As the cart rolled steadily down the valley, the peaceful afternoon atmosphere was abruptly shattered by a harsh, screeching howl echoing from the forest canopy above.
The two earth-oxen let out frightened whinnies, rearing back in their harnesses as the heavy cart ground to a halt.
From the high branches of the surrounding ironwood trees, three shadowy figures dropped onto the highway, blocking the road ahead. They were not human, nor were they common wild beasts. They were Blood-Vane Gargoyles twisted, winged humanoids with stone-like gray skin, razor-sharp claws, and glowing crimson eyes. These creatures were notoriously dangerous, hunting travelers along the outer highway by draining their mana cores.
The old merchant turned deathly pale, pulling his terrified granddaughter behind his back as he reached for a rusty iron pitchfork. "Gargoyles... so close to the academy grounds?!"
"They must have been driven out of the deep mountains by the recent border disruptions," Julian whispered nervously, his hand darting to a low-grade flame scroll inside his satchel. "Senior... those beasts have hide as tough as reinforced steel. Common spells bounce right off them!"
The lead gargoyle let out a guttural hiss, its stone wings unfolding to reveal a six-foot wingspan. It crouched low, its glowing red eyes locking onto the old merchant and the little girl. Sensing their weak, unrefined mana, the beast leaped forward, its heavy stone claws aiming to crush the front of the cart.
Adam didn't stand up. He didn't even shift his position on the sack of grain.
As the beast reached the midpoint of its leap, hovering directly above the oxen, Adam simply raised his right hand and snapped his thumb and middle finger together.
CLICK.
The sound of the finger-snap was soft, barely louder than a breaking twig.
Yet, the moment the sound resonated through the air, the lead gargoyle's momentum instantly halted in mid-air. Its stone-like body didn't explode into gore or shatter into pieces; instead, the ancient dark magic animating its body was utterly unraveled. The creature instantly reverted to what it truly was ordinary, lifeless river granite.
The heavy, inanimate stone statue fell straight down, crashing harmlessly into the dirt road with a dull THUD.
The remaining two gargoyles froze on their perches, their glowing red eyes widening in primal, instinctual horror. They looked at the lifeless stone statue of their leader, then at the dark-haired traveler sitting calmly on the cart.
Adam looked up at the two surviving beasts, his dark eyes calm, deep, and endless.
"Return to the deep mountains," Adam said quietly. "The highway is not your hunting ground."
The two gargoyles didn't hesitate for a single second. Driven by a terror far greater than their hunger, they let out desperate, whimpering shrieks, turned their stone wings, and fled at full speed into the high cloud cover, disappearing into the distant mountain range.
The highway fell silent once more, save for the gentle rustle of the wind through the ironwood leaves.
The old merchant stared at the stone statue lying in the road, then at Adam, his jaw hanging open in utter shock. "You... you turned the monster back into stone with a snap of your fingers?"
"It was always stone," Adam replied gently, looking at the old man with a warm expression. "It merely forgot its nature for a moment."
Adam patted the side of the cart softly. "Let us continue, elder. The sun will be setting soon."
Julian slumped back against his grain sack, clutching his journal to his chest. He looked at Adam, then down at his blank parchment, suddenly realizing that nothing he had learned in six years of magic academy could ever explain the entity sitting right beside him.
As the cart resumed its slow, creaking journey toward the gleaming white walls of the Grand Aetheria Academy, the setting sun cast a golden glow across the highway, marking the beginning of Adam's arrival at the center of mortal magic.