The white wyvern soared gracefully through the sky, carrying us effortlessly on its back. As we rode atop Cloud, I was struck by how drastically the world had changed.


    Everywhere I looked, dense forests stretched endlessly, giving the landscape an eerie, post-apocalyptic feel.


    Crumbling remnants of human civilization were slowly being reclaimed by nature, while monsters roamed freely in the distance, far more common than any human presence.


    Despite the map making it seem close, the journey to the unknown Ancient Pillar took nearly half an hour, even at Cloud’s remarkable speed.


    Distances were deceiving, what appeared to be just a hand’s span on the map was much farther in reality.


    Even Castor Town, which was situated right next to Maceria, felt like quite a journey away.


    As we neared our destination, I turned to Earl. "Let’s land nearby."


    "Got it, Big Brother," he replied.


    We touched down a few hundred meters from the Ancient Pillar’s location.


    Just as we were about to head toward the settlement, several strangers appeared, blocking our path.


    Their stances and gear suggested they were of decent level, and their expressions were anything but welcoming.


    It seemed as if they were on high alert, either chasing something or standing guard.


    One of the men, his tone sharp and commanding, bombarded us with questions.


    "Who are you? What are you doing here? Where did you come from?"


    "I''m Asriel, and this is my cousin, Earl.


    We''re just here to check out this settlement, we believe someone we know might be here," I explained.


    "There shouldn’t be any human settlements for kilometers," the man responded suspiciously.


    "We came from a settlement just past the Black Mountains," Earl added.


    His eyes narrowed. "And how did you get here? The mountains are far off.


    Don’t tell me you walked through swarms of monsters?" His voice dripped with sarcasm, but there was an underlying tension in his tone.


    His skepticism was understandable, but something about their agitation seemed off.


    "We flew here," I answered calmly. "Did something happen?"


    Rather than answering, the man scowled.


    "Are you messing with me? And it’s none of your business what happened here," he snapped as his group began to draw their weapons.


    So much for negotiations.


    Without hesitation, Earl cast several Ice Shards, freezing the strangers from the waist down in an instant.


    Rather than reacting with shock, the group instead began whispering among themselves, and I could sense a growing malice in the air.


    "Didn’t that guy use the same skill?" someone muttered.


    It seemed they were mistaking us for someone else.


    I was about to clarify the misunderstanding when, suddenly, several fireballs streaked through the air, slamming into the frozen ground and melting the Ice Shards.


    "Sorry, Big Brother," Earl said. "I think using Ice Shard made them mistake us for someone else."


    A young woman dressed in black emerged from behind the group, standing a few meters away. From just a glance, I could tell she is dangerous.


    Earl sensed it too.


    Without hesitation, he pulled out his Archmage class card.


    "Change Class…" the young woman said coldly.


    The moment I heard those words, I grabbed Earl and leaped several meters back.


    "Change Class, Archmage!" Earl quickly declared.


    "Change Class, Enchanter!" I followed suit, drawing my own class card.


    Within seconds, dozens of skull-shaped projectiles shot toward us.


    I recognized the attack instantly, Mourning Misfortune, a level 70 spell from the Witch class, an advanced form of Mage.


    Each projectile carried a random debuff, including a rare chance to be petrified.


    A grin spread across Earl’s face as he realized who stood before us.


    "Protect me, Big Brother. I’m gonna use Earthquake," he said.


    "Got it," I replied.


    Earl activated Knowledge of a Sage and Wisdom of a Sage, unlocking Earthquake temprarily.


    As the skull projectiles closed in, I moved into action, slashing them down one by one with precision.


    The way they moved was unnatural, almost alive but I focused, cutting down every one that came near while Earl chanted his spell.


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    "Terra quatit, fundamenta frangunt, ruinae surgunt, tremor aeternus! Earthq—"


    If we were in a dense forest or mountainous terrain, Earthquake would be devastating.


    On flat ground, its impact would be limited, but it would still cause significant structural damage to the settlement.


    Then, in a chilling, inhuman speed, the black-clad woman chanted:


    "Per aerem immobilem et vacuum mutum, omnis sonus cesset, Silence."


    As expected, she canceled Earl’s spell, preventing him from chanting for several seconds.


    Before she could follow up with another attack, I surged forward at full speed.


    It had been two years since I last fought her.


    And I made a fatal mistake.


    I had forgotten one of her favorite spells.


    The sky darkened, Needle Rain.


    “Big Brother, watch out!” Earl shouted.


    Hundreds of massive black needles rained down upon me.


    Relying on instinct, I dodged and deflected as many as I could, my eyes scanning desperately for a safe escape route.


    Good thing I had cast Stone Skin on both Earl and myself earlier after I changed my class.


    Otherwise, Kuro’s Needle Rain would have taken a massive chunk of my HP.


    “Wind Aura, Sword Enchant, and Windwalk,” I chanted.


    With Windwalk, I dashed toward Earl, grabbing him before he could take more damage.


    He was still under Silence, unable to defend himself.


    Using my speed, I carried him several meters away from the strike zone of Needle Rain.


    Despite our active buffs, I had already lost a third of my HP, while Earl had lost a fifth. Worse, he was afflicted with a curse.


    Unlike Enchanters, who have a 50% resistance to ailments, Archmages have no such protection.


    Earl began coughing up a thick black substance, a clear sign of a curse.


    His stats were severely lowered, and his HP was slowly draining away, ticking down by a percentage every second.


    “Surrender now, or watch your friend die,” Kuro said coldly.


    Unlike Poison, which can be cured with antidotes, Curses require specific skills like Holy Sanctuary that removes negative status or can only be lifted by the caster.


    Unfortunately, neither my Enchanter nor Blade Dancer class had any skills that could remove it.


    “You’re as ruthless as ever, Miss Kuro,” I said, beginning to chant.


    "Ex caeruleis flammis renatus, surge alatus ignis magnificus, caelos in aeternum illumina."


    “Come out, Tear.”


    The moment I finished my chant, blue flames erupted across the battlefield.


    Unlike ordinary fire, these flames radiated warmth instead of heat… soothing, rather than burning.


    My HP and Earl’s instantly recovered, and the curse on him was purified by Tear’s cleansing flames.


    Kuro’s group panicked as the flames engulfed them as well.


    For the first time, Kuro hesitated.


    Recognition flickered in her eyes as she stared at the majestic creature before her, after all there’s only one Blue Phoenix in all of Arcadia.


    “Sister Kuro, those are the guys! I saw them flying on the back of a white wyvern,” a young man exclaimed.


    Kuro’s eyes flickered with uncertainty upon hearing his statement.


    Still unsettled by the blue flames engulfing the area, her group instinctively prepared to attack.


    Just as they were about to strike, Kuro’s sharp voice rang out.


    “Stand down. Don’t even think about attacking!  He''s not even trying to harm us,” she commanded firmly.


    Her gaze lingered on me as realization dawned.


    “A powerful mage and a skilled swordsman… I should have recognized it sooner,” she murmured.


    Then, with a small laugh, she addressed me directly.


    “It’s been over two years since we last saw each other, Guild Master Leirsa.”


    “Yes, it’s been a while, Miss Kuro,” I greeted in return.


    She glanced at Earl and smirked.


    “Should I assume that’s Vice Guild Master Eridanus back there?”


    “Hi, Big Sister Kuro,” Earl greeted, waving as he stepped closer.


    “Weren’t you supposed to be in the U.S., Guild Master?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.


    “I was. Long story short, I came back a while ago,” I replied.


    “And you didn’t even say hi?” she pouted.


    Before I could respond, the man we had encountered earlier spoke up.


    “Kuro-san, who are these two? And… is that a Blue Phoenix?”


    “These two were the leaders of my guild in Arcadia Online,” she answered.


    “And yes, that is a Blue Phoenix, its name is Tear.”


    “Big Brother, I think you should call Tear back. Our HP is already fully restored,” Earl suggested.


    “Come back, Tear,” I commanded.


    The flaming blue bird vanished instantly, as if it had never been there.


    The man’s expression shifted from confusion to shock.


    “Wait… are you saying these two are the Swordmaster and the Grand Magus?”


    “Yes, that’s correct,” Kuro confirmed.


    As soon as the words left her mouth, the man dropped to his knees.


    “I… I’m so sorry! Please forgive us! We mistook you for someone else!” he pleaded.


    “It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” I assured him.


    “But we… ”


    Before he could finish, Kuro cut him off.


    “If he says it’s fine, then it is. Besides, if it wasn’t, you wouldn’t even be breathing right now,” she said bluntly.


    “That’s why I keep telling you not to attack recklessly,” she added.


    She is right, attacking without thinking was a sure way to get yourself hurt, or worse.


    “So, why is everyone so on edge?” I asked.


    Kuro’s expression darkened.


    “Several days ago, a group of hooded individuals attacked our residents while they were clearing a dungeon,” she explained.


    “Some of them were killed, while a few managed to escape.”


    She then pulled out four death cards, her voice laced with anger.


    “By the time we arrived, they were already gone.”


    Earl frowned. “Can you describe them in more detail?”


    “They were mostly warriors, with a mage among them,” Kuro replied.


    In that case, most of them were probably already dead.


    “What do you mean, Vice Guild Master?” Kuro asked, catching onto my thoughts.


    “We encountered several assailants a few days ago,” I explained.


    “They kidnapped some of Big Brother’s friends and even killed a resident,” Earl added grimly.


    Kuro’s eyes narrowed.


    “That’s troubling news… but I think we should discuss this somewhere more secure,” she suggested.


    “Yeah, you’re right, Miss Kuro,” I agreed.


    She smirked.


    “Kuro, Guild Master,” she corrected.


    “Then you can call me Riel,” I responded.


    “Big Sister Kuro, you can just call me Earl,” he chimed in.


    Kuro nodded.


    “Alright then, let’s head to our town, Riel and Earl.”