[Glacial Epoch]

Fooosh~!

"I can't... Move...!?" the bandits exclaimed, struggling but failing to move due to their lower halves being frozen. Unfortunately, the archer above the trees remained unaffected.

In response, they shot their arrows towards us.

"Alicia!"

I quickly pulled her close, hopping backward. We narrowly dodged the attacks, flying backward until my back hit a tree trunk.

-Thud!

"...Athan!!?"

Seeing the contorted expression on my face, Alicia turned her attention towards the direction of the archers.

"How dare you!"

With fury in her eyes, she raised both of her hands, creating a crystal-like ice ball with spikes above her palms.

[Icicle Shot]

She launched the crystal ball towards the archers' direction.

Shuuuop-!

The spiked ice shards shot out at high speed, hitting the archers, including the ones frozen on the ground, from all directions.

"Guah...!"

The archers who were struck fell to the ground. Upon contact with the earth, their bodies immediately froze, just like the others.

That was unexpectedly quick...

*****

The bald bandit leader scanned the frozen scene around him, realizing that his men couldn't escape the icy prison.

"...You guys seriously lost to a child?" He muttered, shaking his head in disappointment.

His attention returned to the two kids, specifically the boy who had been emitting a dark aura that affected the surroundings.

"...Awakening?" He mused, turning his gaze towards the back of Athan's hand. "His crest is still in the process of forming... How could he use that kind of power?"

The bandit leader was bewildered. It was unprecedented for someone to use an elemental crest ability without having a fully formed crest.

In contrast, he noticed that the other girl had been forced to awaken her ability, as a faint yet fully formed crest was visible on the back of her hands.

"He's not even using mana... Interesting."

Suddenly, the ice ball from earlier exploded, releasing a thick smoke that obscured vision and prevented anyone from pursuing them.

Before their figures disappeared from view, the bandit leader observed the boy catching the petite girl after she fell unconscious due to exhaustion.

"...It's not like I won't ever see them again," he mumbled. With that, he turned around and walked away, leaving his frozen men behind.

...

..

.

Somewhere deep within the forest, the bandit leader gracefully moved through the trees with the agility of a seasoned hunter.

Ring, ring! Ring, ring!

Pausing in mid-air on a thick tree branch, he reached into his pocket and retrieved a watch. With a click of the side button, a holographic blue screen materialized before him.

[Sir, where are you right now? The king wishes to see you immediately.]

The holographic screen displayed an image of a man.

"Bah, tell them I'll return in a few days."

[But, sir—]

Interrupting the voice on the screen, the bandit leader spoke firmly.

"No 'buts.' I'll come back when I see fit. The king has no control over me. Also, let them know I'll provide my report in a few days."

The man on the screen sighed in resignation and responded.

[Yes, sir...]

The blue holographic screen vanished as he stowed the watch back into his pocket.

Letting out a long sigh, the bandit leader muttered to himself.

"It seems our stint as bandits has come to an end. It's time to resume what I came here for originally. Besides, I've found some interesting children I can keep an eye on in the near future."

Although he had the capability to track down Athan and Alicia in the forest, he chose not to, driven by his mission.

Raising his gaze to the radiant moon overhead, he continued to ponder.

"...Still, how did he know about Arthur?"

***

(Athan POV)

"Haa..."

In the morning, I stretched and slowly opened my eyes to find Alicia sleeping on my lap, clutching my clothes tightly.

"Hmm...?"

It had been a few hours since our harrowing escape from the bandits, and we'd managed to avoid any pursuers, thankfully.

...At the very least, that guy didn't decide to follow us.

"...?"

I noticed Alicia opening her eyes. Immediately, my expression changed and I smiled gently before greeting her, "Good morning."

"...Fua!!?"

Her reaction was a mix of embarrassment and surprise, and she let out a peculiar sound, clearly flustered.

She's three yet she's already conscious about such as these... I guess being half demon and half vampire had it's upsides when it comes to displaying an unusual level of awareness and intellect.

...Wait, shouldn't I consider that as a downside?

Hoping to shift the conversation away from her reaction, I asked, "...How does your body feel?"

Although still embarrassed from the situation, Alicia answered while averting her eyes to the side to avoid mine.

"...I feel—"

Rumble~

Before Alicia could respond, the ground beneath us began to shake abruptly. She instinctively clutched on my clothes ones again.

"An earthquake?" She mumbles, slowly getting up by grabbing my right shoulder as support, preparing for something.

... Something feels weird. I don't know why, but for some reason, I can sense that something is definitely wrong in this place.

Out of the sudden, we both heard a bell sound from the deeper part of this forest.

Immediately, I offered my hand to help Alicia up. She accepted, and I said, "Let's go in that direction."

She nods her head weakly in reply. Soon, we began to walk through the forest, the rustling of the trees accompanying our journey.

Rustle-!

As we ventured deeper into the forest, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. I turned my head to look at Alicia and noticed that she remained focused on the front.

...Maybe I should ask her later.

....

After a few minutes of walking, we finally arrived at the source of the sound.

Turning my head to check the surroundings, I gestured for Alicia to stay alert.

In front of us stood an old cabin that appeared to have been abandoned recently. The door was broken, making it easy to enter.

'What could have happened here? Did a monster attack the cabin's owner?'

I couldn't comprehend how a monster had found this place because, from the outside, I had noticed a barrier that should have concealed this location. But considering the reports of an overgrowth in monster populations and abnormal evolutions from my mother and Miss Valentine, maybe evolved monsters could breach such barriers.

I cautiously walked through the broken door to investigate, and what I discovered inside only deepened my confusion.

"Uwaa! Uwaa!"

It was a baby?

"How did a baby end up here?"

As I inspected the cabin's surroundings, it became clear. Large claw marks and bloodstains outside the cabin suggested the baby's father had tried to protect his family from some unknown monster. Eventually, the mother likely lured the creature away into the forest.

We're lucky we didn't encounter that monster in the forest, but we should leave before it returns for its third meal...

"What happened here?" She asked curiously.

"I don't have much time to explain; just pick up the baby before we become a meal for some unknown monster."

"But w-"

Cutting her off, I raised my voice, "Just do it!"

Alicia immediately retrieved the baby, and we hurriedly fled from the cabin.

After running for a while, I took a brief break to explain the situation to Alicia. Her expression darkened as she realized the danger we had narrowly escaped.

"This should be far enough now, right? But there's still a problem—our scent. Since we entered the cabin, the monster might have picked up our scent."

Before I could fully turn to face Alicia, I noticed movement not far away from us.

"Oh no..."

Without waiting for Alicia's reaction, I picked her up in a princess carry, and she held onto the baby.

'How did the monster catch up to us so quickly after an hour of running?'

I clenched my teeth in frustration, trying to think of a solution. However, I couldn't come up with anything.

Suddenly, my body started to weaken as if I was reverting to my usual weak state.

'Why now?'

I cursed internally.

Turning to look behind us, I realized that the noise around us had ceased.

I was about to say something to Alicia when I saw her gaze fixed on what was in front of us, and I understood how the creature had caught up to us.

"Why is this "thing" following us?"

I couldn't comprehend its motives, but I knew this humanoid creature had its reasons. Whether it was trying to attack us or just following, this creature was known as...

"Onyx..."