The Author's POV

"Haa...haaa..."

By the time I reached the top of the cliff, I was already starting to feel exhausted. It wasn't because the climb was hard. No, rather, that was the easiest part. The main problem was the constant attacks coming from the monsters in the sky.

"Kow!"

Jumping back and twisting my body in the air, my foot landed on a small ring, and I placed my hand on the sheath of the sword.

Click—!

What followed the low clicking sound was black blood that spilled toward the ground like heavy rain. Whilst this was happening, I twisted my body in the air.

"Huup!"

Placing my right leg on another ring, I propelled my body to the top of the cliff, and I rolled a couple of times.

"Haaa..."

With my back facing the ground, I took a few moments to collect my breath.

"I'm tired."

Getting up, I walked back and extended my hand toward Angelica who was still climbing up.

"Here."

My gesture seemed to have caught Angelica off-guard as she paused for a moment. After a while, she took my hand and helped herself up.

"...Thank you."

"No problem."

Letting go of Angelica's hand and massaging the back of my neck, I finally got a better view of my surroundings.

It was then that I finally spotted it.

"Looks like we're in the right place."

A large black castle at the very edge of the cliff. Above it was a large beacon that attracted the mana in the air, creating a large vortex; closely resembling a tornado.

'Seems like some part of the future is still intact.'

For the castle to be here, meant that not all of the future had changed. I was secretly relieved by this as it meant that I could still make some changes to it.

That aside.

Placing my hand over my forehead, I got a better look at the castle in the distance.

"It looks the same..."

The castle was almost identical to the castle where I first met Everblood, and it didn't bring me any good memories. Sometimes I wished I had never gone into that dungeon, but I knew that it wasn't something I could've controlled.

Leaning a bit, I looked beneath the cliff.

"Are they still following us?"

"No."

Angelica replied, also looking beneath the cliff.

"Strange…"

My brows creased.

"Was I perhaps wrong?"

Were the people really just some random people who had nothing to do with the matter? It was possible.

But I didn't think things were that simple.

"Angelica stay on high alert, there's a high chance we're going to get ambushed."

Regardless, I wasn't planning on letting my guard down.

"…yes."

"Alright, let's get going."

I turned to face the castle in the distance. Surrounding it, and behind it was a large expanse of dead trees, giving off a desolate and cold feeling. Compared to the bottom of the cliff, the trees were a lot denser, and taller, evoking a creepy and ghostly feeling.

If I had to make an estimate of how far the castle was, I would say it was about five kilometers in the distance.

It wasn't that far. In fact, it was quite close.

Even then.

There's most likely going to be a

after looking at the forest, it was that it was the perfect place

had most likely

the mana

"Let's go."

***

wolves sped into a vast canopy of white, leaving behind a sunken

do we need to

up to Ava. With the speed the wolf was going, added with the fiercely blowing wind, his hair shot back, making him look

into the distance, Ava squinted her

"We're close."

after her words faded, she tapped her right

"Stop."

came to a halt and

the distance, her face had a

a stop, Hein got

"Is this the place?"

"Yes."

Ava replied.

shield which

"Burp, we stopping?"

loud burp,

"Wow."

stumbled a couple of steps. Stabilizing his

is a lot stronger than

was no longer needed. Any more and he might actually

Ava adjusted the beanie

like we can only walk

Ava realized that going up with

raised her flute and blew on

Tootle too~

rang in the air, and the

her hand which was tightly clenching onto the flute, Ava proceeded to head up

you two, we're probably going to encounter a lot

"Finally."

murmured, unveiling his shield

"Burp…"

a gun-like

me sober

***

"Stop."

I stopped Angelica

down a little, I

something wrong with

place. If I had a choice, I wouldn't have entered the forest, but since it was the only way that led to the castle, I had no choice

sensing that something was wrong with the place, I

keeping my guard up the whole time,

That was until now.

the area in front of me, I extended my hand forward and raised my finger in a particular

"What are you doing?"

Confused by

answered in

"…just checking something."

a particular point. Making sure that I wasn't

Pluck—

air, It was then that I was finally able to catch a glimpse of an invisible string in the air. Not only one string but in fact a series of them, but, I was unfortunately

"As I expected…"

fingers together, I felt a wet sensation. It

But.

didn't have time to care about

my hand on the sheath of my sword, I

get ready, it looks

taking out three cards from my bracelet, I threw them in different directions.

two seconds for the cards to ignite, and once they did, I was finally

previous string from before, the area around

I didn't notice this at

a hard sensation on the tip of my fingers, I turned my fingers a bit to get a

"It's these fuckers…"

the size of a nail appeared in-between my fingers. In

wonder they managed

hard for me to notice them. Our attention was focused

Rustle—! Rustle—!

sound arose from the distance, and three

"There is someone here."