Alani slumped forward, her grip loosening on her sword, as if she was about to collapse.

The Runic Wolves did not overlook this opportunity and lunged at her.

Alani smirked. It was a ruse. She tightened her grip and swung her sword forward. She cut the one in front of her in half while the one behind her grazed its claws across her back. She bit her lips, suppressing her scream, and brought her sword around.

The last Runic Wolf immediately hopped away from Alani, dodging the blade that would have otherwise split its head open.

“Fuck!” Alani yelled. She was down to her last ounce of strength. Although she had done more than she ever could imagine, it wasn’t enough. This was still nowhere near her goal. At this rate, she would be no more than a trophy bride.

Sensing her plight, the Runic Wolf charged at her with its jaws bared.

“If only I was…” she muttered as her remaining strength left her body. This time, she slumped forward for real.

The Runic Wolf saw her debilitated state and decided to go in for the kill. It pounced at her with a bloodshot expression.

“At least Henry is here. I would be safe at least…”

The Runic Wolf was upon, its jaws wide open.

“Bullshit!”

Alani forced a step forward to keep herself from collapsing. She brought her sword up to guard against the Runic Wolf’s devastating bite.

“As if I’ll give up now!”

She pushed the wolf back in spite of her depleted energy. Her muscles and nerves screamed at her persistence but she ignored complaints of her body. She would not back down here, not when victory was within reach.

“I just need to kill you!” Alani roared as she lunged at the Runic Wolf. She felt her muscles tearing and her joints breaking but she persisted in her course of action. If she couldn’t even kill a few Runic Wolves, she had no right to stand proudly by Henry’s side.

Unfortunately, Alani was too slow. The Runic Wolf had plenty of time to dodge her attack and counter with a lethal strike.

Alani realised this too but she didn’t care, not that she had any capacity to. She blundered this chance, it was surely a loss for her. Yet—

“I will kill you!” she bellowed with all her might and resolve, raising her sword high.

And then, the unexpected happened.

“Oh?” Henry muttered when he saw the Murux flow within Alani suddenly surged. At first, he thought Alani’s Murux was going haywire due to her overexerting herself but then, he realised the surge was not harmful.

The surge of Murux burst forth. A veil of aura enveloped Alani’s entire body and the aura morphed into burning flames. However, the flames were not burning Alani. The flames even extended to her sword.

“What is this?” Despite her confusion, she did not stop in her charge towards the Runic Wolf. “”

Aside from her Murux, she also felt energy surging throughout her body.

Henry widened his eyes. “No way… Those are my flames… She’s using my flames.”

The bloodshot gaze the Runic Wolf bore disappeared, replaced by that of terror. Gone was all of its confidence and ferocity.

“This is… Henry’s fire!” Alani cried in delight. With renewed vigour, she shot towards the Runic Wolf which all but gave up on its life, though that didn’t make a difference to Alani. She brought her sword down, bisecting the Runic Wolf.

But that was not the end of this display of her newfound powers. Unintentionally, her swing unleashed a torrent of fire that devastated all the trees in its path. The fire torrent went on for a hundred metres before dwindling completely. Thankfully, the flames did not burn for long.

“Whoa…” Alani gasped. Disbelief lingered for a moment but acceptance came quickly. She jumped in joy and turned towards Henry. “Henry, did you see what I just—”

Halfway through her words, her strength left her and she felt her body submitting to gravity.

Before she could hit the floor, Henry swooped in and carried her into his arms. “Easy now. You have strained yourself enough. You should take a rest now.”

“But I felt fine just seconds before—”

“That’s because you just underwent an evolution. You may have recovered your Murux but your body is still exhausted. Your strength just now was just the adrenaline from your evolution. So, you can rest now. Alright?”

“Did I…” Alani struggled to say as exhaustion was gradually encroaching on her consciousness. “Did I do good?” she asked with glazed eyes.

Henry chuckled, stroking her cheek. “You did wonderful, my dear Alani. That persistent and stubborn of yours was very beautiful.”

Alani tittered weakly before finally submitting to her exhaustion.

“What a lovely day today has been,” Henry mused as he laid Alani down and leaned her against a log. Unconsciously, he found himself staring at Alani’s sleeping face for only god knew how long.

He reckoned he wouldn’t have snapped out of it if it wasn’t for a certain person’s untimely and rude intervention.

“Unbelievable,” Rayne scoffed as she emerged from the trees. “But not so surprising. Honestly, do you two have to flirt at every chance you get? Can you two exercise some—” Her words were caught in her throat when she saw the remnants of the dead Runic Wolves and also the destruction left behind by Alani’s fire torrent slash.

Rayne wasn’t surprised by the Runic Wolves’ carcasses but she was shocked to see the evidence of an overexaggerated destruction.

“It’s just a bunch of mutt. Do you have to destroy half of the forest just to deal with them?”

“Oh, you’re dramatic, Rayne. It’s not even a tenth of a quarter of the forest. Also, I didn’t do this. She did.”

Rayne bounced her gaze between Henry and Alani with an unamused expression. “Your jokes are getting worse, Master.”

“I am not joking, Rayne.”

Rayne frowned and looked at the wake of the destruction once more. It was at a scale she herself wouldn’t be capable of with the current level of her powers.

“I know what you’re thinking, Rayne. This is far beyond what you are capable of currently.”

Rayne tutted.

“Envious?”

“As if.”

“How dishonest of you, my dear slave.”

“The destructive strength behind her prowess meant nothing without accuracy. She may be able to destroy a hillock now but I don’t believe she can win against me in a duel.”

Henry snickered. “Don’t be so sure. She is my bride. She possessed a portion of my power.”

Rayne tutted once more. “Figures,” she scoffed. “Must be nice to gain significant strength with barely any effort.”

“Your words reek of envy, Rayne.”

“Think what you will,” she huffed and turned her head away.

“I didn’t expect you to return so quickly,” Henry said. His hands did not stop stroking Alani’s head.

Rayne crossed her arms. “Those children aren’t shams, I’ll give them that.”

“What do you expect? Do you think shams would make it this far? And the boy’s a Divine’s champion like me.”

“I reckoned they were merely dependent on their luck but they are quite skilled in their own right.”

Henry smiled wryly. “Is that something to be dispirited about?”

“I’m not dispirited. I’m concerned. If their abilities are true, then we may have a problem. Have you already forgotten how that boy looked at you?”

“I’m not afraid of him. Are you?”

“It has nothing to do with fear. It’s about being prepared.”

“I am prepared, Rayne.” Henry grinned. “I’m always prepared, ever since you tried to turn me into your slave.”

Rayne tutted again. “Do you have to keep bringing that up?”

“I will stop when you truly feel remorse for what you did.”

Rayne chuckled with a sneer. “I would never. It’s not in my nature.”

“Then, I can only wish you all the best in enduring my snide remarks from here on.”

“You’re such a child.”

“Takes one to know one, as they say.”

“And who’s they?”

Henry shrugged.

Alani still had plenty to say but seeing Henry’s insufferable expression, she decided it would be pointless to continue this conversation. And so, she walked over to a tree with overgrown branches. She sat down by the tree’s giant roots and leaned against the trunk.

“Aren’t you afraid that some monster will come and drag you away while you’re asleep?”

“Your jokes are truly getting worse, Master.”

“Or are you afraid that I’m going to do something to you while you’re asleep?”

“Let’s say that’s true, what would you even do?” Rayne scoffed. “I have been yours for quite some time now and I don’t believe our hands have even touched. What’s there to be afraid about?”

Henry snickered. “Do you want me to touch you? Is that it?”

Rayne narrowed her gaze. “Your jokes are getting out of hand, Master.”

“Your hand or my hand?”

Rayne shot up from the ground. “You’re provoking me. What for?”

Henry gently parted away from Alani and rose to his feet. “Don’t you already know?”

Rayne clicked her tongue as a stroke of pain brushed her head. “Damn it… If it wasn’t for this slave spell, I would have loved to cobble you with my fists, Master.”

“Well then, just for tonight, I will make an exception. You may unleash your violent tendencies on me.”

Rayne frowned. “What are you playing at now?”

“I’m not a schemer like you, Rayne. There’s no ulterior motive behind this. You think there is one because you are such a person. There is not. My motive is quite obvious but your paranoia blinds you from the most apparent things.”

“I do not understand a single word you spouted but don’t blame me if you come to regret giving back my freedom even if it’s just for tonight.”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Come at me, my dear slave.”

Rayne shot forward like an arrow. Under a second, her fist was already inches away from hitting Henry’s face.

“Oh, damn,” Henry muttered as he moved his head away from Rayne’s punch. “You’re faster than I expected. That was a close one.”

Rayne chuckled. “Do you think that I have only been idling around as your willing maid?”

“Nope. I’m fully aware that you have been honing yourself for the eventual day that you somehow break free from your bondage.”

“And you just let me be?”

“I the slave spell is only there for the safety of my women and I. It’s not meant to restrict your freedom. Besides, I don’t think you can ever rise above me.”

“We’ll see about that,” Rayne said and went for another strike, an uppercut. When that failed, she rammed her shoulder into him instead.

It wasn’t just a simple ram. She hooked one foot around Henry’s own when she rammed into him, turning his weight to her advantage. The two ended up tumbling to the ground but Rayne made use of their momentum and flung Henry across the ground.

“Not bad,” Henry said as he recovered his bearings by simply manifesting his wings and using a bit of Gravity magic.

“If you didn’t have those abilities, you would have already lost.”

“If it wasn’t atavism at work, you would have been dead from a flick of my finger.”

Fueled by the frustration deriving from Henry’s words, Rayne rushed at him with a flurry of attacks, combinations of punches, kicks, elbows, and shoulders. However, none of her attacks managed to even graze him.

“You have gotten a lot stronger,” Rayne said in between her ragged breaths. “You have also gotten better, Master.”

“I’m just more sensitive. My perception is… faster, for the lack of a better word. Your movements just seemed slow to me.”

“Is this it? Are you trying to make a fool out of me?”

“Why do you always assume that I only have ill intent towards you?”

“You provoked me into challenging you in a duel when you know full well that I am not your match. Is this not ill-intent?”

“Only if you consider this a duel.”

“If this is not a duel, then what is it?”

Henry smiled. “An awakening?”