The carriage door swung open, and Kael tensed as a middle-aged man—probably around thirty-five years old—calmly stepped inside.
His presence alone exuded confidence, the kind that only came from sheer experience. He had a longsword strapped to his waist, its ornate hilt peeking out from the folds of his luxurious red coat, which was embroidered with gold patterns. His outfit, a blend of practicality and nobility, reminded Kael of the knights he had read about in books—those who served the kingdoms and upheld their chivalrous duties. The man's long blond hair was neatly tied behind his head, accentuating his striking blue eyes, which carried an unreadable expression.
Kael gulped. He looks strong. Very strong.
The man fully stepped into the carriage, his posture relaxed yet somehow commanding.
For a moment, the two just stared at each other, neither speaking. It wasn't just an awkward silence—it was an evaluation, as if both were sizing each other up.
Then, the man offered him a friendly smile and finally broke the silence.
"Hi there, my name is Erick Valdren. How may I address you?"
Kael, still tense from both mental exhaustion and his general dislike for interacting with strangers, hesitated before replying "Kael… Kael Darven."
Erick nodded, his expression friendly yet unreadable. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Kael. I'm sure you're probably wondering how you got here, why you're here and who I am, so allow me to explain."
Kael remained silent, but his eyes stayed fixed on Erick, indicating that he was listening.
Erick continued, his tone calm and measured. "I am the leader of a small unit of soldiers assigned to eliminate a pack of white wolves that had been terrorizing nearby towns and villages. After several days of tracking, we finally located their den and swiftly dealt with them, including their alpha. However, we hadn't noticed when a member of it's pack escaped during the fight."
Kael's heart sank. He already knew where this was going, and he didn't like it.
"The beast, it seems, fled in the direction of your settlement… and caused irreversible damage."
Erick's voice softened. "And for that, I deeply apologize."
The knight slightly lowered his head in sincerity.
Kael stared at him, emotions stirring within his chest, before forcing out a bitter smile. "Mister, you don't have to apologize for something you didn't do. I don't blame you for what happened. Besides, if what you said is true about the wolves terrorizing nearby villages, then it was only a matter of time before they attacked ours."
Erick raised his head and smiled, but after a brief pause, his expression turned thoughtful.
"Just out of curiosity though," he said, his blue eyes narrowing slightly, "how exactly did the beast die? When I arrived, it was already dead… and you were fast asleep right next to it. Do you have any idea what might have happened?"
Kael stiffened. He could feel Erick's gaze piercing through him, as if searching for any hint of deception. He felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. What could he say?
Awkwardly scratching the back of his head, he coughed and gave a sheepish grin. "Well… I kinda killed it."
A brief flicker of surprise flashed through Erick's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
He hummed thoughtfully. "I see… but I must say, I find it quite impressive that you were able to slay a Ravager without sustaining any injuries."
'Ravager?!' Kael's mind reeled.
Just like humans, beasts have their own ranking.
The first are ordinary beasts with no special abilities, they lack any form intellect and act based on instincts. But even though they were just ordinary beast, they still required a Novice Sigil to handle. Yeah that's how strong they are.
Next are the Ferals. Slightly stronger and faster than regular beast, they develop a little bit of intelligence which makes them annoying opponents to deal with. They require someone form at least Adept sigil if you hope to make it out in one piece.
And then there's the Ravagers. This is when they start becoming mutated. Some might even say that they also had a path selection trial, since there were two types of Ravager you could encounter.
One which is going to have the ability to cast spells like mages and have an arsenal of skills at their disposal, and another which is going to have enhanced physically properties, which could lead to extreme durability, increase in size and attack power and they usually have a skill or two at their disposal.
To have an easy victory over these at least a Master Sigil is required.
He remembered the beast's raw power, the way it had moved with unnatural speed and ferocity.
'That thing was a whole rank above Dad?! No wonder he—'
His fists clenched involuntarily as the image of his father being devoured flashed through his mind. He had been avoiding the thought of what had happened to his mother, not wanting his mental state to collapse.
Calming his emotions, he thought back to his battle. 'Then how was I able to defeat that thing while being just… well, an ordinary human? I know that skill gave me a power boost, but still… wait a minute.'
His mind raced as he recalled the description of [Wrath of a Dying God]. A 330% increase in all stats… that meant his Strength stat of 37 had skyrocketed to—
'Damn! No wonder I felt so strong!'
The realization sent a chill down his spine.
He hadn't thought to much about it then since his mind still felt clouded.
'Just what kind of skill is this? And where did it even come from? This level of power is insane.'
But then, as he thought about the activation requirements, a bitter feeling settled in his stomach.
'Loss of a loved one? I've already lost the only two I had… so that's never happening again, And brink of death? Yeah, no thanks, I'd rather not experience that again. And the third condition… it's not even visible. What's that suppose to mean? Will I ever even get to use the skill again?'
Meanwhile, Erick had been observing Kael closely, reading every flicker of emotions that went through his face—shock, anger, realization, then something like uncertainty. He didn't miss a single shift.
Eventually, Kael calmed himself and looked back at the knight, who was still watching him with an unreadable expression. He forced an awkward smile. "Well… my dad probably weakened it before I landed the final blow. He was an Adept Sigil."
Erick nodded, as if that explanation made sense even though they both know it didn't.
"I see. He must have been truly talented and brave to sacrifice himself for you. My condolences."
Kael merely gave an awkward nod, feeling that talking about it further would only worsen his mood.
"Well, Kael, I can tell you don't have anywhere to go right now," Erick said after a moment. "Why don't you travel with us? We're heading back to our city, and from there, you can figure out your next course of action." His eyes held a strange intensity, a glint that made Kael uneasy.
Kael hesitated, but seeing no better option, he nodded. "I guess I'll trouble you then."
"Good," Erick said, turning toward the door. "Then get some rest. We still have quite a distance to cover."
But just before he could close the carriage door, Kael hurriedly called out. "Uh, Mister Knight, do you perhaps have any food? I'm kinda starving."
Chuckling, Erick replied. "Of course. Wait here, I'll send someone to bring it over." Before disappearing outside.
When he was gone, Kael sprawled onto the cushy chair, his mind filled with thoughts of his uncertain future.
Not long after, a soldier brought him some food—a loaf of bread and a piece of dried meat. It wasn't much, but right now, it tasted better than any feast. After finishing his meal, exhaustion took over, and he drifted into a deep sleep.
—
Outside the carriage, Erick mounted his horse and signaled for his men to resume their journey.
One of his subordinates, who seemed unable to hide back his curiosity any longer rode up to him and asked, "My lord, what's so special about that kid? Why are you giving him such special treatment?"
It was the same question on everyone's mind. Their Lord had even given up his personal carriage for the boy.
Erick kept his gaze ahead and answered blandly, "You wouldn't understand even if I explained."
He paused, his eyes flickering towards Kael for a moment, a strange intensity in their blue depths.
The truth was, after dealing with the alpha wolf and its pack, he had noticed a trial indicating that one of them had escaped. So he ordered his men to clear up the area to avoid drawing the attention of other beasts, while he followed the trial of the beast and end it before it causes more problems.
In the midst of his tracking, he had felt something strange. A pressure—no, a presence. A brief but undeniable aura that screamed for respect, something only a higher being should possess. It was a familiar sensation, ancient and powerful, like the echo of a forgotten age.
The aura wasn't oppressive, indicating that it didn't belong to someone that powerful, and with that thought in mind he hurried towards the direction in which it exploded from. He even totally forgot about the fact that he was supposed to be tracking a wolf.
When he finally arrived at the village..... or what was left of it, he found the beast he was supposed to be tracking dead and and lying close to it a boy, clearly still alive, but unconscious yet emanating that faint, lingering aura that he had felt moments ago.
'You guys might not see it, but that kid is special. And I intend to keep him close.' He thought, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.