Volume 1. Chapter 24. Synovian's Shadow

Clara gasped, her eyes widening as she saw the man with crimson-red eyes, just like the one her mother had described in the dark orb.

"You…"

Slowly, the darkness covered the man's face, transforming it into a mask.

The ball of darkness slowly vanished as the mysterious man’s feet touched the ground, leaving everyone on the wall in shock.

At that moment, Clara had a vision of herself doing the same thing, and the man who caught her was Vail, who reprimanded her for her actions.

"What's going on?"

Clara was confused by what she was experiencing.

Zein and the others saw the mysterious man slowly flying towards them.

"Sister-in-law?" 

Tiara said, noticing that Clara remained silent, staring at the masked man who was carrying her like a princess.

The appearance of the mysterious figure silenced them all, even halting the sudden battle that had been underway.

Lowering Clara from his hands, Zein immediately hugged his sister, terrified of losing her.

"Thank goodness you're still alive," 

Zein cried, relieved to see Clara still breathing.

"If sister died, I… I…”

"Zein, I'm sorry if I scared you," 

Clara said, trying to calm her younger brother.

Suddenly, Rii attacked them with his fireball, but the power was meaningless in front of the mysterious figure.

Lina and King Ligt were shocked to see the mysterious person wave one of his hands at the attack and make it disappear instantly.

"This time you appear, did you come to save the townspeople who killed Nia and Cindy?"

Vail replied with a little more anger.

"Where were you when Nia and Cindy asked for help, are you really the savior !?"

Cini exclaimed, the anger consuming him.

When he was about to fly into the sky, Clara held one of the mysterious person's hands and made him turn his head.

"Please... don't kill them."

Clara said, begging and looking at the man with full hope and desire.

"Don't worry, I won't do that."

The person's words made Clara let go of the hand that was holding him. Before flying, King Ligt was asked to mobilize Raseon troops to evacuate.

"Nita, Sara, Erik."

Understanding Mansa's intentions, they immediately retreated and joined the people on the city walls.

"It's like you've underestimated us by coming alone."

Rii said arrogantly.

In the eyes of the mysterious person, they were controlled by another power, so Rii, Vail, and Cini were swallowed by the fire of anger and then went berserk.

"I didn't think he would really do this."

The mysterious person's words made them curious, but they ignored them.

"Don't look away—"

Cini, who intended to attack from behind, was shocked when his opponent vanished and reappeared behind him.

"You have too many openings for me to attack."

The mysterious person said, punching Cini's stomach with one hand and sending him crashing to the ground.

"Brother!"

Clara's breath hitched. Her eyes trembled in disbelief as Cini's body hit the ground. That man... he hurt her brother

"Clara... for now we trust him."

Lina replied, informing.

"But, if it's like this. They can—"

"I don't feel the killing intent in the mysterious person."

Lina said again, telling and cutting Clara off.

With worry, Clara watched the unequal fight with the others.

While helping Vail fight the mysterious person, Rii did not hesitate to use all his strength to kill opponent.

"Why did you just appear at a time like this, where were you when Nia needed help !?"

Vail exclaimed angrily and attacked his opponent without giving any room to retaliate.

"If only you had come, they would still be here now!"

Rii exclaimed, attacking from behind using his fire punch.

The mysterious person disappeared and appeared behind them, turning slightly to Clara on the city wall.

"... it's time to end all of this."

The mysterious person said.

"Did I hear you right? We are the ones who will end you and the people behind you."

Rii said, telling his so annoyed.

After Cini had returned, they combined their strength, forming a blue fireball the size of the moon, which suddenly made the city burn.

A barrier appeared that protected everyone from the blue flame arrows that the three of them made.

"He's protecting us?"

Nita didn't expect that the mysterious person would create a barrier to protect them.

"Die, and regret yo—"

Before they could finish the sentence, darkness that resembled a sword pierced the hearts of the three of them and pulled them into a mysterious circle.

Clara's eyes widened as she watched her three adopted brothers being pulled into a mysterious circle.

"Brother's!"

Clara cried because this wasn't what she had hoped for.

They only saw a mysterious person in the sky of Norf City, and he disappeared slowly like dust.

Then they were stunned to see the destroyed city begin to recover.

"The city... has recovered?"

Mansa couldn't believe that the city that had been destroyed was slowly recovering as if nothing had happened.

But that didn't stop Clara from crying over the loss of her three adopted brothers, believing they would never return.

Lina regretted making Clara believe her words.

"Clara..."

Lina said, feeling guilty.

Clara immediately hugged Lina, crying hysterically that her three adopted brothers had been taken away.

Besides, the goddess of love in the Haran Forest was furious. The plan to control Vail, which was supposed to go smoothly, had now been ruined.

"You're such a nuisance,"

The goddess said before disappearing.

Upon arriving at the Gerna Kingdom, Lina, Zein, Tiara, and the hero party escorted Clara to her residence, which was a house given by King Ligt to Vail and his two friends.

Just in front of the door, they heard the voices of Vail, Rii, and Cini.

"What should we do now?"

Cini asked his two friends.

"I myself don't know, after hearing that person's explanation. I'm confused for now."

Vail replied, telling his two friends that he was confused by everything that happened.

"Put that aside, we should be grateful that he only got rid of the power that tried to control us."

"You're right, but when and where did the conditional magic implant in our bodies?"

Cini said, confirming Rii's words and asking curiously.

"Isn't this their voice?"

Sara's words made the sad Clara try to listen more clearly, when Rii called Vail and Cini's names to make food.

Clara immediately went into the house and saw her three adopted sisters had just gotten up from the bench in the living room and wanted to go to the kitchen to make food.

The atmosphere grew awkward, and it was palpable to everyone.

"Clara..."

Clara flinched as Vail called her name, tears welling in her eyes.

Vail stepped forward and stood right in front of Clara, who was holding back her tears.

"Welcome back... Clara."

The greeting made Clara unable to hold back her tears, crying if the person in front of her was indeed Vail.

Clara wept in Vail's arms.

"I'm sorry for almost killing you and Zein."

Vail hugged Clara so tightly, apologizing for his actions that almost killed Clara and Zein, even though the mysterious person had told them that their bodies were being controlled.

"Zein, don't you want to do it too?"

Rii asked, holding out both of his hands.

"No need, I'm not a man who cries easily."

Said Zein, but his eyes began to fill with tears.

Rii approached Zein and hugged him. At that moment, Zein also cried, and Tiara, who saw it, also cried because Zein could meet the person he had always talked about.

"You too..."

Rii realized that Tiara was also crying, seeing that her lover could meet his three adopted brothers.

Cini approached Lina, Mansa, and the others. Their faces were filled with confusion over everything that had happened.

"Why do you look confused?"

"I don't know who to ask."

Lina said, telling us that she was confused and didn't know what to say.

"Why are you here, weren't you brought by that person?"

Erik asked in confusion.

"When we opened our eyes, we were in a devastated world, with only a massive castle and its garden courtyard left in ruins."

Those words made them curious.

"A giant castle that had collapsed and a garden courtyard?"

Mansa was curious and wanted to know about it.

"We met a mysterious person, telling us that the magic controlling our minds had been removed."

"The magic that controlled your minds?"

Erik said curiously about Cini's words.

"That's right, and when we wanted to know who did it. He answered that the perpetrator was Synovian."

"We were asked to—"

"Wait, you're saying the perpetrator is Synovian?!"

Nita replied in surprise and wanted to make sure that her ears had not heard wrong.

"What's wrong?"

Cini asked curiously.

"That's because the name you mentioned belongs to the goddess of love."

Said Sara.

Cini was shocked by Sara's response and now understood the mysterious person's intent—to warn them, especially Vail, to be careful.

"That means, Vail is in danger."

Cini said, surprising the others.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Vail asked, after comforting Clara, who was still upset, as well as Rii.

"Vail, you should—"

"Nothing, I just apologized to them about what happened earlier."

Cini replied and kept, but context adjusted.

Mansa was confused as to why Cini would hide something dangerous from his friend.

"Everyone, while you're here. Do you mind helping us make dinner?"

Rii said and told them, because it was almost time for dinner.

They accepted it except for Lina, who chose to return to the castle, because she had to inform Neii and Ligt about what Cini had said.

On the way to the castle, Lina accidentally bumped into a pedestrian whose face was hidden beneath a red hood and who wore white clothing.

"Sorry..."

Lina apologized for accidentally bumping into the mysterious man in the white cloak. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to mind.

After Lina continued on her way, the man cast a brief glance at the Demon King Lina.

"Enjoy your peace while you can, for I will soon destroy this world."

With those words, the mysterious man smiled and vanished without a trace.