DIVINE BANE-Chapter 69: wolf subjucation

The next day...

Alex stepped out of the inn, stretching with a loud yawn as golden morning light bathed the cobblestone street. He raised his arms to the sky, basking in the warmth.

"Haa... what a day," he sighed, grinning. "A fine day to start my new adventure!"

Just as he arched his back in a stretch—wham! Something or rather, someone collided into him again.

Stumbling back a step, Alex caught himself and looked down, instantly recognizing the blonde-haired girl with the green eyes. Again?

His brow twitched. "Oi, you! How many times are you gonna dash into me?! Haa—can't you see where you're going?"

The girl scrambled to her feet, steadying herself with her staff. Her eyes were wide and rushed.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" she blurted in a flurry of words.

"I'm just a bit busy. Okay, bye!"

And with that, she took off again, her cloak fluttering behind her.

Alex blinked, watching her go.

"What the hell is with her..."

Brushing it off with a shrug, he adjusted his mask slightly and began walking toward the adventure guild once more.

"Let's just hope today's less chaotic."

That's what Alex thought... but reality had other plans.

The moment he stepped into the adventure guild, a wave of noise and footsteps rushed toward him. Adventurers, recruiters, and guild leaders from all corners of the building swarmed in his direction.

"There he is! That's the prodigy kid!"

"Join our guild! We'll give you double the reward cut!"

"Forget them, we've got our own manor!"

Alex's eye twitched as the crowd closed in like a pack of hungry wolves.

What the hell?! Did they set up an ambush for me?!

The crowd was so thick, it was hard to even see where he was. Elbows, hands, and even someone's feathered hat brushed past him.

In the middle of the chaos, Alex ducked low, slipped between a few legs, and dashed toward a side corridor. Once clear, he exhaled hard and quickly pulled off his red Asura skull mask, tucking it away into his coat.

"Note to self," he muttered.

"Never show off."

Now with his face unhidden and the attention is off him, he casually walked to the mission board like nothing happened.

That's when he saw her.

The blonde girl from before the one who kept crashing into him was standing there, looking up and down the board with furrowed brows, mumbling under her breath. She looked flustered, maybe even desperate.

Alex walked up beside her.

"So..." he started, glancing at the side of her face, "what exactly are you looking for?"

She blinked and turned, a little surprised. Her green eyes softened slightly when she saw it wasn't another recruiter.

"Ah.. it's you... from earlier," she said, straightening up. "I, um, I'm looking for a low-level mission. Something solo. But everything descent's been picked clean."

She sighed, gripping her staff tighter.

"Not like anyone wants to party with someone like me anyway."

Alex tilted his head. "Someone like you? You mean a serial crasher?"

She pouted. "I said I was sorry..."

Alex chuckled. "I'm kidding. Name's Alex, by the way."

She hesitated for a second, then answered, "Rina."

Alex looked at her a moment longer, watching how her fingers fidgeted against her staff. She clearly wasn't lying, she looked nervous just being here.

He tilted his head slightly, then asked, "Why are you going solo, anyway?"

Rina bit her lip, hesitated, then replied softly, "I'm... a mage. High Awakened tier. But I can only use a few spells right now. "Her eyes dropped to the floor.

"Also... I kinda suck at talking to people. So, teaming up has been... well, a disaster."

Alex stared at her for a beat, processing it in his own way. So she's a bit weak, has social issues, and is going at it solo? Then he shrugged mentally. Well, I'm not exactly Mister Popular either. Could work out.

He gave her a half-smile. "Sounds like you've had it rough."

She just gave a tiny, sheepish nod.

Alex rubbed the back of his neck, glanced at the task board again, then casually offered, "Wanna join me for this one?"

Rina blinked. "Wait—seriously?"

"Yeah. I mean, I could use a mage," he said, pointing at himself. "And you clearly could use someone who doesn't run away when you talk."

Rina's expression warmed just a little. It wasn't a full smile, but it was close. "I... I'd like that."

Alex grinned. "Cool. Let's find a mission that won't get us killed on day one."

Alex scanned the board with her beside him, his finger dragging across the options escort missions, herb gathering, dungeon scouting...

Then he spotted it.

"Here. Wolf subjugation," he said, tapping a parchment nailed to the wood.

"A wolf has been sighted near the outskirts of the eastern woods. Locals are afraid they'll start attacking livestock."

Rina leaned in to read. "Reward's decent... and it's marked as a C-rank mission. Think we can handle it?"

Alex and the girl walked up to the receptionist's desk, holding the wolf subjugation mission sheet. The receptionist glanced at them and immediately narrowed her eyes at Alex who didn't had his mark on.

"Well, who are you, kid?" she scoffed. "This isn't a playground. Go back to your mommy."

Alex sighed, clearly used to this by now. Without a word, he reached into his cloak, pulled out his red Asura skull mask, and slid it on for just a second then took it off again.

The receptionist's eyes widened the instant she recognized him. "O-Oh! My apologies, prodigy," she said, recovering quickly with a smirk.

"How was your grand welcome today?"

Alex shrugged, brushing off the question with a tired look.

"Let's just say... overwhelming."

He handed over the mission paper.

"Very well," she said, stamping it with approval.

"One C-rank wolf subjugation mission, officially assigned. Good luck out there for both of you."

As Alex turned to leave, the girl glanced sideways at him, clearly curious now. He could feel the question coming.

He chuckled to himself, "Yeah, yeah, I'll explain on the way."

As they walked through the wooded path leading toward the outskirts of Welford, the girl finally broke the silence.

"So... you're the new prodigy everyone's been talking about?"

Alex gave a sheepish grin. "Yeah, I guess that's me."

She tilted her head. "But you don't look like a prodigy..."

Alex looked ahead, hands behind his head.

"Well, I'm actually only ten. I awakened my Rhu core a few weeks ago and somehow hit Low Master tier already."

She nearly tripped on a rock.

"Wait—ten?! But in the guild you said you were fourteen!"

Alex glanced at her with a lopsided grin. "Yeah, I kinda... lied. Had to keep things simple."

Rina stared at him, flabbergasted. "You're insane."

"Maybe," he chuckled, "but keep it a secret, okay?"

She sighed and shook her head with a tiny smile. "Fine. But you owe me."

"Deal," Alex said, flashing a thumbs-up as they finally neared the mission location.

***

The early morning mist lingered gently across the cobbled grounds. The horses were saddled, the carriage polished, and the banner of House Ravenhart fluttered softly in the breeze. Zed stood near the steps, dressed in his travel cloak, gloves on, and his blade strapped to his side.

Zander tightened the last strap on Zed's pack, then stood upright, his usual composed expression slightly softer than usual.

"Two months. That's the estimated time for the round trip," he said.

Zed gave a small smirk. "I'll try to make it back before you lose your mind managing everything."

Zander returned the smirk. "don't worry about me, i will just be fine."

Just then, Aurora stepped forward. Her arms were crossed, but her expression was tender.

"Don't cause trouble in Remora, Zed. You have a habit of turning visits into dramatic events."

Zed raised a brow. "I'm innocent until proven guilty."

Aurora rolled her eyes but then walked over and fixed his collar, smoothing it like a concerned sister.

"Stay safe. Sofia's excited to see you... so don't keep her waiting too long."

Zed blinked, then turned away with a slight cough, pretending to adjust his gloves. "Right... Sofia."

Zander chuckled. "Our young lord turning red? What a rare sight."

Zed scoffed. "You're seeing things."

Aurora and Zander both smiled as the coachman opened the carriage door.

Aurora placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Come back safely. The estate feels... dull without your nonsense."

Zed gave a genuine smile. "Don't get too bored while I'm gone."

Zander offered a nod. "Go, Zed. We'll handle things here."

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With that, Zed stepped into the carriage. As it rolled off, he glanced back through the window, Aurora waving gracefully, and Zander standing tall with a faint smile on his face.

The estate grew smaller behind him, but something in Zed's heart felt lighter. The road ahead was long, but he wasn't walking it alone not really.

***

The wind howled over the broken earth.

Uriel hovered above a vast crater its edges charred, the soil scorched to ash. Once, this place had been the Golden Wave Ruins, whispered in lost tongues, dismissed by scholars as myth. But now the truth stood beneath him erased, buried, deliberately forgotten.

He gazed into the pit, silver eyes reflecting the void below.

"So... all these years," he said softly, "you were hiding here."

There was no echo only silence and the low hum of ancient grief.

Suddenly, a brilliance exploded from his back.

two wings of pure white light unfurled, their feathers trembling with divine force. The heavens responded with thunder clouds splitting in reverence.

And then, he vanished.