CHAPTER 106: DILEMMA.

(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they mean a lot. As usual, please don’t hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

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Orion moved like a silent current through the forest, his steps measured, his presence low. Margaret followed close behind, her breathing steady but her expression sharp. They’d been on the move for nearly ten minutes, and in that time, Orion had already taken down three groups.

"Another four hundred points," Margaret murmured, glancing at the last sigil stone glowing faintly in his hand.

"Not enough," Orion said calmly, merging the stones. The faint shimmer of light faded as the numbers updated.

He didn’t say it out loud, but the elimination spree wasn’t just for ranking — it was for data. Every encounter refined his combat flow, his Protocol, his timing. The more opponents he fought, the clearer the patterns became.

"Are we still going after the top ten?" Margaret asked, brushing leaves from her hair.

"If they’re smart, they’ll avoid me now," Orion replied. "But people make mistakes when they think distance means safety."

He turned slightly, his eyes flashing faint gold for a moment. His senses expanded outward — Protocol, mana, and spatial feedback folding into one vast awareness. Within seconds, faint signatures flickered at the edge of his range — movements, heartbeats, fluctuations of mana. He picked two, then three more. Targets.

"Two on the ridge. One behind the fallen tree," he murmured.

Margaret didn’t need further instructions. She darted forward as Orion shifted position. The ambush ended in less than a minute — the forest returned to silence, broken only by short gasps and the faint sound of dissolving bodies.

"Two hundred more," she said, wiping her sleeve.

Orion nodded, not replying. He was already adjusting his model, tracing the lines of detection when something new pulsed in the periphery of his awareness.

Three signatures — moving fast. One ahead, two chasing.

The lead one was erratic, exhausted, mana signature fluctuating wildly. The two following were steady, coordinated. One of them, disturbingly familiar.

He frowned slightly.

’Selene?’ He thought.

The second pulse confirmed it. There was no mistaking the controlled, precise rhythm of Selene’s mana. The other, though — unfamiliar, sharp, almost aggressive. He shifted his focus briefly to the first, the one being pursued. The energy was fading, uneven, but familiar all the same.

’Irelle.’

Margaret noticed the pause. "Something wrong?"

"Not wrong," Orion said quietly. "Unexpected."

He turned his gaze to the east, where the chase lines intersected his range. Irelle was running toward him. Fast, but unsteady. Her reserves were dropping. The other two weren’t far behind.

Margaret followed his line of sight.

"Enemy?" She asked.

"Not exactly." He said.

For a moment, he simply stood there, unmoving, thinking. He had no obligation to help her. He wasn’t sentimental. Sparing her earlier had been reasoned — she’d earned it with her composure, her pride, and her tactical mind. But this was different. Interfering meant taking sides, and that wasn’t something he did lightly.

He considered.

’I’m not in the habit of saving people who can’t save themselves. Sparing a target is one thing. Liberating them from someone else—that’s generosity I don’t have.’ He thought.

Still, something tugged at his reasoning.

Irelle still owed him three favours. Favours were binding her to him, even if unofficial. And besides... curiosity itched at the back of his mind.

Selene was careful. For her to be chasing Irelle meant something significant had happened — and for her to be teamed up with someone else at that, it meant she saw value in that person.

’Who could make her cooperate?’ he wondered.

He sighed, folding his arms. "We’ll wait here."

Margaret frowned. "Wait?"

’If she’s capable enough to reach this point, she’s earned help. If not...’ he shrugged,

then I won’t have to bother.’

Margaret didn’t argue. She simply sat down.

The sound came first — faint crashes through leaves, erratic breathing. Irelle burst into view moments later, sweat-soaked, her steps uneven but still pushing forward. Her mana flared weakly, her focus split between fleeing and keeping herself conscious.

Orion’s eyes followed her calmly as she stumbled through the clearing and spotted him. For a moment, relief flickered across her features — then pure exhaustion took over. She didn’t hesitate; she ran straight toward him.

"Really?" Margaret muttered under her breath.

Irelle reached him and, without a word, stopped behind him before collapsing to her knees, gasping for air.

Orion chuckled quietly, amused at the sight. "You really are unlucky."

She tried to speak, but no sound came out.

He looked down at her, expression softening slightly. "Or perhaps you are," he added after a moment.

He turned his gaze toward the treeline again. Two figures emerged — one composed and steady, the other sharp-eyed and tense.

Selene.

And beside her, someone new — a peculiar girl with red and silver hair and eyes. Her aura carried a restless, kinetic edge.

The moment Selene saw Orion, she froze. Her expression flickered from recognition to shock, then swiftly to composure. She stepped forward immediately, brushing dirt from her uniform and lowering her gaze slightly.

"Young master," she said, her voice respectful and calm as she curtsied.

Daenys — the stranger — stared at her, eyes wide in disbelief. "You know him?" she asked incredulously.

Selene didn’t answer. Her posture was rigid, formal, the kind reserved for someone of much higher standing.

Orion met her gaze with quiet amusement. "Selene," he said evenly. "Didn’t expect to see you here."

Her lips parted slightly. "Nor I you, young master. I’d given up on finding you during the trial."

Margaret’s eyes darted between them, mildly confused but silent.

Irelle, still on the ground, looked up weakly at the exchange, half dazed and trying to process what she was hearing.

Orion sighed softly. "Seems fate enjoys its jokes today."

His gaze shifted briefly toward Daenys, assessing her once before looking back at Selene.

"We’ll talk about that later," he said, tone final.

Selene nodded once.

Orion’s expression remained calm, but his mind was already moving, he had decided to help Irelle.