Getting The Artifact

It took us a day to reach the city near the Blackthorn-Silvermist border. The transportation system in this world was impressive, with well-built roads and horses that had greater stamina and speed than those in my world. As we made our way to the Blackthorn's residence in the city, I gazed out of the carriage window and wondered how these roads were created, possibly by an ability user.

"Third Lord, we have arrived," announced Atlas, interrupting my thoughts. I nodded in acknowledgment and rose from my seat, feeling the ache in my legs from the journey. As I stepped out of the carriage, I gazed up at the magnificent palace before me, complete with sprawling gardens and every amenity imaginable.

Approaching the palace gate, the maids and servants formed a human pathway, welcoming me with reverence. A elderly maid stepped forward and greeted me, "Welcome, Third Lord." I nodded in return, my mind already racing with what needed to be done.

"Take my belongings to the best room available and prepare a delicious meal. I must leave immediately," I instructed them, knowing that time was of the essence. Upon entering the city, I had instructed Atlas to check on something, and my suspicions were correct - the royal family would conduct an inspection in this area tomorrow. This was their method of recruiting individuals with powerful abilities. they must had taken Olivia from their.

As evening fell, I knew I had to retrieve the artifact that was hidden in the forest nearby. "Atlas and Aureus, come with me," I ordered, looking at their weary expressions. They had suffered just as much as I had, but there was no time for rest. 'I'm sorry, but we have to do this now,' I thought

"Yes, Third Lord," they replied in unison, knowing that my orders must be obeyed. We set off towards the nearby forest in a carriage.

...

Edge of the forest near the Blackthorn and Silvermist border.

Atlas asked, confused, "is this where you want to go, Third Lord?" Aureus also had a puzzled expression.

"I'm going alone. You stay here. If I need your help, I'll call for you. Don't come until I do," I instructed them. I planned to enter the forest alone because I didn't trust them. They might try to kill me for the artifact.

They protested, but I gave them a dead glare that silenced them mid-sentence. I turned around and made my way towards the dark forest. It was night, but the moonlight made it possible to see. However, because of the trees, it was difficult to see what was inside the forest.

I took a step forward in a particular direction, knowing that the artifact was hidden under a tree. It was the only tree within a radius of two meters. After walking for a while in that direction, I entered a plain ground area. When I tried to look for the tree, I found it. It stood tall at around one meter with thick branches. I moved towards the tree quickly, wanting to finish my task as fast as I could.

I circled the tree to find the spot where the artifact was buried. It looked different from rest, so I began to dig using my hands. I had forgotten to bring a tool for digging, so it took some time.

After a while, I felt something like a box. My hands moved even faster with excitement. I lifted the box and opened it to find two bracelets and a letter. As I read the letter, it became clear that the artifact was dangerous. The letter:

"Hello, I am Bob Finder. I found this artifact to be dangerous, so please don't use it or sell it to others. Even try to destroy it. Thanks."

"Well done, Bob. You didn't even reveal what ability it holds, so that person has to find their ability first," I praised Bob

"Okay, it's time to go," I said as I destroyed the letter with my dark energy, not wanting anyone else to read it. I put the bracelet inside my pocket and started moving back to where I came from.

Suddenly, I heard a roar. "Hrrrrrr!" When I turned around, I saw two monsters coming towards me, as if they wanted to devour me. They looked like cats but were much larger in size, as big as elephants, and even faster than tigers. They were covered in black substance and emitting black smoke. It was my first time seeing them, and at first, I thought I was really unlucky. However, I didn't feel threatened by them. After merging with Asher, I didn't really feel like myself anymore. My emotions were the same, but I had an undying confidence, which I believed came from Asher's genes or memory.

When I looked behind the monsters, I saw two people following them, a woman with green hair and green eyes, and a man who shared similar features with her. They were siblings, and I could tell that they were strong individuals. When they noticed me in front of the monsters, they started shouting at me.

"What are you doing? Get out of the way! You'll die!" they shouted in panic, looking at me as if they thought I would die.

'They are good people,' I thought as I looked at their panicked expressions. It was difficult to find people like them in this world. Then I looked at the two monsters, which were only one meter away from me. In just a second, they would be in front of me.

'I really want to try this,' I thought as I said, "Dark Bullet." Two bullets, each around the size of a thumb, started floating in front of me because of the darkness of the night. I couldn't see the bullets properly. Then I pointed my finger towards the monsters, and the bullets followed my command, moving towards the monster's brain and piercing them.

The monsters slowed down, fell, and stopped right under my foot. I lifted my foot and put it on the dead monster, which I did unintentionally. It was my first monster kill, and I was afraid I would mess things up, but everything was fine.

As I looked at the two people who were running to save me from the monster, they suddenly stopped in their tracks. They were silent and had an expression of disbelief on their faces. It was understandable because it was unbelievable to defeat two monsters at once without even breaking a sweat, let alone considering the strength of the monsters, which could easily kill someone of level 6. I looked at their faces and turned around to leave the forest. I did not want to communicate with unknown people.

As I took two steps toward the forest exit, I heard a sound from behind. "Who are you?" the woman asked. I did not respond. Because of all the things that had happened, I had not even taken a rest or eaten anything. I was in a hurry to get my hands on the artifact, so after my task was done I have to go and get some rest but they started to irritate me.

"WHO ARE YOU?" they both asked in unison. They asked again, but this time, my hunger and the burden that I had been carrying for so long began to control me. I lost my temper and turned around to look at them. My body emitted a real pressure of dark energy, as well as dark energy itself. Dark energy exploded around me, erasing the existence of the trees and the bodies of the monsters. Dark energy started to wriggle around me.

This pressure made them fall to their knees. I looked at them, and even my eyes emitted dark energy, which made me look like a dark devil. "Asher Blackthorn, the third lord of the Blackthorn family," I declared my name, and it echoed in the forest. When I declared my name, they were so afraid that they could not even lift their heads to look at me.

When I controlled my anger, I absorbed all the energy and stopped releasing the pressure. I turned around and left without even looking at their condition.

***

When I saw a monster running towards a six-year-old child, I panicked. I didn't want to witness the death of a child. I looked at the child and then at my twin brother, who had a similar expression. "What are you doing? Get out of the way! You'll die!" we shouted in unison. I increased my speed, but I was not fast enough. 'What is a boy of his age doing in the forest at night?' I thought as I assumed he was going to die. But the boy didn't move an inch; maybe he froze due to fear.

Suddenly, the boy pointed his finger towards the monster, and the monster fell to the ground lifeless, stopping just in front of the boy's foot. The boy lifted his foot and placed it on the body of the monster. We stopped in our tracks. 'This boy is dangerous, I didn't even see the attack,' I thought as the boy turned around and started to move towards the forest's exit. I wanted to know the name of the boy who could kill a level 6 monster at his age. I asked, "Who are you?" But he didn't respond, as if he didn't want to answer the question. I wanted to know his name, maybe I could recruit him. My brother had the same thought as me.

We shouted in unison, "WHO ARE YOU?" But when he turned around, the pressure around us increased tenfold. The pressure that the boy was releasing was terrifying. I was scared as I took a step back, and my brother did the same. Something dark started to wiggle around the boy. Suddenly, the pressure increased even more, and the dark substance exploded, obliterating a tall tree around one meter and the monster's bodies. This scared me to death. The pressure was unbearable. My brother and I came to our knees. I looked into his eyes, which were also emitting that dark substance, which scared me even more. I lowered my head.

"Asher Blackthorn, The Third Lord of the Blackthorn Family," he said. His voice echoed in the forest. His name was ingrained in my mind. I started to tremble; the pressure was unbearable. I might pass out like this. My brother was in a similar situation as me. Suddenly, the pressure stopped, and the boy turned around and left the forest, but I remained on my knees, breathing heavily and trembling while remembering that terrifying moment.

"A monster is born in the Blackthorn family," I said while gasping for air.