Pius stood watch in front of the Black Forest.
Sensing a disturbance within the forest, a look of confusion and unease crossed his face. He had no idea what was going on inside.
From the sounds, it seemed a battle had broken out deep in the forest.
But the commotion came from the far reaches—possibly near the Abyssal Cavernss. From where he stood, near the forest's edge, he couldn't see a thing.
"What in the world is happening?"
"Could it be that magical beasts from Mt. Coronet came through the Aspiration Mountains and clashed with those corrupted by the gray mist?"
Pius paced anxiously. As a scout knight, the inability to understand the situation deeply unsettled him.
Fortunately, the battle didn't last long. Its quick end helped ease some of his nerves.
Pulling his cloak tighter around him, he leaned closer to his Mightyena.
He could faintly feel waves of cold air drifting out of the forest. The temperature had dropped again.
Awoooo...
Mightyena nudged its trainer with its head and draped its soft tail gently across him.
Time passed quietly. Eventually, Mightyena heard soft snoring—Pius had fallen asleep by its side.
He was exhausted. Mightyena looked at him tenderly, then turned its gaze toward the forest.
It was now Mightyena's turn to keep watch. That was the unspoken pact between them—for as long as either of them was awake, they would never be caught off guard.
Mightyena's eyes stayed fixed on the forest, watching as a blanket of white mist slowly covered the usual gray fog.
It's just fog, Mightyena thought. It had seen this happen before and wasn't alarmed. As long as no magical beasts emerged from the forest, there was nothing to worry about...
…
At dawn, Pius slowly woke up.
He jolted awake, turning to see his Mightyena still watching the forest intently.
Noticing he was awake, Mightyena turned and wagged its tail happily, giving Pius a friendly lick on the cheek.
"Good morning, Mightyena."
Pius felt a wave of warmth in his heart as he stood and greeted his partner.
Even though he had dozed off, he wasn't worried. He knew his old friend had kept the night safe.
But in the next moment, Pius froze.
There was still mist in the Black Forest, but now it was a soft white—not the ominous gray he remembered.
"Did it fog up?"
"Did ordinary mist cover the gray fog?"
A puzzled expression formed on Pius's face. Something didn't feel right.
He waited anxiously, watching as the morning sun warmed the land. Slowly, the white mist began to fade and dissipate.
"Wait... the gray mist... it's gone?!"
Pius's eyes widened. Moments later, his face lit up in overwhelming joy.
The disappearance of the gray mist meant only one thing—
The Abyssal Beast Tide was over!
…
On the hillside by the temporary camp, Aven watched Froslass curiously, confused by her behavior.
But just as he was about to say something, he noticed something rapidly approaching in the distance.
"Lass!" Froslass sensed it too. Her eyes grew alert as she floated in front of Aven, readying her energy to defend him.
"It's Mightyena—it's the scout knight!" Aven recognized the figure and quickly reassured Froslass.
"Master Aven! The gray mist—it's gone!"
Pius rode up on Mightyena, shouting excitedly as he saw Aven standing on the hilltop.
"The gray mist is gone! It's gone!"
Aven was briefly stunned by the news. But then a joyful smile spread across his face.
After so long fighting the gray mist, it had finally come to an end.
Soon, the other knights in the camp heard Pius's cries and rushed over with visible excitement.
Pius dismounted, panting heavily. "The gray mist… it's really gone."
For a moment, the camp fell into complete silence. Then came a deafening cheer.
Knights shouted and ran to spread the news, their voices filled with joy.
Aven and Froslass stood quietly outside, deeply relieved.
And then, the knights surrounded Aven—before he could react, they lifted him high into the air.
They tossed him up repeatedly in celebration, expressing their joy and gratitude.
"Lass! Lass!" Froslass panicked at first, floating up to Aven in concern.
But when she saw the smile on his face, she stopped in mid-air, stunned.
In the next moment, she felt herself being pulled down.
Before she realized what was happening, Aven had pulled her into his arms—
And just like him, she was being tossed up along with the cheering.
…
Later, on the same hilltop, Aven sat beside Froslass.
"So... you were worried about the gray mist, weren't you?"
"Lass …"
Froslass stayed silent for a moment, then gave a small nod.
After a brief pause, she began to describe what had happened in the Black Forest.
Aven listened quietly. With some prompting and gentle questions, he pieced together the full story.
He learned how Froslass had gone into the forest alone, wanting to surprise him—how she had fought Staraptor and Sneasel, and how she had lost control when unleashing her Ghost-type energy.
When she finished, Froslass looked at him nervously.
She was afraid he would blame her… or worse, fear her for what she had become.
"So that's what happened…" Aven said softly. "Thank you, Froslass. Really."
Froslass blinked in surprise.
Then Aven continued, smiling warmly:
"Not just me—the knights in the camp, the citizens of Aspiration City—we're all grateful to you."
"If you hadn't come to our side, this Abyssal Beast Tide might not have ended so smoothly. We might not have survived at all."
Following her gaze out over the forest, Aven smiled:
"Froslass… thank you for coming to us. We're so lucky to have you."
Froslass was completely stunned.
In her gem-like eyes, a light sparkled brightly—twinkling like stars.
She could tell that Aven truly meant every word. He wasn't afraid of her. He genuinely cared.
"As for losing control… maybe just don't push your Ghost energy too far, and you'll be fine," Aven said with a grin.
"And even if you do lose control, I want you to trust me. Trust Petilil. Trust all your friends.
We'll be there to bring you back."
"So really… there's nothing to be afraid of."
(End of Chapter)