After standing still for a long time, Vynsera's legs grew weak. She collapsed to the floor, knees together, as her golden aura faded away.

What she had just done was both physically and spiritually excruciating.

Her Energy reserves had been thoroughly drained, and her soul nearly severed. She needed a moment to recover before she could even breathe properly.

But Darien didn't give her that moment.

He used the opportunity to hold her at bladepoint, literally.

With shallow breaths, Vynsera looked up slowly when she heard someone approaching, only to find a cold blade aimed straight at her face.

Wielding it was a warrior with flowing silver hair. He had a chilling, unique presence.

"You stole my kill," said Darien evenly, his blade glowing brighter and illuminating Vynsera's pale face.

Of course, he didn't plan to harm the young lady. She was powerful, but she posed no threat to him, nor had she harmed him beyond that telepathic shove.

Yet, Darien wanted to make it clear that she had interfered in his fight, and so, they had business to settle.

Sighing, Vynsera lowered her head again, as though even looking at Darien was a tiresome act.

Then, as if his Epic sword meant absolutely nothing, she lifted a weak hand and casually pushed it aside with her fingers.

'?!'

"I'm sorry for 'stealing your kill,'" she intoned with fatigue and nonchalance, though her fingers sizzled from contact with Hellheart.

"But Vincent wouldn't have died otherwise," Vynsera continued. "And certainly not by any other means than the one I employed."

Darien knitted his brows, trying to understand her words, because he had been utterly perplexed when Vincent survived <Soulfire Feast>.

Was he truly that powerful, or had some force or entity turned Vincent into its vessel?

Whatever it was, what also gave Vynsera the strength to destroy him? Was she just as formidable in that same mysterious source of power?

Darien watched as a weakened Vynsera used her telekinesis to draw Vincent's Life Core and the Luminara sword toward herself.

Both items floated across the Sanctum before she absorbed the Life Core and claimed ownership of her brother's sword.

"You've acquired a second affinity? Wind? Cosmic?"

Darien asked as Vynsera slowly rose to her feet, brushing dust from her light armor.

He expected her to say Cosmic, but she shook her head.

"Neither," said Vynsera. "It's a skill, <Photonic Attraction>. I can manipulate light particles to create semi-solid pressure or condense them into a dense field strong enough to control physical objects."

Such a skill wasn't easily attainable at the First Plane of magehood, so Darien instantly understood Vynsera had comprehended her Light affinity.

That explained much of what she had shown.

Rising fully, Vynsera faced Darien before extending a hand toward him.

"Without you, I couldn't have killed Vincent," she said. "I fear I would have failed if we were on equal grounds. Gladly, you weakened him first."

Vynsera stood tall, several inches taller than Darien, who had thought he was making progress.

Her dignified presence was imposing, but Darien didn't let it faze him. After all, she was older by a year.

The boy shook his head, refusing the girl's offered hand.

The Duke's daughter had just slain her own brother, the heir of Eldermead. Darien knew better than to take that hand without thought.

A gesture that small could carry political or even spiritual implications in this realm!

Darien had wanted to slay Vincent himself, but now someone else had done it—and none other than her. He thought it wiser to simply walk away from this affair before it spiraled further.

But the only reason he stayed was because Vynsera clearly knew half the scale of his power. She had seen what he could do and was aware he wasn't just a Swordsman Knight.

What was a fresh Knight doing at Expert level so quickly? And if that could somehow be explained, then how had a simple Knight managed to beat up the Hero of Light?

Vynsera gave Darien a knowing look.

She had seen him several times in passing at the academy, and his strange, arresting appearance had always caught her eye.

There was something about Darien that didn't align with the ordinary, but Vynsera couldn't yet pinpoint what.

To ensure she wouldn't lose track of him and to learn more about who he truly was, Vynsera devised a way to keep herself and the bastard close.

"I'll take on the Shrine monster," she said suddenly after Darien refused her hand. "I'm not at a hundred percent right now, so I'll need your help. Let's duo this one, Darien."

Darien lifted a brow at her resolve and the gleam in her eyes.

He remembered the Shrine monster as well, and how he wanted to slay it, but that didn't make her offer any more enticing.

Smirking, he teased the warrior. "Heh. My lady, you're not as strong as I thought you were."

"What? I am. I could solo the monster if I were in full form. But right now, I'm too drained, and I need to return home to inform my father of my brother's death."

At the mention of Vincent, Darien's eyes sharpened.

"And what killed your brother?"

"Whatever waits for us in there," she answered with a darkened gaze. "The Shrine monster."

Realizing he had Vynsera just as much as she had him, Darien saw no reason to refuse her offer.

An expedition like this would benefit them both, and if she was willing to fight alongside him, all the better.

Knowing who killed the crowned heir was a power greater than whatever insight she had into his strange strength. That knowledge alone gave him leverage in this relationship.

All it would take was a single whispered rumor, and it would be over for Vynsera.

But Darien knew he still had to tread carefully.

If Vynsera was anything like what Vincent had shown, then there was balance in their leverage.

"I'll give you fifty platinum pieces and exclusive passes in Queen's Reach. It's royal-tier access, mind you. You'll never have to wait in a line again. And then—"

"Forget it, Vynsera," Darien said dismissively. "Let's go."

He was already moving toward the shrine with his sword resting on his shoulder.

The Duke's daughter blinked in surprise at Darien's attitude, first wondering why he had jumped to action, and also why he ignored her bribes.

She was equally disturbed by the fact that he called her by her first name. No one in their senses ever addressed her so casually, so it was a first for Vynsera.

"You will refer to me as 'my lady!'" she hollered at the walking warrior, her voice echoing through the Sanctum.

Darien, his glinting silver hair catching the last flicker of light and his frame growing ever more defined with each stride, didn't even pause.

"Maybe next time," he tossed back.

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