"Well, those are the things that happened here," Valra said as she finished recounting the entire sequence of events to the white-hooded figure.
Her voice carried the weight of fatigue, her body still tense from the aftermath. Around them, the black-hooded figures moved with practised precision. They had already doused the flames that had tried to creep into the nearby buildings, and now they were combing through the debris of the broken structure, carefully collecting what little evidence remained.
The white figure let out a thoughtful hum, arms crossed, as if analysing every word Valra had just spoken. After a moment of silence, the figure asked in a low, analytical voice, "So... you're saying you were the only one here when it all went down?"
Valra gave a firm nod, her expression sharpening. "Yes. I was the only one present when it started," she said, her tone serious, almost cold.
The white figure locked eyes with her, studying her face for a long second, as if trying to read every micro-expression. Then, just as the silence thickened, one of the black-hooded figures quietly approached from behind. They leaned in and whispered something to the white figure, then extended a gloved hand, revealing a small shard of glass. It glistened slightly under the torchlight, covered in traces of a faint yellow liquid.
The white figure took the evidence without a word, holding it delicately between their fingers. They examined it for a few seconds before murmuring with intrigue, "Hmm... interesting."
Valra's curiosity piqued. She stepped slightly closer and asked, "What is it? Something unusual?"
The white figure glanced at her sideways, "Well, based on what we're seeing, it seems your unknown enemy is likely an alchemist. Whoever it was... they infused their mana directly into kerosene. And they did it with expert precision — the ratio was just right."
Valra's eyes widened, her mind racing to understand the implications. She gasped, her voice cracking slightly, "Infusing kerosene with mana... that would drastically amplify its flammability. Just a few drops of that... could bring an entire house to ashes in seconds..."
The white figure let out a small chuckle and nodded approvingly. "Hmm... looks like you haven't neglected your studies after all," they said, giving Valra's shoulder a few solid pats, their voice carrying a strange mix of sarcasm and praise.
Valra's lips twitched faintly, almost into a frown. She wasn't in the mood for jokes.
"Anyway," the white figure continued, turning serious again, "we'll take over from here. We'll deal with the local corporation and dig deep into who orchestrated this. Whoever's behind it... won't escape. We'll put every single Master under scrutiny. No one will be spared from questioning."
Valra blinked, momentarily taken aback by the intensity of the declaration. "W-Wait... everyone?" she asked, uncertain if she heard correctly.
The white figure stepped forward swiftly, the cloak fluttering behind them, voice now coated in a playful menace. "Indeed, Sweetie... who knows? Maybe even you did this, and now you're just trying to shift the blame onto someone else. Am I right?"
Valra clenched her jaw, a faint scowl forming on her lips. "Tsk... I didn't do anything," she muttered, her voice tight with restrained annoyance.
The white figure simply smiled again, "Haha.. anyway, don't go dying on me before you join the Academy. I'm genuinely curious to see how much you've grown since the last time we met."
And with those words, the white figure vanished without another word.
Valra stood there, lips twitching in mild frustration, before she finally turned and walked away.
Meanwhile...
Leo and Pride returned to the house. Their movements were slow, cautious, and quiet — a silent agreement between the two. They slipped through the front door without so much as a creak.
Once inside, they entered Leo's room.
Leo's body ached, and though he had managed to heal Pride on the way back, it had cost him dearly. Now, only two green stones remained in his possession.
He stared at them in his hand for a moment, then quietly closed his fingers around them. 'I need to be more careful from now on... I can't afford to waste anything. One wrong move, and I won't have enough left for either of us.'
With a heavy sigh, Leo dropped himself onto the bed. His body felt like lead, his muscles sluggish and stiff. "Did you manage to see who it was?" he asked wearily, rubbing his temple as he stared at the ceiling.
Pride stood nearby, her expression conflicted. "No... I couldn't. His presence was strange... and hard to track."
Leo let out a low groan, his breath escaping in a tired puff. "Mana stolen from others, huh..." he muttered, before pushing himself up and grabbing a pillow from the bed.
Without saying much else, he placed the pillow on the ground and lay down on it, stretching out his sore body. "You can take the bed. You need it more than I do."
Pride tilted her head slightly, her brows furrowing. "You're going to sleep on the floor?"
Leo gave a weak chuckle. "Yeah... I'm used to it. Don't worry about me... I've slept in worse places than this..." His voice trailed off into a slurred mumble. "...just a little... rest... zzzz..."
Sleep took him before he could finish the sentence.
Pride stood motionless for a moment, watching him. The rise and fall of his chest was slow and steady. She hesitated before sitting on the edge of the bed, her armour dissolving piece by piece.
"Is it... Really fine, Leo?" she whispered quietly, her voice barely audible. There was no response. Only the soft sound of his breathing filled the room.
Letting out a long sigh, she slowly laid her head on the bed, her eyes closing in an attempt to follow him into sleep.
But she couldn't.
No matter how hard she tried, her mind remained restless.
Her Master — the one she had sworn to protect — was lying on the cold floor while she occupied the warm bed.
It felt wrong.
She exhaled again and stared at the ceiling, her face full of conflict and confusion.
So much had happened since she was summoned to this world...
But even now, the thing that puzzled her most was the very moment she was brought here — that strange and unexplainable feeling during the time of the summoning.
Spirits like her... drifted endlessly through the void — an infinite expanse where time did not flow, where purpose did not exist. They waited, silent and suspended, for a soul desperate enough to reach across realms with an unshakable will. Only through the most potent kind of summoning — could their slumber be broken.
She had been among them, flowing gently, endlessly, with no reason to stop... no reason to care.
She didn't even remember how long she had been like that — weightless, forgotten, meaningless.
But then... she heard it.
A voice.
Faint... Soft...
"...S..."
It barely echoed, like a whisper lost in the abyss — and yet she felt it ripple through her very being.
"What... is that?" she wondered aloud, blinking for the first time in what felt like centuries. Her essence stirred as something unusual touched her — a wave of energy slowly creeping through the void toward her.
It wasn't ordinary mana.
No.
It was purified. Refined. Almost... divine.
So clean. So impossibly radiant that it made her flinch instinctively. Her spirit recoiled, confused and awestruck at the same time. She had seen countless summoners in ages past — but never like this.
Never with this kind of energy.
'Just who could possess such sacred mana?' she wondered, her curiosity blazing to life as she turned toward the summoning.
And so she answered it.
Drawn by that energy — by the purity she could not ignore — she broke through the void and descended into the world.
Only to find... a boy.
A manaless, human boy.
He looked fragile, vulnerable — his body lacking even a proper mana circuit. No channel. No flow. Just... emptiness.
She stared at him, stunned. Her mind couldn't wrap around the contradiction.
How could someone like him possess such pure mana?
Why did he call her?
Nothing made sense.
Her thoughts raced. Possibilities flashed across her mind, but they all crumbled under the weight of logic.
There was only one conclusion that lingered with a heavy sense of dread.
"Are they coming... through him?" she whispered under her breath, her voice low and serious, eyes narrowing.
Pride slowly turned her gaze to Leo, who now lay asleep on the ground, his breathing shallow and uneven. She clenched her fist tightly, her heart stirring with a mix of emotions.
There was something she hadn't told him.
This so-called "War"... it wasn't just a battle between Masters.
That was merely the surface. A convenient explanation for the ignorant.
This was war, yes.
Wish-Granting Relic — a prize coveted by every Mage and Master alike.
That was the story the world believed... That was the rule they all followed.
But deep beneath that tale... hidden from public knowledge...
There was another purpose.
Something far more dangerous.
It was a war...
For Champions.
The Champions summoned to fight — everyone believed they were loyal warriors, tools bound to their summoner's will.
But the truth... the truth was much darker.
Champions were not just fighting for the Masters.
They were searching.
Searching for the KEY.
A sacred object.
A secret known only to a chosen few.
Somewhere among the summoned Champions... there was a mole.
A traitor hidden in plain sight... The KEY holder!
Whoever found it... would control everything.
Literally Everything!!!
Even the gods had once fallen into temptation for it.
And humans...?
They would burn the world to the ground just to hold it.
Pride's eyes hardened.
They were forbidden — strictly forbidden — from speaking the truth about the Key. To utter a word would endanger not just themselves, but everything. That was the rule. That was the law that even gods dared not break.
She clenched her fist again, tighter this time. Her nails almost dug into her palm.
But she couldn't focus on that now.
She turned her eyes back to Leo. He needed her protection. Later... later, she would resume her search.
And then there was something else — something she couldn't forget today...
During that brief, terrifying fall earlier... when Leo called her name with desperation in his voice... she had felt it again.
A pulse.
A small surge in mana.
'Why... did that happen?' she asked herself. It wasn't normal. It wasn't just emotion. Something about him was triggering her power in strange ways, and she didn't have answers yet.
As she stood lost in thought, she suddenly noticed Leo's hands trembling. His brow was furrowed in his sleep, sweat beading on his skin.
Pride moved from the bed and knelt down beside him.
She smiled faintly,
'Of course... after seeing all that, there's no way he'd sleep peacefully tonight,' she thought.
She gently reached forward and ran her fingers through his hair, slowly and carefully.
"You'll be fine..." she whispered, her voice soft, almost motherly. "Don't take it too deep into your heart..."
Her hand moved to his, her fingers wrapping around his trembling ones. She held it tightly — firmly — offering silent comfort.
"Close your heart to it," she murmured.
Almost as if responding to her presence, Leo's expression began to ease. The tight lines on his face relaxed, and the shaking faded.
Whatever nightmare he had been lost in... was beginning to fade.
And as the silence of the night returned, the world around them stilled once more.
It was quiet.
Still.
Heavy with the unknown.
And the night passed... silently and gently.