Kael's katana came down—aimed straight at Munfa's chest.
Munfa closed his eyes, accepting his fate.
Then—
CLANG!
The sharp sound of metal clashing against metal echoed in the air.
Munfa's eyes snapped open.
A man stood in front of him, holding a sword, blocking Kael's attack.
Kael clicked his tongue and backed off.
"Hmm… The swordsman is here."
Before Kael could react, another man arrived.
He was tall and muscular, his body built like Ino's.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Tch… I'm outnumbered."
Without hesitation, he vanished—retreating into the shadows.
The two men watched as Kael disappeared.
Then, they turned to Munfa.
Blood poured from his stomach wound, staining the ground beneath him.
The swordsman quickly lifted Munfa onto his back.
"We're taking him to Biringan. Now."
---
Munfa's condition was critical.
By the time they reached Biringan, his breathing was weak.
Elena rushed toward them.
Her eyes widened in horror.
"Munfa!" she screamed.
Without wasting time, she guided them to a healing tent and placed her hands over his wound.
A soft, golden light surrounded Munfa's stomach.
Elena focused all her power on healing him.
---
Luz Arrives
Luz entered the healing tent.
He looked at the two warriors who had saved Munfa.
His eyes widened in surprise.
"Jed? Marcus? You two are still alive?"
Jed, the swordsman, gave a small nod.
"We are."
Marcus, the muscular fighter, crossed his arms.
"We've been fighting the Dark side in secret."
Luz paused, taking in the moment.
These two were his former classmates.
He had thought they were long gone.
Jed continued.
"There are more of us."
Luz's eyes narrowed.
"More?"
Jed nodded.
"I believe two of our old allies are still alive."
"After Bin's death, panic spread everywhere."
"Malakar seemed unstoppable."
"Even we believed he could never be defeated."
"So we left. But that didn't mean we stopped fighting."
"We hid in the shadows, striking the Dark side whenever we could."
"After Malakar's fall, we thought things would get better."
Jed shook his head.
"But then Den took the Dark's power."
"He found our hiding places. He hunted us down."
"So we split up."
"Marcus and I stuck together. The other two… I don't know where they went."
"But I believe they're still alive."
Luz listened silently.
He lowered his head, remembering how much had been lost in this war.
But then—
He lifted his gaze.
"Jed. Marcus."
They looked at him.
Luz's expression was serious.
"There's another threat besides Den and the Dark."
Jed raised an eyebrow.
"Who?"
Luz's voice was firm.
"A man named Kael."
Jed and Marcus exchanged glances.
Luz continued.
"He has no side in this war."
"He believes killing both Light and Dark will bring peace to Aetheris."
Silence filled the tent.
Then Jed let out a breath.
"Tch… Just what we needed. Another enemy."
Marcus cracked his knuckles.
"Then we'll kill him too."
Luz nodded.