Chapter 13

Victoria's heart pounded in her chest, the thudding rhythm betraying the calm facade she struggled to maintain. Fear gripped her as the armored Noble's words reverberated in her ears. *Not only is he a Noble, but he's also wearing G.E.A.R.? Seriously? Why does the goddess hate me!?* she silently cursed, her mind racing with the gravity of the situation.

Kaden, ever loyal, stepped forward, his posture bristling with defiance. "Watch your words!" he warned, pointing a finger at the armored Noble with a threatening intensity. "You may be a Noble, but you have no jurisdiction here."

The Noble scoffed, a harsh, derisive sound that echoed within his helmet. With a slow, deliberate motion, he lifted his right hand, the circuits on his armor glowing brighter in response. "That's where you're wrong," he retorted coldly, his voice filled with superiority. "The entirety of Aetheria belongs to Veridiania, which means this town is under my jurisdiction." He closed his fist, the action punctuated by the flare of light from his armor's intricate design.

Kaden's eyes twitched with barely contained anger. "Why you—" He cut himself off as Victoria stepped between them, raising a hand to halt the confrontation.

"Why do you want this tree down?" she asked, her voice steady despite the turmoil roiling within her. She looked up at the Noble, trying to gauge his intentions.

The Noble stared down at her, his glowing eyes cold and unyielding. Then, he turned his attention back to the colossal shadow tree, his armored fingers flexing as if he could rip it from the ground with his bare hands. "Because this thing of shadow is against the goddess's will," he declared with disdain. "Its vile roots defile her body. To cleanse it is to remove a parasite from Aetheria." His hand tightened into a fist, as though the very act of speaking these words fueled his resolve.

Victoria felt a shiver run up her spine. *Of course he's a religious zealot, why wouldn't he be?* she thought in exasperation. The armored Noble turned his cold gaze back to her. "Now do as you're told, or face the consequences," he warned, his voice sharp and unyielding.

Kaden, standing beside her, prepared to use his magic, but Victoria's voice cut through the tension. "We can't," she stated firmly.

The armored Noble's glowing eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you mean, you can't?" he spat, his tone dripping with contempt.

Victoria raised her hands in a shrug, her expression calm despite the storm brewing inside her. "Exactly what it sounds like. We can't take down the tree for two reasons. First, this tree is the only thing keeping the entire center of town from sinking into the ground." She walked over to the shadow tree, placing a hand on its massive trunk before turning back to the Noble. "And second, it's weaved into the ground and none of us here can dispel it."

The armored Noble let out an angry grunt, clearly unconvinced. "You expect me to believe that? Someone must have weaved it into place, which means someone here has the ability to get rid of it."

Kaden crossed his arms, his posture defiant. "Are you deaf? She said no one here can dispel it, meaning no one here can dispel it. I know you nulls aren't the sharpest when it comes to magic, but at least try to listen and understand," he mocked, his words dripping with sarcasm.

The Noble's glowing eyes bore into Kaden with a murderous intensity, "Besides, neither of us were the ones who—" Kaden began, but Victoria quickly motioned for him to stop. He clamped his mouth shut, but the Noble had already caught on. "Who did it, then? If you do not answer, your entire town will burn for the sin of one," he declared, his voice a cold promise of violence.

Victoria exchanged a tense glance with Kaden before letting out a weary sigh. "It was a black knight, a monster hunter," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

The Noble's armored form loomed closer, his presence menacing. "Where is this black knight?" he demanded, his tone dangerously low.

Kaden, sensing the threat, grabbed the Noble by the shoulder and pulled him back from Victoria. "Back off!" he warned, his voice filled with protective anger.

Unfazed, the Noble repeated the question, his gaze locked on Victoria. "Where is the black knight?"

Victoria hesitated, her mind racing with the possible consequences of staying silent. But the fear of what the Noble might do to the town if she refused to answer won out. "He went back to his Covenant, that way," she said, pointing in the direction the black knight had gone.

The armored Noble followed her gesture with his gaze, letting out an annoyed grunt before turning back to her. "I'll let you off for now. However…" Without warning, he turned to Kaden, and before Kaden could react, the Noble's armored fist slammed into his stomach.

Kaden's eyes widened in pain as the wind was knocked out of him. He doubled over, coughing violently, while Victoria rushed to his side. "Kaden!" she called out, kneeling beside him to make sure he was okay.

The Noble looked down at them with contempt. "That's for all the back-talking," he spat before turning away. He took a few steps, and the circuitry on his armor flared up. With a burst of light and energy, he launched into the air, soaring in the direction Victoria had pointed out.

Victoria watched as he disappeared into the sky, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and relief. She stayed by Kaden's side, her hand resting on his back as she tried to steady her own nerves, knowing this encounter was only the beginning of something far worse.