I saw the instant when my magic tore through the sky and descended on the museum, like a bolt of black lightning roaring like divine wrath itself. The energy hit him, throwing him into a corner as his evil aura wavered in the face of the overwhelming force.
"Suho! Throw it to me!"
I watched as Kim Suho, without hesitation, turned the sword and threw it. I saw Nayun catch it in the air, his fingers closing tightly on the handle, and at that moment something changed.
His eyes shone with a determination I had never seen before.
That's when it happened.
The moment when Chae Nayun understood the true value of her Gift.
The moment when she stopped being just a talented archer and started walking the path of, "Empress of the Battlefield".
The sound of invisible chains breaking echoed through her life. The fear, doubts and insecurities that had held her back until then... Everything was crushed by the simple certainty that this was her true essence.
The gift she had once tried to reject... Now it shone on her blade, as natural as breathing.
She raised the sword.
The greenish mana exploded out of her like a furious gale towards the Djinn.
'I never expected a development . I only threw that magic at the Djinn because I didn't want to see her scared, but because I didn't want that piece of garbage to touch her.'
But, to my surprise, that simple act triggered something completely new.
Something that paralyzed me and made me just watch.
Chae Nayun was no longer the girl who was afraid. She was no longer the girl who hid behind her bow, afraid to touch a blade.
She had overcome her trauma.
'What is it? This happiness I feel now.'
I felt something grow inside me. An unexpected pride. An almost childlike joy overwhelmed me.
'My girlfriend is amazing!'
Let's leave those compliments for later. Deactivating the invisibility magic, I floated down into the air. Those who were still stunned by Nayun's attack seemed to notice me.
"Look Mom, he's flying."
"Wow! How beautiful!"
"No, look at his uniform, it's the same as theirs."
Murmurs echoed through the space. The people, once afraid, now seemed to relax when they saw that the Djinn was dead.
Ignoring the whispers around me, I fell softly to the ground. My gaze immediately went to Nayun.
She was still holding the sword, breathing heavily, her shoulders rising and falling with the effort.
Her green eyes, once full of sparkle, were now cloudy, showing that she had really tried her hardest.
I approached, ignoring Kim Suho and Kim Hajin, who just watched in silence. Nayun noticed my presence and turned her head towards me in surprise.
"You... Were you watching?"
I pretended to be pensive.
"Of course I was. And I have to say..."
I paused dramatically, crossing my arms.
"You were truly stunning!"
I joked as I held out my hand to her.
"Here you go with your nonsense."
She took my hand and forced herself up.
Her expression darkened in sheer terror.
"My legs, they won't move."
"Poof! Of course you won't be able to move them. You used up almost all your mana in that attack."
"Yes, that's called running out of mana. This must be the first time it's happened, right?"
She scratched her head with her free hand, clearly ashamed that she couldn't admit it.
After all, admitting it would be like saying that she was wasting her potential by using the Bow. I could see the internal conflict in her eyes, the struggle between pride and reality.
"All right, come here!"
I decided to act before she could protest.
Before she could understand what I was doing, I lifted her up and held her like a princess.
"What?! That's it... Put me down!"
She exclaimed, and her face began to change color as she realized she was in my arms.
I replied, holding her tightly as I walked towards Suho.
Seeing Nayun act like a whining child, some people nearby laughed. Nayun, hearing the laughter, curled up even tighter against my chest, trying to hide from the embarrassing situation.
The truth was that she didn't need to go through all this. With me carrying her, I could simply take some mana from around us and transfer it to her, but let's be quiet for now.
Oh, I don't transfer my mana to her, because there's a risk of it harming her. Seriously, if even the gods can't handle my mana, what about Nayun?
"Hey, Suho, that was a hard hit, huh!"
"Haha! Yeah, I ended up hurting myself a bit."
As I approached, I could see small cuts and bruises on his arms, hands and even his face.
Suho looked at his arms and hands, which glowed slightly, and after a while they were normal, as if there hadn't been any cuts or scratches.
"There, now you're brand new."
Having said that, I walked with Nayum still in my arms towards Kim Hajin.
A slow, steady noise entered my ears, and when I looked at the girl who had been complaining earlier, she was sleeping peacefully, clearly very tired after using so much mana.
'Uh?! She really did sleep.'
After walking for a while, I reached Hajin.
"I'm Theo Sagan, you must be Kim Hajin, right? Do you have any injuries or feel pain anywhere? If so, I can use my healing magic on you."
"Ah! Yes, my name is Kim Hajin. No need, I'm fine. Thank you!"
Of course he would have been fine, as his participation in the battle was almost nil, thanks to my interference. At most, he fired a bullet of light at the last minute.
In any case, he created the "Bullet of Light", something that would have helped Chae Nayun and Sujo at the critical moment of the battle, even if I hadn't shown up.
"Right! See you around, Hajin."
It wasn't time to talk to him yet. First, I need to know if he'll change after my interference in the story, or rather if the Co-author will make him change.
'Mnn! Where's the child? I found...'
The person for whom the Association of Djinns sent an assassin was this short-haired child, hidden between the arms of a man, who clearly looked like father and daughter to anyone who looked at them.
The reason was his "Healing Authority", which gave him the ability to heal any injury, regenerate lost limbs and even reverse aging.
The Association of Heroes almost failed to find her when they were looking for her.
'If fate is on your side, child, we will meet again in the future.'
Looking away, I glanced at the doors that had started to open.
Yun Seung-Ah drew his sword in one fluid movement, and the blade glinted in the city light. Her brown hair danced in the gentle breeze, and his sharp gaze swept the surroundings intently.
Dozens of civilians, who until a few seconds ago had been panicking, now watched her with respect and admiration. For them, the arrival of the world's most popular heroine was an unforgettable event, something that would be told for years in bars.
With an imposing posture, she opened her mouth to calm them down.
An urgent male voice interrupted her. She looked at one of her team members, who was rapidly approaching.
The man looked confused, as if he was telling her something unbelievable.
"All the monsters have already been eliminated."
"Yes, when we arrived, they were already dead. Look around..."
Yun Seung-Ah frowned and finally allowed her eyes to better analyze the scene.
What she saw left her momentarily speechless.
She had expected to find a chaotic battlefield, with civilians fleeing and monsters attacking them. However, the scene was littered with black marks. The monsters that were supposed to terrorize the city had been turned into piles of charred ash. The air still smelled of ozone and burnt flesh.
"That doesn't make sense... Who was responsible for this?"
The man tried to explain, but was interrupted by a sudden call on the transceiver in his ear. He placed his hand on the device, listening intently to the message before frowning even more.
"Yes... Something... What?"
Yun Seung-Ah crossed his arms, feeling his instincts tell him that something big had happened.
He cleared his throat before continuing.
"The Djinn inside the museum was executed."
"Yes. Apparently, four Cube cadets were inside..."
She narrowed her eyes when she heard that.
"Kim Suho, Chae Nayun, Theo Sagan and... Urg!"
The man couldn't finish his sentence.
A sudden strong wind swept through the place, shaking the leaves and dust from the ground. When he blinked to regain his vision, Yun Seung-Ah had already gone.
Hastily, Yun Seung-Ah arrived at the museum in a matter of seconds. As soon as his feet touched the ground, his eyes immediately fixed on the figure emerging from the opening door.
A tall young man with white hair and reddish-black eyes came out carrying someone in his arms. His Cube uniform was in perfect condition, as was his handsome face.
In his arms, Yun Seung-Ah saw a girl lying down. After a little more analysis, Yun Seung-Ah realized that it was Chae Nayun.
As soon as Theo Sagan realized her presence, he looked up and met Yun Seung-Ah's gaze.
For a moment, the two just looked at each other.
"Could you make some room? As you can see, I'm kind of busy right now."
Yun Seung-Ah blinked, processing the request for a moment, before letting out a sigh.
She took a step to the side, allowing Theo to pass. However, his eyes never left her figure.
Yun Seung-Ah frowned slightly as Theo walked past her without showing the slightest bit of respect or reverence.
He didn't seem impressed by her presence, or even surprised. It was as if she was just another person in the crowd, of no importance.
This irritated her a little.
'I came here to talk to him and Suho. But... Who does he think he is to treat me ?'
She bit her lower lip, crossed her arms and watched his back move away.
It was unusual for someone to act in front of her. Normally, cadets would be nervous, respectful or even excited when they saw her. After all, she was Yun Seung-Ah, deputy leader of the Sacred Grace of the Creator Guild, one of the most popular heroines in the world.
But what about Theo Sagan...?
He didn't even hesitate.
It was as if he was in his own world, without caring about titles or hierarchies.
As if he didn't consider heroes to be unreachable figures, but mere equals.
Yun Seung-Ah squinted, now even more curious about who exactly that cadet was.