CHAPTER 263: _CONTINENT LEVEL THREAT

Elian’s POV

*****

Silverpine Wilderness.

That name stuck with him the moment he heard it from the Arcadian Council.

When Kyren’s voice whispered his name through the ruby necklace, he knew instantly that he was in some trouble.

But then the thought. The Rogue King. Lord of Darkness. Sovereign of the Dark Lands. In trouble?

Elian didn’t realise how highly he’d thought of Kyren until now. However, on the flip side, this also spurred his desire to become stronger.

’Arcadia is literally the homeland of magic.’ He thought to himself during the sky craft trip to the witch kingdom. ’If there’s anywhere I’m supposed to find ways to strengthen my mana core—it’s there.’

He’ll be saving Kyren and getting stronger at the same time. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

Alas, those wishes died when Arcadian soldiers approached him and Lucian barely minutes after they touched down on the Silver Pine forest.

"Halt," the commander pointed a silver laser rifle at them. "You are trespassing on Arcadian soil."

Elian froze almost instantly. He raised his hands, swallowing hard and glancing at Lucian.

The latter was calmer as always. Which was surprising because Elian didn’t see any way they could get out of this mess.

"We mean no harm." Lucian began, taking two steps forward. "I—"

"Wait a second." A female soldier amongst the witches whistled, eyes trailing Lucian from head to toes. "Commander, don’t you recognise them? That’s the Lunarian Alpha Prince."

Her smile lacked warmth or any signs that she found that information pleasing. Same thing with the other witches.

’Now would be a good time for you to help.’ Elian whispered to the system. ’How the fuck do we get out of this mess?’

[You’re asking me? At this rate, it seems the best thing to do right now is turn back while you still have your dignity. Or whatever’s left of it, at least.]

’I’m not going anywhere without Kyren in my arms.’ Elian’s mental voice was cold.

[I admire the bravery. But look around you, fruitcake...]

As much as he didn’t want to follow those words, Elian couldn’t help himself. His eyes scanned the faces of the armoured witches. There were about ten of them, all seasoned and sharp.

None looked like they would buy whatever lies he or Lucian dishes out.

The only option he could think of right now was fighting—

[Which would be stupid as fuck.]

Elian clicked his tongue. ’Your stupid mission is one of the things that brought me here in the first place.’

[Oh, please. You’re really here to "save" Kyren and you know it. Not to catch a magical fade from the Arcadian military.]

As Elian mentally battled the system, Lucian stepped forward yet again—his movement smooth, diplomatic, and totally unfazed by the ten rifles aimed at their chests.

"I believe there’s been a misunderstanding," Lucian said calmly, hands visible but posture unbowed. "We detected a mana surge from across the continent. A massive one. As per the treaty between our realms, Lunaria is permitted to investigate magical flares that risk destabilising the continent."

A few soldiers exchanged looks.

Elian blinked, lips parting with surprise.

Oop.

They weren’t expecting logic.

The commander narrowed his eyes. "You expect us to believe you crossed thousands of miles all the way from the other part of Evaros out of... concern?"

Elian stepped forward before Lucian could answer. He found a way to help push the lie. Sprinkling half-truths on it.

"It wasn’t concern," he said honestly.

"It was fear."

The soldiers blinked. Even Lucian shot him a quick side-eye.

But Elian kept going, voice steady and eyes sharp. "Whatever caused that mana spike? It wasn’t natural. And if something that strong is roaming your borders, then it’s already too late to pretend this is just an Arcadian problem."

The commander’s jaw ticked. The witches around him shifted, uncertainty cracking the armour of their stoic expressions.

Lucian inhaled slowly, seizing the opening Elian had unintentionally created. "Lunaria has no intention of crossing into Arcadian politics," he said. "But we cannot ignore continent-level threats. None of us can."

The soldiers didn’t lower their rifles, but the tension shifted—rippling like wind across still water.

Then one of the younger witches scoffed. "A threat destabilising the continent?" she muttered. "Please. Everyone knows the source of that surge was most likely the Rogue King."

Elian stiffened.

Another soldier nodded sharply. "We detected dark mana traces. Who else would it be but him? We’re at war after all. Would make sense he finally snapped—"

"He didn’t," Elian shot before he could stop himself.

Every rifle clicked toward him in unison.

Lucian exhaled sharply through his nose.

But Elian didn’t back down. "He wouldn’t cause a flare like that without reason," he said. "If anything, he might’ve been the victim of whatever happened here."

More scoffs echoed from the soldiers.

Someone muttered, "The Rogue King... a victim? Cute."

Elian clenched his jaw.

’System... do something before I punch someone and get vaporised.’

[I’m trying to pry my way into their mana scanners but Arcadian tech is built like a paranoid lesbian—complex, overprotected, and allergic to men.]

’Useless.’

[Love you too.]

Lucian stepped between Elian and the commander again, carefully redirecting the conversation. "If you detected dark mana, then you should be more concerned," he said. "Because Kyren is not the only entity capable of using it."

That earned absolute silence.

Even Elian blinked.

Wait—Lucian knew THAT much?

But before he could ponder it, something caught his eye.

A faint shimmer beneath the undergrowth.

Mana.

Thin glowing lines, like cracks of light running through the earth. Some silver, bright and sharp. Some blue, pulsing slowly and deeply.

He shifted his foot slightly.

The lines flared—just for a heartbeat—before fading back into the soil.

’...holy shit,’ he whispered internally.

[Oh? You see it too?]

’These Mana veins... they’re connected to the forest’s mana network. If I could get close, if I could learn how they work—’

[Your little core might actually evolve. Finally. So you don’t explode next time you try a basic spell.]

Elian ignored the insult, heart hammering.

But before he could study the lines further, a shout broke the quiet.

"Commander! Look at this!"

One of the witches knelt near a patch of disturbed soil, brushing aside leaves. Then her face paled.

"These aren’t Arcadian boot marks."

A ripple spread through the soldiers.

"What do you mean?"

"These treads... this armour design... these aren’t ours. And..." She pressed her hand to the dirt and inhaled. "There was spellwork here. Heavy spellwork. Some kind of body augmentation magic."

The commander’s expression shifted from suspicion... to alarm.

Lucian raised a brow. "So you did have soldiers here."

"No." The commander’s voice was flat. "Whoever was here didn’t have clearance from Arcadia."

Elian’s stomach dropped.

Unauthorised witches.

Also, "augmented"? That reminded him of the witches he and Kyren faced during the attack on Gravethorn.

His pulse spiked—panic clawing up his throat.

’System. Scan the vicinity for anything else they might be missing.’

[Scanning...]

There was a pause.

Then—

[Ah. Yeah. That’s... that’s a big yikes, babe. There’s a residue of a Rift. And the mana displacement pattern?]

’Just tell me!’

[It means whatever happened here didn’t just knock Kyren around. It moved him far. WAY farther than a normal dimensional slip.]

Elian swallowed hard, throat tight.

’Did he leave on purpose...?’

[Sweetheart...]

The system’s tone softened—a rare, terrifying event.

[That Rift signature screams forced extraction. Someone dragged him through it.]

Elian’s breath left him.

Kyren was taken.

Not missing. Not hiding.

Taken.

Suddenly, the earth thrummed faintly beneath them, like the forest itself was shuddering.

Lucian sensed it too. "What was that?"

The kneeling witch lifted her head, expression grim. "Spacetime disturbance. Strong residuals."

The commander cursed. "Everyone spread out. Search the perimeter. Something happened here that we weren’t told about."

Rifles lowered—if only slightly—but the attention shifted away from Elian and Lucian as the soldiers scrambled.

Elian exhaled shakily, stepping back beside Lucian.

His chest felt tight.

Kyren wasn’t here. He wasn’t anywhere near here.

And worst of all...

Someone powerful enough to augment elite witches and mess with spacetime itself had taken him.