As a girl who lived alone in the middle of the woods and had no problem ascending and leaving everything behind, she was now showing so much interest in people she didn't even know.
Of course, she was a prodigy and all that, but risking her life like this was very intimidating to Isiah.
She threw him aside like a small insect and insisted on staying to cast some sort of spell.
She was sure of herself and her abilities. He could even say he trusted her confidence, but somehow, he couldn't just accept what was happening in front of him.
"Just stay where you are. I have to do it now... I've done it before, so don't interrupt me with your nonsense," Ethyl said, a glare in her eyes.
Isiah stood still, watching as she leaned toward the ground again and started to whisper some words. A blue energy began to appear beneath her hands. Isiah stepped closer—her face showed so much pain. She was using a lot of power.
This place didn't have much to begin with, and casting this here was clearly hurting her.
To Isiah, the amount of energy she summoned was huge, but to her, it felt small. She had drowned herself in so much more, back in the day.
She needed more. And more.
But how...
It wasn't like she could drag the hellhound to another place filled with energy. The hellhound was fast and very strong. It could kill her in seconds.
The best choice was to stay put and do what needed to be done.
Isiah saw her forehead sweating, her expression tightening. She started grinding her teeth, forcing herself to continue.
It wasn't like everything had been handed to her. She had always worked for everything, tripling the effort everyone else put in just to earn a name and pass the evaluation test.
Since she was a kid, she was treated with caution because of her abilities. And when she gained a bit of sense, she realized she had to show them what needed to be shown—and she did exactly that.
Ethyl knew they were already comparing her to Lucas Duncan when she was eight. She was going down the same path, and her teachers began showing up at their door, warning her parents.
At that age, she learned how to manipulate her test results, and by doing so, she stayed in the program longer, until she finally graduated.
It was always about appearances, and she succeeded in hiding her powers until the very end.
But now... she had to do what needed to be done.
She kept absorbing divine energy and expanded the radius. The ground around them began glowing yellow. The surrounding fields sparkled. It was beautiful.
Isiah had never seen such a thing, and that's why he stood there, amazed.
Ethyl ignored him and kept absorbing, but the hellhound started moving toward her. It had sensed the divine energy—which, by now, had become massive.
The salt started forming a circle before her. The divine energy was drawing salt particles to shape exact runes.
It condensed for a moment, then Ethyl projected it toward the hellhound and said:
"Destroy the magic core inside the hellhound."
She wasn't sure if that much divine energy was enough for the spell, but she did it anyway. There was no other way she could survive unless she did.
The hellhound jumped at her, its glowing yellowish eyes hunting her down.
Even though only millimeters separated them, she collapsed to the ground, motionless from exhaustion.
His threatening face terrified her, and she thought it was over. She covered her face with her arms to avoid the burn—and eye contact.
But at that exact moment, Isiah reached out and pulled her away.
The hellhound was about to explode from the spell, but it had still tried to drag her down with it.
If not for Isiah, it would have killed her. She got burns on her arms from shielding herself.
Everything went black. She thought she fainted right away—until she heard heavy breathing right next to her.
She sighed and pulled back, realizing she was in Isiah's arms.
She'd been messing with him all this time, and now he was the one who saved her—when she had drained herself facing the hellhound.
Isiah still leaned over her. He couldn't believe he had jumped in front of a hellhound to save her.
He thought he would never do such a thing. People didn't deserve that.
And yet here he was, blaming himself for acting.
He didn't move. He just stayed there, silent.
Neither of them said anything. She pushed him off seconds later.
He stood and walked away, trying to spot any remaining hellhound.
He was just trying to stay busy—trying to forget that he had risked himself for her.
"That stupid girl," he thought with a silent curse.
He looked around, but there was no trace of the hellhound.
He had many theories—but couldn't speak any of them out loud.
This world was different, for sure.
And this girl...
She was his way out.
If they wouldn't allow him to learn magic—then she would.
Now he had leverage on her.
And he'd use it.
Even if it meant being childish.