The forest stood still, cloaked in a heavy silence after the ferocious battle. Trees were charred, the ground cracked from divine magic, and the scent of scorched earth lingered in the air. Sion lay against a shattered tree, blood on his lips and sweat on his brow. Raphael, kneeling beside him, was casting high-tier healing magic, her hands glowing a soft emerald hue.
"You idiot…" she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "You pushed yourself too far."
Sion gave a weak smile. "I had no choice. That beast wasn't just strong… it was unnatural."
As her magic sealed his wounds, Raphael looked toward the scorched clearing where the beast once stood. "I sensed something… something ancient. It didn't belong here."
Sion nodded. "And it wasn't just the beast. Someone released it. Someone powerful."
Raphael's eyes sharpened. She walked toward the remnants of the barrier and knelt, placing her palm to the ground. A faint, foreign magical trace remained—unfamiliar, dark, and refined.
"This wasn't an accident," she said grimly. "The seal was broken from the outside. Whoever did this, they knew what they were releasing."
Back near the city, Sion called for his most trusted soldiers and sent them to secure the perimeter. He then activated a surveillance crystal—his own invention—crafted with the help of the dwarves in secret. Hovering in the air like a magical drone, it began scanning the surrounding forest for signs of magical residue or movement.
His elite dwarven-built defense system—arcane cannons, mana-trap fields, and barrier pylons—were already operational along the borders of the Leaf Dukedom. Each one was enchanted with advanced rune-circuitry and powered by mana cores, making them deadly and precise. What others saw as mere magic, Sion had reshaped into a science.
As he watched the scanning results, he muttered, "They stepped into my territory… and walked straight into my web."
Meanwhile, far beyond the trees, hidden in the shadow of a blackened cliff, the same mysterious figure who had watched the battle spoke quietly to the wind.
"He used only a fraction of what lies within him… and still slew the beast."
The figure stepped deeper into the shadows, vanishing into mist. "Soon, Sion Ragnar… our paths will cross again. And next time, the trial will be far greater."
Back in the forest, Raphael stared into the sky. "Whatever's coming… this was only the beginning."
Sion stood, gripping the broken hilt of his sword.
"I'm ready for it.