Emisarry Of Time And Space-Chapter 203 - 204: Count me in.

(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)

Power stones people, Gimme it.

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Orion moved through the forest with controlled ease.

He weaved between trees, vaulted over exposed roots, and when the terrain became inconvenient, he simply folded space and reappeared ahead. His direction was deliberately inconsistent, but he wasn't worried about losing his way.

Getting a spatial mage lost took effort.

More importantly, direction wasn't a problem in the first place.

The bracelets.

Small, unobtrusive, and deceptively capable. Their range wasn't absolute, but it was more than enough. Through them, each group could track the general direction of the capital and, by extension, each other. Since only one unit was being guided directly by a Sylgrid escort, the others simply needed to orient themselves relative to that vector.

Reina's Beacon had done most of the heavy lifting earlier, but the distance was too great now. This phase relied on the bracelets.

Orion was just about to check his when his senses caught something else.

Presences.

Multiple.

Fast.

He adjusted instinctively, slowing slightly as he let the information resolve.

Twenty-four people.

Too many for a single team.

Likely two groups that had merged at some point—or partially merged. That usually meant losses, separations, or internal restructuring. None of that was unusual this deep into the forest.

He scanned them loosely from a distance.

Their mana signatures were unremarkable. Not weak, but not refined either. It was a crude way to judge strength, nowhere near as precise as Eye of Truth and Façade, but it was sufficient for a first pass.

If it came down to it, he could handle them.

And if it truly went bad, he could leave.

His safety came first.

The irony of that thought wasn't lost on him, considering what he'd fought two days ago, but he didn't dwell on it.

Orion changed course and moved closer.

If he stayed hidden too long, they'd get suspicious. He wasn't here to ambush anyone. He needed them comfortable, not alert.

He reduced his speed further and stepped out from behind a tree, deliberately clumsy in presentation. His eyes widened slightly, posture loose, as though he'd stumbled onto them by accident.

It worked.

Almost immediately, the group reacted. Several people stood. Hands drifted toward weapons. A few shifted position instinctively, forming a loose perimeter.

Orion raised both hands.

"Wait!" he called.

He stopped a short distance away, close enough to be seen clearly, far enough not to feel intrusive.

He studied them as they studied him.

Adults. Young ones, mostly. Late teens, early twenties. Faces drawn with fatigue. Nine days in the Jade Forest would do that to anyone. Their gear was worn but maintained. No obvious injuries, but a few stiff movements suggested recent fights.

"A boy," someone muttered.

"Silver hair," another added. "Chronos."

That did it.

The reaction rippled through the group. Curiosity surfaced first, then wariness. A few looked impressed. Others looked cautious. A handful clearly didn't know what to make of it.

Orion understood.

The Chronos didn't mingle much with the outside. They weren't isolated, but they were self-contained. When a family numbered in the millions and controlled its own land, systems, and institutions, interaction became optional rather than necessary.

He wouldn't be surprised if there were fully grown adults in the Chronos estate who had never left it.

So encountering one of their younger generation out here—alone—was bound to be strange.

And that was exactly why he'd volunteered for this part of the plan.

Chronos teenagers weren't expected variables.

Predictable enemies were easy to plan around. Unexpected ones weren't.

A woman stepped forward.

She'd been near the front before anyone else moved, and she hadn't reached for a weapon. Orion clocked her immediately as the leader.

"Did you get lost?" she asked.

Her tone was neutral. Not hostile. Not particularly kind either.

Orion didn't answer right away.

"We saw your group teleport away at the start," she continued. "Given your area of expertise, I assumed you'd have covered a lot of ground by now. Despite your age, you're considered geniuses."

Still neutral.

Still unreadable.

Orion held her gaze for a moment longer than necessary. She gave nothing away. No curiosity spike. No probing. That annoyed him slightly.

He sighed.

"No," he said. "I'm not lost."

"Are you sure?" she replied. "You looked confused for a second."

A faint smile tugged at her lips.

She was teasing him.

"I'm not lost," Orion repeated. "I split from my group temporarily."

His eyes flicked over the others as he spoke.

That wasn't a lie.

"Oh," she said. "A fight between teenagers?"

She tilted her head slightly.

"Did you fight over a girl?"

That confirmed it.

She was definitely teasing him.

Orion resisted the urge to ignore her. That wouldn't work here. He needed to seem approachable. Young. Slightly defensive. A teenager, not a detached operator.

"No," he said quickly, frowning. "That's not it."

"I just split off to look for other leads," he added, with a scoff.

"Yeah, yeah," she replied lightly. "Tell yourself whatever helps."

A few of the others chuckled. The tension eased just a fraction. They were used to her, that much was obvious.

She looked him over once more, then gestured vaguely to the space beside her.

"So," she said, "you want to join us?"

Orion met her eyes. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"At least until either of you decide who gets the girl," she added, a smirk forming.

Orion grimaced as though annoyed by what she just said but deep down he was shocked and confused.

She had just asked him to join them like that, he understood that he'd played everything well to erase wariness from them but he'd still expected resistance towards joining.

He turned to the group and noticed no one was against it.

That made him recalibrate.

Were they just that naïve or was he the one falling into a trap.

But Orion quickly brushed that thought away, he couldn't spiral into that, not now.

The Lady noticed his hesitation.

"Don't worry, we don't bite." She said with a chuckle.

Orion just shrugged.

"Count me in."