Anxiety filled hunting grounds

Huff huff

The unstable breathing of the man was being overlapped by the sounds of his footsteps. The speed at which he was running was so fast that he couldn't hear anything but fluttering sounds because of the air.

'Why is he here?'

Despite the light that made his face visible, his features weren't being perceived at all. It was as if something blurry was interfering with one's vision.

His gaze slightly turned to check if he was being chased. It was, maybe, his bad luck that he happened to run into the person he least expected and wanted to meet.

Then his steps slowed down a bit, seeing that no one was following him.

Letting his guard down when he couldn't sense his enemy was the worst mistake he could've made. Before he even realised it, the ground was above his head instead of the sky.

He felt something hard brush past his ankle. He gritted his teeth in pain while trying to stand up, but he couldn't do so for a few seconds. His eyes reflexively turned along with a perplexed groan.

Kuh

He had tripped because of the rope, which was just a few centimetres above the ground. It seemed like it was intentionally set up by someone. A cold sensation ran down his back.

'I need to stall for time till Jack arrives.'

Ace thought while brushing away the blood near his lips. He could tell that his chances of escaping were very low if he were to face the monster after him head-on.

Most likely, he would end up losing a limb or two at the hands of the man who was approaching him while hiding his presence. And even if he manages to run away, he will definitely suffer some injuries.

He continued to run in the direction that would lead him straight out of the elven forest. Despite the slight pain in his ankles, he was pushing himself forward. Was resting even an option in that situation?

Then his steps came to a stop, witnessing the shadow of the man showcasing itself on the foggy layer.

"Ah... Damned monster."

He muttered to himself at the sight, which gave him goosebumps. In Ace's opinion, this man wasn't supposed to be here. No, he shouldn't even have existed.

His black hair fluttered with his serene, black eyes fixed on Ace. A cold smile crept on his lips when some memories of the past resurfaced.

"To think we would meet again... Ace."

This was Adrienne's second encounter with Ace, who stood with an awkward smile. The blurring magic hid his features, but not his lips.

Fwip

The sword he swung in the air just to make the sound of air being cut hang down his right hand. Adrienne's cold voice made Ace shiver.

"This time things are different."

The last time he came across Ace was over four years ago. That time, he was weak compared to Pollux, Castor, and Ace, who were aiming for his life.

In truth, Ace was only trying to interfere with Castor and Pollux's mission. His appearance during that time even gave Adrienne a chance to make his escape.

But Adrienne had already understood that the three of them were connected to each other in one way or another.

And aside from that, they were all part of the group with the goal of killing the world tree. That was more than enough of a reason for Adrienne to perceive them as his enemies.

"Does that even matter? You won't be able to catch me."

Ace smiled as he let his body fall into the shadow of the canopies behind him. Adrienne only observed him trying to escape instead of chasing after him.

Ace was aware that he couldn't possibly run away from him since Adrienne had grown immensely strong within the span of the past few years.

The only thing he could do in those moments was bluff endlessly. He had no clue that Adrienne was acting as if he fell for his feints on purpose.

Adrienne grinned at himself, noticing that Ace's presence had become fainter. He had moved further away from there. But was he even safe after doing that?

"This place is my hunting ground."

Adrienne sheathed his sword while leaping forward where Ace had disappeared. He knew what Ace was trying to do.

Ace had a plan on his mind. After hiding himself in the fog, he would go from the side of the spot Adrienne was at.

It would indeed take him a bit more time, but it was the safest option. And if he failed to escape, the fight he was trying to avoid so hard would be inevitable.

"Huh?"

Ace let out the sound as he suddenly couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet. Had he not thrown his body forward, he would have fallen into the pitfall.

There was no time for him to wonder who had dug that hole in the middle of nowhere. He was maintaining his speed as best as he could. The very next moment, he could feel his body go numb.

Thud

Something crashed onto his body from the right side. He gasped for air while trying to get rid of the hazy vision. His eyes widened when his view became clear.

"A log...? What's that doing here...?"

The log that was hanging down by two ropes was what sent him flying towards the tree. At first, he thought that the rope from earlier was a mere coincidence.

Would he still be able to think the same after coming across two more similarly set traps?

His attention was stolen by the figure that walked out of the fog. Adrienne looked down at him with a cold gaze accompanying his cold smile.

"I told you... This is my hunting ground."

Prior to approaching the spot Ace was hiding at, Adrienne had already set up multiple traps in a radius of five hundred meters. The hunt had began quite a while ago; before Ace even got to realise it.

-------------------------

"What do you mean he went hunting?!"

The woman's blue eyes narrowed while she spoke in a complaining manner. She brushed away her blonde hair that was covering her eyes.

The two men sitting near her did nothing but smile at each other awkwardly. They couldn't decide how else they should've been acting.

"That's what Lord Adrienne said to our mother."

Eleanor grumbled while replying to Diona's question. She had no idea about the particulars of what Sierra had told her.

Similar to Diona, at first, both Jaden and Blaise couldn't figure out what exactly she meant. They had been waiting for Adrienne, and he had gone off somewhere without even informing them?

'It's not like we have the right to control his actions.'

Jaden nodded to himself, as it was unreasonable of them to expect Adrienne to inform them before acting up. If anything, they should've been grateful that a strong individual like Adrienne was trying to handle some stuff.

Unlike Eleanor, the other three in the room were smart enough to understand that the word 'hunting' held another meaning.

Adrienne wasn't someone they could see through or predict easily. He was more on the mysterious side than that. They had not known much about him.

Even Sierra had no accurate information about Adrienne for over ten years. He had been using his powers cautiously, so no one had caught even a proper glimpse of them.

Diona's eyes frowned as she felt frustrated for a particular reason. Her lips parted for a moment to release her breath along with what she was feeling.

"So, it must mean 'that' has happened..."

Diona gulped down her own saliva, her nervous eyes switching between Jaden and Blaise. They knew what she meant instinctively.

The appearance of different species of monsters within a short period of time left them with a few suspicions on their minds.

They had made two assumptions about the situation. The first was that the things unfolding in the forest were just coincidences. The second possibility was that someone was intentionally trying to cause them harm.

If it were a coincidence, Adrienne wouldn't have left on the pretence of hunting. But his actions ascertained that the second assumption was precisely the correct one.

"What? What?"

Eleanor looked at their faces with visible confusion in her eyes. She was so clueless that she had no idea what the three were even talking about.

Sigh

Blaise and Diona let out a long sigh, witnessing her familiar reaction. They weren't even expecting Eleanor to understand a thing when they started talking.

Blaise had known her for over two years, and she hadn't changed even a bit. He stared at her dumb expression blankly for a while, then spoke.

"It means that the appearance of monsters wasn't a coincidence..."

Eleanor's face became pale when she heard that. She wasn't that dumb; she could comprehend what those words meant.

Diona stood up and walked towards the door when Blaise was busy explaining things to Eleanor.

Why did she do so, you ask? That was because she felt a familiar presence nearby. Blaise continued to speak while observing her approach the door.

"Someone released them in the forest on purpose."

Clank

Diona slowly opened the door while ignoring what Blaise and Eleanor were talking about. Jaden was staring at the door, listening to what the two were talking about.

It wasn't that Diona had no interest in their conversation, but she was simply curious about how long the person behind the door was planning to eavesdrop on them.

Sigh

Jaden exhaled as his curiosity died out. Who was he expecting to visit that room aside from Sierra, who was the only person aside from Adrienne to be absent from there?

Sierra usually had a calm face, but this time something was odd. Jaden had known her for a short while, and even he could tell that it was not like her to have such a nervous expression.

"Mother, what's wrong?"

Her gaze wavered when she heard Diona's question. Maybe she should've asked what wasn't wrong. She took a large breath, trying to calm herself down.

Eleanor's face, which was filled with confusion just a while ago, had terror engulfing it at the moment. Her shiny eyes became dull when she glanced at Sierra.

She didn't sit in one place after that. Before anyone realised what was happening, she walked out of the room without saying a word.

Why did she act like that? Eleanor and Sierra could feel each other's emotions at some random moments. Hence, Eleanor could tell what Sierra was feeling at the moment.

Sierra was anxious for multiple reasons. And Eleanor was able to feel her emotions as if they were her own. That's why she ran away.

The reason it was that way was because they shared a special bond with each other. That's a story for another time, though.

Fuh

Sierra let out a light breath, which no one heard. She glanced at the back of Eleanor, who walked out of the room with a bitter smile on her face. Then she let out a sigh before speaking.

"Don't mind her. There's something you guys need to see. Follow me."

A door rose up from the ground with a strange blue glow in Sierra's eyes. Where was she taking them? What was it that she wanted them to witness?

Those questions left Blaise and Jaden with a nervous heart. They glanced at each other after seeing Diona walk through the door, emitting blue light without any hesitation.

"What happens happens."

Jaden smiled awkwardly at Blaise's words and walked forward, despite nothing aside from bright, white light being visible. It wasn't like they would've done something else.

'Right. What happens happens.'