Chapter 303: Don’t Ask Me How I Know All Of This

"Hehe~ Yup, it’s me, Shadow." The man chuckled.

Sefira remained cautious. Her eyes stayed fixed on the masked man.

"How did you do that?" she asked. "How did you know where Noah was? And how did you open that portal?"

The man looked at her. Although his face was hidden behind the mask, Sefira could somehow tell that he was smiling. He casually jumped down from the tree.

Thud!

His feet touched the ground without making much of an impact.

"Our deal was simple," Shadow said. "I help you, and in return, you help me when the time comes."

He took a few steps toward her.

"But I never agreed to explain how I knew where Noah was, where he had disappeared to, or how I managed to open a portal to that exact location."

Sefira’s expression tightened.

Shadow continued.

"Just like the deal you made with that Morgana girl, I made a deal with you."

He sighed.

"Some things are better left unanswered."

Sefira pressed her lips into a thin line. She was strong—undeniably so. Yet the man standing before her was on an entirely different level.

She could sense it simply by being near him.

His presence alone was enough to make her instincts remain on edge.

She still remembered how they had met.

Shadow had appeared out of nowhere and claimed that he could help her find Noah.

At first, Sefira had been extremely cautious.

Noah had been missing for nearly a month, and despite everything she had tried, she hadn’t been able to locate him.

Then Shadow appeared. He claimed to know where Noah was. More importantly, Sefira quickly realized that he was far stronger than her.

That was the reason she had eventually accepted his offer. They had come to this very forest.

Shadow had simply raised one hand and opened a mysterious portal with a casual wave.

Sefira had been stunned. But what shocked her even more was what came next. He had known about her true identity. He had instructed her to enter the portal in her Phoenix form.

He knew far too much. And yet, despite all her questions, he had never given her a proper answer.

"Don’t be so tense, Sefira," Shadow said casually. "For now, go back home and get some rest."

He turned slightly away from her.

"As for who I am..."

A faint chuckle escaped him.

"You’ll find that out eventually."

Sefira sighed.

"You..."

She rubbed her forehead.

"I have so many questions about you, but I’ve already realized that I’m probably never going to get straight answers."

She looked directly at him. "So I won’t ask about your identity."

Her expression became serious.

"But at least tell me this."

Shadow glanced back at her.

"Where was Noah?"

Sefira paused before asking the question that had been bothering her even more.

"And where was Akari for the last twelve years?"

Her voice became quieter.

"What happened to them? What did they encounter?"

For a moment, Shadow remained silent.

Then he nodded.

"Well..."

He turned to face her completely.

"I suppose that’s something I can answer right now."

Sefira’s expression became serious as she waited for him to continue.

"Akari was trapped inside an unknown realm by an ancient dragon," Shadow explained. "The dragon had a purpose for doing so. It wanted her to awaken her dormant dragon bloodline."

Sefira’s eyes narrowed. "An ancient dragon...?"

Shadow ignored her question and continued.

"When Akari finally awakened her bloodline, however, something unexpected happened. The Monarch of Decay entered that realm."

"The Monarch of Decay?" Sefira repeated, her expression shocked, the word Monarch send shivers down her spine.

Shadow nodded. "The last Storm Dragon was his greatest enemy. He hated that dragon more than almost anything else. So, when he sensed the awakening of a new Storm Dragon, he naturally wanted to kill her as well."

Sefira remained silent, listening carefully.

"But things didn’t go as he expected."

A faint smile appeared on Shadow’s face.

"That puppet of the Monarch of Decay was ultimately defeated by both Noah and Akari."

Sefira’s eyes widened slightly.

"Both of them... defeated it?"

"Yes."

Shadow folded his arms.

"Honestly, once Akari had fully awakened her bloodline and they defeated the Monarch’s puppet, the two of them should have been able to escape that realm and return to the real world without much difficulty."

He paused.

"Unfortunately..."

His expression became slightly more serious.

"The puppet was far stronger than expected. The battle between it, Noah, and Akari became so destructive that the entire realm was eventually torn apart."

Sefira’s expression changed.

"Torn apart?"

"Yes. The realm itself could no longer withstand their clash."

Shadow looked toward the distant forest.

"It was completely destroyed and ceased to exist."

Sefira remained silent for a moment, trying to process everything she had just heard.

"So Noah and Akari..."

"They survived," Shadow interrupted calmly. "Barely."

He then looked back at her.

"That is why I decided to help them."

Sefira frowned.

"You?"

Shadow gave a small shrug.

"I told you before. I had my reasons."

He paused before continuing.

"I informed you of their location because I knew you would eventually find them and help them. In return, you’ll help me with something in the future."

Sefira stared at him. "So that was our deal..."

"Exactly."

Shadow smiled faintly.

"Although, don’t ask me how I know all of this."

Sefira’s eyes narrowed. "You really are..." She paused.

"Hehe~." Shadow simply chuckled.

"As for the remaining details, you can ask Noah or Akari yourself once they’re awake. They can tell you what happened from their perspective."

He turned away from her.

"That’s all I can tell you for now. Now, bye~ bye~"

"Wait—"

Sefira suddenly stepped forward.

But before she could say anything else, Shadow’s body began to distort. His form melted into darkness, flowing like liquid shadow.

"Take care of them, Sefira."

His voice echoed through the clearing.

"And don’t worry too much. You’ll learn who I am eventually."

The next instant, his entire body dissolved into shadow and vanished without leaving a trace.

Sefira stood there silently.

She stared at the empty branch where Shadow had been sitting only moments ago.

"...That man."

She sighed helplessly.

"He’s hiding far too many secrets."