[Congratulations On Your First Series, Grim Warden!]

Killian stepped into the dense forest littered with tall canopy trees that swallowed most of the sunlight, only letting little light slip into the fog.

The air felt damp and heavy, and his steps sunk into the ground. "Domain Totality Art: Realmcraft."

The tendrils under his legs spread to his back and front, as if claiming their territory. Few strands went ahead, draining ambient mana from the loose ground and lush greens.

Killian kept walking, ignoring the eerie silence around him. He reached a large dried up tree, the fog had been cleared unnaturally around it.

The knight he expected was standing, resting against the tree with her eyes closed. The lady tilted her head, reacting to his footsteps that encroached on the grasslands around her.

Killian dragged his eyes to the coffin beside her. He inhaled, and gently exhaled. He knew the coffin had his sister, alive, but it bothered him that she was kept in that box.

The Knight raised her head, staring at him with pupils that looked too similar to Thistle’s rainbow-colored pupils.

"Why are you here?" the knight asked dryly. "I did not sign up for these unnecessary activities."

"Neither did I," Killian agreed just as flatly. "The girl is in the coffin, yes?"

The Knight pushed off the tree, her flat expression changed to interest. She kicked the coffin lightly, but the dull sound echoed in the silent forest.

"Who are you?"

Killian glanced at her leg on the coffin, and to the taunting look the Knight had on her face. The blatant disrespect irked him.

The Knight’s presence wasn’t as imposing as the first Knight, but that didn’t mean she was a joke. His tendrils extended towards the coffin.

"I will be taking the girl back now." He ignored her question.

The Knight watched the tendrils approach her, and her expression slightly shifted to disgust.

Her right hand extended, and light gathered around it. A long staff condensed from the pure light reflected from the sun above them. It looked too pure for the dark place they were in.

With a single motion, she spun the staff once, then brought it down on the tendrils. They recoiled violently, jerking like worms exposed to salt before they stopped moving.

She clicked her tongue.

"The Void? You are an anomaly!"

"Sue me," Killian replied dryly, rolling his eyes.

He had gotten tired of the obvious being stated.

"You kidnapped a girl who didn’t offend you to give to your perverted master to possess her body without consent." He continued.

The knight tilted her head, gripping her sword. Killian added, raising his voice just a tone higher.

"You and your master are worse than whatever I am."

SHING!

The sword sliced through the tree that once gave her shade perfectly. The motion was so swift it confused Killian why the tree tilted and fell.

"Do not compare my master to a pervert!" the knight exploded. "He is an honored angel and all his actions have reasons—"

"Oh, shut up," Killian cut in, nodding once as he continued walking towards her.

More tendrils slithered from his feet, moving with him. "It is okay to believe anything you were raised to believe. But you should use your eyes once in a while."

Her eyes fell to the tendrils, then back up again. Her arm lowered and she took two steps backwards.

"You defeated my Sister-Knight, didn’t you?"

Killian didn’t respond.

"Any human strong enough to survive her isn’t someone so simple." She took a step back, though her gaze didn’t seem like she was retreating. "You want the coffin so badly?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Killian kept his eyes on her as she backed away, making more distance between them.

"Have it!"

For some reason, the coffin jumped to the air, heading for another sturdy tree that could completely destroy it.

Killian reached for it immediately, catching it just before it made impact. His body tensed when the weight settled on him. ’It is empty!’

The knight rushed forward. "I got you now—"

"What the hell did you do to her!"

Killian’s scream riled the tendrils up, and they shot off the ground morphing to massive limbs. They slammed the ground, cracking on impact as they surged towards the Knight.

"Wait... what!"

BAM! BAM! SLASH!

Her sword cut through the tendrils in a clean sweep. She jumped backwards, her breathing uneven. "Was that skill active? Is that what you used to kill my senior?"

Killian stared at the coffin. It was truly empty. His fingers dug into his palm till he bled, and his knees slowly gave way to the ground.

If she had been transported elsewhere. If there was a third knight who kept on moving while he had been following and fighting to close the distance.

Then it would’ve been all for nothing.

The Knight slashed through the shadowed tendrils that were frozen as Killian subconsciously lowered his guard.

She maintained a distance. "You are full of surprises, aren’t you? Well, even if you beat my senior with this flimsy skill, you can’t with me. I might just be new to this, but I have years of experience as a realm guard, you know."

Killian’s brows pulled in as he heard her. She must’ve been a converted knight, so just be a higher level monster.

Taking account of her physical features, they might be a reason she had identical features to Thistle.

He watched her from the corner of his eyes. "Is she still alive?"

"The girl? She escaped."

He left the ground, his tendrils moving as if life entered them. It wouldn’t be past his older sister to find her way, especially if it was only two knights. "Where?"

The Knight sighed. "I don’t know. My senior went looking for her and I stayed behind to watch the coffin. It’s important to our master."

"Is it?" The Void-Bat fell into Killian’s hands.

The Knight nodded nonchalantly. "We went through a lot of trouble to get it—"

BASH!

Killian crashed the Void-Bat over the coffin.

"Hey!" The knight screamed.

BASH!

BASH!

"What are you doing!" her sword trapped more sunlight around it, elongating. She raised it, charging at him.

<Shadow Art Series>

BASH! Killian glared at her as he ordered.

"All at once."

----

[A/N: Thank you for staying with me!]

[A little reminder that if you want to read ahead, do check out the Privilege Chapters.]

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