Alden inhaled a lungful of chilly air and shivered.
All around him, the darkness of night seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. The blackness broke at certain intervals where signposts affixed with weak mana crystals were set up.
Nonetheless, his surroundings still seemed just as oppressive.
…The cold didn't help either.
Stepping into the frigid gloom, Alden sighed and suppressed his inner turmoil.
He turned towards the Territory of Wind, his feet crunching softly in the light snow.
He had chosen Nature's Grove as his hiding place primarily for a few reasons.
The main rationale behind that decision had to do with the environment, more specifically its climate.
'The Glacial Belt is way too cold. The Pyre Peaks are way too hot. And the Haunted Archipelago has a lot of storms. I wouldn't even survive the first night. Besides, who knows what kind of horrors are lurking beneath the water?'
He knew very well what type of creatures dwelled in the Haunted Archipelago.
After all, he had studied the Territory of Earth extensively during his schooling there.
Still, Alden would have preferred it if he was ignorant of such matters.
'Nature's Grove is a much safer choice… although it also has its perils.'
Shaking his head, the young man released another sigh.
A cold, icy wind blasted him in the face, and he clutched at his cloak tighter.
Ignia grumbled about the frigid weather through their bond.
Alden saw her flap her wings in protest from the corner of his eyes.
He smiled… and instantly regretted that action when a gust of frosty wind entered his mouth.
Alden spluttered and swiftly sealed his lips.
It felt like the back of his throat had turned to ice.
Shaking off the unpleasant sensation, Alden glanced at his wrist, ensuring his dimensional bracelet was still there.
He breathed a secret sigh of relief.
He feared it would suddenly fly off into the night and disappear.
Alden knew that was merely a delusion conjured by his mind.
However, he couldn't help but succumb to that worry.
After all, it would not do if he lost his belongings… and the only means he had to survive in the Wilderness.
As part of helping him with his preparations, the Guildmaster had bestowed upon him the impressive band.
His adoptive father had stated that the Guild had a spare in their treasury. Alden took that answer with a grain of salt, though.
It was more likely that Alistair went out of his way to buy one for him.
Under the older man's insistence, he had no choice but to accept.
Not that he would have refused.
He wasn't foolish enough to give up on such a handy item just because he felt bad that someone had given him a gift.
'I'm not that weird… I think.'
Alden scrutinised the dimensional bracelet more closely.
Intricate runes covered both its underside and topside.
Alden secretly marvelled at the splendid craftsmanship.
It seemed the Stonewardens did live up to their name as the best crafters inside the Sanctuary.
This little band of his… was perfect.
Not just in appearance alone, but also in function.
It allowed him to store any item he wanted in a small, but separate pocket dimension.
Alden no longer had to worry about carrying around a knapsack all the time.
He could just store what he needed within the dimensional space.
'Ah, how convenient…'
Alden mentally made a note to thank Alistair when he returned.
Wincing, the young man shook his head and focused on moving forward.
However, as he did, a strange sense of foreboding washed over him.
'Something seems off…'
Then, he came to an abrupt halt.
His brows were knit in a deep frown, and his eyes rapidly flitted through his immediate vicinity, full of wary apprehension. The reason for the young man's unease lay in the quiet stillness that had suddenly gripped his surroundings.
Alden's breaths, the wind, and his feet crunching softly on the snow… it all seemed strangely muffled.
Just then, all the hair on his body stood on end.
Ignia's emotions spiked through their bond.
Tapping into her senses, Alden sensed a swift silhouette lunge at him from the darkness.
He cursed, instinctively bending back as a weapon skimmed dangerously close to the hood of his cloak.
A surge of anxiety and fury exploded within Alden.
…He had not even left the Sanctuary yet and almost ruined his adoptive father's favourite cloak.
If anything happened to the garment, Alden could not forgive himself.
He also could not forgive the thing that had caused it damage.
Only, right now… it wasn't an abomination but a figure whose features remained obscure in the darkness.
Nonetheless, Alden's goal remained the same.
He had to defeat his opponent.
Summoning a dagger from his pocket dimension, Alden gripped the knife tightly as he righted his posture.
He sensed his foe retreat a few paces, the sound barely discernable.
His gaze turned cold.
This was the second time someone had ambushed him seeking to end his life.
While there was a possibility the incident with the scouts and the one currently occurring could be unrelated, Alden thought it was very slim. It was more likely that the two were connected. This meant that either Drakon was more impatient than he first seemed… or someone had attacked on their own accord.
Alden was leaning towards the latter.
His mind conjured the image of a rapacious red-haired scout.
The young man's expression darkened.
'I guess I just have to wait and see if my conjecture is correct.'
Gritting his teeth, Alden watched as the shadowy figure approached for a second round.
Now that their sneak attack had failed, it seemed they were wary of a counterattack.
'Damn right, they should…'
He grumbled to himself, glaring at his foe with murderous intent.
If his opponent wished to kill him, Alden only had one response: