Nero stood by the dying fire, its embers casting faint shadows on the cursed village's broken walls.
The hollow tree loomed behind him like a skeletal monolith, its twisted branches reaching skyward like claws.
Lyra clutched her blanket, watching him with wide, worried eyes.
The old woman sat still, her gaze sharp and knowing.
"I need to get closer," Nero said, his voice steady but low. "If I want to stop Malrik, I have to understand exactly what he's doing, and how far along he is. I can't do that from here."
The old woman's lips pressed into a thin line. "The closer you get to Malrik, the less chance you have of returning," she warned.
Nero offered a faint, humorless smile. "I'm not planning to fight him. Not yet."
He adjusted the strap of his pouch, securing it against his robes.
"What I need is information: how Malrik is accelerating the curse, whether he's using rituals or other dark magic, the structure of the fortress, and what's his objective.
If I can figure out his method, and his timeline, I might find a way to sabotage or delay whatever he's planning."
Lyra stood up, panic flaring in her voice. "But what if they find you?"
"They will," Nero said, calm and certain. "And that's fine."
The old woman tilted her head. "You want them to find you."
He nodded, the silver glow of his eyes steady.
"I want to see what Malrik sends after me. How much effort he's willing to spend, and what it says about his priorities.
The more I learn about his plans and his resources, the better chance I have to make a difference."
He turned to go, then paused, softening slightly as he met Lyra's anxious gaze.
Without a word, he reached out and gently patted her head, grounding her panic with a rare moment of comfort.
"Don't worry," he said quietly. "I'll be back."
He vanished into the night, his figure cutting through the darkness like a blade.
—————————————————————
The Shatterveil stretched before him, a labyrinth of decay.
Nero moved through the ruins with measured precision, his Raven Eyes slicing through the gloom and tracing the faint currents of lingering magic.
He wasn't in a rush. Every step was deliberate, each pathway chosen to bring him closer to the fortress at the heart of the Shatterveil.
An hour passed.
Then two.
The land grew more unstable the deeper he went.
The ground cracked beneath his feet, faint traces of cursed magic curling up like mist.
The pressure of despair on his mind had lessened since leaving the village, but the magic here was still twisted, a wound that had never healed.
Shadows shifted among the ruins.
Nero stopped walking. He didn't turn.
"You've been following me for thirty minutes." he said into the silence. "How about you come out now?"
Laughter echoed through the broken stones, sharp and cruel.
Figures emerged from the darkness, stepping over shattered relics.
Ten of them, clad in blackened armor, their eyes gleaming with malice.
Wands at the ready, fingers twitching with anticipation.
Black Talons.
One stepped forward, taller and more heavily armored than the rest, a wicked smile carved across his scarred jaw.
"You should be honored," the man sneered. "Lord Malrik himself ordered your capture."
Nero's eyes flicked over the group, counting movements, tracking the way they spread out to circle him.
No gaps. These weren't low-level Reavers. They were strong.
"We're taking you to him," the leader continued. "Alive. So why don't you save us all some trouble and come quietly?"
Nero tilted his head, raising his wand. "And if I refuse?"
The leader's grin widened. "Then we break you."
Nero exhaled, steadying his heartbeat.
"Try."
They attacked as one.
The first spell came from behind.
Nero twisted, his wand flashing.
A translucent barrier snapped into place, deflecting the curse like glass.
The shield rippled, absorbing the impact before dissipating in a wave of soft light.
Nero flicked his wand, the remnants of the barrier splintering into shards and firing toward the nearest Talon like daggers.
In a split second, he wove another spell.
"Diffindo."
The spell lashed out like an invisible blade, slicing through the armor of one Talon, who collapsed with a strangled cry.
Two more lunged at him from either side.
Nero didn't choose to Apparate, but he moved like a shadow, his body low to the ground.
"Serpensortia Maxima."
A massive serpent erupted from his wand, hissing as it struck, fangs sinking into the leg of an attacker.
The Talon crumpled, venom searing his veins.
The others adjusted, spreading out, their spells coming faster.
One clipped Nero's shoulder, burning through his clothes and searing flesh.
He grimaced, but reacted instantly.
As a shield shimmered into place before him, he spoke:
"Vulnera Sanentur."
Soft golden light wrapped the wound, knitting flesh together in moments. The pain dulled.
They thought blood would make him weaker.
They were wrong.
"Oppugno."
Stone shards rose around him, circling like hungry blades before launching at the Talons.
Two of them barely managed to shield themselves, the third wasn't so lucky.
Six left.
One tried to flee.
Nero extended his hand, his wand barely moving.
"Magna Vinctura."
An original spell created by Nero. A studier version of Incarcerous.
Golden chains burst from the earth, wrapping the fleeing Talon and yanking him back, slamming him against the stone floor.
The remaining five regrouped, warier now.
Nero adjusted his grip, blood staining his sleeve.
"Is that all you've got?" he said, voice cold as steel.
The leader's grin faltered.
"Kill him," he spat.
They surged forward.
Nero raised his wand, blue frost burning in his gaze.
He'd promised Lyra he'd come back.
He fully intended to keep that promise.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50 chapters ahead on Patreon (Suiijin): Chapter 201: Training the Magical Bond