For a brief moment, Stefin remained lying on the ground. “Who said anything about sneaking up on you?” he groaned as he slowly tried to sit up. “I literally called out to you.” He rubbed the back of his head and looked up at her. “You know,” he added, slightly annoyed, “most people would say thank you politely after someone saves their life… not walking out on instead.” Anna crossed her arms, her expression returning to its usual calm. “I already said thank you,” she replied flatly. “Yeah,” Stefin muttered, finally getting to his feet. “You said it like you were apologizing to the air.” Anna ignored that comment and looked back at the ground, her eyes scanning the area again. Stefin noticed. “…So,” he said, dusting off his clothes, “what exactly are you looking for?” Anna didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she kept staring at the pavement as if something important had vanished. Then, a few seconds later, she spoke. “You know I could ask you the same thing… right?” “Oh, me?” he

The massive blighted advanced, each step shaking the ground beneath him. Their red markings glowed faintly, pulsing with the dark energy that seemed to warp the air around them. He tightened his grip on his sword, the blue crystals along the blade flaring brighter. “Alright,” he muttered, crouching into a ready stance. “I can you guys out.” With a sudden burst of speed, Stefin dashed forward, weaving between their attacks, his sword slashing through the air with precision. The real battle had just started, and since they entered the blighted realm, there had been no sign of Anna. The moment Stefin closed the distance between himself and the swarm of blighted, he made his first attack on the one closest to him. Although he cut into the blighted’s ribcage, it didn’t do much damage. “What the hell?” he muttered. Before he could process what had just happened, one of the blighted appeared behind him and launched a surprise attack, slamming its fist toward Stefin’s back. He reacted qui

Then Anna turned toward the figures’ direction almost immediately. But the moment she did, it was already too late, they were already gone.Stefin noticed the change in her expression and immediately followed her gaze toward the mountain cliffs, but he saw nothing. “Did you see something?” he asked calmly, glancing quickly at Anna. She didn’t reply. Instead, she walked past him. A few seconds later, she finally spoke while walking. “We’ve taken care of the blighted, so the deal’s off.”Stefin blinked, watching her walk away. “Wait… that’s it?” he called after her.Anna didn’t slow down. “Yes,” she said flatly. "That's it." Stefin sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before following behind her. “You know,” he muttered, “most people at least say ‘good job’ after surviving something like that.”Anna kept walking, her bow resting at her side. “I didn’t ask for your help,” she replied.Stefin chuckled quietly. “Yeah… you keep saying that.”“Yeah, I’ll keep saying it until it sinks

“That’s payback,” Sonia spat before Anna’s feet and walked away. The sound of the slap echoed through the hallway, leaving the crowd stunned into silence.Anna’s head tilted slightly from the impact, a faint red mark forming on her cheek. For a moment, she didn’t move.Whispers broke out almost immediately.“Did you see that?”“Sonia actually hit her back…”“Is Anna going to fight back?”Stefin’s expression darkened, his fists clenching at his sides. Thinking Anna was going to retaliate, he stepped forward to calm her down, and maybe use the opportunity to return her necklace.“Hey, you need to calm down,” Stefin said quietly as he got close to her. “Just let this one go… she’s just a spoiled rich kid who doesn’t know when she’s crossed the line.”Anna slowly lifted her head, her eyes cold and unreadable as she watched Sonia walk away. Although she didn’t say anything, she kept staring at Sonia until she was no longer in sight.Just as Anna took her first step, Stefin moved in front o

Somewhere in a country called Dravori. A base filled with warden sat on the northside of the country and inside the base. The front of the building is a modern, glass-fronted building that stood prominently in a clean, well-planned urban area. Its sleek design features large windows, angular architecture, and banners hanging across the façade, giving it the appearance of a school or public institution. Surrounding it are neatly arranged trees, wide steps leading to the entrance, and tall city buildings rising in the background under a bright, clear sky.While the inside is like that of a high-tech command base with a futuristic, almost sci-fi design. The room is circular, dominated by a glowing central platform displaying a holographic globe or energy core, surrounded by a ring of neon-lit circuitry embedded into the floor.Multiple advanced control stations line the perimeter, each equipped with holographic screens, data panels, and glowing interfaces in shades of blue and green. Lar