"Who are you?" A single question froze my entire body. Her killing intent was overwhelming. My mind began racing as fast as it could, desperately searching for a way out of this situation. I was already exhausted, and yet even if I had been at full strength, I doubted I could do anything against her.

"My name is Maki." I answered simply and quickly, telling the truth.

At that very moment, my connection with Glia flared. "Brother? Are you okay? What's happening?" I could feel the desperation in her words, her voice trembling with nerves.

"Don't worry, Glia. Everything will be fine." I tried to calm her as best as I could. She could feel some of my emotions through our bond, and though she must have sensed the danger of my situation, she chose to trust me and stayed inside my Cube.

"Open your Imra and don't try anything. I'll ask you a few questions." I loosened some of the control over my Imra. I had already felt hers carefully prying through my strong defenses. I understood why—she wanted to know if I was lying or telling the truth.

"How did you know the location of this dungeon?" Her questions were sharp and direct.

"Someone close to me told me the location." I didn't lie, but I didn't reveal everything either. Her killing intent chilled me to the bone—I had never felt so terrified in my life.

"How did you gain access? "Each question comes with more intensity

"The same person gave me the means." I wasn't lying. Sus had set up a barrier that only I could pass through.

"Whom do you serve?" Whom did I serve? Was she asking about my family? About an organization? I hesitated, unsure how to answer.

"Answer quickly, unless you want to die." My hesitation seemed to anger her, for her blades shifted just enough to slice into my skin, drawing blood.

"To Marquis Timal." It was a half-truth—my family was indeed directly under Marquis Timal. I was gambling with this answer; it could save me, or it could condemn me. After a few tense seconds of silence, I decided to raise the stakes. "Inside my dimensional bracelet, I have a ring that proves it." Before leaving, the Marquis had given me that ring, granting access to his castle in Primaver City, and as proof of being someone close to his family.

"Take it out. If you try anything, forget about keeping your arms or legs." Her Imra weighed down on me heavily. Her words were no bluff. The restriction loosened just enough for me to inject a bit of mana and Imra into my bracelet.

The ring tumbled to the ground clumsily, the emblem of the Marquis's house engraved on it. A jaguar with the pelt of a wolf—eerily similar to Sus. Proof of how the first head of the family had "killed" Sus.

The restriction tightened again, and suddenly I could no longer hear, speak, or even move. I used that instant to probe the person behind me with my Domain. She was a woman—the curve of her chest made that clear. She wore a mask and a robe imbued with some kind of enchantment; I couldn't sense anything beneath it. Her height was about 170 centimeters.

Could she not sense my Domain? Thinking about it, it was a risky move. The Marquis had noticed it without difficulty. I hesitated to pry further into her identity, especially with someone who could kill me with a mere thought.

She pulled out a device from somewhere and held it to her ear. I couldn't hear a thing—it must have been some sort of communication tool.

A minute later, the restriction vanished, and I collapsed to my knees, drenched in sweat from the pressure. Her killing intent had vanished instantly. I debated whether to look back at her or stay still until she ordered otherwise.

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"Are you Maki Vichag?" Her voice no longer carried the same lethal weight. Relief surged through me—my gamble had paid off.

"Yes, that's me." Since I no longer sensed any murderous intent, I slowly turned to face her. She wore a light green robe and a mask of the same color. The mask had narrow slits to see through, but I couldn't see anything—something blocked my vision, as though the holes were empty.

She sighed. "You're a lucky child. That gamble of yours was extremely reckless." So, she had indeed sensed some of the emotions I had tried to bury within my Imra. "You had a lot of luck today." She paused for a moment. "Marquis Timal sends you his regards."

He sends me his regards? Had she been in direct contact with him? Who was she? How could she call someone like the Marquis so casually? A thousand questions filled my mind, so many that I forgot to answer her.

"He said you are someone to be trusted." She grew tired of waiting. "We are the Heralds of Timal's territory." We? At that instant, another figure emerged from her shadow, as though he had been there all along or had just teleported. He wore the same attire, though he was smaller—likely a man.

She turned to him, and I heard her whisper softly, "I don't understand why we must entrust this information to a child." I pretended not to have heard, and slowly stood up.

"Have you heard of us?" I shook my head. No one had ever told me about Heralds of the territory. "Usually, only the heads of noble families know of us. I'll share some information under the Marquis's orders." After studying me briefly, the second herald faded back into the shadows as though he had never been there.

"We are guardians of the territory. We move in silence and shadow, extinguishing fires started by enemies or monsters." I was stunned by the revelation, though thinking about it, it made sense. In a world as dangerous as this, it was only natural that the heads of great families would have hidden heralds.

"All of us go by code names. You may call me Gase." I tried to memorize it immediately—forgetting could mean trouble later. She radiated power—stronger than my father, but not at the level of the Marquis. "The other herald is Ho. Both of us will accompany you home." I nodded and pointed in the direction of my village.

"The Marquis also said something else." Her words made me look at her again. "This is a test of my trust in you, Maki. We will see each other in a few days." The Marquis's intentions were clear—he wanted me to see him as family, just as he saw me. And this was one of the greatest tests of trust.

"I thank the Marquis for his trust." I bowed to her. "If you speak with him again, could you tell him this: Thank you for the trust, Uncle. I also look forward to seeing you soon." After saying that, I showed her the way to my village.

Just then, I felt something like an arrow the size of a spear coming from the left. Instantly, I conjured armor around my arms, summoning two Joyeuse to block my chest. The impact launched me several meters through the air. My constructions nearly shattered, flames licking at my arms. I released ice mana and Imra to smother them, then rose to face my attacker.

Gase tried to pretend she hadn't been the one, but my gaze didn't waver until she finally admitted it. "You're quite strong, boy. That arrow carried the force of an Advanced Sapphire rank, and you stopped it without much trouble." I didn't know how to feel about her praise—after all, she had just attacked me.

"Forgive me if I upset you. I wanted to confirm something, and I was right. You are truly a Limit Breaker in every sense." She bowed slightly in apology. "I hope you don't hold it against me. By the way, use your life magic to heal yourself—it's time to return home." Her words left me stunned. How did she know I had Life mana? Supreme affinities were impossible to identify unless one had the same affinity themselves… Did that mean she too possessed Life?

"Don't think you're so special, Maki." She raised her hand, and her pinky finger vanished. Instantly, it regrew, as if nothing had happened. The severed finger didn't even touch the ground before turning to ash and scattering in the wind.

I healed my wounds as she suggested. My anger faded after seeing her demonstrate her abilities. She had shown me both of her affinities—that was trust.

I sighed in defeat as I stood. An idea came to me—I would ask her once we reached my home. Very few people wielded twin blades and had an affinity with Life. It would be nearly impossible to find another like her any time soon.

Would she be willing to train me? If I asked the Marquis, maybe he could convince her. But there was one huge problem—the Heralds must be incredibly busy. I doubted I could see her often.

Speaking of which… where had the other gone? Ho, was it? I couldn't sense him anywhere, even with my Domain.

"You have good skills, Maki. You'll be strong one day." Her voice was warmer now. It seemed she was one of those people who appeared tough on the outside but were softer within.

"Let's return to your home." The walk back proved difficult—not because I had forgotten the way, but because we kept dodging each other's questions. It turned into a game, seeing who would give in to curiosity first. In the end, we only learned a few small things about each other before arriving at Talar village.

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