Somewhere deep in the western forests of the Valdoria Kingdom—far from the bustling academy city in the east—a camp of knights lay quietly under the canopy of towering pines.

A familiar flag fluttered in the gentle breeze: the symbol of Valdoria's Division Nine – Codename: Cipher

Kingdom's Investigation Unit.

Inside the largest tent of the camp, the faint lantern glow revealed a familiar figure.

Valeriana Azurecrest.

Snow-white hair, cascading in soft waves.

Ocean-green eyes, steady and thoughtful.

She was sprawled on a temporary cot, stripped of her armor for rest, wearing only her black undershirt—a stark contrast against her smooth, fair skin and defined form. But her mind wasn't resting. Her gaze remained fixed on the tent ceiling as thoughts churned quietly.

How's my sister doing in the academy?

I still want to uncover about

That battlefield that appeared out of nowhere—we still found nothing about it.

So suspicious…

Speaking of suspicious , another face flashed in her mind.

Black hair.

Light purple eyes.

Zayne Creed.

I know he's connected to something… but I can't just prove it.

But then—

BOOM—

A sudden tremor tore through the ground.

Valeriana jolted upright, her instincts snapping awake. Shockwaves rolled through the camp as she grabbed her sword and burst out of the tent.

Knights were already gathering, eyes fixed toward the horizon where a colossal explosion lit up the distant forest sky.

And then—

A giant flaming fist of radiant red-orange fire erupted upward, soaring through the clouds before vanishing into nothing.

Valeriana's expression hardened.

"Knights, move out—quickly!"

Her voice carried the authority of command and the urgency of danger.

"Yes, Captain!!" they responded in unison.

She turned on her heel, racing back to don her armor. Whatever had just happened…as a knight she has a duty to investigate it .

Meanwhile,

In the underground space—now split open to the sky above—the ruins of the base lay drenched in sunlight. The twin suns blazed overhead, their rays pouring through the colossal tear that Zayne had created moments earlier. Debris and dust floated in the still-warm air, and the once-hidden fortress now lay shattered and exposed.

Near the half-collapsed main building, a crowd of around 250 survivors gathered together—huddled, stunned, yet alive. Saved.

In front of them stood the three adventurers: Daxon, Lyria, and Cassynne—silent, catching their breath, watching the same scene as the others.

Up above—floating fearlessly like a myth come to life—Zayne hovered in the air, arms relaxed at his sides, still surrounded by fading remnants of that flaming aura. The very sky seemed brighter around him.

Every one of the victims stared up at him with wide eyes.

Shocked. Grateful. Amazed.

The man who just obliterated their tormentor… effortlessly.

Daxon exhaled, breaking the silence.

"That leader… Darron… he wasn't just A-Rank. In that… monster form? That felt like an S-Rank at least."

Cassynne nodded slowly, still processing everything.

"He's... unbelievably strong."

But Lyria—the fire mage—was too stunned to speak at first. Her fingers were still shaking from witnessing the scale of fire Zayne just unleashed.

My flames... compared to that?

It's like I've been holding a candle this whole time... and he... he's a sun.

Zayne, meanwhile, looked down at them all from the sky—quiet, calm, almost as if he hadn't just performed a feat capable of wiping out cities.

A hush hovered over the survivors as they gazed up at their savior.

To them, he wasn't just a warrior.

He was the light that broke into their darkness.

Upward in the air, Zayne floated casually, hands in his pockets.

"I think I showed off quite a bit," he muttered to himself. "Well… in the end, it was fun."

With an easy motion, he began descending, the air swirling softly around him. His gaze drifted from the broken structures to the crowd below—rescued victims clinging to hope, and a trio of very stunned adventurers staring up at him.

As he landed gently, he lifted a hand in greeting.

"Yo, guys. Hmm… looks like you saved quite a lot."

The three snapped out of their daze. Cassynne spoke up, head lowered slightly.

"But... we couldn't save more…"

"Of course you couldn't," Zayne replied, matter-of-factly. "They were already dead. Be happy that you saved these."

The survivors—men, women, even children—looked at Zayne and the trio like they were heroes who had stormed through the darkest gates just to pull them out.

Zayne exhaled. "Anyway, we should investigate this organization. Leader's room should have something—"

He suddenly paused, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Someone familiar…" he murmured.

A commanding voice echoed above.

"I suppose you'll leave the investigation to us."

All heads turned upward. With no ceiling left, the sky was split by a descending platform—circular, gleaming—and on it stood a striking woman clad in heavy silver armor. Etched runes on her armor pulsed faintly in the sunlight.

Her snow-white hair flowed neatly behind her, her ocean bluish-green eyes sharp as they swept over the scene. Behind her stood two equally imposing knights.

As the platform lowered and touched the rubble, she stepped forward.

"Put your weapons down and surrender," Valeriana commanded, voice unwavering. "Don't resist. We'll be taking over the situation from here."

Her sharp gaze locked onto Zayne.

"He's here too…" she muttered under her breath.

The knights of Division Nine, including Valeriana, were left wide-eyed at the sight before them. Even for an elite investigation unit, the sheer scale of the underground ruin was staggering.

"This… was all hidden beneath the earth?" one knight whispered, unable to mask his shock.

Valeriana took a controlled breath, eyes narrowing as she surveyed the wreckage. "Now… tell me what's happening?"

The trio of adventurers jolted at her tone. Lyria blinked twice before blurting out,

"Aren't you… Valeriana Azurecrest? The Iceblade Captain of Valdoria's Knight Division?"

Cassynne added, confused, "But… what are you doing in Solvanyr Kingdom?"

Valeriana paused. "Who are you people? And Solvanyr Kingdom?"

She lifted a finger and pointed toward the land outside as they are in underground base . "This place is near the west coast of Valdoria Kingdom."

The trio's eyes went wide in shock. Teleported… that far?

Daxon stepped forward, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Then please allow us to introduce ourselves. We're adventurers from Solvanyr Kingdom. I'm Daxon."

He pointed at the stunned black-haired woman beside him.

"This is Cassynne."

"And this," he continued, looking at a surprised Lyria, "is Lyria. We're a B-rank party."

At that, Valeriana's gaze sharpened. "Adventurers… from Solvanyr, huh?"

Her eyes drifted to Zayne—with his lazy grin and casual wave. "Is he with you?"

Zayne chuckled awkwardly. "It's… complicated."

"Explain," Valeriana said, her tone firm.

So Daxon did. He narrated everything. From the lure of a free quest to find ruins appearing in the Solvanyr desert… to how they discovered Zayne was already inside. The golem they defeated. The bizarre teleportation that dropped them into a hidden underground base. A dark cult's experiments on innocent people. Zayne's fierce request to save the captives. And how he casually defeated the monstrous leader who'd been conducting the experiments.

With every sentence, Valeriana's eyes widened further. The amount of information was staggering… but one detail made her heart pound the loudest:

Zayne… defeated the leader?

"You're saying he was powerful enough to destroy the ceiling of this place by himself?"

Daxon nodded. "Yes. That explosion… the flame pillar… all of it was him."

Valeriana stared at Zayne like he was a creature from another world.

She turned toward the shaking survivors—men clutching bruised limbs, women huddling their children close, trauma clear in their eyes. Carefully, she crouched down.

"Can you tell me who took you?" she asked.

A gaunt man, voice raspy, replied, "They… they took us from slums. Some are lured for money in exchange of a small experiment while some are straight up kidnapped. We thought we were dead…"

Disgust tightened Valeriana's jaw. "To think someone was doing this… in our lands."

But every answer pointed back to one truth—the man responsible was already dead. And the man standing calmly beside them…

"Zayne," she muttered. "You saved them all."

From behind her, the survivors' voices echoed softly:

"He's our savior…"

Valeriana steeled herself, rising, and addressed her knights.

"Bring the healers. Now. These people need treatment."

The knights saluted. "Yes, Captain!"

Valeriana approached Zayne, her footsteps sharp against the fractured stone. He greeted her with a casual wave and a grin.

"Hey, Captain Val… long time no see."

Valeriana exhaled softly through her nose, her expression tightening. "We saw each other some time ago in Eldrin. And I've already told you not to call me Val."

She crossed her arms, eyes narrowing just a bit. "Anyway, you always seem to end up in the middle of these kinds of incidents, don't you…"

Zayne let out a forced laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well… you know how it goes."

Valeriana wasn't smiling.

She glanced upward—toward the gaping sky where a ceiling once was—and continued, "I knew you were strong, but…" she gestured at the ruined underground expanse, "…not this strong."

Zayne's grin widened. "You have no idea."

"Alright," she replied flatly. "Stop that annoying smile."

"My smile doesn't annoy anyone," Zayne retorted with mock offense.

Valeriana smirked. "You have no idea…"

Zayne shrugged. "Anyway. We should start digging into this organization. That's what I was about to do—starting with the leader's room."

"Agreed," Valeriana nodded, her serious gaze softening ever so slightly.

She fell into step beside him.

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