Smoke drifted lazily across the battlefield, the flickering flames casting tense light over hardened faces.
Reta and Cos stood motionless, but there was no hesitation in their stance—the edge of Reta's axe was buried deep into the earth, while Cos's sword gleamed with golden light reflected from the man who had just saved Rysaz.
Both faced him, like two hunting beasts waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The man in golden armor stood firm, the metal vibrating softly in the wind, gray eyes calm, fists clenched—as if a mere twitch could make the air itself explode.
No one spoke. Only the wind blew, carrying with it the scent of blood and molten metal.
The ground cracked under an invisible pressure between the three—another battle was on the verge of erupting.
Out at sea, where white waves crashed against the ship's hull, Sill's group remained bound by the twin beastfolk's chains of magic.
Mana sat perched atop the mast, her cat tail swaying lazily, eyes half amused, half disdainful.
Mane, her twin sister, dangled her legs from the rail, voice lilting like the sea breeze.
"Boring… They don't even struggle. What's the fun in that?"
Senki gritted her teeth, trying to break the mana threads wrapping her wrists, but the transparent chains glowed brighter each time she moved.
Kael said nothing, scanning around as if searching for a flaw in the spell.
Sill stared at the twins, heart pounding, sweat beading on her brow—the refinement of their power was unlike anything she had ever faced.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed from the distant continent.
A bright pillar of fire shot up into the sky, its red glare reflected even on the sea's surface.
Mana's cat ears twitched upright. "What was that?!"
Mane looked up too, eyes narrowing toward the horizon.
Just a few seconds of distraction—yet for Sivall, that was all he needed.
Lightning flashed in his eyes, and the air around his hands warped.
"Lightning Cut — Shadowless Speed."
The magical chains were cleaved apart, mana dissipating like mist, and in that instant, the entire group was freed.
Without hesitation, Sivall surged forward—his body a blur of thunder, blade slicing through the air in a silver arc aimed straight for Mane.
He didn't intend to kill—just to knock her out.
Mane's eyes widened; instinctively, she recoiled, shouting,
"Brother—!"
But it was too late.
Steel clashed against steel—a sharp, resonant crash that thundered across the sea.
A bolt of stray lightning struck the ship's hull, shaking it violently.
Sivall halted. His gaze followed the deflected strike—and saw Lusia standing there, staff raised, electricity still crackling around it.
No one knew when she had arrived.
Tiny sparks danced through her silver hair, and her voice rang out, gentle yet edged with lethal chill:
"My, my… using violence on children now?"
Sivall froze.
The lightning around his sword faded, leaving behind a faint ozone scent.
Lusia—silver-haired, deep blue eyes—stood framed in flickering light, like a spirit resurrected from the past.
His heart thudded, his grip trembling.
"Lusia… Lusia, is that you?" he rasped, disbelief heavy in his tone.
She hesitated, her gaze wavering slightly. The firelight from afar illuminated her face, bringing out those clear eyes—the same eyes that had once looked at him across the laboratories of the Arcane Council, when both had spent sleepless nights surrounded by sparking currents.
"...Sivall?!" she whispered, her voice trembling. "It's really you?"
For a moment, the battlefield vanished.
Only the two of them remained—surrounded by wind and the salt of the sea—looking at each other through the dust of time.
Lusia smiled faintly, a mix of surprise and nostalgia.
"Didn't expect… to see you here. You still haven't stopped solving everything with lightning, huh?"
Sivall chuckled softly, a hint of bitterness in his tone.
"And you still show up at the worst possible moment."
Silence lingered between them for a few seconds.
Memories of their academy days flooded back—long nights testing spells, being scolded for blowing up labs, conjuring artificial storms just to test the limits of thunder magic.
Lusia had once been the prodigy of Natural Arcana, and Sivall the only one capable of matching her control over lightning.
They were rivals and kindred spirits, bound by the pulse of thunder itself.
Now, amid war and chaos, they faced each other once more—not as students, but as enemies.
Behind them, Sill's group stood frozen, uncertain of what was unfolding.
Mana and Mane tilted their heads curiously, while the sea breeze whipped through Lusia's hair, painting the image of two mages of lightning—one glowing dark blue, the other silver-white—like two poles of the same approaching storm.
Time stood still.
The waves still roared, but everything seemed to pause between heartbeats—when Lusia's sharp gaze met Sivall's, and the current around her deepened into a dark, electric blue.
The sea wind howled stronger, swirling mist around the deck.
Lightning flashed across the sky, revealing two faces once so familiar yet now strangers—Sivall and Lusia, standing across from each other in the aftermath of shattered magic.
"How long has it been…" Lusia spoke softly, her tone gentle yet tinged with sorrow.
"Seven years," Sivall replied, eyes locked on hers. "Seven years since you vanished from the Council."
Lusia gave a small, wistful laugh. "Vanished? Not exactly. I just… chose a different path."
He fell silent, eyes filled with regret—and resolve.
"You once said you'd use thunder to protect others, Lusia. And now? You stand with those who burn the continent."
Lusia looked down at the rippling sea, dark blue sparks coiling around her hands.
"The world isn't just black and white, Sivall. Whichever side I stand on… there's always something to lose."
The two stood quiet.
Wind whistled through the mast, thunder echoing faintly across the ocean.
Then Lusia raised her eyes, voice firm.
"Sivall, listen. Leave this place. You and your comrades—you shouldn't be part of this war."
She lifted her hand, lightning threads spiraling like living filaments, wrapping the ship in blue luminescence.
"I'll let you go. No one will pursue you."
Mana and Mane exchanged glances, then nodded.
"If Lady Lusia says so, we won't stop them," Mana said, her childish voice sincere.
Mane grinned lightly, glancing at Sill and Senki. "You don't look like bad people anyway."
The tension eased slightly—but only for a moment.
Sivall inhaled deeply, then shook his head.
"Thank you… but I can't."
His gaze hardened, voice cutting through the wind.
"My homeland is under threat. No matter who stands in my way, I'll fight. If that's you, Lusia… then I won't hesitate to 'test our powers' again."
Lightning flickered along his blade.
Lusia arched a brow, then laughed softly—a sound both gentle and proud.
"You haven't changed. Still too righteous for your own good."
She twirled her staff, arcs of blue lightning coiling around her like serpents.
"But don't underestimate me, Sivall. If we fought now… you'd lose."
He smiled, eyes gleaming with respect.
"I never have."
The air grew tense again.
Winds howled, waves crashed harder, responding to their power.
Mana and Mane held their breath, while Sill's group stood frozen, unwilling to step between these two who once called each other friend.
Then Lusia sighed, her voice soft yet unwavering.
"Go, Sivall. I don't want to fight you—not today. But next time we meet…"
She paused, eyes flaring like thunder in a storm.
"…we'll be enemies."
A fierce gust swept the deck, and blue light exploded around them.
When it faded, Lusia and the twins were gone—leaving Sivall's group standing amid the wrecked ship, the sea wind biting cold.
Kael looked around. "Who was she?"
Sivall clenched his sword, staring toward the distant horizon where lightning still flashed.
"…An old friend. And the storm I wish I didn't have to face."
He drew a steady breath, lowering his sword.
"No time. We move—head for the harbor city!"
Kael nodded, helping Senki up.
Sill pulled her cloak tight against the salt wind, while Sivall stayed at the rear, watchful.
Waves crashed against the hull, echoing through scattered metal and shattered planks.
They leapt off the ship, sprinting across splintered piers and wreckage-strewn sand.
Far ahead, the faint lights of the harbor city glimmered through mist—tiny stars in the stormy night.
"Move!" Sivall shouted over the wind. "If Darama's troops realize we survived, they'll come back!"
Their footsteps pounded over the rocks—when suddenly, the ground trembled.
A vast surge of mana rippled through the sky.
From afar, cubic lights began to appear—massive floating runes forming an enormous lattice of magic that enclosed the southern battlefield.
Kael froze, eyes wide.
"That… that's a barrier formation!"
Senki's voice shook.
"But… why is it on such a massive scale?"
The cubes spun faster, glowing so brightly that the sky itself seemed to fracture.
Then, in an instant—the barrier shattered.
The air filled with the sound of breaking glass, and fragments of light rained down like dying stars.
Sill gasped, heart pounding.
"The barrier—was destroyed?!"
No one answered.
Only Sivall tightened his grip, eyes hard as he stared toward the distant blaze.
"Move! The battlefield's gone beyond control."
No one argued—they ran.
Boots struck stone, echoing through narrow alleys thick with smoke and sea salt.
High above, Lusia flew alongside Mana and Mane atop a glowing blue magic carpet.
They, too, had seen the shattered barrier—their faces pale.
Mana bit her lip. "Sis… that was Lady Anate's spell, wasn't it?"
Lusia nodded grimly. "Yes. And for someone like her to lose control… the external pressure must've been immense."
Mane looked toward the horizon, where red smoke writhed like a colossal serpent.
Lusia cut in sharply. "Doesn't matter. We can't stay here."
Lightning flared from her hands, forming spectral wings on her back.
"Report to King Rio II immediately. This isn't just another battle—it's the sign of a collapsing magical boundary."
Mana and Mane nodded, and the three of them soared away—streaks of blue lightning tearing through the crimson sky of war.