Aeryn stared at the man in front of her, still breathing deeply after the clean strike that left his right arm on the ground.
The dark mage was hunched over, breathing with some difficulty. His cracked mask revealed part of his scorched face.
Still, even with blood dripping from his shoulder, he wore that same crooked smile, like he didn’t care about the pain or the threat right in front of him.
"...I’m really not the type to repeat myself. Where is the boy?"
"~Hmm... not sure if I should say..."
Even wounded, the mage gave a theatrical bow with a sloppy motion, maybe because of his missing arm... But his grin remained.
"It’s truly an honor to meet the little demon of Veyhart."
Aeryn’s expression darkened. She raised her right hand, and above it, the golden blade began to spin slowly, floating like a small sharp sun.
"I’ll rip off your other arm. Then I’ll ask again."
"Hey... hey... wait, wait... no need to add me to your kill list just yet."
She didn’t reply. Just watched him silently.
"...hnnngh... he must be pretty important for you to come looking for him personally, huh?"
"I’d do this for any student."
The dark mage slipped a hand inside his clothes and pulled out a few thin needles. Corrupted mana flowed through them like liquid poison pulsing.
"Heh... coming from Veyhart... I wouldn’t doubt it."
"So you’ve made your choice then?"
"Hmph, truth is, I just wanted to understand that kid better. His abilities are... interesting. I’m even thinking about pulling him over to our side."
Aeryn narrowed her eyes as she heard that. For a moment, her focus wavered.
'So he’s still alive...? But where is he?'
She didn’t show anything on the outside, but inside, a surge of unexpected relief flashed through her mind. The anger remained, but now, hidden beneath it, was a quiet satisfaction.
"I don’t need to keep listening to you."
Aeryn lowered her hand slightly, pointing it at the masked mage. The golden blade shot forward like a bolt of light, tearing through the air with force.
"Then die."
The mage widened his eyes as he saw the blade coming. He threw some needles toward Aeryn and others at the blade.
The ones aimed at her were repelled before they could get close. The needles launched at the blade exploded on impact but didn’t slow it down for even a second.
"That’s useless."
"But worth a shot, isn’t it?"
He spun his body clumsily in the air to dodge the slash. Even wounded and off-balance, he barely avoided the blade.
"You really think it’s going to be that simple?"
Aeryn was already preparing another spell around her, quickly shaping several ice stakes with her other hand, forcing her mana to split between control and direct offense.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
The blade, after passing the dark mage, started to curve in the air, returning from behind, guided by Aeryn’s hand.
Even with his life hanging by a thread, the dark mage couldn’t help but be impressed.
"That’s incredible. Sustaining two active spells at once... not something just anyone can pull off."
"I’ll remember the compliment after you’re dead."
"Hmph... so cold... what a shame."
He muttered, pulling something with his right hand. To anyone else, it looked like there was nothing there. But Aeryn clearly saw a nearly invisible thread flicker in the sunlight.
'What’s he doing...?'
A chill ran up her spine. She turned her head instinctively, eyes narrowing.
"Hhn...!"
The moment she noticed, she saw the barely visible shine streaking through the trees. Dozens of needles slicing through the air, coming straight at her.
'When did this bastard...'
"Tsk... cheap tricks. They won’t save you from death!"
With no choice, she stopped controlling the golden blade coming at the dark mage. She spun quickly in the air, and at the last second, conjured a fan-shaped ice barrier — thin and clear like crystal, but strong enough to hold the impact.
BOOM! BOOM! TCH-BOOM!!
The needles slammed into the barrier with force, exploding one by one in short, dry bursts, surrounded by violet sparks and magical crackles.
It was close. Aeryn had materialized the barrier in the air in a short burst of time, freezing the mana around her and forming a solid magical wall in fractions of a second. Just enough time to block them before they could even start to fall.
She slowly lowered her arm after the impact, then shook her hand in the air like she was trying to ease the tingling still running through her fingers.
"That bastard..."
Even after defending herself successfully, she knew. That brief pause was all he needed.
She turned her face back toward him. He was standing in front of a portal that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
As he approached the portal, one of the corrupted needles floating nearby brought him his severed arm, still stained with blood.
"Like I said, it’s a shame... you looked like you had a lot planned for me. But let’s leave that for another time..."
He raised the severed arm like he was holding a trophy and waved it at Aeryn with a smile.
"Hehe... later, little demon of Veyhart.... when I found him, he was in a situation similar to mine... so I guess I felt a little pity—"
"SHHHHHHK!!!!"
The golden blade came from behind.
"Ohhn.... so close!!"
But the mage stepped into the portal at the last second, making her slash cut through empty air.
"See you around..."
Annoyed, Aeryn hurled the ice stakes with force.
But the portal unraveled into a dark vortex, swallowing everything and disappearing.
Only silence remained there with her...
"~Damn it!..."
“...”
Aeryn hovered in the sky, her gaze locked on the space where the portal had just closed.
Her eyes glowed with warm gold, and the rage still seemed to pulse beneath her skin.
She stayed there for a few seconds, unmoving... until she let out a long sigh and finally relaxed her expression.
"...Looks like I let my guard down too much."
She began descending at a steady pace until she hovered gently above the lake, where the air was thicker and more humid. She stood in silence for a moment, staring at the calm surface of the water below.
"Tsk..."
Aeryn was sure she had felt Kaen’s energy when she got close to that place.
But... where had he gone? How had his mana disappeared like that? Was he still alive? The dark mage had mentioned something about bringing him over to their side... had he been captured?
“...”
With no answers, she closed her eyes and focused. Mana began flowing from inside her body outward, like a magical detection field expanding in all directions.
Everything around her began to vibrate in her perception. Magical creatures moving through the trees, small flows of natural mana circulating beneath the ground, and even the approaching magic knights. Every tiny presence was sensed with precision.
Except one... Kaen wasn’t anywhere.
There wasn’t even a trace. No residue. As if he had never been there. His presence had simply vanished without a trace.
Aeryn let out another, shorter sigh and crouched at the edge of the lake.
"What am I even supposed to tell the brats now?!"
She didn’t know if Kaen had died, been taken, or by some miracle, had already made it back to the academy.
But even if she wanted to believe the last option... it made no sense. Aeryn could’ve sworn she had felt Kaen’s mana in that place. She was sure.
“...”
The wind lightly tousled her dark brown hair as she looked at her own reflection. Her golden eyes stared back — sharp... but with a hint of exhaustion that maybe wasn’t physical.
She stayed there, arms resting on her knees, staring at her own image in the water.
"Huff... where the hell did you go, kid? If they took yo—"
"Miss Aeryn!"
The voice cut through her thoughts. She turned her face and saw some magic knights approaching quickly.
"We heard some noise. Are you alright, ma’am?"
"Hey, no need to be so formal."
She stood up, brushing off her cloak with a light swipe, and walked away from the lake.
"There’s nothing here. I suggest you head back to the academy. I don’t think there are any students still missing."
"Yes, Miss Aeryn!!"
"Tsk..."
"Huh?! Sorry!!"
Seeing they had clearly ignored what she’d just said, she simply ignored them back and took off into the air again.
And just like that, she vanished into the sky without a trace.