22 Stray.

The fist traveled steadily in his sight. Its ferocity brought an intense, heavy power that could pulverize Cain's head. Exhausted and in awe, Cain was paralyzed before it. So, he could only stand there with an awkward stance.

As Cain prepared for the worst, the fist stopped an inch from his face, but the residual force of its force brought along a gust of strong wind that blew his sweat away from his face. He faltered, but Cain hurriedly spread his foot despite the shock to prevent him from falling.

Cain straightened his posture while his breathing was ragged. All of that adrenaline began to strike his physique and mentality, making him more vulnerable than ever. But he refused to back down. The burning gaze directed at the man still was not dimmed; instead, it demanded more.

Even with his trembling hands, Cain prepared his stance. The military man stood still and soon parted his lips in joy.

"Hahaha, good! That's enough for you, Cain. There are other candidates behind you".

With battered breath, Cain glanced back from his shoulder and found other candidates watching him with a bit of awe, different from the look he received earlier. Cain clicked his tongue and reluctantly decided to back down.

He inhaled a deep breath, turned his back on the man, and returned to the line before abruptly halting.

"Wait, where are you going?". The man asked curiously.

"!?".

Cain and several candidates look at the man weirdly. The man began to realize his own mistake and thus placed his palm to cover his face.

"Sorry about my lack of explanation. For those who finished their second test, you can head home or stay at your own place to await your result, which will be announced tomorrow."

'Stay!? Where the hell should I stay? Should I return to the outskirts then?'. Cain's brain froze upon realizing that this had never occurred to him. He was pretty sure he didn't bring a change with him, let alone money.

Unaware of the trouble that ran through his mind, Cain managed to maintain his poker face and then walked toward the entrance door, where he entered the arena. With the gaze of other candidates following him from behind, he disappeared from the place.

The one that has been left stares at the back of a lonely figure of a boy, leaving a lingering regret that haunts them, especially the one who put laughter on his performance earlier.

To think that the boy holds that much power and is also a one-star ranker is a feat that is nearly impossible to achieve as a candidate who lives comfortably behind the wall. They could only assume that Cain had an unlucky encounter with a void creature or, worse, was dealing with another Resonator. No one knows the answer except the boy himself.

That is why the atmosphere around them is dampened, and they are enveloped in a gloomy mood that puts their minds in distress.

Lisa, on the other hand, watched the trace of Cain with a little bit of regret for not being more assertive with him. She had something to make sure of. 'Well, next time I meet him, I will talk to him.'

*****

Cain walked around in front of the Academy yard, contemplating what he should do from now on. He reached out toward his pocket only to find nothing praiseworthy. He miscalculated, 'To think that this event would occur'.

Initially, Cain thought the test would be over on the same day it was held, but it was different.

'One night, where the hell should I spend it?'. With no aim to chase, Cain decides to linger around the perimeter of the Academy.

From what Henry had told him, the south part of the Academy was a marketplace where goods circulated in and out. Cain walked straight to the south to find the same environment as in the outskirts.

A bleak grey color was painted every inch of the wall and corner. There is no fancy decoration and only a minimum window for enough sun to penetrate the house. But, despite the empty place, Cain heard a faint buzz of crowds from behind the building.

Curiosity got the better of him. Thus, Cain walked past an alley and found himself facing another road. A soft shadow cast a cool touch beneath him, while above him was a row curtain that blocked the direct light from the sun.

On each side of the road, many stalls sold a variety of goods, from ingredients to a sizzling noise that invited his nostrils with its enchanting fragrance, making his stomach rumble in protest.

Despite the rowdy and lively place, Cain could only stay in the alley and looked at each of the appetizing food and fruit with envy. 'Damn, if I know, it will become like this. I should bring my allowance'.

After last night's incident, Cain, who spent his fortune buying an ingredient that he threw away, could only lament that he is poor right now. At this hour, he would go to his part-time work and would receive his pay later at night.

'Right, I also forgot to inform them about my plan for the future, haaa! I should be more prepared from now on'. Cain sighed and intended to turn his back on the rowdy market when his partner woke him from sorrow.

*{Woof!}

"Hm, what's up?".

Noir, who noticed Cain's trouble, began to spit something from under the shadows. Black mud oozed from Cain's shadow beneath, and a wallet he never had appeared. Cain crouched down and took it in his hand.

"Whose wallet is this?" The sleek and smooth texture of the wallet awes Cain for its high-quality material.

As if coming from the sky, Cain's gaze bloated wide. He began to recall the incident last night when he ransacked the bossman's belongings along with the crystal fragment within him.

Cain hurriedly checked the content and found himself smirking in glee. He saw a stack of paper bills with the highest currencies the city had. With trembling hands, he took a piece of the bill, shoved it into his pocket, and threw the rest into his shadows.

"Brother, let's have some feast!".

*{Woof!}

Seeing how cheerful the master was, Noir barked energetically. Cain bought everything that took his fancy. With the current money he had, which included renting a living place and food, Cain could manage to live for months.

After stacking himself with a paper bag, Cain wandered through the street, guiding him to the empty park. A little fountain in the middle and a steel bench stood on each side of the corner, allowing him to rest his feet properly.

"Come out, brother!".

A black shadow began to jump from Cain's feet, and Noir, who was happy after being free from his place, sat quietly beside the bench. Cain patted the black dog's head, feeling its soft fur and adorable gesture.

He took out the meat skewers he bought from one of the stalls. Cain holds the stick filled with fragrant meat on each of his fingers before placing the paperbag near Noir. After he separated the meat from the stick, Cain set aside his part and let Noir have some, too.

"Go ahead, eat it! That was your portion".

*{Woof}

Noir slowly began devouring the meat while wagging his tail, showing how much joy it had. Cain also broke into a pleasant smile, seeing his partner eating the meat in joy.

The two eat their lunch in silence. A pleasant hum from the rustling tree near them casts a canopy over them, further enhancing the taste of the meal. The soft touch from the cold breeze heals Cain's body, letting him slightly lower his guard.

*Weee!

A loud alarm that reverberated across the place brought Cain and Noir's attention up, raising their own guard. This was not the first time Cain had heard this, but the alarm he heard now was much clearer, for it came from a nearby place.

"Void creature!?".

In the sky, Cain could see a flash of orange light fly straight toward something approaching, something he saw for the first time in his life. Multiple entities were flying above them, and from the other place, a barrage of elemental power shot through like a comet.

Cain could only sit petrified for the scene above him, which was a clear picture of the actual battlefield itself. The barrages of attack from the human side kept pouring, while the Void creature that wanted to go beyond the wall had to clear the disturbance first.

A black flame began to intercept the incoming barrage of elemental attributes. Upon making contact, the two opposing forces exploded mid-air, creating a magnificent yet terrifying outcome.

From the explosion, Cain could see a cloud of black smoke obstructing his view of the battlefield. Then, like a nightmarish premonition that hit him, a single shadow escapes from the cloud of smoke, and it goes straight down toward the park he was in.

'This is bad!'. Cain saw the creature crash toward the fountain in the middle, letting the spilling water flood the place.

The creature began wriggling its many hands before standing still in front of Cain, who was sweating buckets.

"What should I do?".