(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they mean a lot. As usual, please don't hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

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The air shuddered as Orion's words faded.

A low hum rolled through the field, faint but distinct—the signal of the final compression. Orion raised an eyebrow.

"About time," he muttered.

The others looked up as the light shimmered across the sky, folding space again, pulling the borders inward. The radius would shrink drastically this time.

Without another word, Orion vanished.

The ground cracked where he'd stood, dust scattering from the sudden vacuum. Margaret blinked twice before sighing. "He didn't even say where he's going."

Selene watched the fading distortion quietly. "To hunt."

Orion reappeared deep within the forest, his expression calm, the last pulse of compression still echoing faintly in his mana sense. The space had tightened, signatures clustering. Dozens of presences flickered around him—scattered, desperate, trying to stay hidden.

He sighed softly.

"Fear always makes people desperate."

Protocol activated. Lines spread outward, webbing through the compressed field. He didn't need long. Three signatures nearby—one cloaked, two waiting in ambush.

Orion moved.

The first never saw him. A flick of spatial distortion and the boy was out cold, his sigil stone rolling across the dirt. The second tried to reinforce his body and failed to even lift his arm before Orion's palm hit his shoulder, pressure cutting his mana circulation instantly. The third managed a shout before vanishing in a shimmer of light.

Three down. One hundred and fifty points gained.

He kept moving, sweeping through the field with quiet efficiency. No wasted motion, no unnecessary effort. It took ten minutes to gather the six hundred he needed.

As he wiped faint dust from his sleeve, he wondered idly if he'd gone too far with Daenys.

"Maybe a bit harsh," he admitted under his breath.

Her arrogance was predictable, her confidence fragile. Still, he'd meant every word—discipline wasn't cruelty.

He shrugged. "She'll survive."

He turned back, retracing his steps toward the point where he'd left the girls.

When he returned, Irelle was gone.

Only Margaret, Selene, and Daenys remained. Margaret was sitting cross-legged, drawing circles in the dirt. Selene stood nearby, posture straight as ever. Daenys sat apart, her gaze on the ground, silent.

Orion looked at them for a moment before chuckling softly. "Looks like I missed something." He said, handing the stones to Selene.

Selene bowed her head lightly. "She left shortly after you vanished, young master. She said she had somewhere to go."

"Good," Orion said simply. "She's smart enough to run when she should."

Margaret looked up at him with a frown. "And you didn't think to tell me you were ditching me for a hunt?"

He smirked. "You'd have complained either way."

"Obviously," she said. "You disappeared like some drama protagonist."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Orion said with a chuckle.

He turned to Selene. "You'll watch her for now."

Selene raised a brow. She didn't want to part with Orion, but if that was his command, she wouldn't refuse.

"Understood." She replied.

"Wait, what?" Margaret said, springing to her feet. "You're leaving me with her?"

"Her name's Selene, and yes."

"She doesn't even smile."

"That's a feature, not a flaw. Besides, I'm sure she does sometimes." Orion replied.

Selene tilted her head slightly, unsure whether to take that as praise. Orion continued, "She's efficient. You could learn something."

Margaret folded her arms. "You're abandoning me."

"Temporarily." He smiled faintly. "I enjoy your company, but I have unfinished business."

"With who?"

He paused, then chuckled. "That's my business."

Margaret exhaled loudly. "You're infuriating."

"I get that a lot." He said with a shrug.

He stepped past her, then stopped, turning to the last silent figure.

Daenys hadn't moved since he arrived. She stared at the ground, her pride clearly wounded.

Orion watched her for a few seconds before speaking. "I might've gone a bit far," he said quietly. "That wasn't the intention."

No response.

He sighed. "Don't stay angry too long. You'll lose time to grow if you keep sulking."

Still nothing.

He turned away, walking toward the edge of the clearing. His thoughts slipped briefly inward.

'She might be depressed already,' he thought. 'But I guess it's part of growing.'

With that, he vanished, his presence fading into absence.

Selene glanced at Margaret. "He's gone."

Margaret dropped back to the ground with a groan. "Again."

Selene looked toward Daenys, who was still unmoving. She hesitated before speaking. "Come on. Let's move forward."

Daenys didn't answer.

Margaret sighed. "This is going to be a long 30 mins."

Selene stared at Daenys, a whirlwind of thoughts in her mind.

When she'd encountered Daenys, she had avoided fighting her out of fear of injuries and unnecessary damage, and looking back, she had made the right call. From Daenys' fight against Orion, Selene could tell she would have been a formidable opponent.

She had found her annoying at first. Daenys constantly pestered her much like Seris did, but unlike Seris, she was Daenys's only target. But she'd eventually grown used to her and her unusual confidence.

Selene could tell she would be up for a rude awakening when she found out the others were even stronger than her, but it wasn't her place to change someone's beliefs or educate them on reality.

Still, despite her predictions, she had silently prayed for the girl not to come across someone stronger, especially not the young master, because she'd have to turn against her in such a scenario.

Unfortunately, her prayers went unanswered, and Daenys had been schooled. Even she didn't know of Orion's capabilities prior, but as expected, her father's words hadn't been wrong.

She split the 600 points and dropped Daenys' share in front of her.

"Come on, fuse them and let's go." She said again.

Still no reply from Daenys.

Selene half considered just leaving Daenys there and moving on; surely, if someone attacked her, she'd defend herself.

But part of her felt that with her current state of mind, she wouldn't.

She just sighed and sat down beside her.

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