Antoine Unahar had a different appearance.
A cloak of soft white fur draped over his shoulders, giving him a look of royalty. His hair returned white, his eyes glowed blue.
His Gale Harbinger had also changed, from an axe to a longsword. It kept its intricate designs and green undertones.
A cold breeze pushed through the forest, sticking hairs up.
The moon shined brightly.
"Is this... the pinnacle of synchronization? I wonder... did that wolf take years from me?"
Antoine laughed silently to himself, feeling rejuvenated. He then walked over toward Jisvo's still body. Not completely still. He attempted wriggling, crawling his way out.
"Not so fast. This is why they call you a coward, right?"
He plunged his Gale Habringer into Jisvo's back, pinning him into the soil.
Jisvo let out a scream.
Antoine pulled the longsword out, and slashed at his back twice, creating an x shape. The cuts were extremely deep.
"Oh. I nearly forgot. Benevolence. Right. I'll give you a quick simple death."
Hearing that, Jisvo stopped struggling.
Antoine crouched beside Jisvo, leveling his knee with his head.
"You're fast. It seems like I only won because I was smart enough to convince that wolf to give me another chance. I wonder how life would've been if I had failed."
He stood up, pacing back and forth.
"I would've died. A monster like you would have ended up living, recovering, and tearing through our forces. I mean, there's already a lot of heavy hitters. With that Mahaut out, it's still pretty strong."
Antoine placed a foot on Jisvo's back, staring up at the moon.
"Goodness. The moon is so pretty. In this thick forest, you've managed to find a spot where the moon casts its rays onto you perfectly. Isn't that lucky?"
Jisvo squirmed. Antoine guffawed.
"Hehe. I guess not all that lucky!"
In a single, terrifyingly swift motion, Antoine reversed the grip of his sword, thrusting downward at Jisvo's nape.
!
Fwsh!
Clang!
Jisvo's body disappeared from underneath him.
A long odachi clashed with his longsword.
Dust rose into the air, from all the quick movement.
"Eh?"
The man who held that odachi was no other than Oscar Tolien.
He was clad in dark, flexible clothing, wearing a black cloak to conceal his figure and his weapon.
Wasting no time, he threw another slash.
Antoine blocked the strike, backing away to gain some clarity.
Two silhouettes stood behind Oscar, wearing the same attire. They carried the body. One of the faces was familiar to Antoine, while the other wasn't.
Isalda van Mahaut's eyes seemed to bore through Antoine's face, the way she was staring at him with such unbridled rage, disgust, and contempt.
Isalda van Mahaut... for some reason, I no longer feel any fear for her. Perhaps, I've grown stronger. Antoine stared back at her with a cocky smile.
"For even having thought of placing your filthy shoe onto Jisvo's back... that alone deserves divine retribution. Oscar, I'm entrusting you to instill that into this..."
She did not continue speaking. She lifted Jisvo up, carrying him. She and the demi-human boy named Bastle stepped away, reaching another place.
"You guys have come here to screw my fun?"
Oscar cracked his neck.
"I'm not sure who you are..."
[Cast: Glow of Boreas]
Oscar's skin grew pale. Pieces of ice formed in his hair.
Now that I can discern mana... it seems somewhat familiar to that coward in a way.
***
Routhu stood in front of Oscar.
The two were dressed in sleeveless white shirts, wearing cargo shorts. They stood inside a moderately sized pond, with a diameter of roughly 30 meters. It was 3/4ths of a meter deep.
"For this, you need to find complete stillness. Oscar, let me ask you a question."
Routhu spoke, as he lowered himself into the water, cross-legged. He then intertwined his fingers, holding them to his chest. Oscar followed the same motion.
"What is it?" Oscar asked, closing his eyes.
"Have you figured out the name? Of your Aeloan nature?"
"What?"
"Usually, when performing a [Cast], you kind of hear it in your head. What do you hear in your head, when it happens?"
"Oh. I hear jumbled whispers. Like, thousands of questions blaring in my ears."
"Aeloan nature is an umbrella term. I think that's how the phrase is used. It's vague. It's used to describe when an individual has dominance over an element, but it can still be different for everyone."
"Right."
"For you to obtain that name... well, I'm not really sure. It came to me naturally. Might have been due to my mutation. I've taken notice of you, and you seem to be fighting for control whenever you transform as if your Aeloan nature has obtained sentience."
"...Something like that."
Aeloan sentience. That would explain that old man I had seen when I first found Routhu. So that's who's constantly fighting for control?
"Then I suggest this. Find a clear state of mind. If you've ever had a time where you felt extremely close to that presence... recreate that scene."
Oscar nodded, closing his eyes.
[Cast: Ice Zone]
The entire lake grew incredibly cold, the water turning into a mushy ice-water mixture. Like a smoothie. A layer of warmth protected Routhu, shielding him from the cold and melting ice near him.
"Once you reach that place, try to get the presence... or whatever, to cooperate."
As Oscar's eyelids seemed to loosen, Routhu's words appeared nonexistent and distant, fading into a slur of word soup.
His surroundings grew dark.
The cold temperatures that he felt disappeared; his body felt numb.
Then, it was a change in surroundings.
Oscar found himself in an oak wood forest.
The dim blue moonlight barely illuminated the eerie forest, a layer of subtle mist enveloping the entire area. Everything about it screamed trouble.
Snow caked on top of the trees, and the ground. Despite the cold climate, Oscar didn't feel cold.
In front of Oscar was a straight path made out of dirt. He followed it diligently, sticking to it.
After a few short minutes, he reached a wooden cabin, made out of the same logs that covered the forest. He stared a bit nervously at the door.
I don't need to knock. This is... my house.
The thought suddenly entered his head, as if it was not his own. He reluctantly opened the door.