Neo sat down on the cold hard dirt in the middle of the cavern.

He rested his forearms on his knees as his eyes fixed firmly on the jagged opening of the cave that looked out into the fading light of the mountain pass.

His mind was a tangled mess of conflicting emotions.

’How could Seo... leave me?’ Neo thought with his fingernails digging into his own palms. ’For that guy?’

He stared at his empty hands.

He didn’t have his sword, he didn’t have his armor, but he had power. He had five elements accessible to him now... He possessed a holy affinity... He was a loyal knight who had sworn to protect her with his very life. He had knelt before her, offering everything he was.

’What does he have that I don’t?’ Neo wondered with a bitter taste coating the back of his throat. ’What the hell is going through her head?’

A sudden scuff of boots against loose rock echoed from the tunnel outside.

Movement.

Neo reacted on pure instinct.

He jumped up from the dirt as his hand immediately reached down to his left hip to draw his sword. His fingers grasped at empty air, reminding him of his weaponless state.

He adjusted his stance, dropping his center of gravity and raising his fists, ready to defend the cavern. However, a fight was not needed.

Klaus walked casually through the opening of the cavern, brushing past the hanging stalactites without a second glance.

A second later, Seo stepped into the dim space right behind him and Neo visibly calmed down as he dropped his fists and let out a long breath.

"What’s happening?" Neo asked.

Klaus ignored him.

He didn’t even look in Neo’s direction. The man walked to the side of the cavern, found a flat section of stone, and sat down on the ground, crossing his legs comfortably.

Seo mirrored his actions, finding a spot nearby and sitting down on the rock.

Seeing them settle in, Neo awkwardly lowered himself back down to the dirt floor, waiting for an answer.

"We will be moving in a bit once the night starts for real," Klaus said.

He didn’t elaborate much, but the reality was simple.

On their way back up the path, Klaus and Seo had crouched in the shadows and listened. They had heard the lingering Cultists speaking to one another, confirming that they were going to call back their search parties for the evening prayers.

That brief window gave them the proper time they needed to escape this zone without fighting an army.

Seo turned her head toward Neo while her expression became serious.

"Neo, you have to listen to Klaus at all times," Seo instructed him. "Don’t run off or do anything to stress him out."

Neo looked at her, his pride warring with his loyalty. He dropped his gaze to the ground, looking exactly like a kicked puppy.

"Yes," Neo said softly.

Seo flashed him a small, reassuring smile trying to ease the tension in the room and Klaus watched the exchange from the corner of his eye, then quickly averted his gaze to the cavern wall.

’I don’t understand why this woman is doing this,’ Klaus thought with a tired sigh. She did the same as him back in that cavern at all.

His mind drifted.

’I hope Zephyra comes to find me or something.’

Klaus paused, catching his own train of thought. ’And why am I thinking about her right now?’

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He was confusing himself with unnecessary attachments. He let out a few short breaths, clearing his head, and focused on the immediate problem: survival.

"Before we leave, we need to recharge immediately," Klaus announced, opening his eyes.

He raised his hand. He accessed his Storage Ring, and a small flash of blue light illuminated the dark cavern.

It was brighter than he would have liked in the dim setting, casting long shadows against the walls but when the light faded, two neat, wrapped lunch packs rested in his hands.

Without a word, he pushed one of the packs across the stone floor toward Seo. She needed the calories to give her the power to run through the treacherous mountain paths tonight.

Then, he placed his own lunchbox on his folded legs. He popped the lid open and pulled out the wooden spoon packed inside.

Immediately, the rich, hot smell of roasted meat, seasoned vegetables, and spiced gravy hit the stale cavern air.

It was the food that Mirela had packed for him back in the town, preserved flawlessly by the magic of the ring. Klaus’s stomach gave a loud, demanding grumble.

He didn’t waste a second. He dug the spoon in, scooped up a massive portion, and began eating with quickness, swallowing the hot meal down to fuel his exhausted muscles.

Neo and Seo sat in the dim light, a bit quiet as they watched Klaus eat. The smell was intoxicating, making their mouths water.

Neo waited for a moment, expecting Klaus to reach into the ring one more time. After all, wasn’t he going to give one to Neo as well?

Klaus swallowed his third mouthful, noticing their staring. He dropped his spoon against the side of the container.

"What?" Klaus asked, chewing his food. "You two aren’t eating?"

Neo frowned, pointing at Klaus’s lap.

"What about my own lunch pack?"

Klaus blinked, his face deadpan. "What lunch pack are you talking about? Why would I give you one? So you can spill it again?"

The words cut through the air like a knife. Klaus didn’t hold back his grudge. The major thing he was concerned about was Seo leaving this mountain alive... He didn’t care about the Protagonist, Neo could die of hunger right here on the dirt for all he cared.

"You should share with Seo," Klaus suggested.

To drive the point home, Klaus raised his hand, triggered the blue flash of his ring again, and brought out another, third lunch pack.

He popped the lid open, grabbed his spoon, and started eating from the second box as well, hoarding the calories for himself.

Neo looked at the man with a flash of anger in his eyes but he suppressed it. He turned to Seo, putting on his bravest face.

"Don’t worry my Lady, I’m not hungry," Neo lied.

He really wasn’t in the mood to eat his pride, but the rich, savory smell wafting in the air made it incredibly hard to resist the biological urge.

His stomach tightened.

"O-ok," Seo said, swallowing hard as she looked at her own portion.

She opened the lid, took the small spoon provided, and scooped up a bite. As the warm, perfectly seasoned food went into her mouth, her eyes widened.

The flavors exploded across her tongue. She couldn’t help but want to meet whoever cooked this meal so badly.

’Do they have godly hands or something?’ Seo thought, chewing the tender meat.

Regardless of how delicious it was, she remembered her duty to her brother... or knight... Whatever.

She continued eating until she had consumed exactly half the box, leaving the remainder untouched. She picked up the food plate and handed it over to Neo.

"Here, eat..." Seo said.

"Thank you, my lady," Neo said as he took the warm container from her hands. Seo reached out, about to give him her used spoon so he could eat the rest of the meal.

Before she could hand it over, a metallic clatter echoed on the stone. Klaus threw something through the air. Neo reached up and caught it on reflex.

It was a clean spoon.

Neo looked at the utensil, then looked up at Klaus, who was busy scraping the bottom of his second box.

"Thank you," Neo said, his voice lowering in genuine defeat. "And I apologize for the misunderstanding... as well as destroying your potion."

Klaus didn’t say a single word in response to the apology.

He didn’t nod, he didn’t blink. He just summoned a leather flask of water from his ring, popped the cork, and drank deeply from it.

He pulled it away, wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist and as he was about to put the flask back into his storage ring, Seo perked up, her eyes locking onto the water.

"I-I-I want some water too..." Seo stuttered with her throat dry from the meal.

Klaus tossed the heavy flask through the air and Seo scrambled before caught it against her chest.

"When you’re ready, wear cloaks and come outside," Klaus ordered, standing up and dusting off his trousers while turning to Neo. "Also, when you’re done, burn the whole pack quickly with the spoon."

With that final instruction, he turned his back on them, walking out of the cavern and disappearing into the twilight shadows outside.

He left the two of them alone in the dim space. Neo picked up the clean spoon and started eating his half of the meal slowly, savoring the taste of the rich food.

Seo stared at the leather flask of water in her hands with her throat bobbing. She pulled the cork free, placed the rim above her mouth, and tipped it back, swallowing the cool, refreshing water.

Her throat was a bit parched from the dust and the screaming earlier, and the water flowed down, curing the dryness instantly.

Neo scraped the last bit of gravy from the box. He lowered the container, looking at the girl sitting across from him.

"My Lady, why did you choose him over me?" Neo asked, his voice raw.

Seo lowered the water flask, covering the opening with the cork. She looked at him, her brows knitting together in confusion.

"Choose?" Seo asked.

"You didn’t want me to be your Hero," Neo explained, his grip tightening on the empty container. "You left me here and went after him..."

He gritted his teeth, anger and shame mixing in his chest. He pushed the disposable food pack to the side of the stone floor. Klaus had told them to dispose of the evidence.

Neo called upon his affinity, sparking a small controlled flame from his fingers. He set the box and the spoon on fire, watching the materials catch and burn down to a black, smoldering crisp.

Seo watched the flames eat the cardboard with her face illuminated by the orange glow.

"Klaus is our best hope of surviving," Seo said. "I want to go home, and so do you. We got ourselves into this terrible situation, and now we need someone to get us out of it."

She was disappointed in herself for being so weak, for needing to rely on him to save her life but she was grateful.

"Let’s move quick..." Seo said, standing up and brushing off her dress.

They gathered their borrowed cloaks, pulling the dark fabric over their shoulders, and walked out into the cool night air.

They joined Klaus outside on the rocky ledge. Klaus already had his hood pulled up over his head, hiding his features.

Klaus pointed a gloved finger toward the distant jagged horizon.

"The closest town is through this mountain area," Klaus stated. "We need to move, and without hesitation."

He didn’t wait for a response.

Klaus channeled mana down to his boots, activating the power of his Magnetic Field. The invisible force gripped the metallic ores hidden within the stone beneath his feet. He jumped forward, clearing a massive distance across a gap in the rocks, and landed smoothly on the vertical side of the mountain.

He ran along the sheer cliff face for a few paces before kicking off and jumping again, moving with fluid, supernatural grace.

Seo didn’t hesitate. She pushed mana into her legs, leaped across the gap, and followed him into the darkness.

Neo followed right behind her, using his wind affinity to lighten his steps and keep pace with their leader.

They moved fast, becoming three fleeting shadows heading in that general direction across the treacherous peaks.

’I don’t know why...’ Klaus thought as he bounded from rock to rock, checking his Metal Sense. ’But I have a bad feeling about this.’

...

Far across the jagged peaks, miles away from their current position, the wind howled through the narrow canyons.

"I’ve told you... Refrain from attacking them. We’ve already set everything we need."

The Death Heir’s distorted echoing voice sounded clearly from a small communication crystal embedded in a mask.

The woman wearing the mask crouched on a high mountain perch. She had light green skin, the unnatural hue marking her undeath, and her face was covered by the bone-white mask that was identical to the Death Heir’s own design.

She wore a tattered, dark cloak that whipped wildly in the cold wind, blending her outline into the jagged rocks and slung across her back, contrasting sharply with her ancient rotting clothes, was a magnificent weapon. It was a red mana sniper rifle.

Contrary to how old and worn her clothing looked, this mana sniper looked relatively new.

The metal barrel gleamed in the moonlight, pristine and untouched by rust. The internal mana circuits let out a small crimson glow. It was the best brand available in the Empire currently, a masterwork of magical engineering capable of punching through solid fortress walls.

The woman was positioned on a higher mountain spot, calculating the wind resistance, the drop, and the exact rotation of the earth.

She walked closer to the edge of the cliff to maintain enough distance from herself and her targets, making sure she was far out of their sensory range.

"No," the Crimson Sharpshooter said, her voice raspy and dry from disuse. "I refuse to do as you ask, Sister."

They were talking through the magical connection in the mask, and honestly, the Zombie couldn’t care less about the grand schemes or the intricate plans her sister had laid out.

She had a personal score to settle.

"Listen to me, Sister, you hav—"

The Crimson Sharpshooter reached up, grabbed the edge of the bone mask, and simply dropped it onto the rocky ground and the connection severed as she couldn’t hear the Death Heir’s voice anymore.

The entire cult base below was currently busy with their grand nightly worship.

The chanting echoed faintly from the valley, meaning none of the high-ranking members could interrupt their rituals to stop her so she had quite some time to do as she pleased.

The Zombie set herself up.

She dropped one knee onto the hard ground, ignoring the sharp rocks pressing into her flesh then she reached over her shoulder and brought out her massive red sniper, unlatching the bipod and setting it up on a flat piece of stone.

She pressed the stock against her shoulder and leaned in, pressing her glowing green eye against the advanced telescopic sight.

She aimed directly at Klaus, tracking his movement in the far distance as he bounded across the rocks. She was quite far away from them.

’I’ll just give them a warning shot, and then I’ll shoot for real...’ She thought with her finger resting lightly on the cold metal trigger.

She tracked his trajectory, letting the crosshairs hover just an inch in front of his face. The other two, the noble girl and the knight, could leave if they wanted to. She didn’t care about them but she had a massive beef to repay with the one called Soul.

It didn’t matter if this one died right here on the mountain. As immortals, they could just wait a few decades for the next reincarnation of him to pop up and continue their plans then.

’Next time,’ the Zombie thought, her green lips pulling back into a hideous rotting smile. ’You won’t steal my panties...’

She regulated her breathing, freezing her dead lungs.

She channeled her dense, corrupted mana into the firing chamber of the rifle. The red runes along the barrel lit up, glowing with blinding intensity as the kinetic force built up inside the weapon and the air around the muzzle distorted from the sheer heat then with that, she pulled the trigger.

The heavy sear clicked and the internal striker slammed forward, igniting the condensed mana core inside the chamber.

THOOM!

The shot erupted.

A blinding flash of crimson light illuminated the mountain peak. The massive recoil kicked back, slamming the heavy stock into the Zombie’s shoulder with enough kinetic force to crack the rock beneath her boots.

The muzzle brake vented screaming hot gas into the cold night air, sending up a cloud of dust and snow as the mana bullet tore through the sky, breaking the sound barrier instantly.

It ripped across the miles of open air, a streak of red death moving faster than the eye could follow, carrying enough penetrating force to shatter magical barriers like glass.

Klaus was in mid-air, jumping toward the next stone pillar as his Metal Sense screamed.

He sensed a concentrated piece of hyper-dense metal tearing through the air directly toward his skull.

Klaus reacted instantly. He killed his forward momentum, dumping all his mana into his boots and dropping like a stone. He immediately stopped his leap, falling short of the pillar.

CRACK!

The crimson bullet carved into the mountainside right in front of his face. It missed his nose by a fraction of an inch, burying itself deep into the solid rock where his head would have been a millisecond later.

The friction was so intense the bullet was still spinning against the rock, throwing a shower of bright orange sparks over Klaus’s cloak.

Klaus landed hard on a lower ledge. He looked up, his eyes tracing the glowing red contrail left in the air across the horizon.

He saw a brief, distant flash of light... A glowing crimson sniper.

’It’s the Crimson Sharpshooter,’ Klaus realized with his blood running cold.

She was the absolute last person he wanted to meet out here.

Far across the valley, the green-skinned woman cycled the bolt of her rifle.

The spent mana casing ejected, clinking against the stone. She chambered a fresh round, tracking his new position perfectly.

The woman placed her hands on the trigger again as her rotting lips moved, forming a single word.

"Boom...."

Immediately, everywhere went dark. The silver moonlight vanished, swallowed by an unnatural, suffocating blackness and then, a deafening, terrifying sound echoed through the void.

THOOM!