It was during late July of my life as Kahil when I met her. My team of knights and I were out in the southern regions to investigate strange mana traces.

“Boris, are you sure we’re in the right place?” I asked the knight trudging along next to me.

Boris, my right-hand man, glanced around, “Yes, commander. The commission described this spot precisely,”

I rubbed my temples, scanning the forest once again. Tall oak trees dotted the landscape while morning sunshine leaked through the leafy green canopy.

“Still, we’ve been out here for five days and still haven’t seen a single trace of that strange green mana we were debriefed on,” I said, “At this rate, we’ll have completely patrolled the whole forest before we find a green mana particle.”

Boris picked up on the faint hint of impatience in my voice and replied, “Commander, we still have to complete this commission or else there would be an opening for Her Highness to strike at your faction publicly.”

I nodded, “It would be worse if Duke Marckello heard we failed a commission. The power that the ‘Kahil Adventuring Team’ brought was put to an end. Everyone here would be at risk also.”

I was just finishing my sentence when bushes rustled and figures appeared in front of me.

“Stop right there!” The leading figure shouted, pointing a polished iron sword at my face, “Give us all your stuff or else-”

I sighed and raised a palm, blasting a large beam of blue mana at the bandits. In an instant, the whole radius was obliterated and reduced to dirt and dust.

“Under the authority of the current crown prince of Koqnia, you all have been executed on the spot for attempted theft, arms abuse, and attempted assault.” I declared even though they were already dead.

It was a tradition to announce a dead criminals’ crimes after they were executed.

“Let’s go,” I turned to my team of knights, “We have much more ground to cover until noon.”

Before midday, my squadron and I reached a rocky gorge. It spanned a drop in the ground and a river of running water.

“Commander, shall we explore the gorge?” One of my dispatch members spoke up, “I have scanned the area and there seems to be a few places worth investigating near by.”

That knight was Sera Milon, a mana detection expert as well as a skilled scout.

“Alright. Take the lead, Sera.” I replied.

Sera leapt down from where we stood, high above the bottom of the valley. The rest of the team jumped down behind her. Being powerful fighters with good physiques, my teammates landed gracefully without a scratch and walked along behind Sera.

“Here’s the first place I detected with abnormal mana concentrations, commander.” Sera stopped as we reached the entrance of a cave.

There was definitely something peculiar about the cave. Mana seemed to be attracted to it, being sucked into the cave by some irregular force. Blue particles drifted without a pattern inside.

I frowned, “Let’s continue.”

The inside of the cave was pitch dark, but became visible with the light of mana flames that a member named Pytton and I created. The rock shapes, crevices, sounds of brushing wind, and the damp smell of the underground all seemed natural until a faint sound broke the almost-silence.

I stopped in my tracks, putting a finger to my mouth and signaling Sera to use her detection skills. She closed her eyes, but immediately shook her head.

What is it?, I used mana sound transmission to communicate with the others.

Sera managed to reply using the same method, Can’t…detect…

I raised an eyebrow. What could possibly blocking Sera’s mana radar? I stealthily crept across to peek around the a direction change of the cave. There was a surprising sight to behold.

A worn out flight of stone stairs led to a circular platform sitting in the center of a body of water. A waterfall gushed out from a ledge high above, pouring into water spots, and vines lined the perimeter. Blooming flowers of vibrant colors dotted the greenery, but the most notable sight was of the young-looking woman standing in the middle of the platform.

She wore a simple yet vivacious green dress while hovering above the ground, bare feet stepping on air. Dark green hair fell to her back, reflecting a serene yet mysterious image. The mana from outside was seemingly being pulled to the woman’s clasped hands, bundling with a glowing green  sphere of mana.

I narrowed my eyes. Was this what the commission had described as in strange green mana traces? If so, who was this woman?

Boris and the other knights had tiptoed over to my side, probably also having the same thoughts as me.

“State your name, please,” I shouted, stepping up boldly, “As knights sent to investigate the area, it would be most appreciated if you identified yourself and explain what the purpose of this cave is.”

The woman opened her eyes, revealing sparkling bright green irises, “Of course, Sir Knight. My name is Geia. This cave is my home, at least for the moment.”

I nodded, “I understand. Could you provide any information on that green mana you were wielding?”

The woman, Geia, tilted her head, “I suppose you could call it a feature of my powers.”

I was careful not to show any suspicion in my face, but the woman’s eyes seemed to pierce through my heart and my thoughts.

“Alright,” I looked straight at the woman, “I would like to have a discussion with my colleagues. We may have further questions later, so please cooperate. We mean no harm.”

The woman smiled faintly, “Of course, Sir Knight. Take as much time as you want. It is quite rare for me to have such company in this cave.”

I turned towards my squadron and the eight of us moved away so no one could eavesdrop on our conversation.

“Commander,” A knight named Zakron raised his hand immediately, “I believe we should eliminate that woman as soon as possible.”

“No,” I answered, “We have no idea what she’s capable of. All we know is that she uses that unnatural green mana.”

Marrila tapped her chin and said, “Commander, we can’t possibly fail to take that woman down with our team. We’re eight of the strongest in the kingdom. How powerful could she possibly be?”

I shook my head, “Still, our objective is to investigate the mana traces, and this woman is currently our best lead. We need to dig deeper into this, and finding out more about this woman is the key to more information.”

The other knights all murmured consents and Boris grinned, “So, what next, commander?”

I couldn’t help but smirk faintly, “We befriend the woman, of course.”