Everyone sat in silence, the dust settling in the air as the weight of Arkan’s presence still lingered like a storm long gone but not forgotten. Breathing heavily, their bodies bruised, their spirits shaken—they were trying to make sense of what had just occurred.

Dante noticed Logan sitting slightly apart from the group, his fists clenched, eyes staring into the ground. His jaw was tight, and his shoulders tense. The usually confident Logan looked…broken.

Dante walked over and sat beside him quietly for a moment, then asked gently,

“You okay?”

Logan didn't look up.

“What was that…?” he muttered. “That man… Arkan… he was too powerful. I couldn’t move. I felt… useless.”

Dante glanced at him. “You’re not useless.”

Logan shook his head.

“Then why did I freeze? Why couldn’t I do anything? I trained so hard. I pushed myself every single day. And yet—one look from him… and it felt like everything I’ve done was meaningless.”

Dante put a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re not weak, Logan. He’s just… beyond us right now. But that doesn’t mean you’ll never get there.”

Logan looked at him, eyes filled with frustration.

“What if I don’t? What if I never become strong enough to protect the people I care about?”

Dante smiled slightly, though his voice held quiet sincerity.

“Then we keep training. We keep fighting. Not to match people like him right away, but to never be helpless again. That’s why we started this, right?”

Logan was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.

“You’re right… I don’t want to feel like that ever again.”

Dante stood, offering his hand.

“Then let’s make sure you don’t. Next time—we’re ready.”

Logan took his hand and pulled himself up, a small flame rekindled in his eyes.

Elias sat against a broken pillar, shirt torn and blood trickling from a gash on his shoulder. The adrenaline had worn off, leaving only exhaustion and a dull ache in his body. Faith knelt beside him, carefully wrapping a cloth around his wound. Alice sat on the other side, gently brushing dust off his face.

Alice smirked, her fingers trailing just a little longer than necessary.

“You really took a beating today, hero… You know, you should let me heal you more often. I have gentle hands.”

Elias chuckled.

Faith shot Alice a sideways glance, tightening the bandage a little more than necessary.

“Maybe if he didn’t throw himself in front of danger like an idiot, he wouldn’t need healing every time.”

Alice leaned closer, her voice teasing and soft, eyes locked with Elias.

“Or maybe he’s just waiting for an excuse to be doted on by two beautiful girls.”

Elias raised an eyebrow, grinning despite the pain.

“Not the worst plan, if I’m honest.”

Faith scoffed, but her eyes flicked to Elias with a mix of concern and something harder to read.

“You’re impossible, you know that?”

Alice giggled, brushing her hand along Elias’ jawline.

“I like him impossible.”

Faith stood abruptly.

“I’m going to get more bandages.” Her tone was flat, but the quickness of her steps gave away the small flame of jealousy she tried to hide.

Elias looked after her, then turned to Alice.

“You know, you’re going to get me killed one day.”

Alice winked.

“Only if I don’t heal you first.”

As Alice stood up, wiping her hands and flashing Elias one last flirtatious smile, she said,

"You're good to go now, just don’t get stabbed again before dinner."

Elias smirked, watching her walk away before his gaze settled on Dorian, who approached with his arms folded and a thoughtful expression.

Dorian: "You held yourself well. Even against someone like Arkan… that's not something many can say."

Elias looked down, flexing his sore fingers.

"Didn’t feel like I held anything… he could’ve killed me without even trying."

Dorian sat beside him, his tone calm but serious.

"Power like his bends reality around it. But you stayed standing. That matters."

Elias turned toward him, eyes thoughtful.

"Can I ask you something?"

Dorian nodded.

"Always."

Elias hesitated, then said,

"When I was in the forest… the woods showed me something. A vision. I saw two people. They… they felt like my parents. You knew them, didn’t you?"

Dorian went still, eyes locking with Elias, a flicker of something deep in his gaze—grief, maybe guilt.

Dorian:

"Yes. I did."

He paused.

"But this isn’t the time. I promise, Elias, I will tell you everything… but not yet. The Echo—we need to find it first, before the Eclipse Order does."

Elias stared into the distance, fists clenching lightly, as the weight of the unanswered past pressed into his chest.

Elias:

"Alright… but don’t keep it from me forever."

Dorian placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"I won’t. You deserve to know who you are. But first—we survive what’s coming."

ARCANE COUNCIL

The marble chamber was silent, cloaked in light and sunlight that poured in through the high-arched windows. High atop his seat, Varies stood alone, lost in thought. Suddenly, the sound of wings flapping echoed across the cold halls.

A majestic black-feathered eagle swooped down, landing silently on the obsidian pedestal before him. Its eyes glowed faintly with arcane runes, and a sealed scroll was strapped to its leg.

Varies calmly untied the scroll and unrolled it, his sharp eyes scanning the contents.

As he read the message from the spy, his expression slowly shifted—from calm, to focused, to deeply disturbed.

He murmured under his breath: "Nyxoth… And the boy made contact…"

His fingers gripped the scroll tighter, veins pulsing faintly with mana. He took a step back, looking into the darkness beyond the chamber.

Varies (low voice): "they tried suppress the facts from the council."

He was furious and crushed the scroll in his hand.

END OF CHAPTER 10 : I AM WEAK