He was still holding her hand.
His sister stirred in her sleep, lips parted slightly, the smallest trace of peace on her face.
He promised himself then and there:
"I'll make her smile again."
But the moment was shattered.
His head snapped up. His spine locked.
A pulse.
Not from within.
From outside.
š The Eyes in the Trees
He stood quickly, ignoring the pain in his ribs, the lingering weakness.
The presence was different this time.
Before, it had been weak ā scouts, spies, cloaked amateurs barely masking their intent.
Now?
This aura was sharp. Clean. Cold.
It wasn't bloodlust. It was worse ā professional stillness.
He walked to the window.
The forest was quiet. But he could feel them.
More than one.
More than two.
"This isn't the same group."
"These are killers."
šÆļø Flashback: The Black Sky
The scene flashed through their minds again ā the day before.
He remembered the rage.
The sky turned black.The ground split.Mana poured out like a storm with no clouds.
He hadn't even unleashed a full spell.
And yet, it had shaken the world.
He remembered the faint gasps.The men hidden in the trees.The sound of armor cracking and bodies falling.
They had seen something.
Not him, exactly ā but enough.
And that was the last day of their watch.
š Inside the Castle Walls
Far away, inside the royal palace ā a report arrived in trembling hands.
"A second mana flare, Your Majesty. Same location. Same signature. The sky darkened."
"Impossible," the king muttered. "That's not possible."
"Sir," the soldier added quietly, "our men detected a faint S-rank aura near the house."
The king stood abruptly.
"S-rank? From where?"
"The boy's father, it seemsā¦"
The king slammed his hand into the throne armrest.
"No. A lowlife living at the edge of the country doesn't just become S-rank."
"Not without help. Not without forbidden help."
He turned to his guard commander.
"Send in the Elites."
"If they detect even the hint of another flareā¦ kill them. All of them."
"If there's a heretic hiding in that family, I want it erased."
š©ø Back in the Forest
The MC trembled.
Not from fear.But from pressure.
These new presences weren't just observing.
They were waiting for a signal.
"They're not here to watch.""They're here to execute."
"One mistake. One flare.""And they'll kill my entire family."
His chest tightened.
He wasn't ready.
He hadn't learned a single proper spell.He couldn't even read the basic texts.He couldn't control his aura.He couldn't fight like this.
And now ā time was running out.
š¬ His Thoughts
"Why now?"
"I was born again. I had time. I could have trained slowly."
"Why are they here now?"
He stepped away from the window.
His fingers clenched. His nails dug into his palm.
"I need to move. I need to adapt. I need to learn."
"Because if I don't ā next time I lose controlā¦"
"There won't be anyone left to protect."