?In a dark cave, amidst the silence, two familiar armed-sized golden moths with crimson wings stepped out from the shadows.
The duo gazed at each other with twisted and pale expressions. It wasn't because of anger, it was because of the amount of natural treasures they had devoured in the past few weeks.
"Revenge for the oldest!"
They roared together and then emerged from the cave.
One of them sniffed the air and pointed his wing to the left with a dark expression.
"Now we are strong! That human won't be able to stay alive for long!"
The other let out an evil laugh.
"After capturing the human and that little bird, we will torture them! Then we will eat them!"
Indeed, they craved revenge, but the delicious smell of the human made their mouths water. After giving each other a final nod, they left together, blissfully unaware of the hell that awaited them.
....
At the same time, Kyle hummed as he stepped out from the exit portal. His silver hair shimmered in the sunlight, and his ivory-colored hoodie looked clean and fresh.
He gazed at the little glass bottle in his hand with a satisfied expression. After tossing the bottle into his mind space, his figure floated above the Castle as he narrowed his eyes in the distance.
After him, Bia's tiny figure also appeared from the portal. She looked in the same direction and let out a bored sigh.
-'That was too easy. We didn't have to do much to get the cure. I wonder why it was so simple. Wait... maybe that chameleon was the actual challenge inside the punishment treasure islands?'
Kyle's lips trickled upward into a faint smile.
"I had my suspicions but it's good that we managed to get it without much trouble."
Bia circled his head and they set off towards the nearest treasure island.
Time flew by as the duo ventured from one treasure island to another. They encountered many new faces and a few familiar ones along the way, but Kyle ignored them. It was better that way.
Also, every time Kyle finished exploring a treasure island, he made sure to leave a 'friendly' message on the castle gates.
Bia would get angry whenever she caught him scribbling on the gate. First, she didn't like being called 'little', and second, she found it ironic that he was putting all the blame on her when he was the one taking everything!
"Caution; The little phoenix took everything."
All the people who saw Kyle's friendly message got mad and frustrated, but in the end, there was nothing they could do except find another treasure island.
Among them, Jian was the most frustrated one because, for some unknown reason, he found the message the most!
Haylee and Ris also came across one of Kyle's friendly messages and they were left speechless. Still, Haylee chose to ignore it, while Ris, who was curious about the person behind the friendly reminder, couldn't find out who it was.
In the end, the duo decided to leave it alone and started following behind an interesting winged demi-human who was slaying monsters stronger than his rank.
Amidst all this, everyone in the realm was getting stronger with each passing day. It wasn't easy though, and due to the countless challenges there were some casualties as well. Regardless, those who persevered until the end reaped the sweet rewards of their hard work.
After two long months, Kyle was sitting comfortably on a tree trunk.
As he opened one of his eyes, he was greeted by a breathtaking sight. The surroundings were filled with towering green trees, and a mesmerizing crystal-clear stream flowing gracefully amidst the trees.
His gaze wandered until it settled on a particular tree opposite the stream. A hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.
"How long are you two going to follow me?"
The bird on his head moved, deliberately trying to mess up his hair, before letting out an innocent hum.
-'So, you finally decided to finish them?'
A vein bulged out on Kyle's forehead as he grabbed the bird and placed her on his chest instead. Soon, the duo got busy with their own battle. The bird wanted to sit on his head, while Kyle didn't want her to because he had just washed his hair.
On the other hand, the two golden moths hiding behind the tree were absolutely terrified when they heard Kyle's voice. The duo had been following the human for a while now, but they couldn't even lay a finger on him!
They tried to secretly attack Kyle countless times but failed miserably. In the end, they decided to put traps around the human, but they failed again. First, the human would always fly, and second, even if he somehow started walking, he would avoid that particular spot where the trap was laid!
They looked at each other and with a nod, they started flying away quietly. After watching the human and the supposedly little bird that turned out to be a huge phoenix, they knew that winning against the human was impossible. That's why they were trying to set up a dangerous trap one last time, but the human knew about their location! It was dangerous! Too dangerous! Forget about revenge and the sweet scent, their lives were more precious!
The duo froze in their tracks when a shadow fell upon them. They held onto each other tightly and looked up with wide eyes.
A pair of bright green eyes stared back at them. Kyle's eyes narrowed dangerously at the moths.
"It's been a while... No, I sensed you the moment you started following me. So, what should I do with you now?"
He clicked his tongue when Bia's voice echoed in his head.
-'Hey, at least give me a heads up before disappearing into thin air!'
Kyle extended his hand to touch one of the moths, but to his surprise, the duo immediately jumped back.
Bia sat down on a nearby tree to watch the show. After all, she knew Kyle could handle the moths easily.
Opposite her, the moths spread out their wings to send wind currents at Kyle but before their attack could land on the human, he vanished into thin air.
Suddenly, a faint murmur echoed in the air, sending chills down their spines.
"Ice Domain."
The moment the words fell, an icy aura spread out in the forest, enveloping everything around the two moths.
Kyle gazed up and held out his palm toward a floating ice particle, but instead of melting, the ice turned into a wisp of smoke upon touching his skin.
The moths panicked and tried to fly away, but they were stopped by the long pointy icicles emerging from the ground with a loud rumble. The air cracked, and large smoky clouds formed above their heads.
In the next second, round ice pellets dropped from the clouds, heading straight for the panicked moths. The temperature increased so much that even Bia had to move a little further away.
Still, before the ice could kill the moths, Kyle appeared in front of them. His gaze wandered around the frozen trees and the ground covered in icicles. Even the crystal-clear stream that once flowed gracefully amidst the trees was now frozen into ice.
Finally, his eyes stopped on the two creatures that were half frozen, their teeth chattering as they struggled to move.
"How are you feeling?"
Kyle hummed, he did not use his blue flames since he had no idea how to melt things frozen by the flames. However, he found that he could easily control the ice within the ice Domain according to his will.
He tapped the moth's head with his knuckles, a small smile forming on his lips.
"I will release you, but from now on, you'll be working for me."
The moths' eyes flickered with unshed tears as they struggled to voice their answers, but the icy aura around their necks made it difficult for them to speak. In the end, the duo could barely manage a nod in response.
Kyle's eyes narrowed. He rubbed his fingers and the icy aura around the moths' bodies scattered in the air. The moths gasped for breath as they cried out.
"Human! How dare you! Release us! We won't follow you anymore!"
Kyle let out a chuckle, his tone turning dark.
"Of course, I will, but like I said, from now on you two are going to work for me. If you can't work for me, there's no use in keeping you alive...."
He dragged his sentence and his eyes turned crescent.
"Well, the meat of two strong insects would be very delicious."
The moths trembled under his gaze. The younger one even started crying. They reluctantly agreed to Kyle's terms, but deep down, they were still planning their escape. But Kyle's next words made their mind blank.
"By the way, don't even think about running away. I can track you with the scent perception skill."
