CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46 - MEETING THE OTHER HARBINGERS

Just as Mikail was about to get hit, two people appeared in front of him, one man and one woman.

The man had fire dancing in his hands, while the woman was surrounded by what Mikail could only describe as water flowing unnaturally around her.

The man wore a huge grin, wild and unbothered. The woman... Calm, almost serene.

"Ahaha~" The man laughed, deflecting the giant shadow hand with his fire-coated fist. "To smile like that in the face of Death... What a man!"

He turned to Mikail, grin widening.

"...Wh-What... That thi-" Mikail tried to speak, eyes locked on the monstrous shadow. It lunged at him again.

But before he could finish his thought, the woman raised her hand.

"*Sigh*... Still green," She muttered, not even sparing him a glance.

The water swirling around her coalesced, forming a massive sword. Without hesitation, she made a subtle motion with her hand.

The sword launched forward like a divine judgment.

The Shadow Giant raised its many hands to defend, but before they could make contact, the sword shattered into countless blades mid-air.

Hundreds, no, thousands... Thousands of water-forged swords pierced the creature like a living storm.

Its form twisted and staggered.

One, or maybe several, struck its core.

With a final groan, the Shadow Giant disintegrated into mist, fading into nothingness.

The woman finally looked at Mikail.

"But," She said, voice steady, "You have huge potential"

"W-What? I mean, thanks for your help, but... Who are you guys?"

Mikail asked, his voice shaky with confusion as his eyes darted between the two strangers who had just saved him.

Before he could get any answers, a familiar voice pierced through the chaos like a thread pulling him back to reality.

"...Kail!"

Moona’s voice rang out, breathless and urgent, as she sprinted toward him. Behind her, Melisa followed closely, struggling slightly under the weight of an unconscious girl slung over her back.

Moona didn’t slow down until she reached Mikail, and when she did, she stopped just short of crashing into him.

Her wide eyes scanned him for injuries, filled with panic and unspoken fear.

In her worry, she didn’t even acknowledge the presence of the two strangers beside him.

"Kail..." She said again, this time softer, her voice trembling, "Are you okay?"

She reached out, hesitating, her fingers twitching as if afraid touching him might make him fall apart.

Her concern wrapped around him like a blanket, but Mikail, though visibly shaken, tried to put on a brave front.

"I’m fine, Mon, you don’t have to wor-"

"I’m mad"

Her voice cut through his words, quiet but sharp.

"Huh?" Mikail blinked, caught off guard.

Moona’s eyes glistened, but not with relief. Behind them swirled a storm, raw, unspoken emotion teetering on the edge of release.

"You could’ve died!" She snapped, her voice cracking under the weight of fear. "Do you have any idea how scared I was? Running into that mess without thinking, what if... what if-"

Her voice faltered, trembling like a candle flame in the wind. She couldn’t bring herself to say it, as if uttering the words would make them real.

Mikail’s heart sank. A pang of guilt twisted inside him as he watched her, his own hands now trembling slightly. Gently, he reached out and cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears that traced silent paths down her skin with his thumb.

"...Mon," He said softly, urging her to meet his gaze, "I’m fine. You see? I’m right here"

Moona looked up at him, and in that moment, her resolve shattered. She closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms tightly around his back and pressing her head against his chest.

She needed to feel him, to hear his heartbeat, steady and alive. Only then could she start to believe his words.

And then she sobbed.

"I was so scared," She whispered through her tears. "Please... Don’t do something reckless like that again. I don’t want to lose someone I hold dear ever again..."

Her voice broke on the last word, muffled by his shirt, and Mikail could do nothing but hold her close, his heart aching with the weight of her pain.

But-

"*Ukhum* That’s a confession, isn’t it?"

The unfamiliar male voice broke the silence, playful and unmistakably amused.

Both Mikail and Moona froze. Slowly, they turned their heads toward the source of the voice.

The man stood with his arms crossed, a knowing smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

His tone carried that irritating smugness of someone who definitely saw more than he was supposed to.

"It is a confession," Came the casual reply from the woman beside him, her voice calm but just as teasing. "No matter how you look at it, that was one hundred percent a confession"

Moona’s face turned a deeper shade of red, and Mikail instinctively looked away, scratching the back of his head.

"Agree," Melisa chimed in from behind, still managing to nod even with the unconscious girl on her back. Her face was unreadable, but the slight curve of her lips betrayed her amusement.

Moona groaned into Mikail’s chest, refusing to lift her head.

"Wh-What? Since when were they here...?" She mumbled.

Mikail could only sigh, his hand still resting on her back.

"Can we not do this right now?" He muttered, not even trying to hide the embarrassment creeping into his voice.

The unknown man let out a soft chuckle.

"Sure, sure"

--------

After the event, after the entire swarm of Shadow creatures within the Zero Zone had gathered with the singular purpose of erasing Mikail’s very existence, only to fail, the silence that followed was almost unreal.

Mikail, barely standing and leaning heavily on Moona, made his way to a small clearing. It wasn’t clean or peaceful, not in the Zero Zone, but compared to the chaos before, it felt like a sanctuary.

Melisa gently lowered the unconscious girl she had carried all this time, laying her down on a patch of relatively stable ground. Moona guided Mikail to sit against what might have once been a tree, now warped and blackened like everything else in this corrupted dimension.

Mikail glanced toward Melisa, his voice low but steady.

"How’s the girl, Lisa?"

"She’s fine," Melisa replied, checking the girl’s pulse with practiced ease. "Just unconscious, probably from awakening her core"

Mikail nodded slowly, letting out a tired breath.

Then his eyes shifted toward the pair of strangers, those two who had appeared out of nowhere and helped him survive the impossible.

"...So, who are you two?" He asked, his voice still cautious. "I mean... I appreciate the help, seriously. But... Who are you?"

The woman offered a cryptic smile.

"Hmm... We’re the same kind as you"

Mikail frowned.

"...I can see that. No need to say the obvious"

The woman’s smile widened slightly, amused.

"No, I think you misunderstood something"

"...Wait. Don’t tell me... You’re not human?"

She shook her head. "No, that’s not what I meant. We’re human... But-"

"You sure ’bout that?" Mikail interrupted with a smirk.

She blinked. "...What do you mean?"

Mikail leaned his head back against the twisted tree and grinned.

"It’s just... I’ve never met a human as beautiful as you... Are you sure you’re not an Angel?"

Her eyes widened, completely caught off guard.

"Y-you-!"

The man beside her burst out laughing, holding his stomach.

"Bold kid! I like him!"

But before Mikail could bask in the moment-

*Ughh!*

A solid fist buried itself into his stomach. Moona’s fist.

It was a gentle blow, but for Mikail’s current condition, it was quite impactful.

Mikail doubled over with a cough.

"Alright, alright, I deserved that... I was just trying to lighten the mood a little"

Moona stood with arms crossed, her face slightly red, but her voice calm.

"You’re injured. Quit flirting before I knock you unconscious myself"

The woman turned away, trying and failing to hide the redness creeping up her neck.

"... He’s dangerous," She muttered.

The man chuckled again. "Well, things just got more interesting"

"*Sigh*," Melisa muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Here we go again... Just like him when we first met"

Still clutching his stomach, Mikail offered a sheepish smile through the pain.

"Okay, okay... I’ll stop joking around." He took a breath and looked at the two strangers seriously now. "You said you’re the same kind as me. So... Are you saying that you two are also Harbingers?"

The man’s grin didn’t fade, while the woman’s expression grew more composed.

Mikail narrowed his eyes slightly, studying them both, the faint glow in their presence, the aura they exuded despite their casual demeanor.

"Hm... From what I can tell, you’re the Harbinger of Fire," He said, nodding toward the man. "And you... You’re the Harbinger of Water, right?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "You’re sharper than you look"

"Is that so?" Mikail replied with a small smirk. "Then let me guess something else... The reason you two are here... It has something to do with Grandpa, doesn’t it?"

Before either of them could respond, Moona cut in, stepping slightly forward.

"...He means my Grandpa. Mahesa," She clarified, glancing between the two strangers.

At the mention of the name, a flicker of recognition passed through the woman’s eyes. The man, however, gave an exaggerated whistle.

"So I was right," Mikail said quietly, his smile fading. "He sent you?"

"Yes," The woman answered plainly. "Sir Mahesa was indeed the one who sent us her-"

"*Sigh*," Mikail exhaled, cutting off the woman’s words before she could finish.

In that instant, something shifted.

His posture straightened ever so slightly, and the playful spark in his eyes faded, replaced by a calm, controlled intensity.

The faint pressure of his presence thickened, like the quiet before a tempest. Even the shadows around him seemed to stir in response.

....

...

..

.