"One to the left, one to the right. Look to your left, look to your right. Hold your nest till Mom comes, saving you from that guy..."
In a giant tree, Celine sat on a branch, holding a bird's nest in one hand. In his other hand was a python, gazing at the nest with its viciously greedy eyes.
Celine had been in that exact same position for a few hours, and now he couldn't feel his legs or hands.
After a few moments passed, Celine saw a golden light in the distance—the pixie he was familiar with was coming. Behind her, a giant bird was rapidly approaching.
Chew!
With a loud cry, the bird first grabbed the python and lifted it into the sky. Flying high up, it dropped the snake to its death.
"I found it! I found their mom!" the pixie screamed in excitement as she flew around Celine. He was also happy to see her.
Slowly, he placed the nest back on the leaves of the branch. He felt numb all over his body but also a great relief as he could finally move again.
Getting down from the tree, he stretched his body and bones to the limit.
"Did it bite you? Let me see if it did!" The pixie swirled around his head.
"No, although it was slippery, I managed to hold onto it tightly, thanks to your teaching," Celine answered as he looked at the hand that had held the snake. There was a jelly-like liquid stain on it.
"Ha-ha-ha! Well, what did I say? You should be more grateful and focus on my training!" The pixie began boasting, and Celine was very well used to it. He knew that even though she would do absolutely anything to help someone, she still liked to brag about her mystical powers. And most of the time, the victim of those brags ended up being him.
Chew!
At that moment, the giant bird came flying down and landed on its nest. It checked the two eggs inside.
Then, flapping its wings again, it flew down toward Celine on the ground. Circling above his head, the bird dropped one of its feathers before heading back to the nest.
"Ohhh, take it! It's her gratitude to you. A Duskhawk would never forget the kindness you showed to her and her family," the pixie instructed as she flew next to the feather.
Picking up the feather, Celine gazed at it. Its color was a mix of gold and brown, and it had a shine of its own.
Putting the feather in his pocket, Celine headed back to the village. Along the way, he picked up a few dry branches and some berries, as that was the reason his parents had allowed him to enter the forest.
However, right before he entered the village, a group of kids, around the same age as Celine, surrounded him.
"Look who it is... Little Celine got a treat for us," one gray-haired boy said with a smug look on his face.
"Deran, this is for Mother and Father... Don't do this."
The gray-haired boy was actually Celine's stepbrother, but he hated him for no reason. Being one year older and stronger than Celine, Deran had always bullied him.
But now, with the pixie's training, Celine far surpassed him in every aspect. However, he didn't want to hurt his brother in any way.
"If it's for Mother and Father, why is it in your hands? I should be the one to give it to them," Deran forcefully grabbing the berry bucket and dry wood from Celine's hands.
Celine let him do as he wished and took a step back. It didn't matter to him who delivered them—he just wanted his parents to receive them in the end.
"Haha, little wuss."
Seeing how Celine handed over the items without objection, Deran became even more angry. He had wanted Celine to refuse so he would have a reason to beat him again.
But now, he had to do it himself.
Thud!
He pushed Celine away with all his strength, but unexpectedly, instead of falling to the ground, Celine stood firm, completely unmoved.
Thud! Thud!
Confused, Deran pushed him again a few more times, but Celine still didn't move. However, in the end, Celine stepped back on his own, taking a few steps away.
"You know, Celine..." the pixie, whom only Celine could see, circled around his head.
"If he grows up like this, he's going to end up in a very bad situation with this behavior. So it's better if you discipline him right now."
Hearing her, Celine's expression changed. After looking at Deran for a few seconds, he took a step forward.
"What's this? Are you standing against me now, you little wuss?"
Deran was dissatisfied with everything that had just happened, and his anger surpassed its limit. Lunging forward, he struck his fist toward Celine's face.
However, Celine skillfully redirected Deran's hand away. Taking another step forward, he swept Deran's leg out from under him and slammed him to the ground.
"Watch yourself, Deran. I may have once been weaker, but now I've outgrown you. If you continue to behave this way, eventually, everyone else will too."
Deran's henchmen all became frightened by Celine's actions and fearfully took a step back. None of them came to help Deran, and seeing the obvious truth Celine had just laid out before him, Deran fell silent.
Picking up the berry basket and dry wood, Celine walked past them into the village. Only after he left did the other kids finally come to help Deran.
"Leave... Leave me alone!" he screamed, and the kids ran away in fear.
Deran's eyes turned red as he struck the ground fiercely.
"Damn you, Celine! Not only do Mother and Father favor you the most, but now even the world is favoring you... Damn it... I'll fucking kill you!"
After his frenzy, Deran became exhausted and took a deep breath, but suddenly, something pinched him.
"Ah!"
"What the hell... What is that?!"
As Deran looked, he saw a tiny creature flying in the air. A shiny purple-colored dust fell from it as it moved.
. . . . . . . . .
In his private room, Mordred lay on his bed, reading a book, with a plate full of various treats by his side.
On the other side of the bed, there were several papers with the names of different hunters. He had planned to hire a hunter to look for Dorothy. Although she had escaped and would eventually have to come to him, he still needed to ensure she wouldn't stray from his plan. By hiring a hunter, he intended to prevent her from meeting any Holy Knights or doing anything other than sneaking into his made-up head office in the capital.
But thinking about the situation, since the Trinity Gathering was approaching, all the knights were heading to the Land of Rising Light. That reduced the risk of her coming into contact with a Holy Knight and exposing him.
Hmm...
Noticing a flickering shadow in his room, Mordred put down the book.
"Did you find the village... Is there a village?"
"There was," the dark shadow answered.
"It was a lonely one, didn't have much contact with the outside world. And I also found the few individuals you asked for."
"Wonderful. Keep an eye on them; do not let anyone slip away... Well, you must have come a long way. Rest for a bit before all that."
"Thank you, my lord."
The shadow assassin truly appreciated Mordred's care and disappeared from the room.
Looking at the darkness in the room, Mordred fell into thought.
Celine, the man blessed by the benevolent pixie and the one who will eventually become the Pixie King—if I could get rid of him now, it would be a huge blow to this peaceful world. And it would bring harm to countless people.
But what can I do... He was just born on the wrong side.
Tok! Tok!
Someone knocked on the door. With Mordred's permission, the person entered the room.
"Remiar, you look prepared."
The person who entered was the knight Remiar. Unlike summoned creatures from the spirit portal that couldn't stray far from their contractor, Knight Remiar was a special case. With Mordred's permission, he could go anywhere alone and carry out his bidding.
"I'm prepared, and I know everything I need to know."
Knight Remiar remained as respectful as ever as he knelt before Mordred.
"The Trinity Gathering is held in two weeks, but you should make your way now. Get to know some people and try to blend in. Gather as much information as you can about the current world. More importantly, anything related to the Word of the World. If something goes wrong, don't act recklessly. I can call you back anytime I want."
"Yes, my lord."
. . . . . . .
In a landscape densely packed with white mist, there was a solitary camp guarded by a few people.
Slowly opening his eyes, Zythra gazed at the roof of the camp.
Opening the tent, he stepped out. The two guardian knights hurriedly came to his side.
"How long have I been sleeping?" Zythra looked at one of the guards.
"A week, sire."
"What happened in that week?" While asking, Zythra walked back into the tent, and the guardian knights followed behind him.
"The Holy Church called for a Trinity Gathering."
"I already expected that. So, are we now in Nowhere Mist?"
"Yes, sire. As you instructed, we already made our way to the Land of the Rising Light. But without a Sanctuary Decree, we cannot pass the mist."
"Not a problem. The Rising Light is a place where every disciple of light gathers, but when they use the decree, our path will also form. More importantly, does anyone know about us?"
"As of now, no one has come to search for us. With the complete annihilation of the Sanctuary, I believe we have nothing to be afraid of."
"Afraid? That's not the point. Eventually, they will learn what happened, but not before the Trinity Gathering… Where's the Sunclipse?"
As he asked, Zythra looked around the tent and saw, in one corner, the extraordinary sword shining.
"The might of the sun is in this blade. With this by my side, I'll be invincible... However, using it takes a toll on my body. Wielding it at full power is still not possible."
"Oh? Is that what you think?"
Suddenly, Zythra heard a whisper. Behind him was something white and mist-like, taking the shape of an alluring woman.
"What about Paragons? Do you think you will be able to wield this sword against one of them?"
The guard knight drew his sword and pointed it at the misty figure. But Zythra waved his hand, stopping him.
"Tell me, as a creature that preys on others' weakness, what do you see in me?" He looked directly at the misty creature, unafraid.
"Do you see fear of death... fear of being defeated... fear of losing a loved one?"
The misty creature gazed at Zythra for a few seconds in silence.
"You can't—because I overcame them long ago."
In its silence, Zythra continued speaking.
But suddenly, the misty creature moved like the wind, passing through him and whispering in his ear.
"I see... the fear of unworthiness "
Then, the misty creature faded and disappeared from sight.
The tent fell into silence. Looking back at Sunclipse, Zythra picked it up and began using its power. Despite the pressure it put on his body, he continued until he overcame the difficulty.
Soon, a massive wave of mist came, swallowing the tent and the guards. Neither those inside nor outside the mist could locate them anymore.