The Capital City Luminaris shimmered in the amber glow of the 3 moons in the sky, its white stone spires reaching into the clouds like fingers clawing at the sky. From high above, atop a cathedral roof lined with ancient gargoyles, a shadow moved. Swift. Silent. Desperate.
She was cloaked in a hoodie so black it drank the fading light. Cloth wrapped tight around her face, her figure a smear of darkness gliding across rooftops like smoke on the wind. Her boots barely touched the tiles before launching again, each step accompanied by a faint shimmer of mana beneath her soles.
Magic Step.
The wind whipped at her cloak as she soared from one rooftop to another, a fleeting silhouette painted against the orange sky. Behind her, half a dozen figures leapt in pursuit—hoods down, faces twisted in grim determination, hands glowing with threads of elemental fury.
"She's heading for the outer wall!" one of them barked, voice laced with frustration.
"Don't let her escape!"
A hail of fire erupted from one of their palms, the red glow trailing through the sky like a meteor. She spun mid-air, wind circling her in a vortex, and with a flick of her wrist—
Gale Twist.
The fireball spun off course, slamming into a watchtower with a deafening blast that rocked the stone. Guards below screamed, but they were ants—irrelevant to the chase.
She landed lightly, crouched on the edge of the final rooftop overlooking the capital wall. The drop was fifty feet to the ground—beyond it, a dark forest. Dangerous. Untamed. Perfect for hiding.
No hesitation.
She leapt.
Mana surged around her feet as she used Magic Step mid-air, slowing her descent. She hit the ground in a roll, dirt scattering around her. No pause. No breath. She dashed into the trees.
Branches snapped behind her. Leaves shivered. The hunters were still on her tail.
"Keep going!" a voice growled. "She can't keep running forever!"
Minutes passed, then more. The forest grew thicker. Shadows long and heavy. Still, she ran—her breath hidden by the mask, her eyes burning beneath the hood. The spell etched on her inner thigh glowed faintly. A limiter, sealing her full power. For now.
She reached a clearing, a moment's pause, chest rising and falling.
Then...
Nothing.
No sound. No movement.
She was gone.
The pursuers burst into the clearing seconds later, fanning out with weapons drawn.
"Where the hell did she—?"
FWOOOSH!
From the canopy above, a cyclone of wind magic howled downward, scattering leaves and dust. The girl dropped like a vengeful wraith, cloak flaring as she descended feet-first into the skull of the closest pursuer.
CRACK.
His head caved in like a crushed melon, body crumpling in a heap.
Before the others could react, she was already in motion. A slash of wind carved into the next man's chest, cleaving through flesh and bone. Blood splashed in the trees. Another spun toward her, forming an orb of flame, but she darted sideways and—
SHUNK.
A dagger flashed from her sleeve, buried into his throat. Blood sprayed in an arc. He gagged, dropped.
"Kill her!" someone roared.
Spells exploded. Fire, ice, shards of rock. She weaved through them like a dancer, body low, agile, merciless. Her hood never fell. Her silence never broke.
But then...
CRASH.
A pillar of earth slammed beside her, knocking her off balance. A blade scraped her ribs. She staggered. They began to surround her.
Until...
THUMP.
A shadow landed behind them.
Another figure in a black hoodie.
Taller. Broader. Silent.
Before anyone could react, the new guy lunged forward, arm wreathed in raw red mana.
BOOM.
His fist shattered a man's spine from behind, spraying gore across the grass. He turned, swept his arm, and a wave of kinetic force smashed two more into trees. Bones snapped on impact. A body slid down a trunk, head split open.
The girl was already back on her feet. Together, they moved like twin reapers. One wind. One fury.
A man raised his staff... too slow.
The girl's heel drove into his temple, caving it inward. Another tried to flee—too late. The male figure hurled a short spear with a grunt, skewering him through the back. It pinned him to the earth like a worm on a hook.
They tore through the hunters one by one.
Blood coated the leaves.
Then... stillness.
Panting. Steam rising from fresh corpses. Cloaks soaked red. The pair stood there silently.
But...
Rustle.
Leaves. Footsteps. A new squad burst through the trees. Ten? Twelve? More.
"Shit," the man muttered. His voice was gravel.
The girl tensed... but it was already too late.
TWANG.
An arrow soared with unnatural speed. It pierced her thigh clean through.
She dropped with a stifled grunt, breath catching in her throat. Blood poured down her leg.
"Run!" the man barked, pulling her up.
She didn't argue. Even wounded, she moved. She ripped the arrow free in one motion, gritting her teeth. The pain was blinding, but her steps didn't falter.
They sprinted through the forest, leaping over roots, diving under branches. Wind and blood trailed behind them. Spells exploded nearby, ice spikes shattered, flames licked their cloaks. One fireball scorched her hood's edge.
They reached a steep slope, the edge of the forest plateau.
Down below, a black maw in the cliffs.
A cave.
She skidded to a stop. The man followed.
"No," he growled. "That's... the Maw of Serakel."
"Better than dying here," she snapped, voice strained with pain.
Then—surrounding footsteps. From every side.
Dozens now. Cloaked figures. Magic charged in their hands. Eyes glowing in the dim forest.
The two were cornered. Backs to the cave.
The girl breathed hard, blood dripping from her leg. The man cracked his knuckles, his hoodie still hiding his face.
Then, light began to gather.
The girl's hand glowed green, wind spiraling in her palm.
The man's fist blazed with red mana, raw and unrefined.
They stood side-by-side.
Surrounded.
Outnumbered.
A silence stretched,
Then she whispered:
"Together."
He nodded.
And then—
They charged.
The first clash was a detonation of light and sound.
Wind blades screamed through the air, slicing open the front line. A man's head tumbled from his shoulders as her magic scythed through.
The man punched the ground—CRACK—and a shockwave launched attackers into the air like ragdolls. One landed on a jagged rock, impaled through the chest.
A mage aimed a fire spell. Too slow. She kicked him in the gut, twisted mid-spin, and drove her elbow into his jaw—SNAP.
Another came from behind—she ducked. The man behind her caught the attacker's face and slammed it into a tree until it caved in.
A sword slashed toward her throat.
She parried with wind magic, redirected it, and drove a dagger into the enemy's eye.
A spell caught her shoulder—BOOM. She staggered, burned. But didn't stop.
The man tore through flesh with brute force. Limbs snapped. Heads cracked open. One assailant tried to run, but a thrown chunk of stone obliterated his skull in a red mist.
Still, more came.
They were swarming now.
Her leg buckled. Blood loss. She nearly fell.
He caught her.
"Go," she hissed.
"Not leaving you," he replied seriously.
The cave loomed behind them, swallowing the light.
A mage hurled a chain of lightning—
CRACK!
The girl rolled, wind cushioning her, and blasted him mid-air. His torso exploded like a sack of meat.
The man slammed his fist into the ground again, a wall of earth rose behind them, blocking the next barrage of spells.
But they were hemmed in.
They backed into the cave mouth. Behind them, blackness.
Ahead, dozens of mages.
The man bled from his scalp. The girl swayed, barely standing.
Still, magic built in their hands.
The enemy raised their hands in unison, casting spells of fire, frost, thunder.
They both stood together, raising their hands, ready to attack.
Then suddenly...
The sound of footsteps came from inside the cave. It was echoing. Someone was walking barefoot, not wearing any shoes.
Then a sound of a girl came, saying.
"Finally!!!!! I'm out from this damn scary cave."
That girl was me (Kire Sani).
As I stepped out from the cave, I saw it was nighttime and there were stars in the sky. But another thing I saw was—
Two people wearing complete dark hoodies standing side by side, and they were surrounded by many people who were casting spells.
I looked at them in confusion.
"A little girl?" the girl wearing the black hoodie said.
Then suddenly, an arrow came straight toward my forehead at high speed.
"Look out, kid!!!" she screamed.
But before the arrow could hit me, a blue magic circle appeared and stopped the arrow, breaking it.
They looked at me in shock.
"Huh?! What is going on here?!" I screamed in shock, stepping back.
"Who is that girl? I think she is also with them!" one man from behind screamed.
"Kill all of them!" another screamed.
[/Looks like you have entered a battle between them. Now they think you are on those two's side.] Will said inside my mind.
"Ehhh!!!" I gasped in shock.