encrypted chant. Behind her, delicate strings of essence pulsed, forming a magic symbol painted into reality itself.

Seth’s heart thudded as a stifling feeling of foreboding washed over him.

His hair stood on end, a chill creeping down his spine.

His pupils constricted. He couldn’t stay here — if he got hit by whatever was forming, he would die.

He never thought these beings would have so much essence even after going through such a big battle.

Reality behind the foreign race lady twisted and warped into a void of whirling chaos, funneling the space around itself.

A slow burn of orange hinted from its depth, only growing more defined by the second. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Seth felt an unknown force lock onto him. Space around him turned murky; any attempt at moving was like pulling his weight through a sea of thick, heavy mud.

Even trying to stand was like fighting against crushing pressure, more fatal than what he had faced in the Earth’s core.

"Hmph, you think you can ambush us?" A weird dialect echoed from the lady’s lips — but strangely enough, Seth could understand it.

Not right! How was that possible?

When thinking of alien races, Seth had considered the problem of language barriers, but it seemed he didn’t need to at all.

His mind dawned with understanding. He didn’t understand the words, but he read the Will carried by her voice.

Before any creature tried to communicate, they had to will themselves to do so. And what Seth just did was listen directly to the Will without needing to understand the language.

The foreign race lady raised her staff high, the essence in the air becoming more tumultuous.

Seth gritted his teeth under the pressure.

’Am I just going to die like this? Wouldn’t that mean losing everything and starting from square one again?’

No. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t!

Suddenly, before Seth could attempt anything, one of the lady’s male companions rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Reva, calm down and sense things more clearly. The aura there is clearly very weak. There’s no way whoever it is has the strength to ambush us."

His words calmed her. She sent a pulse of Will to scan, and indeed he was right — the presence felt unstable.

’A newly ascended awakener?’ she thought as she lowered her staff, the storm of essence receding.

"Friend, might you reveal yourself?" the second male called out as he stepped forward.

Meanwhile, in the shrub, Seth suddenly felt a lightness. The restrictions had been released; he could move freely.

He quickly got to his feet, throwing his hands up in the air to signal surrender.

But his actions were only met with confusion.

"Huh? What is that?" Reva asked, whispering to her comrades.

It was then Seth understood. Human gestures and meanings of communication would definitely differ from other races.

And as much as they were aliens to him, he was just as strange to them — a creature they had never seen before.

One of the males observed Seth with obsidian eyes brimming with curiosity. "Oh? Pardon us, Friend, but what race are you from? And why were you spying on us?"

Seth observed them silently for a few seconds before speaking.

"I’m a Human. I’ve only just arrived, and your battle caught my attention. I didn’t dare show myself because such a battle is far beyond me."

After weighing his options carefully, Seth decided honesty was best. One side effect of communicating through Will was that lies could be easily detected.

Seth was sure there would be a way to circumvent this, but for now it was out of his means.

So his options were either to remain mute or speak the truth. He chose the latter — who knew, he might just make some friends.

Seth didn’t have the mentality that anything non-human had to be an enemy.

The male’s brows furrowed in thought. "You’ll have to pardon me. I’ve never heard of such a race before. You have similar features to many races I know, but none of their distinctions."

Seth rolled his eyes.

’Of course you haven’t heard of humans. I’m the first of my race to arrive here.’

Though he didn’t voice this, he’d rather not expose it unless asked.

"So you’ve just undergone the first life evolution, huh? Then it’s understandable why you were hiding. Call me Rond." The stocky male pointed at himself.

Then at his friend beside him: "This is Rand, and that’s Reva."

Seth didn’t quite know what to do with this information, so he just nodded and reciprocated.

"I am Seth."

Reva finally couldn’t help but ask what seemed to be the elephant in the room.

"I’ll call you Seth then. By any chance, is your species related to the Andrathals?"

Seth raised a brow, shaking his head. "I have never heard of such a race before."

Her other two friends, Rand and Rond, glanced at her. "Reva, are you saying he resembles an Andrathal?"

Reva frowned and slowly nodded. "Yes, too similar. He even has the same hair color — silver."

The two gaped at Seth in awe. The Andrathals, one of the top sacred races, rarely seen. It was said they were a battle-forged race that thrived in chaos.

They wreathed destruction everywhere they went. Even in the cosmos, they were feared.

To think they’d meet a race similar in features...

Rond stared at Seth and smiled. "If you would like, we are heading back to the GreenFold Settlement. Would you like to come along?"

Seth’s eyes brightened, though he was hesitant. After thinking it through, he decided.

"Yes, I would love to. To tell the truth, I was beginning to think I wouldn’t make it there safely." He chuckled nervously.

Rand nodded and explained. "That’s understandable. This is called the Savage Woods for a reason. Normally, only peak leader-grade experts like us have a higher chance of surviving. Even then, it’s a matter of probability."

Rand then turned to his teammates. "Alright, guys, heal up. We should return before dusk. I have no desire to become a victim of the night hordes."

He pulled out a glistening potion from his inventory and gulped it down.

Seth stared in awe as he felt Rand’s vitality surge, recovering both essence and stamina at a staggering pace.

He wasn’t the only one. All three pulled potions and drank. Before they even finished the second vials, they were perfectly recovered.

Seth licked his lips in curiosity.

’Was that a recovery potion of sorts? Did someone make it? Or could it be a drop?’

"Okay, Seth the Human, follow us closely. We’ll try our best to protect you." Rand instructed as the group set off for departure.

Seth wondered,

’Are all races this nice to another, or could this all be a scheme?’

Regardless of which it was, he couldn’t do anything now except follow.