The journey to Drakenfell took several days, winding through dense forests and rocky hills, each step bringing Adam and Seren closer to the base of the Shadowspire Mountains. As the terrain became more treacherous, Adam's abilities proved invaluable, making what would have been an arduous trek feel almost effortless.
By evening on the second day, they reached a wide river with a deceptively strong current. Seren crouched near the edge, sipping the water with her hands. "We could use some fish for lunch, too bad we don't have a fishing kit" she muttered.
Adam, however, had other plans. Without a word, he stepped forward, kneeling by the riverbank. Placing both hands over the water's surface, he activated his heat control, channeling a steady pulse of warmth, boiling the water. In an instant, steam billowed from the river, sending small fish into a panicked frenzy. The heat was just enough to make them leap from the water in desperation.
Adam's hand shot out, snatching two mid-air before they splashed back down. With a smirk, he tossed one to Seren. "Dinner's served."
Seren caught the fish, her eyebrow twitching as she stared at him. "You're getting way too good at showing off."
Adam chuckled. "It's called efficiency."
Later that evening, they encountered a large fallen tree blocking the narrow mountain trail. Seren instinctively reached for her sword, prepared to carve out a path, but Adam casually walked past her. He crouched, wrapped one hand around the massive trunk, and lifted it with ease, hoisting it onto his shoulder. With a single motion, he tossed the enormous log aside like a discarded twig.
Seren whistled, arms crossed. "Remind me never to arm wrestle you."
Adam dusted his hands. "It's not all about strength. It's about knowing when and how to use it."
Seren rolled her eyes. "Says the guy who just tossed a tree."
They continued, but as the evening deepened, Adam's energy sense suddenly flared, a sharp, intrusive sensation that made the hairs on his neck rise.
"Did you hear that?" Adam asked, stopping abruptly.
Seren instinctively drew her swords. "No, but if you did, then we've got company."
Then, they heard it, a distant scream.
Adam didn't hesitate. "Someone's in trouble!" he called, sprinting toward the source of the cry.
Seren followed without question.
The Razorfang Attack
They arrived at a forest clearing, the moon casting silver light over the scene. A woman and a young girl stood in the center, paralyzed with fear as glowing red eyes surrounded them from the shadows. Low growls echoed through the clearing as the razorfangs, wolf-like beasts with obsidian fur and jagged fangs closed in.
Adam's eyes darkened. "These damn wolves." He recalled his first encounter with them the day he woke up in this world. Back then, he had barely survived. This time, things were different.
A razorfang lunged.
Adam reacted instantly. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a concentrated energy blast, the golden bolt striking the beast mid-air and sending it crashing into a tree with a sickening crack.
Seren darted forward, her swords flashing as she weaved between the creatures, cutting through their ranks with precise, deadly strikes.
Adam shifted tactics. Instead of brute force, he relied on precision, using short, controlled bursts of heat vision to slice through the creatures' legs, immobilizing them without excessive destruction.
One by one, the razorfangs fell.
The final beast lunged at the young girl, only to be caught mid-air by Adam, who grabbed it by the throat. Without hesitation, he crushed its windpipe with his bare hand before tossing the body aside.
The battle was over.
Adam turned to the woman and girl, his golden eyes scanning them for injuries. "Are you okay?"
The woman clutched her daughter tightly, tears in her eyes. "Yes… yes! Saviors, thank you! I thought we were going to die."
Seren sighed, sheathing her blades. "That was close."
Adam noticed a deep gash on the woman's arm, likely from one of the razorfangs earlier. "You're bleeding," he said, stepping closer. "One of them must have clipped you."
Seren folded her arms. "Who knows how infectious their bites are?"
The woman flinched. "I..I'll be fine."
Adam knelt before her. "Let me take a look."
The woman hesitated. "Are you a doctor?"
Adam smiled faintly. "Not quite. But I know how to sterilize wounds."
His mind flashed back to his time as Nuclear Sentinel when he often had to provide first aid during disasters before ambulances could arrive. He had long since mastered the ability to release controlled rays to sterilize wounds without causing burns.
Carefully, Adam raised his hand over the wound, emitting a faint golden glow. The woman gasped as she felt a warm, painless sensation spread over her injury.
Once he was finished, Adam tore off a portion of his sleeve and wrapped it around her arm. "That should hold for now. But you should still see a doctor later."
The woman's eyes brimmed with gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you so much." She placed her hands over Adam's. "My name is Marla, and this is my daughter, Elise. Please, let me repay your kindness."
She gestured toward the trail. "Our village is nearby, Drakenfell. My mother is the village chief. If she hears what you've done, she will surely offer you food and shelter."
Adam glanced at Seren. She gave a slight nod.
"Lead the way."
Drakenfell was a modest village, worn by time and weather. Simple stone cottages clustered near the base of the Shadowspire foothills, their chimneys trailing faint wisps of smoke. Yet despite its peaceful appearance, there was unease in the air, villagers moved hastily, their faces tight with wary expressions.
As they approached a slightly larger house, an elderly woman rushed out, her face lined with both age and concern.
"Marla! Elise! Where have you been? I was about to send the guards after you!"
Marla quickly explained everything, the herb-gathering trip, the razorfang attack, and how Adam and Seren had saved them.
The elder's expression softened. She turned to Adam and Seren, bowing her head slightly. "I am Eldra, the chief of this village. You have done us a great kindness today. Please, accept our hospitality."
That night, they were given warm meals, baths, and rooms to rest in.
As Adam soaked in the bath, he let out a deep breath. I haven't had a proper bath in so long…
Back on Earth, when he was Nuclear Sentinel, his temperature resistance meant he never felt warmth or cold. He had never truly enjoyed a hot bath before. Now, as a human once more, he finally could.
Later, as they settled in their room, Adam took the floor, letting Seren have the bed.
"Stop being so noble about it," she muttered, turning red.
Adam smirked. "What? Afraid I'll hear you snore?"
Seren threw a pillow at him.
Echoes of a Fallen Blade
The crackling fire cast flickering shadows across the wooden walls of Eldra's home. Adam and Seren sat on a woven mat near the hearth, the warmth of the flames contrasting with the cool night air drifting in through the slightly open window.
Across from them, Eldra sipped a cup of herbal tea, her lined face thoughtful as she considered Adam's request.
When he had first asked about Kaelrik Stroud, the old woman's reaction was instant, her face darkened, her grip on the wooden cup tightening as if he had just uttered a name that carried the weight of both gratitude and grief.
"You'd best turn back," she warned, her voice grave. "That man is more shadow than man these days. He lives deep in the mountains, past the old ruins. If the beasts in the Shadowspires don't kill you, he might."
Seren's brow furrowed. "So he's alive."
Eldra let out a slow sigh, setting her tea aside. "Alive, yes… but whether he truly lives is another matter."
She reached into a small wooden box beside her and pulled out an iron sigil, old and slightly rusted, yet bearing an unmistakable crest, two crossed swords over a blood-red sun. She ran a thumb over it, lost in thought for a moment, before passing it to Adam.
"I wasn't always chief," she murmured, staring into the fire. "When I was younger, I was just another herbalist, tending to the sick and gathering what medicines I could from the forests. That's how I met him."
She closed her eyes, recalling the day that had forever changed her life.
The Bloody Evening
"It was years ago, a day much like today," Eldra began, her voice steady but distant.
"A small group of villagers and I had gone deep into the Great Forest at the base of the Shadowspire Mountains, searching for a rare herb that only grew near the mountain's shadow. We knew the risks, monsters often roamed those parts, but desperation drove us forward. A disease had struck the village, and without that herb, more would die.
"We had just begun our return when we heard it, a deep, bone-rattling roar that made the very ground tremble.
"A cragbear had found us.
"Not just any cragbear… but an evolved one, its body covered in jagged, obsidian-like armor, its fangs stained red from whatever poor beast it had last devoured.
"Before we could react, it charged.
"The first man it reached didn't even have time to scream before he was crushed beneath its weight, bones shattering like twigs.
"Another tried to run. It swiped once. He fell in two halves.
"In seconds, half my group was gone.
"I was the last one standing. Alone. Trapped.
"I remember thinking… So this is how I die.
"The cragbear roared and lunged.
"Then, it happened.
"A flash of silver. A single streak of scarlet.
"And then… silence."
Eldra's lips parted slightly as if she were reliving the exact moment.
"The beast had been cut into pieces.
"I hadn't even seen the sword move. One second, the cragbear was alive, the next, its limbs fell apart in midair, its lifeblood soaking the earth.
"And there, standing amidst the carnage… was him."
She took a deep breath.
"He stood motionless. His sword lowered at his side, its blade dyed crimson with the beast's blood. His clothes, his hands, everything was soaked in red.
"But that wasn't what struck me.
"What struck me… was his face.
"I was the one about to die. But somehow, he looked like the one suffering.
"He was shaking. Not from exertion, but from grief, rage, despair, all at once.
"I'll never forget the way he looked at his own hands… as if they weren't his own.
"As if the very act of killing, no matter how justified, was a curse."
Eldra's fingers trembled slightly around her cup.
"I didn't know what to say. I could only stand there… watching a man who had just saved my life look like he had lost his own.
"I invited him to the village," Eldra continued, her voice softer now. "At first, he refused. I think he wanted to disappear into those mountains forever.
"But he was wounded, physically and in spirit. And something in his eyes told me he didn't want to be alone.
"So, I forced his hand. Told him I'd drag him there myself if I had to."
Adam's eyebrows lifted slightly at that. "You forced a man like that to come with you?"
Eldra smiled faintly. "I was a stubborn woman then. Still am."
Seren smirked. "I can see that."
Eldra exhaled, her eyes darkening again. "It took days, but he finally spoke to me. Told me his name. Told me his story."
She paused.
"The world took everything from him. His family. His home. His future.
"And when he fought to take it back… he realized the one thing he couldn't reclaim was peace.
"He believed that no matter what he did, his hands would always be stained red. That he was a warrior meant to destroy, not protect."
She glanced at the sigil Adam now held.
"I tried to tell him otherwise. But he never believed me."
Her expression tightened.
"And then… one day, he was gone."
"The last time I saw him was the night the bandits came."
Eldra's fingers curled into a loose fist.
"They raided Drakenfell, thinking we were easy prey. They were wrong.
"He cut them down like leaves in a storm. And when he found their den in the hills… he wiped them out.
"But when he returned… he didn't celebrate.
"He simply looked at me and said, 'Strength is a curse.'
"And then, without another word, he walked into the mountains."
She let out a slow breath. "That was years ago. Since then, he's been nothing more than a ghost. He only comes down the mountain when his stock of ale runs dry, then vanishes again."
Her gaze locked onto Adam's.
"I don't know what business you have with him… but he will not listen to you easily."
She slid the sigil across the table.
"But if you must go… show him this. It's the only reason he won't kill you on sight."
Adam took the sigil, feeling its cold metal press into his palm.
He nodded.
Into the Shadowspire
The next morning, at the forest's edge, Eldra sighed, pointing toward a barely visible trail leading into the dense wilderness.
"Follow the path," she murmured.
She hesitated.
"…But don't say I didn't warn you."
Adam and Seren exchanged glances.
Then, without another word, they stepped forward, into the Shadowspire Mountains.