The mont they stepped back into the narrow streets, the city felt different. The silhouettes that had lingered above the residential blocks were gone, or at least no longer visible.
"Seems like we have an opening," he murmured under his breath.
Luna glanced at him but didn’t question it. She could feel it too, how the streets were emptier than before.
They moved quickly through the older quarter, keeping low, cutting through tight alleyways and over broken fences. The air still carried a faint pressure, a weight that pressed down on Aren whenever he emitted the slightest amount of ether.
But it wasn’t like he was planning to use it anyway, that’d be like announcing to the entire district that they were carrying the Core.
A shadow flickered across the rooftop ahead.
Aren grabbed Luna’s wrist and yanked her sideways into the recessed doorway of an abandoned house just as a robed silhouette passed along the roof above. They pressed flat against the wall, barely breathing.
The figure paused before looking around for a while, then continued moving. Aren waited a few seconds before they continued to move.
They cut in between buildings, moving from door-to-door in order to be as stealthy as possible. They slipped in between two leaning houses where laundry lines hung low to the ground.
Aren pulled out his phone as they ran, still no signal.
Just for a split second, the connection symbol flickered one bar before disappearing once more.
They were getting closer.
They slipped through another narrow passageway and ca upon a rusted fence that separated the older residential blocks from the market district beyond.
Aren pushed the gate carefully at first, wincing at the slight creak it made, then forced it open just enough for them to squeeze through.
The mont they stepped into the open stretch of the market road, both of them froze.
The district was teeming with Demonic Blue Stag Beetles, feeding over whatever was left of the abandoned stalls. Each was nearly half their height with thick-shelled bodies.
They were weak individually, not even Soldier-Class, more like Semi-Soldier, but their shells were dense enough to make them a problem.
Aren exhaled slowly.
"Don’t move fast," he whispered.
They began walking along the outer edge of the market street, keeping close to the shadowed stalls. The beetles twitched but did not imdiately react, almost giving Aren a heart attack.
For a second, it seed like they might pass unnoticed.
Then one of the beetles froze, turning its head up. Its antennas twitched violently before turning toward their direction.
Aren realized his critical mistake. Bug-type monsters tend to have higher sensitivity to ether than other creatures.
"Run!" he yelled, already moving.
The street erupted behind them as multiple beetles lifted off at once, the air filling with noise from their wings. One ramd into a stall, breaking it completely. Another dove low and clipped a hanging tent canopy, getting tangled for half a second before tearing free.
Can’t use my ether here unless I wanna be a beacon for the Defilers.
Aren’s gaze snapped toward the nearest abandoned vendor cart as they sprinted. A blade lay half-hidden beneath torn fabric.
He grabbed it along the path, doing a few swings while running to test its weight distribution.
This’ll do, I guess.
The first beetle slamd into him from the side. He pivoted and brought the sword down hard against its shell.
The blade bounced as almost all of the force recoiled straight back into his arms.
"Shit..." Aren muttered, driving his heel forward and kicking it square in the head. The force knocked it back just enough to give him space.
Another dove from above. Aren rolled forward, feeling the rush of wind as it missed his head by inches. From below, he drove his blade into the softer joint beneath the beetle’s wing.
This ti it managed to pierce cleanly before dark fluid sprayed all over him.
"Ew..." he wiped so of it out of his eyes before he started running again.
More were coming this ti. The thought of using his Art here dangled in the back of his mind like a pesky parasite.
Just one Dragon’s Claw would be enough to deal with all his problems in an instant. Aren exhaled sharply as he ducked another reckless dive.
Maybe this was why civilians were looked down upon by Mystics. Even a beetle this weak normally would be enough to tear apart an untrained person in seconds.
He tightened his grip on the stolen blade and ran faster.
They kept running as Luna pushed the occasional cart down or took random things to throw and impede their path.
But nothing seed to work. The beetles followed anyway, diving and ramming into anything that was in their path. Aren cut another one down and shoved Luna ahead of him through a narrow break between collapsed stalls.
Then the air changed. He felt it on his skin, like stepping into colder water.
The lead beetle screeched mid-flight before it slamd violently into so sort of invisible barrier, tumbling backwards onto the stone before not moving anymore.
The others did the exact sa. One by one, they’d et the sa fate, the entire horde was lifeless next to the stalls Aren just passed.
Luna slowed, chest rising and falling heavily as she glanced behind them. "Why’d they stop?"
Aren didn’t answer imdiately, backtracking to the exact point before reaching a hand out.
A faint shimr rippled from the point of contact as his palm t resistance instantly. Yet it felt benevolent, like it allowed them to pass.
He exhaled quietly.
"We’re at the edge."
Luna stared at the empty space in front of them. "The barrier’s at least a district away from here. How are the monsters reacting already?"
Aren kept his hand pressed lightly against the invisible layer.
"It doesn’t need to touch them," he said calmly. "The barrier master’s influence spreads farther than the wall itself."
He withdrew his hand slowly.
"For weaker creatures," he added, glancing back toward the darkened market road, "just the pressure is enough."
Beyond the invisible line, the plaza opened wide, dim streetlights illuminating the cracked road and a dried-up fountain at its center.
His phone buzzed faintly in his pocket.
Aren pulled it out, checking for their hope of rescue. And as he thought—
The signal was back.
Imdiately, Aren shared his location with almost everybody in his contacts along with a single ssage.
’Please find , I have the Core.’
But just as soon as he sent the ssage, a gust of wind blitzed toward his hand, punching straight through the center of his phone. The device exploded in his hand, tal and glass scattering everywhere.
Aren recoiled instinctively, dropping the ruined remains as the screen went dark mid-notification.
For a mont, nothing moved before Aren looked up.
A shadow shifted along the rooftop to his left, another across the fountain, and another behind him.
Aren didn’t need to turn, instead he pulled Luna and the dical bag close.
The plaza that had seed empty just a second ago began to fill up. Dark robes swayed in the wind at the edges of the plaza. Figures stepped into the dim streetlight one by one, until the open square was no longer open at all.
Yet, contrary to what Aren thought, they didn’t rush him imdiately.
Then one figure stepped forward from the front of the dried fountain.
A woman.
Her robes were darker than the others’, trimd subtly with faint silver threading. She removed her hood slowly, revealing sharp features and eyes that studied Aren with open interest rather than hostility.
"You’re smart," she said calmly. "I’ll give you that."
Her gaze flicked briefly to the bag at his side.
"That talisman trick was clever. Really had us sweeping the riverbanks longer than we should have."
"Maybe that’s why the High Lady spoke praises about you."
Aren’s eyes narrowed slightly.
So that’s why District 7 went quiet, his plan worked for so extent.
She tilted her head, faint amusent touching her expression.
"For a mont, we thought you might actually slip through."
Her eyes shifted toward the shattered phone at his feet.
"But you were always going to co here."
Aren gritted his teeth and pulled closer to Luna. Ether surged all along his body, and he knew instantly what this would be.
A life-or-death confrontation.
The woman stepped up once more before reaching out her hand.
"The fun ends now, boy."
"Hand it over."
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