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Terror seized every face on the battlefield. Whoever emerged from that curtain of dust would mean inevitable annihilation for either side. My entire body, from the tips of my toes to every last strand of hair, trembled uncontrollably. Who could blame me? Witnessing a battle of such magnitude, and having your own death dictated by the victory or defeat of someone utterly unrelated to you, was simply unimaginable.
"W-what do we do, Flumir?" Darkel stammered beside me, his face etched with terror.
"How should I know?! If you're talking about fighting after seeing that, I don't think your brain's grasping the situation..." I retorted, my voice trembling.
Seeing that sight alone dragged my mind back to the battle where Aderas and Master Kerl had been tearing everything apart, while we stood facing death head-on. It seems Death itself always has a hand resting on my shoulder.
Turning around, I saw my paralyzed companions, and made a decision instantly: I had to get them all out of there fast!
"Darkel, we can't waste time. Even if fear has soiled your pants, we need to get out of here now!" I said, frowning while gritting my teeth.
"You're right, let's—" But a voice cut him off, appearing right beside him instantly.
"Why do you want to leave already? Is your little game over, and now you want to run because your pathetic salvation went down the drain?" Dante whispered into his ear, placing a hand on Darkel's shoulder.
Instantly, Darkel burst into flames completely, letting out a powerful scream and unleashing a wave that expanded across the field as heat and gusts of fire.
In an instant, everything began to burn intensely, and his companions acted as if they were already accustomed to Darkel's explosions. With agility, three water-style members from the Falhmer clan extended a wave of water across the area and, with the same fluidity, formed a firm layer of water around Darkel. But... Dante was still at his side, holding his shoulder... and since I was close, I saw firsthand that Darkel's outburst seemed to have been caused by how Dante squeezed and dislocated his shoulder with pure force... My Semillum froze, my face turned white, and my expression ceased to hide the terror that lay deep within me.
With a slight movement, Dante dispelled the water mantle created by Darkel's companions, and with his face now turned towards me, I could see how much he enjoyed toying with us. He was grinning macabrely, and his countenance seemed to darken as he stared directly at me.
"Damn it, I only survived five Urvargs just to die by the hands of someone who enjoys slaughter more than they do," I thought as I closed my eyes.
Five seconds.
Nothing.Not a step.Not a whimper.
Upon opening them, I let out a scream:
"BOO!" Dante whispered, inches from my face.
Dante's burning breath grazed my skin, and for a moment, I saw myself reflected in his eyes, two orbs of pure amusement. Just when I thought my Semillum couldn't beat any faster, a chilling scream echoed to my left.
"Die, monster!" It was Kaio, one of Darkel's recruits, who had been by his side since the academy. With bloodshot Lysae, he lunged at Dante, an improvised dagger gleaming in his hand, as if his tiny fury could stand against a Master.
Dante didn't even flinch. His smile didn't waver. A mere blink, a fleeting flash of his Fire Lysae, and Kaio's scream was choked into a carbonized whimper. His body, once full of life and fury, turned into a pile of smoking ashes before hitting the ground. The smell of burnt flesh, sweet and nauseating, filled the air.
My companions screamed in horror; some covered their mouths, others collapsed. But I... I couldn't. I could only stare at the ashes, then at Dante, then at my own trembling hands. That was the moment I truly understood the scale of what the word "Master" meant. They weren't just powerful; they were absolute predators, and we, mere prey.
Dante turned back to me, his smile even wider, his gaze piercing.
"Your lesson has begun, Flumir Aerufil Valeryon. This place is too small for what's next."
I felt a familiar pressure build behind me... it wasn't fear; it was... hope. He raised a hand, and the crimson energy lines we had discussed—now not formed by rocks, but by pure Fire Lysae—began to sprout from the ground around us, ascending and closing in like the walls of an infernal prison. The air around me distorted, and the battlefield, with the distant screams and Kaio's ashes, began to fade.
Then, I lunged without waiting for his approval. I moved at great speed; my training was not in vain. I learned unique techniques from the clan and the House of Wind that will help me be a better attacker. Killing stealthily was never my style, but exploding like a bomb in someone's face certainly motivates me.
I lowered my center of gravity and ran at high speed, using the wind to my advantage. Dante quickly employed his elemental power to try and match my speed – foolish! The terrifying thing about the House of Wind is disappearing from the enemy's eyes at all costs. So, with one hand, I made a gesture as if pulling a rope with open hands, and a torrent of wind began to blow in our direction.
Seeing my action, he jumped and moved sideways, launching a flaming kick. But when he thought he reached my body, it vanished before his eyes. "The Wind Illusion technique was a success!" I thought with a spark of triumph. Then, from above him, I launched a slash with my sword imbued with my Lysae. The jade crystal absorbed my energy and channeled it into the sword, illuminating it with a green color and making it lethally sharp, a symbol of the House of Wind's promise I have yet to fulfill.
He realized it immediately and, with a downward spin, avoided the slash, receiving only a small scratch on his back. Immediately, he gave me a kick that sent me flying into the sky with force. Thanks to my nine layers of Lysae, the impact was minimal, but I felt it… If he had hit me squarely, he would have made a hole in my chest.
I landed, gasping. The ground trembled. Dante straightened up, laughing.
"Interesting, Flumir. You made me bleed..."
And then he licked the Lysae he gathered from his back, like a predator savoring the fight.
"Now the fun begins."
With a sharp gaze, Dante began to search for someone, but to his surprise, in those moments of our little skirmish, he saw that most of his companions were dead or unconscious. Belquer had killed the majority, and the group that came with us began their attack to capture the remaining ones. Surprised by the scene, I saw him sigh very heavily.
"I don't think this is the time for us to continue our date today. I understand you've come a long way to find me, but it seems I have to leave now…" he told me with an emptiness in his eyes.
"What? Are you afraid of losing with your Lysae flow malfunctioning because of the wound?" I said with a lopsided smile.
"I can still beat you even in my current state. It was a good move, but our strength is still very far off, kid. But more uninvited friends are close by, and I'm not foolish enough to stay and wait for them."
With that said, he ignited his feet and began to float in the air. He launched himself in a straight line towards the sky and then stopped abruptly when he was very high up, shooting off in the same manner towards the west. But in the air, I saw gigantic explosions and four flashes of various colors—white, yellow, and red—began to cause explosions and shot off in a line towards the west. It seems he's run into more Masters from the Falhmer clan… or perhaps from ours.
The silence that followed Dante's departure was more deafening than any explosion. The wind, which had previously obeyed my Lysae, now only carried the nauseating smell of burnt flesh. Kaio's ashes, scattered on the ground, were a brutal reminder of the overwhelming power difference we had just witnessed. The adrenaline, which had kept me on my feet, began to fade, replaced by an overwhelming exhaustion and a chilling clarity in my Semillum.
I turned to where my companions were still struggling to contain the few remaining of Dante's soldiers. I saw Belquer, his face hardened, giving concise orders as he swiftly ended the enemy's resistance with terrifying efficiency. His presence had been the tide that saved us from the tsunami. Darkel lay motionless, still under the effects of Dante's torture, and the group's healers rushed to him, their faces pale with concern.
There was no time for celebration, nor for mourning Kaio. We had survived, yes, but at a cost that would weigh heavily on us. The real battle hadn't been against the Urvargs, or even against those soldiers. The true battle, the one that would define our future, was against the threat posed by the Fire Master Dante and what would come next.
As Belquer approached, his gaze meeting mine, I knew the questions were many and the answers few. The night was just beginning, and with it, the need to understand the true intentions of the Masters, the implications of what had just happened, and the new and dangerous path we now had to forge.