Nathan helped Elshienne climb onto Huno's back, and then he got on behind her. The beast was warm and solid, a strong presence that made them both feel safer right away.
"Are you two okay?" Huno asked, his deep voice rumbling like thunder.
"Thank you, Huno!" Elshienne said as she hugged his thick fur. Her hands trembled a little, but she managed to smile. Huno didn't move much—his glowing eyes never left the woman who had escaped the car. He was growling softly, a low warning sound.
Nathan looked at the broken car, then at Huno. "You almost ca late."
"I apologize," Huno said seriously, "That car had sothing strange… sothing blocking . It stopped from coming close. It's like a barrier—but only within a certain range."
Nathan's eyes narrowed. "A barrier?"
"Yes," Huno said. "A very specific one. I was watching from your shadow, but the mont you both stepped outside that barrier, even just for a few seconds… I slipped through."
Elshienne frowned. "That's… scary."
Just then, the woman stepped forward. Her clothes were dirty, and her hair was ssy from the crash, but her sharp eyes stared directly at them with no fear.
"So," she said with a cold smile, "You are the famous dog beast of the white-haired S-rank. We were right… The Hamilton family knows him."
Nathan stiffened. Elshienne looked at the woman with narrowed eyes. "Who are you? Why did you pretend to be our mom?! How dare you copy her looks?!"
The woman didn't answer right away. She brushed so blood from her cheek and smiled again, but this ti it was not friendly.
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you," she said. "All you need to know is… we've been watching you for a long ti."
Nathan clenched his fists. "You ssed with the wrong family."
Then he leaned closer to Huno and muttered, "How's Mom? That woman copied her exactly."
Huno's growl softened as he replied, "Don't worry. Nean and Silla are with her now. Your mother is safe."
Nathan let out a slow breath. "Good…"
The woman suddenly laughed again, clearly impressed. She tilted her head as she looked at Nathan, her eyes filled with curiosity and amusent.
"I didn't know that one of the Hamilton children is already awakened," she said, smiling with sharp eyes. "You really shocked there."
But Nathan didn't reply Then, the woman laughed again, louder this ti. From her pocket, she pulled out a strange device that glowed with a soft yellow light.
"Well," she said, waving it in front of them, "Experint done… Thanks for participating. Ciao…"
Before they could react, a large bird-like beast dived from the sky with a powerful screech. Wind rushed around them as the giant wings flapped, kicking up dust. The beast was massive and terrifying, its feathers dark like smoke and its eyes glowing red. The woman jumped onto its back in one quick movent.
There were two riders already on the bird.
Another woman was sitting in the front, hood covering most of her face. As the bird rose into the air, Nathan's eyes t hers.
Then the beast bird flapped its wings once, and in a flash, they were gone, disappearing into the sky.
Elshienne blinked in shock. "What the heck was that?!"
Nathan frowned, still watching the sky. "It's a divine artifact," he said slowly. "When we were inside its range… no one could interfere. Just like what Huno said."
"That's… scary," Elshienne muttered, still shaken. "If we weren't able to get out of its ranger..." She stopped rembering how they almost got hit.
Huno crouched a bit, lowering his body. "Let's go back. It's not safe here."
Nathan nodded. "Yeah."
They both climbed properly onto his back, and Huno began running. His heavy paws pounded the ground as they moved quickly toward ho, the wind blowing through their hair as the city lights slowly ca back into view.
anwhile, in a quiet corner of the supermarket, Seoyang, in her older form, stood in front of a display of fresh produce, gently picking through tomatoes. Dressed in a simple but elegant beige coat, she looked like any ordinary mother shopping for dinner. Beside her, Jonathan—also in his older form—pushed a shopping cart, casually checking off items on a list.
Suddenly, from the folds of Seoyang's sleeve, a small white snake slithered up to her shoulder, his scales faintly shimring under the lights. It was Silla and he whispered directly into her ear.
"We need to go ho," Silla said in a low, urgent tone. "Nathan and Elshienne were attacked."
Seoyang paused, her fingers tightening slightly around the tomato in her hand. Jonathan imdiately turned to her.
"What!? How are they?!" Jonathan asked quickly,
"They escaped. Huno protected them, but the attacker used a divine artifact—one that blocked outside interference. Soone copied Madam appearance and used it to trap them inside a special car."
Seoyang's eyes darkened, "They used ?" she muttered under her breath. "To get to my children?"
Jonathan clenched his jaw and looked down the aisle. "We're going. Now."
Suddenly, They were teleported and appeared inside their ho, right in the middle of the living room. The air shifted with their arrival, and everyone inside turned their heads.
Seojun, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, imdiately looked up. His eyes scanned his mother from head to toe, checking if she was hurt or if anything was off. Seeing her safe, he let out a soft sigh of relief and lowered his shoulders a bit.
"Nathan! Elshienne!" Seoyang called as she rushed forward, her coat fluttering behind her. She knelt between the twins, her hands quickly checking Nathan's shoulders, his arms, then Elshienne's cheeks and hands, brushing away so dirt.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Did they touch you? Did they use poison or magic?!" she asked in one breath, her voice trembling slightly, her eyes glossy.
"We're fine, mom..." Elshienne said softly, trying to smile as she held onto her mother's hand.
"Thanks to Huno," Nathan added.
As Seoyang hugged them both tightly, still visibly shaken, Jonathan had already moved across the room to Huno,
"What happened?" Jonathan asked in a serious tone, his voice low and calm.
Huno nodded and explained without delay. "A woman copied Madam Seoyang's appearance," he began. "She used that disguise to lure the twins into a vehicle. I was resting on the sofa when I felt sothing shift—a danger signal—but when I tried to get out of their shadow..." his jaw clenched slightly as he looked down. "I couldn't. I was blocked by a divine artifact."
Jonathan's eyes narrowed. "A divine artifact?"
Huno nodded again. "The car was custom-made, enhanced with magic and sothing else. The mont they entered, it created a sealed range. Nothing could get in or out—no mana, no signals. That's why I couldn't move until they got just outside the edge of its range. Just for a few seconds, but it was enough for to slip through and save them."
Jonathan let out a breath through his nose, silent for a mont, then looked toward Seojun, who was still standing silently near the window.
"They wanted to know how far we'd go to protect each other... and maybe if they could isolate us." Seoyang said.
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