Sunset

"How about we rest until sunset?"

Bernal sat on moss-covered stone steps and turned to Selena beside him, speaking softly.

Before him lay a desolate, ruined courtyard: a dried-up, collapsed pool, gray walls covered in withered vines, traces of spell bombardment, and a sun already half-set in the west.

"The wounds to my soul weaken me every day. When I meditate, my mental power feels like it's waving goodbye to me. I'm afraid... I simply won't last until the day my family's glory is restored."

Bernal muttered to himself, then turned to Selena at his side and said quietly, "I have no choice but to train you harshly. Will you blame me, Selena?"

Selena gripped the Thorn Wand with determined eyes. She silently prepared to rise and resume her training, but Bernal seemed to have already received the answer he wanted.

Suddenly, unhurried footsteps sounded outside the gate, accompanied by hostile mental-force fluctuations.

"Selena, go back inside the castle first. I have some guests to entertain."

A faint viciousness flashed across Bernal's heroic face. He drew a wand from his storage pouch, and his robes billowed slightly.

Selena gritted her teeth and could only obey, entering the house without closing the gate.

Bernal lowered his body and began to run slowly toward the source of the footsteps. His steps were light, like the nimblest cat treading across a soft carpet, utterly soundless. Even his aura was completely concealed.

Dense roots emerged over the exposed skin of Bernal's body, gathering into a vine armor and leaf-like patterns across his face.

Bernal's pace grew faster and faster, while the viciousness and chill in his eyes deepened.

At last, he neared the source of the footsteps, with only a wall separating them.

Silently, Bernal raised one hand toward the sky in the direction