The valley stretched below them like a green ocean.
Aric stood near the road’s edge, wind stirring his hair as he gazed at the forest below. Treetops rippled beneath the sunlight, and a river glinted between the trees.
Eryx stood beside him, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"It’s just trees."
"It is beautiful," Aric said.
"It is?"
Aric glanced at him. "You have a talent for ruining a moment."
"And you have a remarkable talent for making fuss out of nothing."
Aric laughed and faced the view. "One day, I’ll take you somewhere truly impressive. Then we’ll see if you can find something to complain about."
Eryx eyed him suspiciously. "Take me somewhere? Do you plan to take me with you?"
Aric looked him up and down, pretending to consider the question. "Who knows? I might as well experiment on you."
"Experiment on me? What kind of person says that so casually? You’re a noble with a screw loose, aren’t you?" Eryx asked.
"And you’re a commoner with a terrible attitude. I suppose we’re both full of surprises."
Eryx rolled his eyes. "Forget it. I’m not going anywhere with you."
"We’ll see."
Behind them, the escort checked their gear and calmed the horses. The carriage waited farther down the trail, its polished wood catching the morning light. Roland sat on his mount at the head of the column, his scarred face unreadable and his hand resting casually on his sword.
The air was calm.
Then a shadow swept across the ground, swallowing the sunlight around them.
Aric’s smile faded as he lifted his head. High above the rocky ledge, two figures plummeted toward the road, their silhouettes cutting through the sky like falling omens.
They dropped past the rocky ledge above the road and slammed into the ground. The impact split the ground and sent up a cloud of dust. Horses screamed and reared as the soldiers struggled to control their mounts.
Aric shielded his face from the debris.
"What in the world?" Eryx muttered.
As the dust settled, two figures emerged. The man was tall and broad shouldered, with a shaved head and a jagged scar running from temple to jaw. His dark clothes clung to his muscular frame, and he showed no sign of injury. The lean woman beside him had dark hair pulled tightly back. Her gaze swept over the soldiers before locking onto Aric.
Neither showed a hint of concern.
The woman brushed dust from her sleeve. "Good day."
Roland drew his sword and rode forward, placing himself between the strangers and the column.
"Identify yourselves."
"We are only here for the child," the woman replied, barely acknowledging him.
Aric’s stomach tightened. There was no mistaking who she meant.
"Protect the young master!" Roland shouted.
The soldiers charged.
The scarred man stepped forward to meet them. Silver light erupted around his body, wrapping around his shoulders and limbs in a dense, shimmering shell of Menos. The air rippled with the pressure, every motion turning lethal.
The first knight swung for his neck. The stranger caught the blade bare handed. Steel screeched before snapping clean under his grip. Before the soldier could recover, a brutal fist drove into his chest, launching him backward. He hit the road hard, his chest armor caved inward.
Another soldier attacked from the side. His sword scraped against the man’s aura, scattering sparks without piercing the silver barrier. The stranger caught him by the throat and threw him aside.
The remaining soldiers rushed him together, but he struck them down brutally.
Meanwhile, the woman casually walked toward Aric.
Roland intercepted her, sweeping his sword at her with its edge coated in pale silver light. His Menos reinforced the blade, concentrating his strength into the strike.
The woman merely raised her forearm.
The collision generated a deafening shockwave, scattering loose gravel and pitching dust across the road. The carriage rocked, and the horses whinnied in alarm.
For a heartbeat, Roland held his ground. Then the woman’s aura flared brighter and far denser than his own. With a flick of her wrist, she batted his blade aside, driving him back until his boots carved lines through the dirt and he dropped to one knee.
Roland was an Advanced Menos user with years of combat experience, yet the woman had overwhelmed him in a single exchange.
That could only mean she was a saint or far higher.
The difference was terrifying.
"Run," Aric told Eryx.
"What?"
"Find somewhere to hide."
"What about you?"
"I’ll be fine. Just go!"
Eryx hesitated, then sprinted far away from the battle.
Aric turned back and raised both hands. Mana surged through his arms, forming two magic circles before his palms. Intricate symbols rotated along their edges. Fire swirled into a bright sphere within the right circle, while the left whipped up a spiraling current of wind.
He slammed his hands together. The circles merged, their symbols locking into place as he forced the two elements into sync. Fire fed into the gale, creating a roaring vortex of flame.
Aric thrust the spell forward.
The vortex tore down the road, kicking up loose stone as it rushed the woman. She didn’t bother to move. Her Battle Aura expanded into a thick silver wall, and the firestorm slammed into it with a roar of heat and pressure.
Then the spell broke apart. Embers drifted into nothing, and the wind dissolved harmlessly around her.
Aric stared.
The woman lowered her arm. "My, you’ve grown."
Before he could ask what she meant, the bald man appeared in front of him.
Aric barely caught the movement. He threw himself sideways as a fist swept past his head and shattered the road beneath it.
Aric rolled across the dirt and sprang to his feet, immediately circulating Menos through his legs. Silver light gathered around his thighs and calves as mana reinforced his muscles. His movements sharpened instantly. He pushed off just as the man struck again, barely evading the next blow.
Menos pushed Aric beyond his natural limits, but the gap between them was enormous. The bald man barely exerted himself, while Aric struggled to keep up.
He glanced toward the soldiers. Every knight who had charged the man lay motionless across the road. Their weapons were scattered around them.
They had been protecting him moments ago and now they were dead.
A shout drew his attention back. Roland had recovered and charged the bald man from behind, his sword flashing toward the stranger’s neck. The man turned and raised his forearm. Roland’s blade struck his aura with a metallic screech.
Roland pressed forward, pouring his strength into the attack. For a brief moment, he held the man’s arm in place.
Then the stranger’s aura surged. Roland’s sword snapped near the middle, and the broken blade spun away. Before he could retreat, the man drove a fist into his chest and sent him crashing beside the carriage.
"Roland!"
Aric stepped forward, but the woman was already approaching him. She passed the fallen knight without a glance, her attention fixed on Aric.
"Why do you want me?" he demanded.
She kept coming.
"Who sent you?"
She remained silent.
His parents had kept his recovery private, and only a handful of people in House Noctra knew the truth. Yet these strangers had found him far from the capital, on a road he had taken only because Roland suggested the detour.
Aric looked toward the fallen knight. Roland had chosen the route and led them into the hills. Now he lay strangely still while the attackers passed him without a second glance.
Suspicion crept into Aric’s mind.
Someone had told them where he would be.
"They killed everyone," he whispered.
The woman lunged.
If I don’t kill them, I’ll die
Aric stopped holding back. He released his mana in a torrent, making his body tremble. A magic circle appeared above his head, its intricate symbols forming one after another as it expanded across the sky, casting a shadow over the road and trees.
Wind whipped his hair and clothes as loose stones lifted from the ground. A low rumble rolled through the valley.
Clouds gathered around the enormous circle, swallowing the sunlight. Pale blue sparks flickered between the rotating symbols, multiplying into a web of crackling energy.
Aric gritted his teeth and poured in more mana. His core throbbed beneath the strain, and his arms shook as he struggled to control the spell.
Lightning flashed within the circle.
A jagged bolt of white blue energy twisted through its center, branching into smaller forks that crawled along the symbols. Each flash illuminated the valley, turning the trees into dark silhouettes. The rumbling deepened, and more lightning converged into a brilliant mass of energy.
For the first time, the woman’s calm faded. She looked up. The scarred man turned toward the gathering storm.
"Grab him and let us go!" he yelled.
The woman surged forward.
Aric tried to step back, but his muscles locked up. His arms trembled violently as his grip on the spell began to collapse.
Her fingers reached for his collar.
Suddenly, a body slammed into his side, arms wrapping tightly around his waist.
Eryx.
"What are you doing?" Aric shouted.
"Saving your life, you idiot!"
Before Aric could process the grip, Eryx threw his weight over the edge.
The ground disappeared beneath their feet.
For an instant, Aric saw the woman’s outstretched hand and the broken road above. Then the cliff edge disappeared, and they were falling toward the forest below. Wind roared past his ears as Eryx clung to him.
Aric twisted in midair and raised one trembling hand toward the road.
The magic circle still burned in the sky, its runes blazing like a dying star. The energy inside had reached critical mass, glowing like a miniature sun.
Aric severed his control and let the spell detonate.
The sky tore open with a deafening roar.
A colossal bolt of lightning tore downward, its white core surrounded by branching veins of electric blue. It struck the road with an explosive crack, engulfing the attackers in a flash of light.
The earth shattered. Lightning spread across the ground racing over rocks as the shockwave bent trees and scattered leaves.
For an instant, the world became nothing but white light.
Then the thunder struck, rolling across the valley like the roar of a collapsing mountain.
Far below, Aric and Eryx continued their fall toward the forest.