For a few moments, Alnea forgot about everything else, and just stared at the stretch of black fog in a daze. It did not matter that he could not see anything that was happening within its boundaries. Rather, it was precisely because he could not see Yuri anymore, that he felt a surge of unease within his chest. That was until he felt the warm sensation in his finger of fate, breaking him away from his daze.

  “…Do you believe me?

  “…Of course, I believe you,” Alnea mumbled to himself, glancing at Evi, sitting silently on his finger. He did not reach out to Yuri. She had already stepped into the black fog. Reaching out to her carelessly might distract her, leading her to make mistakes and get injured. No, he could not let his insecurities and uneasiness come in her way. Besides, he still had his own enemy to take care of.

  Suppressing all the uneasiness within his Heart, Alnea turned towards the Captain of the Greenshields, fighting against three elemental sharks all by himself. Two, Alnea noted, as the man took down another shark with his sword. The Greenshield Captain was quite good with his sword and shield. Much better than the rest of his teammates. Just in terms of fighting skills alone, he could rank in the top thousand Wanderers of the Arean. But that was it.

  Taking a deep breath, Alnea let go of his restraints, allowing the Aspects he had been suppressing to burst forth with all their might. Red, white, blue, silver, golden… Lights of all sorts of colours surged out of his body, forming a flickering flame of sorts, reaching twice his height at their zenith, before quickly withdrawing back to his body, restraining themselves to its surface, wrapping him in a layer of kaleidoscopic lights. Such unrestrained use of Aspects…

  Wanderers had to be very careful when using their Aspects, sometimes even deliberately suppressing the number of Aspects they could use at once, ensuring that they were always in control. After all, Aspects were very unrestrained in their nature. Just a little mistake on the part of Wanderers could lead to them losing control of their Aspects, which in turn would lead to instability within their Spirit World, feeding back to the instability of their Hearts. That was how the Whitebud patriarch had been Enthralled.

  Yet, even when his Aspects were running rampant in their body, Alnea did not care. Rather, he was urging them to be even more unrestrained. To burn forth with an even greater might, and do their best to Protect. To Guard. That was his Heart. And that was the Heart of his Aspects. Of his Concept…

  The ground itself shook as Alnea rushed towards the Greenshield Captain, leaving behind a deep pit with every step that he took, sending piles of broken mud and dirt splashing everywhere in his wake. Unfortunately, he did not have the leisure or time to admire his show of strength, for even before those broken piles of mud and dirt could hit the ground, he was already in front of the Greenshield Captain.

  Crouching down a little, Alnea grabbed the hilt of his sword, and unsheathed it in one swift motion, sending a ‘Golden Slash’ at the green robed man. The man, in turn, smashed his shield onto the incoming elemental shark, the last of its kind, using the momentum from the rebound to open the distance from the black robed man, even as he diverted the shark to block the slash of golden light coming for him.

  On the other end, time seemed to slow down for Alnea, as he saw his sword cut through the shark, and turn it into a shower of water. At the same time, he imagined Vestia, hiding within the river, turning even more pale than before, suffering from yet another backlash of having her creations destroyed. This time, from the very man she trusted. From the man she had given her Heart.

  The kaleidoscopic layer of light Alnea receded back into his body, leaving only the golden and reddish hues, as an indescribable rage surged within his chest. Taking a step forward through the remains of Vestia’s creation, he rotated his grip on his sword, and brought the ‘Crimson Edge’ down on the Greenshield Captain, only to change it to a Descending Meteor when the green robed man duck down to avoid the menacing blade coming for his head.

  Unfortunately for the Greenshield Captain, there was only so many times he could dodge, or manoeuvre around the attacks coming for him. He could try rolling away, but from what he had observer of his opponent, he knew that was not an option. In the end, left with no choice, he could only bring up his shield, covered in green and yellow lights of his Aspects, to block the attack.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Another mistake. The edge coming down on the Greenshield Captain was not just a normal swing. It was a Meteor Descending from the sky, with the intent of Slaughter flowing within its core enhancing its destructive prowess. Even Mystic Wanderers would have some difficulties facing such a meteor. Fortunately for the green robed man, Alnea could not summon a true meteor. Yet. Still, his sword was powerful enough to almost destroy the shield in just one move.

  The Greenshield Captain’s face twisted in surprise and pain, as he felt the numbness spreading across his left arm. At the same time, he tensed up a little, getting ready to use his last resort. He had underestimated his enemy once. He was not going to repeat the same mistake. Though before he could use his last resort, he noticed that just like him, his enemy too had stiffened up a little.

  Overload? Probably. It was understandable for such a heavy move to have some side effects. Though such side effects often tended to be small, it did not matter. Even if it was for only a fraction of moment, that was enough. Blasting his Aspects through his feet into the ground, the green robed man pushed himself away from his enemy, opening the distance between them. At the same time, he also observed his enemy in detail. A young man in a black robe with golden borders. Although the hair did not match…

  “…Star Seeker Alnea?”

  Instead of answering the man with his words, Alnea chose to do it with his sword, greeting him with a Rising Earth. The man, in turn, learning from their previous clash, just angled his shield to deflect the incoming sword away from himself, before slashing his sword, covered in the greenish white light of his Aspects, towards the black robed boy.

  “You are Star Seeker Alnea, right?”

  Alnea ignored the man once again, but he could not do the same for the sword coming towards his chest. Not after what he had experienced in the Blood Hall. Unlike the Greenshield Captain though, he did not have a shield. So, he leaned back to avoid the edge of the sword, while putting even more strength into his swing, borrowing its momentum to flip back and avoid the man’s follow up attack.

  “You cannot hide it anymore, Star Seeker,” the Greenshield Captain said, as he followed up on his attack. “I have already recognised you.”

  “…What gave you the impression that I was trying to hide my identity?” Alnea said, answering the Greenshield Captain for the first time, just as he swung his sword at the green robed man’s sword.

  “…There might be misunderstanding between us,” the Greenshield Captain said, deflecting the incoming sword with his shield, before slashing his sword towards the black robed boy’s chest. “Our Trial is different from yours. There is no need for us to fight each other.”

  “…Do you take me for a three year old child?” Alnea said, parrying the man’s sword with his own, following it up with the ‘Crying Wind’. “We were destined to be enemies the moment you chose to challenge us to the Final Trial.”

  “…Do you think we wished to challenge you?” said the Greenshield Captain, gnashing his teeth, as he bore the brunt of the ‘Raging Waves from the West’. “We could not even recognise you when you first attacked us. Who in their right might would challenge someone they do not even know to the Final Trial?”

  “You tell me,” Alnea said, slashing down the ‘Green Thorns’ coming for his chest. “You were the ones who challenged us.”

  “We were forced to challenge you!”

  “What does that have to do with us?” Alnea said, blocking the Greenshield Captain’s sword with his own, before pushing back towards the green robed man. “All I know is that you are my enemy. Only when I defeat you will I be able to clear the Final Trial.”

  “And I am saying that we do not have to fight!” said the Greenshield Captain, smashing his shield at the contact point between their swords to disengage from the black robed boy, before quickly retreating by a few steps. “Although we will earn some merit by stopping you from completing your Trial, the Trial has not mandated us to stop you at all costs. The same must be true for your Trial. We have no direct conflict of interests. As long as you can take your team and leave—

  “Like I said, do you take me for a three year old child?” Alnea said, sneering at the Greenshield Captain, as he rushed towards the man, brandishing his sword once again. “If you really want to prove that you do not wish to fight, then you must surrender.”

  “…Do not go too far, Star Seeker!”

  “It is alright. I also prefer deciding our fate in a battle. This way, I will not feel guilty for killing you and your teammates!”

  “You are a madman!”

  “You should have known that before challenging us to the Final Trial.”

  “…We can surrender, but you must take an oath to the Origin Sea to ensure our lives.”

  “Do you think that you are in any position to negotiate?”

  “Then fight!” said the Greenshield Captain, finally letting go of all his restraints, allowing his Aspects to flood his body, just like the enemy he was facing. “I also want to see what is so special about the man recognised as the most talented Wanderer in the Lost City.”