Morning mist still clung to the roads of WillowShade as the first light of dawn broke over the quiet town. Yet, just outside the west gate, a silhouette could be seen adjusting the leather strap of his saddlebag on his horse, a sturdy chestnut gelding that snorted softly as if sensing the journey ahead. He had packed some spare clothes, some dried food, a few daggers with throwing knifes, his iron sword and a spare one. The town behind him still slumbered, save for a few merchants beginning to stir and the familiar shadows of Obsidian and the Count Lord atop the gate tower, arms crossed as they watched over him.
Just earlier that morning, Jin had visited Lyrderu's room to check on him. Prigith was already there, sat by the bedside with a tense expression. Lyr still hadn't regained consciousness, and the atmosphere among those who knew him was heavy with worry.
But Jin, the only one able to see another's status, glanced at Lyr and offered a small, confident nod.
- "He's fine," he said quietly. "His condition's stable. He just needs more rest—maybe another day or so—but his life isn't in danger."
That reassurance brought a visible wave of relief across Prigith's face, though the weight of recent events still lingered in his eyes. He's concerned by the unknown threats that lurking over his small town and his people.
After leaving Lyr into his cares, Jin turned to him again.
- "Still… there's a chance someone or something might come while I'm gone. You should always be careful."
Prigith Rhaskel met his gaze and gave a firm nod.
- "If anything urgent happens, I'll get word to you—no matter where you are, by the Count's honor."
Serenya arrived moments later, her pale robes exchanged for travel leathers trimmed with silver-threaded runes, a light cloak fastened around her shoulders. Her hair was tied back in a simple braid, and she carried only a white looking staff and a satchel across her side, a small wooden charm—shaped like a sunburst—dangling from the clasp.
- "You're early," she greeted with a soft smile as her mare trotted up beside him.
- "So are you. I was starting to wonder if you'd changed your mind." – Jin retorted.
She shook her head, her gaze turning toward the winding road ahead.
- "Not after everything. Thalira gave me her blessing—and some good advice." Her fingers brushed the sunburst charm. "She said if the Goddess gives you an opportunity, don't waste time questioning why it's there. Just walk the path with your head high."
- "Then let's walk—or rather, ride—that path together." – Jin replied with teasing tones.
With a soft nudge, the horses began to move, hooves echoing against cobbled stone before giving way to the dirt path leading South-west. As WillowShade faded behind them, the horizon stretched open in wide arcs of color: golden fields swaying in morning breeze, a sky shifting from pale blue to vibrant amber, and the occasional call of bird's overhead.
Their destination was Solaria—the capital of the Radiant Dominion Kingdom. It stood as the largest and most majestic city within the kingdom, nestled near its heart. In another words, it lay southwest of Willowshade. The journey from WillowShade to Solaria typically took close to three weeks by carriage. But for Jin and Serenya, traveling light and swift, it would take roughly two weeks. Fortunately, three towns dotted the path between here and the capital, offering places to rest and regroup along the way.
They followed a gentle rise in the terrain, winding past sparse trees and low hills speckled with spring wildflowers. It was peaceful in a way neither of them had experienced in recent weeks. Jin occasionally glanced at Serenya, who rode with quiet grace, her eyes scanning the landscape thoughtfully.
They passed a stream before midday, its crystal waters weaving around smooth rocks. The duo paused there for a brief rest, allowing their horses to drink. Jin refilled his flask while Serenya sat on a rock, letting her boots dangle just above the water.
- "It's strange," she said, breaking the silence. "We're going to warn the capital about a threat that most don't even aware it exists. It feels like we're stepping into a story before it's been written."
Jin crouched by the bank, spined a pebble then watching the ripples swirl outward.
- "Or maybe we're the ones writing it. One page at a time."
Serenya smiled faintly at that.
- "Let's make it a good story then."
By late afternoon, they passed a hill that revealed a small oasis nestled within a shallow valley. A few sparse trees provided shade, and a clear pond shimmered in the middle. It was a known rest stop for travelers, and Jin suggested they camp there for the evening before reaching the first town by mid-morning the next day.
They tied the horses to a tree and laid out their bedrolls on the soft grass. Jin set a small fire, using fire magic and dry twigs. Serenya handed him dried meat and some flatbread from her satchel.
As the fire crackled, Serenya watched the flames in silence, hands resting on her knees.
- "Do you think they'll believe us?" she asked quietly. "About the Chimera… the involvement of the Empire and Ostrya?"
- "I don't know," Jin admitted. "But that's why we need to bring proof—and each other."
She looked at him, surprised.
- "Each...each other?"
Jin looked up and met her eyes.
- "You have the Church's voice. I have… other ways of knowing things. They might doubt one of us. But two of us? Maybe they'll listen."
Serenya looked down, her expression unreadable.
- "Then I'll speak loudly when the time comes."
Night fell gently over the oasis, stars emerging one by one in a sky cleared of cloud. They lay on opposite sides of the fire, the silence between them no longer awkward, but companionable. Jin's hand rested on his pack while Serenya held her sunburst charm in both hands, whispering a prayer Jin didn't understand.
The road to Solaria had begun—and neither of them yet knew how deeply it would change them.
By the end of the third day, they reached the first town – Eldenbrook – a small town in between for travellers and merchants alike to rest up. It was quite a lively town with lots of stalls, children ran around playing heroes, smell of roasting meat in the air. All in all, the mood was bright and cheerful, untouched by the darkness looming outside the wall and beyond.
Jin and Serenya found a small Inn nearby the east gate where they just entered. Decided to rest for the night, grateful for warm beds and full meal.
The journey toward the second town resumed the following morning. As they continued to head west, the terrain became hillier, the woods became denser. They camped again under the stars on the fourth night.
Then onto the midday of the fifth, they encountered trouble. A group of ragged bandits ambushed them from a tree-lined path. Their leader, a grizzled man with a cruel smirk, raised a rusted sword.
- "Nice horses. Hand 'em over—and anything else worth silver."
Jin dismounted with an eerie calm.
- "Stay on your horse," he muttered to Serenya.
The first bandit lunged—and Jin moved like water. He weaved under a strike, striking pressure points with quick jabs, elbowing one in the ribs and throwing him to the ground. Another came from the side—Jin flicked a pebble from the dirt, hitting the man square between the eyes. The bandit dropped, stunned.
Within moments, four were unconscious.
The leader out of scared, turned to flee—Jin raised his hand.
- "Water Prison."
A sphere of swirling liquid rose from the nearby stream, engulfing the bandit leader and lifting him into the air, drowning him within the spell's grip. Bubbles rose as he thrashed around.
- "Jin!" Serenya called out. "He's had enough."
He released the spell. The water splashed down, and the bandit boss coughed violently as he collapsed.
After tying them up, they flagged down a passing merchant caravan and handed over the captives with a quick explanation. The merchants, familiar with such scuffles, agreed to bring them to the next town's authorities.
On the sixth day, just before dusk, the pair encountered a pack of Twilight Wolves—beasts known to dwell deeper within the nearby woods. They were gaunt, eyes sunken, and driven to desperation. The wolves attacked travelers on the roadside without hesitation.
Once again, Jin killed them as swift as he could, in less than a minute or two. But Jin frowned at their unnatural presence.
- "These guys shouldn't have wandered this far out of the woods," he muttered.
- "There must be something inside the woods that driven them starved." – Serenya agreed.
"Bandits are attacking people in broad day light, and Wolves hunting out of their own territory…this is not a good thing and I'm starting to have a bad feeling." – Jin murmured.
By the eighth day, they arrived at the second town: Graystone Hollow. It was smaller and quieter here, the people also seemed more reserved. At the inn that evening, Jin overheard patrons speaking in hushed tones—rumors of strange creatures lurking near the woods and several villagers who had gone missing over the past week.
Later, as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling, a familiar prickling sensation crept across his skin—his Survivor's Instinct.
Someone or something was watching him and Serenya…not close…but from afar.
They departed the second town at dawn. The air was unusually crisp, heavy with the scent of pine and something… faintly metallic. Jin adjusted the straps on his scabbard while Serenya gently nudged her brownie mount forward, her staff now resting in easy reach across her saddle.
Their pace was faster now. The peaceful lull of the previous days was gone, replaced by sharpened awareness and quiet tension.
By late morning, the stillness of the woods shattered.
Crashing through the underbrush came a towering beast—twice the size of a horse, with bulging muscles and warped features. A grotesque fusion of ogre and troll: the Chimera. Glowing red eyes, jagged tusks, and thick patches of rotting flesh. The air around it twisted with the presence of dark magic.
- "Level fifty," Jin muttered under his breath, Appraisal window flickering before him.
He stepped forward.
- "Glacier Lance."
A swirling lance of ice surged from his palm, impaling the Chimera's chest. Frost blossomed over the beast's body, locking its regenerative core in a glacial prison. Jin closed the distance, slashing at its exposed vitals with brutal precision.
The Chimera roared, but its strength waned fast under the relentless assault.
Serenya, chanting softly, raised her hand. "Ultra Heal."
A wave of warmth surged through Jin, reinvigorating him. Then her hand turned toward the Chimera. "Purification."
A radiant shimmer exploded across the creature's body. Its thrashing grew sluggish—until, finally, it collapsed, unmoving.
Jin wiped his blade clean.
- "That was no ordinary hybrid," Serenya said quietly, brow furrowed. "Something's… wrong."
- "Let's preserve the head. We'll send word back to Willowshade." - Jin nodded.
Serenya used a small sealing talisman to protect the remains from decay. A message orb followed, floating swiftly toward the kingdom with their warning.
But that was only the beginning.
Over the next two days, more Chimeras attacked. Never all at once—but steadily, persistently. Alone or in pairs, they struck from the forest shadows with savage hunger. Jin fought with brutal efficiency, switching between spells and steel, while Serenya stayed close, shielding, healing, and disrupting enemy magic.
Through repeated Appraisal, Jin noticed something odd—none of the groups contained Chimeras from both the Varetheim Empire and Ostrya. The mutations were clearly different. One bore the spiked hides and malformed wings of Empire bio-craft. The other had twisted, winged hybrids more akin to wyverns and manticores. Under the chin, there're hidden crest that would show each of the Chimera's affiliation.
- "Either side… but never together," Jin whispered after slaying a horned monstrosity. "Too organized for wild monsters… but too scattered for a single command."
They preserved two more heads for evidence—one Empire origin, one Ostrya.
By the eleventh day, they reached the third town.
Peaceful.
Not a soul mentioned any attacks. Children played in the streets. Merchants bartered. Guards lounged, half-bored. It was as though the past week had never happened.
The feeling of being watched was also gone. As if whatever hunted them had lost interest… or was waiting.
That night, Jin sat by the fire, sharpening his blade, his senses still putting up and ready for anything which might happens the moment they let their guard down.
- "Maybe it was just coincidence," Serenya offered softly.
Jin didn't answer.
They set out again the next morning. No monsters came. No shadows stirred. The forest seemed… still. Too still. It was the kind of peace that made warriors uneasy.
Then they saw it—
Solaria.
A city sculpted in light and grandeur, its towers rising like crystal fangs into the clouds. Even from afar, it dazzled. And yet… beneath the radiance, something loomed.
A presence. A pressure.
Jin narrowed his eyes.
- "So, this is Solaria…"
Serenya rode silently beside him, eyes wide with quiet awe.
The road stretched ahead.