Turning point

Chapter 25: The Call to Battle

The energy in the air was palpable.

Lucian stood across from Ronan in the training hall, rolling his shoulders as he adjusted his stance. The old man had suggested a quick spar before they left for the raid, and Lucian, fresh off his breakthrough, had eagerly accepted.

Now, standing in the middle of the outpost's training ring, surrounded by the raid team, he was starting to wonder if that had been a terrible idea.

Ronan cracked his neck, rolling his wrists as he adjusted his grip on his silver-forged training blade.

"Alright, kid," he said, a grin playing at his scarred face. "Let's see how much you've really learned."

Lucian smiled warily, tightening his own grip on his blade.

"Try not to break a hip, old man."

Ronan barked out a laugh. "Cocky little bastard."

Then before lucian could even react, he vanished. "Wha-?"

Lucian's instincts screamed. He barely had time to react before Ronan reappeared in front of him, his blade slicing toward his ribs in a blur of silver.

Lucian focused his silver energy onto his legs and threw himself back, narrowly avoiding the strike, but Ronan didn't give him a chance to breathe.

The old man pressed forward, his movements deceptively fast and precise.

Lucian ducked, sidestepped, and countered where he could, fully utilising his newly honed control over silver energy allowing him to match Ronan's casual speed—for a while.

But compared to Lucian, Ronan was different. He wasn't just strong in terms of silver, he was experienced.

Every time Lucian thought he found an opening, Ronan twisted his blade at the last second, deflecting the attack with ridiculous ease.

'this dam old monster! He is barely even using his silver energy?'

The sound of clashing metal echoed through the hall as the others watched in silent focus.

Eleanor, arms crossed, observed with critical eyes, her expression unreadable.

The other raid members— the young youth with blue hairs tarlon, the tall silent one with ashen gray hairs rakhan, and the ocean-blue-eyed girl julia—stood nearby, murmuring among themselves as they assessed his form.

The only one missing was Reze.

She had left earlier, saying she was too tired to watch, but not before giving Lucian a smirk and a whisper that sent heat straight to his face.

"Your fault I'm so tired, you know?"

Lucian had nearly tripped over his own feet.

Trying to make an excuse by saying " you mean because i paid for the excessive food you ate? Hahah."

The others hadn't understood the implication, but Eleanor's sharp gaze lingered on him for a second longer than comfortable.

Lucian had quickly dodged the conversation and hoped Eleanor didn't suspect anything by the way she was looking, focusing entirely on the fight.

Now, as lucian tried his best to fight ronan he could barely dodge his strikes, let alone counterattack.

'fu*k! If k had dodged better i could have used the opening Right now.'

Because Ronan's blade suddenly twisted beyond what lucian's eyes could keep up, and in the blink of an eye, Lucian found himself disarmed.

His weapon clattered against the stone floor as Ronan swept his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground.

A moment later, the tip of a silver blade rested against his throat. Ronan grinned down at him.

"Dead."

Lucian groaned, staring up at the ceiling.

"Alright, alright. I get it."

Ronan stepped back, offering him a hand.

Lucian took it, pulling himself up with a sigh.

"Not bad, kid," Ronan said, dusting off his coat. "You've got talent. Just lack power and.....experience."

Lucian rolled his shoulders, picking up his blade. "Yeah, yeah. I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm strong enough to get your ass handed to you."

Ronan chuckled, then stretched. "That's the spirit Well, that was fun. But." He looked towards tigen " i think its time."

Lucian frowned, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Speaking of which…" He eyed Ronan carefully. "What's your level, old man?"

Ronan smirked. "First layer of Second Level."

Lcuian felt delited. 'it's not at a level i can't catch up.'

"...no wonder you were jumping like a kangaroo."

"kang-what? And besides im still weak compared to my colleagues."

Lucian let out a slow breath, ofcourse people of this world didn't knew what s kangaroo was. "Well forget that, but from what you said, Ronan...you are at least an entire level above me!"

"Huh? Ofcourse im?" Ronan didn't quite get what lucian was trying to say.

"I mean. You went easy on me"

Hearing that ronan laughed out loud. "You will die if i went serious."

Lucian's eyebrow twisted. 'Just how strong are these people?'

Before Lucian could process it further, a deep voice cut through the air.

"Enough standing around."

Lucian turned to see Tigen stepping forward, flicking the remaining embers of his cigar onto the stone floor.

"It's time to move out."

Silence filled the room for a moment.

Then, as one, they all began to prepare for the journey ahead.

Lucian exhaled, shaking off his thoughts.

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The front gates of the outpost loomed ahead, tall and fortified, as the team gathered in the dim dawn-light. The air carried the usual crispness of Alexandria's climate, but an underlying tension clung to the atmosphere. This wasn't just another mission—it was a step into the unknown that could possibly even lead into Divalo's shadow.

Tigen stood at the entrance, cigar in hand, exchanging a few last words with Eleanor. His expression was serious, though the way he casually exhaled smoke suggested he wasn't the type to let nerves show.

Eleanor kept her eyes on him. "You're sure about this ha?" Her voice was sharp but laced with concern. "We both know a 'scouting mission' is never just scouting when it comes to something this big."

Tigen let out a slow exhale, the embers of his cigar glowing faintly. "Yeah. That's why you're in charge while I'm gone. Try not to burn the place down."

Eleanor scowled. "I should be the one going you know?."

Tigen kept his straight face. "Not this time." He glanced over at Lucian, who stood nearby, watching the exchange. "Besides, you've got a student to babysit."

"I can always drag him along."

Lucian frowned deeply but didn't respond. He knew better than to argue when Tigen and Eleanor was like this.

A few steps away, the raid team members stood in silence, waiting for them to finish their conversation up.

Eris, the silver-cloaked warrior from another sector, leaned against a pillar with her arms folded. Her cold, golden eyes didn't reveal much, but there was no mistaking the sharpness in her presence.

Ronan, the old but battle-hardened warrior, adjusted his coat. He was the only one who looked relaxed, as if this was just another day.

Tarlon, the blue-haired youth, shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly restless.

Rakhan, the tall, ashen-gray-haired fighter, was silent as usual, his gaze steady.

Julia, with her ocean-blue eyes, had a faint smile playing on her lips, as if she found something about all this interesting.

As both Eleanor and tigen concluded their talks, Three carriages stood waiting by the gate. The team was splitting into pairs—as each carriage only fit two people.

Tigen glanced back at them and nodded. "Alright. Let's get moving."

Without hesitation, the pairs entered their carriages.

Eris and Tigen shared the first, Ronan and Julia took the second, Tarlon and Rakhan entered the third.

Lucian and Eleanor stood back, watching as the carriages set off. Eleanor let out a sigh. "Damn fool…" she muttered under her breath, though Lucian wasn't sure if she was talking about Tigen or herself.

He shot her a sideways glance. "If you are Regretting that much, why not sneak into one of those carriages?"

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Im not as dumbasss like you."

-----

The carriages rolled through Alexandria, passing through familiar streets that felt somehow heavier in this moment. The city wasn't as vibrant at this hour— some market stalls still opened for business early, a carriage or two ran thought the streets, and a few civilians went about their daily lives—but for the six warriors inside those carriages, this wasn't just another day.

Inside his carriage, Tigen looked out the window, cigar still in hand. He hadn't been outside Sanctorum's barriers in ten years.

'its been Ten long years since j had last stepped into that hell.'

He didn't allow himself to dwell on the past too much. It wouldn't help now. Instead, he looked at Eris, who was seated across from him.

"You've been briefed, right?" he asked.

Eris gave a curt nod. "Yes."

Tigen studied her. "So what do you think?"

Eris was silent for a moment before she responded. "I think if this really leads to Divalo, then just scouting in all the reported areas won't be enough—we have to most likely head into a deeper zone."

Tigen let out a chuckle. "Yeah. this isn't going to be easy."

Eris's golden eyes flickered toward him. "You don't seem too concerned."

Tigen tapped the ash off his cigar. "Oh, I'm concerned, I just don't like wasting energy worrying about things that haven't arrived yet."

Eris didn't respond, but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

By the time they reached the outer gates of Alexandria, the the fog had shifted and the perpetual dawn-light was all over them, casting long shadows along the high walls. The towering silver barriers that protected the city gleamed faintly, the only thing standing between humanity and the horrors beyond.

As they stepped out of the carriages, the air grew heavier. It was one thing to see the gates every day, but another to actually walk toward them, knowing they were about to pass through.

Tigen turned to face the team. It was time to address them.

"Alright, listen up," he began, his voice sharp. "We all know why we're here. This mission is classified as scouting, but if we're dealing with something like Divalo, nothing about it will be simple. We're stepping outside of the safe heven that is sanctorum, so I'll ask again, if anyone wants to leave...leave now."

Non of them responded to the Idea of leaving now. And tigen said with a smile."let's not do anything that'll get us killed."

He pointed toward Eris. "She's the only level 4 silverborn in this team. That means she's our battlefront. If things go south, you listen to her."

Tarlon, the blue-haired youth, let out a low whistle. "I knew she was strong, but damn."

Julia crossed her arms, smirking. "Hope you don't get yourself killed trying to impress her."

Tarlon grinned. "No. She looks scary as hell."

Ronan chuckled. "I like this kid."

Rakhan as expected, remained silent.

Eris on the other hand, ignored all of them.

Tigen took another puff of his cigar and exhaled. "Alright, let's move."

With that, they passed through the city gates and into the unknown.

As they stepped past the gates and then Sanctorum's protective barrier, the world changed.

The difference was immediate—the air was colder, heavier, carrying a stillness that was unnatural. The once-paved roads of Alexandria gave way to overgrown wilderness, remnants of the old world before the Sanctuaries were built.

Tigen could feel the changes immediately.

The moment he stepped beyond the barrier, it hit him like a wave of memories.

' shit. It had been ten damn years since i last stood out here. but this weight is same as last time... Maybe even heavier?'

Eris walked beside him, unfazed. She had likely seen far worse in her time.

Tigen looked up at the sky—gray, heavy with clouds. The sun never shined beyond the barrier.

As the team moved forward, the weight of their mission truly settled in.

And now, after all these years, they had a lead of Divalo, The traitor of humanity.

Tigen's eyes became more colder. It was time to see if the past was truly back into surface.

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End of Chapter 25