A while ago.
The air was still and thick with tension.
Alex stood outside the castle gates, his blue eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the guards standing before him.
Their hands twitched near their weapons, and the way they positioned themselves made it clear that he wasn't welcome there.
'How interesting.'
[It's strange.] Sophie's voice echoed in his mind, calm yet intrigued. [They know that you are strong enough to kill a Star Connection realm expert, yet they're still stopping you.]
Alex had killed one of their people before, and that person, the archer, was a star connection realm expert. So, the two guards on the gate, who were merely star formation realm experts, trying to stop him made no sense.
He could see that they were scared. Their bodies were shivering under his gaze, but they didn't move.
Unless...