one month has passed, The trees began to switch from green to a orange like colors, same as the grass around the kingdom, the leaves started to fall.
The kingdom Edalliaa already at the winter season, it seems like seasons comes at some random time or maybe it has a cycle, the southern and northern part experiences season earlier than the central part of the world.
Part 1
I opened my eyes and realize I've been asleep for eight hours passed, I was inside a Wooden covered wagon pulled by two horses, beside me was kael, covered in thick blanket, he was sleeping quietly, almost like a child.
Larra on the other hand was the coachman,she was driving the whole wagon by herself since the events from a month ago.
Thriller, I missed my friend, it's not like we're close or anything.
Larra called me out, "Good morning Surya" ,then she added, "how is you sleep?"
She asked me while she was focused on the road ahead.
I replied, a"I can't believe Thriller thinks we abandoned him.".
"No it wasn't your fault, neither both of you, Thriller was being controlled by the Order",she said calmly.
Kael was still sleeping like a child,i pinched his nose to stop his breathing ,he suddenly woke up and sneeze.
" Surya?, it's morning already?",he asked me.
"Yeah"
",And We're heading to..",i stopped.
" we're are we heading to exactly,Larra",i asked.
Larra replied, "At the kingdom of North Krimnaa", she said and tossed a rolled paper at him.
I opened the paper, it's the kingdom of North krimnaa's map.
" What is that marked location?"
I pointed at the "X" marked point on the map of krimnaa.
Larra replied, "There's a public library on the city of Velliz and it holds the teachings about Authority cancellation."
"Cancellation,huh... "
Back in when I was a child at Casaddin, my father told me about the Authority cancellation techniques of the West Soul rank, it was a counter type magic that can cancel any Authority a person have.
Authority, is another term for magical ability, each one have unique Authority such as: Noise cancellation for silent incantations, deflecting magic attacks, and other magic abilities like the forbidden art of mind control.
Part 2
The wagon rolled quietly along the dirt road, wheels creaking against the cold wind. The sun was half-hidden behind gray clouds, and the air smelled like frost and old leaves.
Kael yawned, stretching his arms. "Authority cancellation, huh… sounds complicated."
Larra nodded slightly. "It's not easy to learn. Even among Soul ranks, only a few ever mastered it. But if we want to stand a chance against the Order especially whoever's controlling Thriller we need it."
I looked out the window, watching the falling leaves drift beside the wagon. "Then we'll learn it. No matter how long it takes."
Kael grinned. "You always say that like it's simple."
"It's not," I replied. "But that's what makes it worth doing."
Larra smiled faintly from the front seat. "Good answer."
The road ahead bent toward a hill, and beyond it, we saw the towering spires of Velliz rising through the morning mist the northern capital of knowledge and the city of libraries.
Kael leaned forward. "So that's where we're heading?"
"Yeah," I said, clutching the map.
"... "
As the wagon descended the hill, snow began to fall lightly a quiet promise that a new chapter of their journey had just begun.
We have arrived at the gates of the great city of defense, Velliz, the capital of North Krimnaa, it has a very high and thick Layers of walls, fitting for a city of defense, the outside of the city was surrounded by a circular river fitting for defense strategies, a very strict security with twenty four hours of non-stop service
Part 3
The wagon came to a halt before the massive gate of Velliz. The walls towered above us like mountains of silver stone, their surfaces engraved with glowing runes that shimmered faintly under the snowlight. The faint hum of defensive magic echoed through the air this was no ordinary city.
Two guards approached, clad in silver armor bearing the crest of Krimnaa a twin blade crossed with a sun. Their spears gleamed as they stopped before our wagon.
"State your business," one of them demanded firmly, his voice steady and sharp.
Larra reached into her coat and handed over a small leather pouch. "We're travelers from Edalliaa. Here to access the Great Library of Velliz."
The guard nodded slowly, then said, "Identity stones, please."
Kael reached into his pocket and took out a smooth, blue crystal that faintly pulsed when he touched it his traveler's identity stone. I followed, producing mine, a bright yellow one with faint light energy swirling inside. Larra's stone glowed with a reddish hue, almost like burning embers.
The guards placed each stone into a small device — it scanned them, releasing a short hum. After a moment, the magic screen above it flickered with our names and origins.
The first guard turned toward the second. "Clear. No criminal marks."
The second nodded, then faced us again. "Welcome to Velliz, travelers. Remember — magic use inside the city is restricted without a license. Any violation will result in immediate arrest."
Larra bowed slightly. "Understood."
As the gates began to open, a low rumble shook the ground. The heavy steel doors parted slowly, revealing the city within a dazzling sight of white-stone towers, enchanted lamps floating above the streets, and countless banners fluttering in the cold breeze.
Kael's eyes widened. "This place is huge… I've never seen a city like this before."
Larra smiled faintly. "That's because it's not just a city. Velliz is the fortress of knowledge and the heart of Krimnaa's defense."
I looked ahead, feeling the wind brush past my face. "Then it's time we learn what we came here for."
The wagon rolled forward, crossing the great bridge over the circular river as the gates of Velliz closed behind us sealing our entry into the city where fate and knowledge awaited.
....
.. .
. .
The man below the library smiled, lips thin and cold. He touched the carved runes with gloved fingers and whispered words like knives.
"Magic… what truly is it?" he said, voice calm and hungry. "Where did it come from? Why must it be violent and cruel?"
Above, the stones answered. Blocks shifted as if something under them had opened its mouth. Dust billowed up from between the towers. Bookshelves groaned. Lamps flickered. Then the great hall of the Library of Peritia began to break apart, one slab at a time, until the whole wing collapsed inward with a sound like thunder.
The man laughed, sharp and terrible. "I will show the world what magic really is."
Outside on the street the wagon rocked. Snow and dust fell from the rooftops. People screamed and ran. Lanterns clattered to the ground. A siren rang from the city walls as guards shouted orders and scrambled toward the ruined library.
Larra slammed the wagon's reins and looked up, face pale. "What was that?" she hissed.
Surya felt the air change. His skin prickled with the echo of a deep, dangerous spell. He stood before the window, eyes wide. "Could be the library," he said. "Someone used serious magic below. It wasn't an accident."
Surya senses from his sensory type magic.
Kael was already on his feet, cloak whipping. "We have to help. People might be trapped."
From the city gates the defending lights flared and banners shifted. Citizens crowded the streets, faces full of fear. Somewhere in the distance a voice barked, "All units to the Library of Peritia!"
Larra glanced at Surya and Kael, steady and quick. "Stay close. This might be worse than the Order."
They moved toward the roar, the falling snow mixing with ash. The knowledge of Velliz was crumbling, and whatever had been unleashed below was only getting started.
The once-grand Library of Peritia was nothing but a wasteland now its stone walls turned to pale dust that drifted like snow in the cold air.
At the center of it stood a man. His coat fluttered lightly in the wind, and his gloves—white at first glance were stained with the gray powder of what once was the kingdom's greatest archive.
The city guards surrounded him but dared not approach. Every step closer turned the ground to powder.
Larra, Surya, and Kael arrived, breath misting in the cold. The air was thick with the smell of burnt ink and stone.
"That's him…" Larra whispered, narrowing her eyes. "The one they call The Dust Maker."
Surya's gaze sharpened. "His magic—'Crumble,' right?"
Kael nodded grimly. "A sensory-type ability… Touch anything, and it disintegrates instantly. No element, no chant, just,gone."
The man turned, finally noticing them. His stitched face was unreadable, but his voice carried clearly through the dust.
"So… you're the ones sent to stop me?"
He lifted one gloved hand. A nearby guard, frozen in fear, barely flinched before the ground beneath him dissolvedvanishing into nothing but dust.
Surya's fists clenched. "No, we came here to stop this."
The man smiled faintly, almost pitying.
"Then you'll need to be ready to lose more than your courage, boy."
The dust around his feet began to swirl upward like a storm being born.
The dust storm around him flickered—then slowed.
Surya froze, his hand half-raised for a spell. The man—Hokori had gone silent, his cold blue eyes staring into the ashes at his feet.
And then
The scene shifted.
A small northern village, tucked beneath the glowing curtains of the aurora. Snow glimmered under lantern light. Children's laughter filled the air. Among them, a boy no older than seven, with the same black hair and bright blue eyes, built a small snow fort beside his home.
"Dinner's ready, Hokori!" his mother called, smiling from the wooden doorway. His father stacked crates nearby, his siblings chasing each other around the fire.
It was warm. Peaceful. Perfect.
But that night… everything changed.
The sound of boots.
The smell of burning oil.
And then—the screams.
Dark figures in black coats stormed through the snow, torches blazing. Their insigniaa twisted crest of the Order.
"Stop! Please, my children!"
A flash of red.
Then silence.
Hokori hid behind the snow fort, shaking, watching his home swallowed by fire. His family gone. The men shouted about "illegal suppliers," and "traitors," but none of it made sense to him.
He was just a boy.
He didn't understand.
When the flames finally died, he stood before the ashes, hands trembling, whispering to himself through the tears,
"If the world lets people like them live… then I'll destroy the world they live in."
Back in the present, the dust swirled again—angrier this time.
"I didn't choose this power," Hokori muttered, voice breaking beneath the fury. "The world gave it to me… when it took everything else."
The wind howled, carrying with it both dust and memory, as the battle between vengeance and reason was about to begin.
The wind whipped through the ruins of what was once the Library of Peritia. Hokori stood motionless, surrounded by dust, his gloved hand trembling slightly.
Surya took a cautious step forward, his light aura glowing faintly. "Wait," he murmured, his golden eyes narrowing. "Something's off…"
Larra turned toward him. "What do you sense?"
Surya closed his eyes. "Eye of Feelings, activate."
His pupils shifted a soft, rippling light spreading through his irises like a pool of gold water. Suddenly, his surroundings faded, replaced by flashes of memory not his own.
He could feel it.
The grief. The rage. The loss.
In an instant, Surya saw Hokori's past the northern village, the laughter, the fire. The Order soldiers. His family's screams. The small boy trembling behind a wall of snow, helpless.
When the vision ended, Surya gasped and staggered back, clutching his chest. "That's… his pain," he whispered. "That's what drives him."
Kael stepped closer, worried. "Surya? What did you see?"
Surya's expression darkened. "He wasn't born a monster… He became one because the world tore everything away from him."
Larra frowned, glancing toward Hokori, who was slowly turning his gaze on them. "Then that means"
Surya nodded. "He's a victim… but he's still dangerous."
Hokori lifted his hand, dust swirling like a storm around his feet. "So," he said coldly, "you've seen it too… the world's cruelty. Then tell me, light mage, why protect a world that only destroys?"
Surya steadied his stance, his glowing eyes still faintly shimmering from his sensory magic.
"Because," he said quietly, "even if the world's broken, I still believe people can fix it."
The air cracked light clashed with dust.
"Don't you talk like you understand me!!!" Hokori roared.
The ground beneath them trembled, cracks spreading like lightning. In an instant, massive stone spikes burst from the earth, shooting forward like spears aimed straight for Surya and the others.
Larra jumped back, shielding Kael with a plasma barrier as debris flew past them. "Surya!" she shouted.
But Surya stood still, eyes glowing faintly. His calm didn't match the chaos around him.
"I can see your mind," he said quietly, his voice steady even as the spikes shattered against a wall of light forming before him. "Your thoughts are screaming in pain, Hokori… you don't want revenge. You want peace."
"Silence!" Hokori's voice cracked. He slammed his palm into the ground, sending another wave of stone spikes. His glove shimmered dark red, the dust spreading fast through the air. "You know nothing about peace!"
Surya raised his hand the air shimmered with golden light. The spikes stopped midair, frozen in place, before crumbling harmlessly into dust.
"I saw what the Order did to you," Surya said, taking a slow step forward. "But becoming like them won't make you free. It'll just make you another part of the cycle."
Hokori's teeth clenched, his breathing ragged. "Then break it if you can, Light Mage!"
Surya is well known now, after a few years, he become a northern soul rank and everyone almost everyone knows him now.
The dust around him ignited like a storm, swirling violently.
Surya's light flared brighter the calm before the clash.
Hokori blinked once and was already behind me. The movement was a blur too fast to track. Larra and Kael froze where they stood, eyes wide. This man moved like the wind itself had been taught to fight.
A hard kick slammed into my back. The air whooshed out of me. I hit the ground, taste of dust on my tongue. For a second I couldn't tell if it was pain or shock that kept me down. He hadn't even used his hands—just a foot, a twist, perfect momentum.
Hokori crouched over me, voice low and dangerous. "I don't want my enemies to crumble without a real fight. If one of us dies that fast, it isn't worth it. Don't get the wrong idea, kid I'm not sparing your life." He straightened, chains jingling, eyes cold as flint.
I pushed myself up, light trembling in my palms. My fists weren't my best, but they were mine. "Then fight me," I said, breathing hard. "But I won't let you destroy everything. Not today."
He grinned no warmth in it and the battle snapped back to life.
The West soul rank, a rank that mostly for speed, fist martial arts and agility, it focuses on strength and speed mostly, no one has defeated a West soul rank person, noone, not even this man named Hokori who reach this rank using his won knowledge, Hatred towards the Order and the hunger for vengeance.