After the training... Well, more accurately, after the incident with Ophis, they decided to end the training session for the day and drive back home.

On Azrael's car, Leo glanced back at the back seat, where Ophis was curled up, sleeping soundly on Raphael's lap. Raphael's hand gently stroked her hair.

Leo let out a slow, heavy sigh and turned his gaze to Azrael, who sat silent and focused at the wheel, guiding them through the almost dark haze.

"Is it really that serious?" Leo asked.

Azrael's hands tightened on the steering wheel. She nodded, not looking away from the road.

"You saw it yourself, Leo. That wasn't just fear… it was something much deeper." Her eyes flickered to the rearview mirror, catching the faint reflection of Ophis's fragile face, before shifting back to the road.

"Her terror is anchored so deep inside, it's almost like a curse."

Azrael exhaled, shaking her head slowly. "Whoever did this to her… didn't just want to scare her. They wanted to break her spirit, to plant that fear where she couldn't ever claw it out." Her voice dropped to a whisper, haunted and cold.

"Her only true fear—her father, at this point. Dracula, as all those tales say… he isn't just a monster to the world. He's a nightmare even to his own blood."

Leo bit his lip, "Is there any way to take that fear away? Anything at all?"

Azrael glanced at him, "Fear isn't something you can cut out, Leo. It's not a wound you can heal with a medicine.... The only thing anyone can do is walk through it... face it down, time and time again—until it loses its grip."

Leo stared at her, then nodded. The car fell quiet. Only the muted rhythm of Raphael's gentle touch and the soft hum of the engine filled the silence.

Raphael watched Ophis with worry.

Soon, they reached the house. Raphael gathered Ophis carefully into her arms, lifting her as if afraid the girl might shatter, and they entered the house. As they moved toward the living room, Essa was already there, sitting, waiting for their return.

Leo raised his eyebrows, almost surprised. "You finally came?"

Essa, her face mostly hidden beneath the edge of her hood, nodded once. Her gaze tracked Leo, Azrael, Raphael, and the sleeping Ophis as they came closer.

"I will put her on the bed," Raphael said quietly, and without another word, she disappeared down the hall with Ophis in her arms.

Leo and Azrael sank onto the worn couch across from Essa.

Leo broke the silence, "So? Have you found them?"

Essa met his eyes, "Yes. I have faced the last champion. The one who still lingers in the war."

"Oh? There's still someone left, then?" Leo leaned forward, "Tell me. Every detail. What happened out there?"

Essa nodded once, and her hands tightened... as she began her account.

….

Essa's POV

"Can you find where the Relic will appear?" Leo asked me, after I agreed to help. I shook my head,

"No. This relic's presence is hidden from me."

Leo frowned, the disappointment plain on his face. "Why? Aren't you a champion, too?"

I gulped inwardly as I nodded my head. "Yes, but… due to certain regulations, I can't locate this particular Relic."

Leo hummed, a frown etched on his brow, clearly doubting my answer. He didn't even try to hide his suspicion... He was definitely questioning me!

Just then, a voice echoed deep within my mind, 'I believe there are still two more Masters hidden in this city… Go, and seek them out.'

Startled, but I managed to nod and turned to Leo. "But I do have another plan. What if we track down the remaining alive champions instead?"

Leo eyed me with a sceptical, almost piercing look, his disbelief written all over his face.

Was he really doubting me after all the times I'd risked everything to save him?

Ungrateful brat.

I snorted inwardly, forcing myself to keep my composure.

He asked, "Are they even still alive?"

Oh? So that was his worry…? At least he was asking the right questions.

My Master said they existed, they must… right?

I shrugged. "It's worth a shot. Give me a day, and I'll be back," I promised, my voice proud and confident. Then, with a flicker of mana, I vanished and... later...

Only to find myself… lost.

No matter where I searched, there was no sign of the Masters.

Not a trace!

Even the Champions seemed to have vanished from this city.

Normally, it's not hard for me to find them. As long as there's the faintest mana signature, the lingering energy of their power, I could follow the trail easily. Yet now, there was nothing.

'Master, are you certain there are still champions left here?' I asked with a tone of scepticism, but no answer.

Figures! Of course, now there's no reply.

I sighed, steeling myself, and set out to search again… when suddenly—

THUNDER!!

The sky split open, a jagged crack of lightning tearing the darkness. I frowned, glancing upward.

The sudden gathering of storm clouds... this was not natural.

The atmosphere prickled with mana, charged to a breaking point.

My frown deepened as I leapt from one rooftop to the next, my senses sharpened for any hint of disturbance.

There... a flicker of mana nearby, a surge strong enough to warp the very air.

It had to be a Champion!

I tightened my grip on my cloak and launched myself toward the source. Each leap sent me flying over slick rooftops, rain pelting my face as the sky grew angrier by the second.

The storm unleashed its fury, rain pounding harder!

"Definitely not normal," I muttered, pushing forward, the pull of the mana signature growing stronger.

As I neared the source, my eyes caught sight of a lone figure in the distance—a brown-haired man standing atop the roof of... Valra's house?

I skidded to a halt, confused.

Who was this man?

I'd never seen him before!

And upon closer look… I noticed he seemed oddly similar to Valr—

'That's her father…' The voice echoed in my mind, carrying a note of confusion. 'What is he doing out here?'

I frowned, staring at him harder and harder, trying to see past the rain and the magic swirling around. The moment my focus sharpened, his head snapped in my direction, eyes meeting mine across the distance.

I flinched and crouched down instantly, heart pounding as sweat gathered on my brow.

"He sensed me? How is that possible?"

'That family has a high sensitivity to mana in their surroundings. You'd best stay out of his line of sight,' the voice warned, its tone dead serious.

I swallowed, nodding to myself. Even from kilometres away, the man had detected my presence.

Impressive skills... Dangerous, too.

But still… why was he out here, standing on a rooftop while the rain poured down like a waterfall?

I peeked cautiously around the edge of the wall, eyes widening in disbelief at what I saw—he was surrounded by not one, but three consecutive magic circles, glowing in the storm's fury.

Stage Four Mage?

Impossible!!

I sent the information to my Master immediately, who, as always, remained strangely nonchalant about the whole situation.

'He's just a Pseudo Stage Four.'

I arched my eyebrow... Just how many so-called Pseudo Stage Fours were out here?

And what was he hoping to accomplish, summoning this much lightning and chaos?

'Enough… He's been trying to reach Real Stage Four for years now. Ignore him. He'll act like a fool, get hit by lightning, and fail again—just like always.'

The words made me blink in surprise... Still, part of me was genuinely curious.

As I watched, unable to look away, the magic circles began to shift and whirl, and the storm answered in kind. Bolts of lightning hammered down on him, the air screaming with thunder.

He coughed up blood but didn't falter, trembling yet defiant in the heart of the maelstrom.

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows. Even battered, he refused to give in. The sky roared harder, the thunders grew more violent, and the mana in the air threatened to tear itself apart.

"I am wet," I muttered, annoyance breaking through as I realised my cloak was utterly drenched.

I sighed, shaking the water off, considering leaving to see what kind of trouble that bastard Leo was getting into now.

Just as I turned to leave, I noticed the brown-haired man—clothes torn, body hunched from another strike of lightning—suddenly jerk to the side, as if reacting to something new.

My frown deepened. I focused my vision, squinting through the downpour, and my eyes widened as I caught the subtle movement—someone else was here.

A Champion?

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