"What is happening?"
"One of them must be a Crafter. Be careful."
Killian strengthened his Void Shield, and avoided the path he had taken. "What does that even an?"
"They specialize in domains. If they created this one, they are its god. Anything, and I an, anything, even your skills in it, can be controlled."
Killian inhaled sharply, pacing about with clenched fists that dug into his palm. If they could control his skills, then he was handicapped.
The audacity to tamper with his skills infuriated him.
Since his skills were physical, the Crafter could easily manipulate them to not exist around him.
"There's only one thing I can do."
He had to counter by creating sothing that the Crafter couldn't affect their position.
Killian lowered himself to the ground, pressing his hands to the surface of the earth.
"Totality Art: Realmcraft - Shadow Realm."
He released his makeshift Realmcraft.
The dark tendrils spread all around him, engulfing the entire training area and withering the grasses.
"I dare you to affect this."
His makeshift realm wasn't a skill that could be controlled. They were rely an improvisation of his Elent to cover more range.
He forced mana into his tendrils, and a burst of flas set the tendrils ablaze. He walked through the fiery tendrils unaffected.
His hand remained on his hips as he searched for the outcasts with his eyes. His head snapped to the left when he heard humming sounds from there.
"Co."
Two figures lowered themselves from the ceiling, staying afloat with tallic rings under the feet. His eyes narrowed at the devices, recognizing them.
'How do they afford these things? Aerial rings?'
'Is the academy really stupid to fund outcasts?'
His assailants having the aerial rings posed a disadvantage for him as he couldn't fly, and his tendrils couldn't reach very high.
He narrowed his eyes at the male outcast who had appeared first. His eyes were glowing red subtly.
'He must be the Crafter.'
'I should blind him. Permanently.'
As the thought still brewed in his head, he heard more humming sounds around him. Like swarms of beings.
Killian looked to the right, and then at every position around him. He was being surrounded.
Multiple figures lowered from the ceiling, breaking through and readying themselves with their weapons.
The tendrils around Killian rose higher than they were, making sure to barricade him from sudden attacks.
Killian counted the assailants in the air with his eyes, while also making sure his focus was on the first two that appeared.
They were a little too much for just one person. He stared down at his tendrils laid protectively around him.
His makeshift Realmcraft might lose its usefulness if they weren't going to be on the ground to get consud.
"You are really putting a lot of effort into ."
"We are," the outcast agreed, lowering herself slightly. "You have evolved faster than expected. We have to initiate the Protocol. Elimination."
Her tone beca dead at the last word, prickling Killian's survival instincts.
The goal had changed. It was no longer a mission to kidnap him but to eliminate him.
Sowhere inside, Killian's heart hamred against his ribs and his palms were wet with his own sweat.
He rubbed his hands on his trousers, keeping his eyes on the assailants. Here he was within the academy, which should be the safest place in the world.
But his reality was being trapped in a Realmcraft, controlled by a Crafter and surrounded by Aerial Ring riders. Alone without his friends or older sister.
The thought that he had been initially sent there to be shielded and protected nearly made him laugh.
Protected against angels, as the Director had claid.
Even against Outcasts, as the world claid.
Yet for a young Forbidden User like him, there was truly no sanctuary or a place of rest.
"You will survive this."
Killian forced a deep breath from his lungs.
'As always.'
He t the outcast's gaze. "Make it fun for too, then."
Her left eye twitched, before she floated backwards. With a flick of a finger, she ordered the rest to close in.
Killian locked eyes with one of them, and his tendrils sped towards them. They dodged it, swerving through the air with their Aerial Rings.
Three crystals ford in the air, and shot at Killian. The tendrils snapped them in two, and swallowed them when they fell to the darkness underneath.
Quickly, Killian rushed to the first attacker who had tried moving to the edge to limit the tendrils movents.
With a re thought, the tendrils wrapped around Killian's legs and elevated him.
When he was almost the sa height as the rider, the rider sped off first. Killian spoke once.
""
BAM!
The rider slamd against the wall the mont his aerial ring jamd. The others paused, staring down at the rider who slowly sank into the darkness on the ground.
Their realization lasted only a second before the leader ordered.
"Fall Back! Sound elent! Fall back—"
""
Killian's command spread farther.
The sound waves slapped the rider across the training area to the wall, jamming their aerial rings instantly. Then their bodies descended to the ground.
With a gesture, his tendrils reached for their falling als, stretching ever so gracefully for the necks and wringing it.
The surviving riders stayed away, hovering around their leader. Her eyes were locked on Killian, but she also kept her distance.
He stared back at her calmly, the sounds of screams not disorientating him as he barely heard it with the soft jazz playing in his ears. A courtesy of Evelyn's playlist.
His tendrils consud the riders behind him, wrapping them readily and snuffing the air and life out of their bodies.
The leader leaned to the one beside her.
"Move around him. He has the range and skill but he's still a fifteen year old newbie." Her eyes never left Killian's as she spoke, "We can outsmart him. Go!"
As if given a telepathic instruction, the riders spread out, each person keeping station at a direction.
Killian's tendrils rose to the air, being alert for any kind of movent.
Slowly, his hand went into his pocket. He lowered the song playing on his headphones, expanding his concentration.
His red pupils darted about as he counted the remaining riders.
Six.
And they were all locked in on him.
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