The almost familiar man stared at the students with a surprised expression as well.

The silver-haired man slowly lowered the massive sword resting on his shoulder while his sharp eyes scanned the cave carefully. His gaze briefly paused on Harris, then Lucien, before finally stopping on Leo for a short moment.

Leo quietly tightened his grip around [Yielding Spine].

The man in front of them looked exhausted. Several wounds covered his arms and neck while traces of dried blood stained parts of his black clothing. Yet despite that terrible condition, nobody inside the cave dared lower their guard.

Because even injured, the man standing before them was still one of the Seven Radiant Blades.

The silver-haired man frowned slightly afterward.

"...Children?"

Several students exchanged nervous glances immediately after hearing that.

Lucien stepped forward first while keeping his golden staff lowered slightly to avoid appearing openly hostile. "We could ask the same thing."

The silver-haired man stared at him briefly before suddenly laughing under his breath.

"That explains why that white tiger kept backing away." His eyes moved around the cave again. "I thought it found an Eldrath ambush. Instead I find a cave full of awakened children carrying Vestiges."

The students exchanged quick glances. The man raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Can you lower your guard now? I’m feeling like I’m a bad guy."

Leo frowned. "And why should we do that?"

The man scowled. "Well, I’m a human and so are you guys. I’m not an Eldrath."

"How can be so sure you’re saying the truth?" Leo pestered.

"Argh. You must be a stubborn one. See I’m injured and really need rest. C’mon man."

Leo’s expression did not change.

"That doesn’t really answer my question."

The silver-haired man stared at him for a few seconds before sighing tiredly. He suddenly pointed toward the dark forest behind him.

"If I was an Eldrath, do you honestly think this cave would still be standing right now?"

That immediately shut several students up.

Even Leo could not deny the logic behind those words. The pressure coming from the man alone already felt overwhelming despite him clearly being exhausted and injured. If he truly wanted to attack them, there was a high chance most of the students inside the cave would not survive the first minute.

Lucien slowly lowered his staff slightly. "Fair point."

The silver-haired man immediately looked relieved. "Finally. Someone reasonable."

Leo still did not lower [Yielding Spine]. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The man noticed instantly and looked genuinely annoyed now. "You really don’t trust people, huh?"

Leo didn’t reply and just lowered his guard a bit.

Yin Li suddenly raised his hand from the back. "I personally trust anybody who doesn’t look like they eat humans."

Several students immediately looked toward him.

"What?" Yin Li frowned. "My standards are simple."

The silver-haired man laughed again, though this time the laughter sounded rougher because of exhaustion. He rested the massive sword fully against the cave wall before slowly sitting down near the entrance.

Only then did the students properly realize how tired he actually looked.

His breathing had become slightly uneven and one of the wounds near his shoulder was still bleeding slowly despite being partially closed by Aura.

Lucien’s expression became more serious afterward. "You really are injured badly."

The man waved his hand dismissively. "I’ve survived worse."

Leo frowned slightly while observing him carefully. As per the privilege to able to sense each other’s rank, he could tell he had completed at least third Rite as an Outsider.

The silver-haired man leaned his head against the cave wall afterward and closed his eyes briefly.

"You children seriously shouldn’t be inside Morva right now." He muttered tiredly. "This entire forest is turning into a battlefield."

He then suddenly turned to them with a questioning look. "How exactly did all of you reach here?"

Yin Li was about to talk when Leo threw a cold glance at him. The chubby boy whimpered.

"None of your business." Leo replied.

"Okay, Red Hair. It is my business. I’m guessing you know a team was sent here to rescue the general and I don’t remember Last Flame mentioning he was bringing kids along to the mission. So start talking and I’ll find a way to send you all back immediately."

Leo opened his mouth to say something but Lucien beat him to it. "We are not really here and you’re not fully real. I know it sounds stupid but I think you should rest a bit before we discuss it better."

The man wanted to talk but decided against it.

"We know you’re a member of the cohort sent here but given the time you guys were in your prime and the timeline we come from we don’t recognize most of you or even know who is who. Can you tell us your name?". Lucien asked respectfully, the warm smile never leaving his face.

The silver-haired man stared at Lucien for a few seconds after hearing that strange explanation. His tired eyes narrowed slightly as if he was trying to decide whether the pink-haired boy was insane or simply joking.

"Um..um. ..I don’t even know what to say."

Eventually, he sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"You children are either incredibly brave or unbelievably stupid." He muttered.

"Usually both," Yin Li replied honestly.

Several students immediately nodded in agreement.

The man stared at them blankly for a second before shaking his head. "Humanity is doomed."

Lucien laughed lightly while the tension inside the cave eased slightly again.

The silver-haired man finally adjusted himself against the cave wall before answering properly.

"I am Drakon Draven," he said calmly. "Most people call me Nightwalker."

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere inside the cave changed again. Even though none of the students fully recognized the names personally, the title alone carried a strange weight behind it.

Leo quietly studied him again afterward.

Drakon Draven looked far less mythical than Leo expected one of the Seven Radiant Blades to appear. Outside the overwhelming Aura pressure surrounding him, the man honestly looked exhausted more than anything else. His silver hair was messy, parts of his black coat had been torn open during battle, and the dark circles beneath his eyes made him resemble someone who had not slept properly in weeks.

Yet despite all of that, nobody inside the cave underestimated him.

Lucien slowly nodded respectfully. "So you’re really one of them."

Kael frowned slightly. "One of who?"

"The Seven Radiant Blades."

Kael’s expression immediately became strange afterward as if in confusion.

"...People are already calling us that?"

Leo and Lucien threw each other quick glances noticing the honesty in Nightwalker’s voice. As if the title "Seven Radiant Blades" did not fully exist yet during this point in time.

Yin Li blinked. "Wait... you guys aren’t famous already?"

Kael snorted quietly. "Famous?" He looked genuinely annoyed by the word. "Half the Council still thinks we’re reckless idiots causing problems across the frontier."

Leo’s thoughts immediately multiplied after hearing that.

If Kael truly did not recognize the legendary title attached to their group yet, then that meant the students had likely arrived before the Seven Radiant Blades reached the peak of their fame.

Which also meant one very dangerous thing.

...They had arrived before the tragedy fully happened.

Lucien seemed to realize the same thing because his relaxed smile faded slightly.

Kael noticed the expressions immediately.

"...Alright." He slowly frowned at them. "Now I’m starting to think I really need an explanation."

Leo and Lucien exchanged brief glances.

Neither of them knew where to even begin.