702 Someone stronger is watching us
Under a canopy of green trees, Bia was seated on the ground. Her head nestled in her wings, and her eyes were closed.
The air was pleasant, filled with the faint scent of fresh fruits and flowers.
Seated beside her, with his back resting against her body, Kyle's eyes were also closed. His clothes were covered in dried blood, yet he didn't have the strength to change into clean garments.
Bia's eyes flew open when she sensed several presences nearing their location.
-"Just some divine-ranks?"
She whispered and closed her eyes again, sensing that the people were not a threat. Still, she erected a spiritual shield around herself and Kyle to keep them hidden from those passing by. Her feathers glowed as a wave of energy radiated from her body.
Instantly, every monster in her vicinity turned their heads toward her, their eyes filled with fear and profound respect. Once Bia had gained their attention, she, as the one who held authority over those below her, commanded them to drive away the individuals who had entered the forest.
-"This should be enough, I guess..."
The monsters bowed their heads to the powerful presence that commanded them, then unleashed a chorus of furious roars as they charged at the divine beings who had innocently entered the forest near their city to collect herbs for a mission entrusted to them by an elder.
In the distance, a woman with a pair of curved horns atop her head, clad in a grey uniform and holding a few golden-colored herbs, raised her gaze when she felt the ground tremble beneath her.
"What—!"
Her remaining words caught in her throat as her ears twitched, picking up the furious roars of numerous monsters. She began to levitate and shouted to the two similarly looking men beside her.
"Run! It's a monster wave!"
The two men exchanged glances, sensing the multitude of monsters rushing toward their location. At first, the duo believed they could handle the threat since, including the woman, they were three divine ranks.
But their eyes widened in shock as they detected several divine-rank monsters among those charging at them!
"Run!"
The duo exclaimed loudly in unison, but instead of heading toward the city near the forest where the guards could have easily saved them, they panicked and rushed in different directions.
The flying woman, who had been waiting for the twins to follow her, was left utterly speechless and shocked.
"These idiots!"
Now she was uncertain whom to follow. She couldn't possibly abandon the duo, as the three of them had been assigned the mission together. If she returned alone, she would face severe punishment if the two fools met their end in the forest!
"Ugh!!"
With a look of frustration, she quickly followed one of them. Just as she was about to reach him, a piercing scream echoed behind her. The silver-haired man floating in front of her froze in his tracks when he heard his brother's cry.
"Mason!"
Without hesitation, he spun around and disappear toward the sound, leaving the bewildered woman behind, who could do nothing but brace herself for a fight. If the situation escalated, she would use a teleportation artifact to save whoever remained and make her escape.
A divine-rank flying chimera, with a snake-like body and wings resembling those of eagles, launched an attack on the two. They managed to evade the strike, and after a while, finally reached the location of the voice. However, what they saw made their jaws drop in shock.
Mason was before their very eyes, but he was pinned beneath the talon of a massive creature with wings adorned in shades of crimson, gold, and hints of blue.
The woman covered her mouth, ensuring that not even her breath would betray her presence to the beast, prepared to abandon Mason, who was shouting for help, and use the teleportation artifact. But she cried out in alarm when the man flying beside her lunged at the creature to save his twin.
"Logan, stop!"
Bia cursed under her breath when she saw another divine-rank individual charging at her, wielding a saber in his hand.
She had thought these divine ranks would leave the area when confronted by a horde of monsters, but who would have imagined one of them would charge directly toward her location and collide with the shield she had created around herself and Kyle!?
-"Stop right there!"
Bia's commanding voice echoed through the air, and instantly, the man struggling beneath her talon and the one charging at her became eerily still in their places. Heck, they even stopped breathing!
The woman in the distance vanished using the teleportation artifact, leaving behind the twins who began sweating profusely under the intense and dark gaze of the phoenix.
There was utter silence in the air as Bia scrutinized the similar-looking men. Both had silver hair and pale brown eyes, and they wore matching grey outfits. The only difference between them was that the one beneath her talon had horns atop his head, while the other, holding the saber, did not and only had slightly pointed ears.
-"Twin demi-humans?"
Bia whispered, uncertain whether to let them go or kill them. She was aware that the planet she and Kyle had arrived on was inhabited, and whether fortunately or not, they had landed near a bustling area. If she chose to let the twins go, she knew it would only be a matter of time before many would come to hunt her and Kyle down.
-"I guess I should kill them."
Instantly, both Mason and Logan turned pale. They were on the verge of tears, ready to plead for mercy from the creature.
However, just as they were about to cry out to the phoenix, a haggard voice emerged from behind the crimson beast.
"Don't. Someone stronger is watching us; it wouldn't be courteous to harm their people in their territory."
Bia shot a quick glance at the man who had been seated behind her all this time. So, he had finally decided to open his eyes?
Kyle yawned, stretched his neck, and then stood up, before finally meeting the gaze of the man standing still in the distance. He inhaled and exhaled dramatically.
"Breath."
Logan blinked as he locked eyes with the pair of green eyes staring back at him. He followed the human's advice, and finally stopped holding his breath.
His twin, watching him from beneath Bia, instinctively mirrored his actions.
Kyle nodded.
"Good."
He grabbed his shirt and let out a sigh because the scent of blood coming from his clothes felt unexpectedly faint, even though he typically had a much stronger sense of smell than most people.
Well, considering that he had harmed his sense of smell during the battle, it wasn't surprising. It would surely take some time for his sense of smell to return to normal.
"I believe I can't use the scent perception skill for the time being."
Logan stared at him. At first, he thought the man had been injured by the crimson beast, since he was completely covered in blood. But his thoughts changed when he saw the latter running his hand through the phoenix's feathers. It was enough for him to realize that the phoenix belonged to the man!
Kyle glanced at the person beneath Bia's talon and asked her to let him go. With a nod, the phoenix raised her leg and moved back before transforming into her smaller form and landing on Kyle's shoulder.
Mason, who was finally released, jumped toward his twin with relief in his eyes.
The duo was planning to flee with all their might, but before they could even move a single step, Kyle appeared behind them. He grabbed their shoulders with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I just arrived here. So how about you two become my guides for a while?"
The twins could do nothing but nod in response, casting hesitant glances at the tiny bird sitting on his shoulder, who was a massive beast just a moment ago.
Kyle released their shoulders. He had already heard their voices from a distance and knew their names, so he didn't need any introductions.
"Alright, let me put on a robe over my bloodied clothes, and then you two can lead the way. First, I would like to go to a nice place where I can clean myself."
He retrieved a dark robe from his mind space and quickly put it on over his clothes before following behind the twins, who started walking quietly in front of him.
The twins sucked in deep breaths when they saw the many monsters that had previously tried to attack them retreating into the forest after noticing the little bird.
Amidst the heavy tension, they inwardly sighed with relief when they exited the forest and arrived at a massive border where a grand gate awaited them.
Kyle glanced at the gate. Many armored demi-human guards stood watch at it.
As soon as the guards spotted the twins, they greeted them with polite smiles, since it was normal for the students of the powerful elders in the city to venture into the forest to complete missions.
They didn't even check the man in robe with them and opened the small gate inside the massive gates to allow them entry.