Aenon packed up the tent with a simple wave of his hand. Everyone was battle ready, their weapons and armor undergoing stringent checks. Nocthrya's humanoid avatar had dissipated an hour ago, leaving only the Treant guarding Talia and the other two non-combatants. But seeing that he was done, Borin walked up to him.

"Well, ya got your army, laddie," he stated with folder arms. "Not sure I approve you taking the kid to battle, but ya the boss. But if she gets within a dozen paces close to being captured, you and I are gonna have a talk. The not so pleasant kind."

Aenon could tell the threat was genuine even without his soul powers. The dwarf was very fond of the girl.

"She will be well protected," Aenon assured him simply. "I want her to…"

"Bah, I know laddie, I know," Borin said with sorrow. He turned to face Talia, who was sitting on a swing amongst the Treant's branches. "The innocence of youth be the most delicate thing in the world. Once broken, it can only be reforged into something different."

Borin momentarily gave him a side eye but didn't say what he was thinking. Aenon decided to break the tension with something he knew the dwarf would love—awesome loot. He withdrew Monster Core after Monster Core and handed it over. The dwarf's eyes widened with each new addition, his hand shaking as he took each core, muttering under his breath like a priest receiving holy relics.

"This is my share of the loot from the Fire Ant dungeon," Aenon said with wink. "Jenny's got the other half."

Aenon had only kept the Monster Cores, while Jenny kept the armor and weapons. It was almost as if someone knew what Aenon needed, since the pile looked suspiciously close to the list Borin had given him.

"Bahaha, this is perfect," Borin guffawed. "Now I won't have to dig through my scrap pile to find what I need. Should have your requisitions done soon."

"Looking forward to it," Aenon smiled at the enthusiasm on the dwarf's face.

"Anyway, my work here is done. Ya got your bloody Treant, the first of many," he finally said impatiently. "You go do your thing, while I do mine."

"Would you need an escort…," Aenon's voice stopped mid-sentence as the dwarf withdrew another device.

With a simple tap, Borin completely disappeared from his view. Aenon could still sense him using his Sovereign's Eye, but every other trace of the smith's existence was erased from the world.

"Be seeing ya," he declared before practically running off towards Reality's Edge. Aenon chuckled at the eagerness.

As his companion left, Aenon turned to the other non-combatant he was concerned about. Mrs. Ashvein was sitting leisurely under the Treant, watching her granddaughter with a soft smile. As though sensing his gaze, she turned in his direction and regarded him, before beckoning him to come over.

The others were still busy with the preparations, so Aenon approached the old woman.

"How's the progress on your Cooking?" Mrs. Ashvein asked in a gentle grandmotherly tone.

"Oh, uh," Aenon was momentarily taken aback by the question. "I don't see any progress, at least not according to the System. The only recipe I have managed is the Mana Drought. The other things I cook have effects, but they are very mild."

"Good," she said in a gravelly voice. "Let me know when you have added Health and Rejuvenation Draughts to your repertoire."

Aenon had assumed she would have choice words about putting her life, and Talia's freedom in danger. But she seemed unconcerned.

"I was expecting a lecture about recklessness or such," Aenon asked in confusion. "Not Cooking lessons."

"Heh," Mrs. Ashvein chuckled. "People my age have different concerns. You young ones won't understand."

"Not worried about Talia's safety?"

"Worried?" she asked with a dismissive wave. "If anything can break past this absolute insane plan of yours, then there is no such thing as safety for that child. Having an actual Treant be the last line of defense…hohoho. Haven't seen such a thing in a long time."

Aenon caught on to that last line. Did that mean she had seen something similar before? He wanted to ask, but she interrupted his chain of thought.

"Thank you, young man," she said in a tone laced with ancient wisdom. "For letting this old fogey listen to her laugh once again. I had given up hope of watching her smile."

The beady eyed woman kept looking up in the Treant's branches where Talia was now trying to catch fire butterflies conjured by Velastra. Aenon gaze too lingered on the carefree child.

"I just needed her to feel protected," Aenon said with a smile. "The rest is her own strength showing."

"Strength…," she continued gloomily, while eyeing him from the side. "Childhood should not be about strength."

Aenon felt the familiar piercing gaze that seemed to lay bare his emotions. There was no magic, and yet felt more powerful than that.

"I…," Aenon hesitated. He didn't know what to say, or whether to explain his past. On the one hand, he didn't really want to. But on the other, he felt she had already glimpsed into his past without him having to say so.

She stood up with great struggle and walked up to him, gently patting his head. Before Aenon could register the action, she started to trot away.

"Don't let the upcoming battle sideline your Cooking," she squeaked without turning back towards him. "You have a long way to go before I can pass on my legacy to you."

Aenon touched the top of his head gingerly. He hadn't felt… whatever it was he was feeling, in a long time. He looked around in concern. Luckily no one else had seen what had happened. He cleared his throat and hurriedly walked towards Ignar and Jenny.

"How's the preparation?" Aenon asked, sliding into the authoritative persona with ease.

"Our gear and equipment seem to be in order," Ignar responded. "We are just waiting for the wolves to get back from their recon mission."

"Good," Aenon said with a nod. He had sent Bane and the others to assess the situation. He knew of the enemy's numbers and general positions, but a closer investigation was always the better choice.

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Aenon too wanted to be a part of the recon, but he had decided to delegate rather than shouldering the burden by himself.

"How far along are you all to an S-grade evolution?" Aenon asked directly. He didn't bother hinting or toeing around the delicate topic.

"I am the one who is the furthest away," Thalindra was the one to answer. The dual affinity mage had walked over to join the discussion. "By my estimate, everyone has already crossed their A-grade thresholds, or at least close to them. I am only guessing in your case, Lord Fenrast, but you should have already crossed your S-grade limit."

The woman was sharp as always, her years of experience as the second in command of the Adventurer's Guild showing.

"Seems about right," Ignar nodded in acknowledgement. "The last weeks have been fruitful to say the least."

"Yes, I have crossed the final threshold," Aenon too confirmed. "My only hold up is levels."

He pulled up his status to confirm and see all the changes.

Aenon/Ashryn Fenrast

Race: Ascended Human (M)

Age: 13 years

Level 43

Class: Void Stalker (Level 42)

Subclass: Abyssal Warden (Level 43)

HP: 17868

HP Regen: 357.2/min

MP: 23068

MP Regen: 530.6/min

Stats - Multiplier: 128 (Locked)

STR: 1787

CON: 1786

DEX: 1791

INT: 2307

WIL: 2653

PER: 1961

Titles (2453 points)

Unfettered Soul (+100 all), Alpha (+20 all), Domain Walker (Withheld), Bulwark (+5 all), Speed Runner (+10 all), Hoarder (+5 all), Landlord 2 (+25 all), Planetary Forerunner (+30 all), Ancient Killer (+20 all), Untouchable 2 (+40 all), Archivist (+5 all), Royal Assassin (+30 all), Corruption Cleanser 2 (+10 all) ), Underdog (+20 all), Limit Breaker 2 (+20 all), Raid Bait (+5 all), Bug Exterminator (+10 all), DPS Hogger (+5 all), Anti Mage (+5 all), Dungeon Buster (+10 all)

Lone Wolf (+2% Title stats)

Prodigious Mage (+10% Title stats)

Nature's Attendant (+200 all stats when within 50 meters of sapling)

Skills (Available SP: 56)

Weapons (Unarmed, Daggers, Traps) | Savant

Stealth and Tracking (Woods, Urban) | Savant

Mana Manipulation | Savant

Cooking | Adept

Internalized Skills

Identify

Mana Sense

Soul Authority – Sovereign's Eye, Soul Beacon, Soul Purge, Soul Syphon (Unfettered Soul)

System's Grace

Satisfied, he dismissed the screen only to find everyone staring at him in confusion, especially Jenny. Even the dwarves and Velastra had come over to see what the commotion was about.

"Levels should not be a problem for you. Unless…," Thalindra trailed off, her eyes widening in shock. "You are from a stronger race. But even that makes no sense if you are from Earth."

Aenon didn't know how to address this without revealing one of his greatest secrets. And Thalindra must have realized as she quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry for my overreach, Lord Fenrast," Thalindra said with a hasty bow.

"Just forget about it," Aenon said dismissively. He didn't want to reveal his secrets but couldn't do much if they figured it out by themselves. It was bound to happen anyway.

Jenny opened and closed her mouth several times, struggling with following the standard practice of not asking someone's level or status.

"I am level 43," Aenon decided to reveal at least that much. He of course stayed silent about his locked stat multiplier.

The three adventurers blinked in shock, unable to comprehend the reveal. Aenon could see the gears turning in slow motion as they analyzed his achievements with this new information.

After waiting for several minutes, Aenon finally decided to bring them back to reality.

"Anyway," he said loud enough to make them jump. "Even though this is a competition and a training exercise, I'd like us to plan for any unexpected scenarios. I prefer to have multiple contingencies in place."

"Right," Thalindra said while shaking her head. "As you commanded, we will each take turns to attack the horde while the others observe. Should things get out of hand, we will step in as needed. We'll also need an escape strategy for the worst-case scenario."

The experienced leader then started to lay out some ground rules of the engagement. The entire group had assembled at this point, as every detail was discussed—from hand and audible signals, to battle formations and attack patterns. She knew Ignar and his party, so it was easier for her to hand out detailed instruction. But in case of Jenny, she asked several pointed questions, even getting feedback from Ignar and Velastra to understand her fighting style. Only then did she come up with a working strategy which she drilled into the fledgling warrior.

At last, she turned to Aenon, hesitation clearly written across her face. She couldn't come up with a strategy for him without knowing his abilities. Something he had not done so far. Everyone had glimpses into his fighting style, but he never truly cut loose, so to speak.

"I am a rogue/mage," Aenon said with a smile. "I mix the fast footwork and precise blades of an assassin with the devastating damage of a mage. I have offensive spells in the water, fire, earth, and air categories in addition to defensive support and decoy spells in light, space, and arcane. Although my strongest spell as of now is gravity based, the one I dismissed while fighting your Guild Leader. Also have four hybrid spells, one of which is Ice Manipulation."

The shocked silence in the air was palpable. Aenon had never revealed so much of himself to anyone before. But the cards would be on the table soon enough. Better they hear it from him first.

And still, they knew—he was holding something back. They all were. But what he had shared spoke volumes. And the fear and awe he sensed from those around him, cemented his role as the strongest piece. His earlier statement wasn't some humble brag; it was a fact backed by actual power.

"So," Aenon redirected everyone's attention back on topic. He turned to Thalindra, "Any recommendations for me?"

"This…" Thalindra's voice faltered, uncharacteristically hesitant. "I have never worked with someone of your skillset. I'll need to see you in action before I can craft a proper plan. For now…"

With that she started putting together a somewhat cohesive plan. Aenon was genuinely impressed by her sharp battle instincts. Despite not knowing the full scale of his power, she had created quite a formidable strategy.

"And with that," Thalindra finally concluded as she addressed the whole crowd. "We all know what we are supposed to do. I recommend meditating on all the new information you just learned and run it over in your head. Before the wolves get back, we can have one on one discussion to smooth out any doubts you may have."

Everyone got up and retreated into secluded corners of the open clearing, taking the advice to heart. Even Aenon walked over to the Treant and sat down with his back to it. Talia was already asleep in her grandmother's lap somewhere up in the branches. Aenon closed his eyes and reviewed the meeting, once again impressed by the deep insights that Thalindra had.

Her approach wasn't superior to his own, just different. He led by instinct, raw and unshackled. She led by experience, deliberate and measured. Together, they weren't opposing forces but halves of the same coin. Instinct vs experience. Predator vs hunter.

Aenon hummed a soft tune; relaxed despite being at the precipice of another life changing battle. He had planned and prepared for this day, gathering allies one by one. From the pack, to Nocthrya, and finally everyone else. He had carefully vetted them, given them opportunities to see how they would react. And they had met his every expectation, and more. Even though this was the first battle of a larger war, it held a greater significance.

It would test their resolve; forge unbreakable bonds; and most importantly reveal their presence to the world. A declaration of power. Of loyalty.

It would be a declaration that they were here. They existed. And nothing could keep them down.

No matter the odds, they would endure. This was their eve of battle—and the world would remember it.

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