This fucking kid...
Nial’s jaw tightened as he reached for Zephyrion blood.
"...still too slow. Stop."
A flash of coldness suddenly passed through Zephyrion’s gaze.
"Freeze."
The blood within Zephyrion hardened, turning rigid and unyielding, resisting his control as if it were... freezing.
"...what—?"
Flas... and now freeze...
Nial’s eyes widened as realization struck.
"You can use fire and ice—!?"
Squelch!
The blade drove into his neck, then halted.
Zephyrion’s eyes narrowed. Sothing had stopped it from going further.
’His blood.’
"Heh... you really thought this was over?" Nial suddenly t his gaze, grinning through bloodied teeth. "Converge."
A sharp hum resonated through the cavern. In the next instant, the scattered pools of blood from the corpses surged toward them, forming an endless barrage of spikes.
Zephyrion was about to pull back when Nial suddenly seized his arm, a mad grin spreading across his face.
"You’re not going anywhere. Not until I figure out what the hell you are."
Zephyrion’s eyes turned frigid. His mind had begun to move when a piercing hum swept through the cavern.
The surging wave of blood abruptly collapsed, splattering to the ground as if crushed by an unseen force.
Ahead, the air around the Reaver’s head began to distort.
"W-what... what is goi—"
Boom!
The Reaver’s head imploded, bursting into blood and gore. At the sa ti, a barrier ford around Zephyrion, stopping every drop from touching him.
As he landed, he narrowed his gaze on the cavern’s entrance.
’Soone’s coming.’
Zephyrion quickly circulated fire through his body, dispelling the lingering ice and regulating his temperature back to normal.
A second passed, and a broad figure suddenly stood before him.
"...you okay?"
’Garrick.’
"...I’m fine."
Garrick’s eyes narrowed as he looked him over, checking for injuries. His frown deepened when he found none.
"This guy... he’s a—"
"Mark six."
Garrick’s eyes widened.
"...and you’re fine?"
"I am," Zephyrion nodded, expression calm. "What about the villagers?"
Garrick blinked.
"...the villagers? You’re thinking about them right now?"
"Are they okay?"
"..."
Garrick’s hand slowly clenched. He held Zephyrion’s gaze for a mont, then let out a short chuckle, shaking his head as he gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.
"...you really are sothing else."
"...answer the question."
"Hah... they’re fine. I passed them on the way here."
A mont of silence passed.
"...how’d you know to co back?"
"Co back... so you knew I was watching." Garrick stared at Zephyrion as though trying to make sense of him.
"A few instructors didn’t report back. I checked, found them dead. Figured sothing was off, so I swept the area."
Garrick glanced at the headless corpse again.
"...a mark six, huh..." He furrowed his brows briefly. "You sure you’re alright?"
"I am."
"No injuries?"
"None."
"At all?"
"No."
"Re—"
Zephyrion shot him a look, and Garrick chuckled, scratching his head.
"...alright, alright. Just making sure," He said. "I’ll check the rest of the area. Stay put."
As Garrick vanished, Zephyrion’s gaze lingered on the cavern exit.
’The gap... I’m still too weak.’
Not only had Garrick scoured the entire kiloter-wide forest in an instant, he had also crushed the head of the man he’d been struggling against without even being present.
The thought of being this weak left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Faint sounds echoed from the exit, and he frowned. Fiona and the villagers were likely on their way.
’Let’s see.’
Zephyrion crouched beside the Reaver’s corpse and began searching. A Reaver would definitely have sothing of value...
’Hm?’
His hand paused as he felt sothing concealed beneath the cloth. A mont later, he pulled it out.
A folded scroll, faintly glowing red.
Zephyrion’s gaze sharpened.
’A Rune scroll.’
Scrolls engraved with elental runes, sothing every Ascendant needed to awaken and use the elent. They were rare, tightly controlled by every elental nation and house.
The red glow ant...
’Blood elent.’
A faint smile ford on Zephyrion’s face.
This was a great gain. The earlier frustration faded instantly, replaced by an intense anticipation.
"Y-young lord!"
Zephyrion slipped the scroll into his cloth just as Fiona rushed into the cavern.
"A-are you okay? A-are you hurt?"
As she began inspecting him for wounds, Zephyrion let out a quiet breath.
...
"Arg... I thought I was dead..."
"Those Redmaw were insane..."
"Ark—my arm! My arm!"
A scoff slipped from Kaiden.
’Useless.’
He had just returned to the forest entrance after hearing the whistle signaling the end of the mission.
The trainees were sprawled across the ground. So still trembled in fear, others lay clutching their injuries.
’It wasn’t even that hard.’
The mission had gone perfectly. He had covered a large stretch of the forest and killed five Redmaw.
Five!
Kaiden smirked.
He couldn’t imagine any trainee surpassing that.
’Where’s he?’
Kaiden frowned, his gaze sweeping the area as he failed to spot Zephyrion. He wondered if Zephyrion would turn out like the others, shaken, or worse, heavily injured.
’He probably couldn’t kill a single Redmaw.’
With a faintly smug look, he waited. Monts later, a group erged from the forest.
Zephyrion and Fiona walked at the front, with a group of dirt covered n and won trailing behind them.
"Oh—look, it’s the young lord."
"He doesn’t even look hurt."
"...who are those people with him?"
"...?"
Kaiden stared at the scene with a confused expression. He had covered a large part of the forest and hadn’t encountered anyone else besides the trainees and Redmaw.
’Where did they co from?’
"Gather!"
At Garrick’s call, the trainees quickly assembled.
"I’ll call out your kills. Barren Calderalth—zero. Kosne Calderalth—zero."
The announcents moved quickly. Most nas hovered around zero and one until...
"Kaiden Calderalth—five kills."
"Wait—five?"
"He took down five Redmaw?"
"That’s crazy..."
Gasps spread through the group as all eyes turned to him.
Kaiden straightened, lifting his chin slightly. He cast a glance at Zephyrion and smirked.
’Let’s see you beat that.’
"Quiet."
At Garrick’s shout, the murmurs died instantly.
"Fiona Calderalth—one kill."
A satisfied smile ford on Kaiden’s face. If his partner had only managed one, then Zephyrion couldn’t have done much better.
Kaiden closed his eyes, smiling.
’I’ve won.’
"Zephyrion Calderalth—fourteen confird kills."
Kaiden’s eyes snapped open.
"What!?"
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