Azar strode forward, his steps casual yet laced with murderous intent that lurked beneath his cold gaze. But then, he furrowed his brows, glancing down. The blades of grass beneath his feet shimmered unnaturally, each one encircled by a small sigil and trembling—not from the wind, but from something else.
Realizing the danger, he leaped to the side just in time. The grass uprooted itself, flying toward him like a storm of tiny, razor-sharp daggers.
Dashing toward a tree, he paused for a brief moment, waiting for the pursuing grass to close in—then, at the perfect instant, he jumped away. Some of the blades struck the tree trunk, embedding themselves like darts.
This was the magic of Grassy Blades.
Azar continued this tactic until the number of airborne blades diminished.
However, just as he reached out to brace himself against a tree while dodging the last of them, the tree suddenly moved. Its branches twisted like elongated arms, wrapping around Azar and his heated sword in a crushing grip.
The tree was alive, pulling its roots from the earth like legs. Its face was a moss-covered stone with two glowing green eyes.
A Tree Golem, an Ent —born from the fusion of plant and earth magic.
"Please, Azar, just surrender..."
Noah lowered his arm, convinced he had successfully restrained the golden-haired swordsman.
Azar was trapped, unable to swing his sword as the blade was pressed too close to his chest—if he ignited it, he might end up burning himself. His arms were pinned tightly together, utterly immobilized.
With a heavy sigh, he bowed his head—then, without warning, he slammed it backward. His skull struck the golem’s stone face with force. Again. And again. A sickening sound echoed each time.
Noah was stunned, confused by the self-inflicted violence. But then, he noticed something—the golem’s face had started to crack. With every impact, the fissures widened.
"Are you joking? You can’t be serious..."
The mage raised his hand again, realizing that things hadn’t gone his way after all.
With one final headbutt, the Ent’s stone face shattered into pieces. Reeling from the damage, the golem released Azar, clutching at the empty space where its face had once been. Without hesitation, Azar drove his sword deep into its back. Flames erupted, consuming its body and climbing rapidly to its leafy crown. The golem collapsed, burning like a massive bonfire.
Azar casually brushed his fingers through his hair—not from pain, but simply to rid himself of dust and small bits of stone.
"Alright, that's enough, Noah."
Then, in a blink, he vanished.
Noah barely had time to react before a powerful hand seized the back of his neck. His vision spun downward, and then—
BAM!
A deafening impact rattled his skull. For a moment, his ears rang. Half his face throbbed with pain. His cracked glasses sent shards flying, catching the light as they fell.
Azar loomed over him, having just slammed his head into the ground.
The mantis, frozen in shock until now, sprang into action. It lunged at Azar—only for him to swing his sword in response. But the mantis blocked the attack with its claw, deflecting the fiery blade.
The force sent it skidding backward, landing safely but with both of its claws now singed. It flailed desperately, extinguishing the flames by digging into the dirt.
"Tsk...It used the same tactic as before, but slightly differently. Instead of just blocking, it also pushed my blade away while retreating."
Azar lifted his sword high, aiming to cleave the mantis in two. The creature spread its claws wide in defiance, though the effort was futile. Chitinous armor against searing fire—there was no contest.
"Say my greet to your kin in the spirit realm."
With a swift motion, the blade came crashing down—
CLANG!
A metallic echo rang through the air.
Azar's hands trembled, a painful shock coursing through them. His sword vibrated violently, as though he had struck something far harder than he anticipated.
As the dust settled, his eyes narrowed in frustration. The tip of his sword was buried in the ground—but the base of the blade had been stopped by a translucent blue barrier.
Inside the barrier, the mantis blinked in confusion.
Azar glanced around and saw something unusual—dozens upon dozens of glowing blue rectangles suspended in the air, each inscribed with unique sigils of various shapes and colors. Tiny, pixel-like fragments floated around them, fading in and out of existence as new ones appeared.
These were screens.
He turned slightly, just enough to glimpse their summoner.
Noah was slumped on the ground—his legs sprawled, one bent while the other propped up his hand, which pointed directly at Azar. At the tip of his finger, a small screen flickered into existence.
His posture was lowered, his face partially obscured by the shadow of his bangs. But one thing was unmistakable—his eye.
A single, piercingly bright blue eye, its pupil dilated, staring at Azar with unwavering intensity.
Behind him, six more blue screens hovered—three on each side. Each displayed a chilling, unblinking image of one eye, as if they could peer straight into his soul.
'Would you go this far...just for this insect, Noah?'
Despite the tension, Azar's face remained impassive, his stance relaxed yet firm. He glanced at the mantis once more before pulling his sword from the ground. Then, to Noah’s utter shock—he simply turned and walked away.
Noah blinked in disbelief.
Had Azar...given up?
In all the years he had known him, never once had Azar abandoned a fight so easily. He was a man who fought with sheer determination, never backing down—especially not when enraged.
Reality snapped back when the mantis tapped against its barrier. Noah's expression softened, and he quickly approached the trapped creature.
With a snap of his fingers, the shield dissolved, its pixel-like fragments vanishing one by one until nothing remained.
"Are you alright?"
He extended his hand, and the mantis gently touched it with its tarsus, curling and uncurling it playfully around his finger.
From a distance, Azar watched over his shoulder.
Noah attempted to stroke the mantis’s head, and—surprisingly—it lowered itself, allowing him to do so, its antennae twitching in quiet contentment.
"Noah."
His voice was sharp. His gaze remained locked onto the mantis.
Both Noah and the mantis flinched, startled that he was still there.
Noah winced—his right eye swollen and bruised from where Azar had slammed him earlier—while the mantis immediately stepped in front of him, raising its claws defensively.
"Let me ask you again. Will you take responsibility if that mantis grows stronger, multiplies, and becomes a threat to others?"
Noah hesitated. But then, looking at the mantis, he found his resolve.
He had spent so much time with this creature. At first, it rejected him completely.
But with persistence and unwavering dedication, he had won its trust.
"Yes. I will take full responsibility."
"And if, one day, it truly does attack people?"
Azar's question came swift and unforgiving.
Noah's expression darkened. His confidence wavered.
"Then...I will end its life with my own hands."
Azar started to turn away, satisfied.
Though, however—
"But..."
He stopped.
"Even though I said that, remember this, Azar—you will bear witness. I will never allow that to happen! Not ever!"
His gaze was unwavering. Fierce. Determined. Even with only one eye to see, it burned with conviction.
Azar had never seen that expression on him before.
Never had he heard Noah make such a declaration, as though he could see the future with absolute certainty.
A flicker of admiration crossed his eyes—but he remained silent. With a rough exhale, he turned and finally left.
The warm afternoon wind swirled around them, ruffling their hair, tugging at Azar’s bandana—like a gentle hand coaxing him forward.
Noah and the mantis rejoiced, celebrating their narrow victory, the odds had turned in their favor. But it was only because of a fleeting hesitation that had stirred within Azar’s heart.
As Azar made his way out of the forest, descending the small hillside toward the town of Filrime, his thoughts clashed within him.
'Are you really willing to go that far to protect that creature, Noah?'
He hadn't expected to see this side of Noah today. The mage only ever showed that look when he was utterly serious.
Azar recognized it well—the expression and demeanor of a spoiled child on the verge of a tantrum when someone tries to take away their favorite toy.
But the difference was that this child could kill with ease.
It wouldn’t matter if his opponent was a seasoned warrior or a master of fire blades. They would still fall.
Azar’s instincts warned him strictly.
A cold shiver crept up his neck. The warm breeze did nothing to soothe it; in fact, it only deepened the chill. Almost unconsciously, he reached up, rubbing the back of his neck as his mind lingered on their brief battle.
...****************...
After that incident, Noah no longer needed to hide his visits to the mantis.
He openly brought it live food, even capturing prey right in front of Azar. Yet, the man simply turned a blind eye—or rather, he no longer cared. Still, a lingering sense of wariness and dislike gnawed at his heart.
Their relationship had grown tense. They barely spoke in the mornings, and when they crossed paths, Azar would pass by as if Noah were nothing more than a phantom.
Even so, after their last battle, Azar continued to show subtle concern—secretly buying medicine in case Noah's eyes suffered an infection and replacing the lenses of his broken glasses.
Meanwhile, Noah's bond with the mantis had grown stronger than ever. He no longer needed to bring it food, as it had regained enough strength to hunt on its own just days after his fight with Azar. He also stopped keeping it in a cage, realizing that if he truly wanted to earn its trust, captivity was unnecessary.
Every day, he visited it three times—morning, afternoon, and night. In return, the mantis would approach him, displaying a newfound docility. It no longer raised its claws in a threatening manner and allowed Noah to watch it eat without hesitation.
Its size had also changed, growing from that of a large rabbit to a full-grown fox. Shedding its skin frequently, Noah estimated that it molted two or three times a day—until the forest floor became littered with its discarded exoskeletons.
Then, in mid-spring, something happened.
"Whoa...it’s huge."
Noah stood in stunned silence, staring at the mantis’s most recent molt. It was significantly larger than the last—what had once been the size of a fox was now, by his rough estimation, as big as a wolf.
Even stranger, the mantis had become more elusive. Before mid-spring, it had begun to disappear for days at a time, worrying Noah.
A sudden rustling in the bushes snapped him out of his thoughts, followed by an odd, homophonic sound of hissing.
“Oh, there you are!”
Without thinking, Noah rushed toward the bushes, kneeling on one knee with a wide smile.
"I was worried when you disappeared for so long. What were you doing back there? Come on out, Greenie."
He had grown tired of calling it "mantis" all the time, so he had finally given it a nickname.
Reaching out his hand, he hoped to lure it closer. He expected to feel the hardened chitin of an insect' s tarsus—but instead, something else brushed against his fingertip.
A slender, delicate, and soft human finger.
"What the—?!"
Startled, Noah stumbled backward and fell onto his rear, his legs tangling beneath him.
The finger slowly withdrew into the bushes, which rustled once more before revealing their hidden occupant.
Noah's eyes widened, his glasses slipping slightly as he gaped in disbelief.
A girl.
Her long, pale green hair shimmered under the sunlight, tangled with leaves. Strands of it fell messily over her delicate face, her fair skin marred slightly with traces of dirt. Her large, golden eyes gazed at Noah with a soft, almost dazed expression, reflecting his own astonished face.
But it wasn’t her beauty that left him speechless.
It was the fact that she was completely unclothed, leaning forward with both hands supporting her upper body while the lower half of her form remained hidden within the bushes.
Thankfully.
"H-ha...ha..?"
Noah could only stammer, his face burning.
Realizing what he was staring at, he quickly turned his head away, fixing his gaze firmly on the ground.
"M-miss! F-forgive me, but where are your c-clothes?"
His words came out in broken stutters, and he dared only the quickest glances before forcing himself to look away.
As he adjusted his glasses with trembling fingers, the girl began to step out of the bushes.
"W-wait, Miss! Don't move!"
Ignoring his panicked shout, she revealed her waist—sending Noah into a full-blown panic. He clapped both hands over his face, his palms burning against his cheeks.
But despite his desperate attempts to be a gentleman, curiosity gnawed at him. Hesitantly, he peeked through the gaps between his fingers.
She had fully emerged from the bush.
However, Noah's attention was immediately drawn to something else.
A freshly discarded mantis exoskeleton—pale green and intricately detailed—was still clinging to her left leg.
She gave her leg a shake, dislodging the empty shell, which fell to the ground with a soft thud.
Noah blinked, his mind racing.
His gaze flickered from the shed exoskeleton to the girl before him.
A wild thought crashed into his brain, knocking the breath from his lungs.
"...Greenie?"
The girl simply tilted her head as if in response.
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