Inside the tall tower, there was a figure surrounded by books from all sides. He sat at the center of the huge room.
On his table lay a large book, its withered yellow pages hinting at its age.
His blue eyes, framed by wrinkles, studied each character with full concentration, trying to decipher the profound meaning of each phrase.
It was written in Sanstin, an ancient language known only to a handful.
His bushy beard ended in two small braids, its silver color betraying his age
"Wee-oww, wee-oww—"
The loud sound of the siren disturbed him, breaking his focus. He removed his large round specs and stood up.
He approached the window and noticed the commotion. His eyes were moving around the place but were unable to find its reason.
Then he closed both his eyes and started chanting a spell in an ancient tongue. The large cut on his forehead was stitched with dark threads. It shone with a blue light.
The stitches broke apart, widening the cut that started shining in a bright blue light. Bright enough to blind anyone looking at his forehead.
The next moment, the light dulled a little, and from it emerged a vertical eye.
Twice as large as the size of a normal eye, with a strange geometric flower-shaped pattern glowing blue at its center, while the rest of the eye was pitch black
With his eyes closed, the old man chanted again.
A large amount of demonic aura was released from him. The environment reacted to him, and powerful gusts appeared around him.
His plain blue robes danced as he raised his hand toward the sky. His palm also shone with a blue glow.
Then the pattern similar to his eye appeared on it, with a little tweak now in the form of a circular magic circle.
The clouds covering the top of the mountain split, revealing countless stars shimmering in the night sky.
Amidst them, seven stars shone brighter than others. The blue starlight from the eye-shaped constellation concentrated at a point above the mountain.
The mist that always cloaked the mountain, making it appear distant to everyone. Started dissipating at its arrival.
A gigantic eye started forming at the point where the starlight from the seven stars met, creating an illusion of the eye of a deity watching the mortal world.
The starlight released from the eye and fell on the whole area. Nothing could hide from it—no spell, no technique, and no ability.
With the shared vision, the old man scanned the whole territory. Finding out the one responsible for triggering the alarm soon.,
His vision shifted towards the boy chanting a spell in the ancient tongue. He recognized this boy.
"Aarya…"
A pang of pity stirred in his chest. Born without a bloodline, abandoned by his parents—Aarya's life had been nothing but misfortune.
Yet the boy still didn't give up and kept working hard, against all odds. The old man sighed as he watched him escape.
"May the ancestors protect you, my boy. The only help I can offer… is silence."
…
In the night sky, a shadowy figure moved amidst the moonlight, so fast that only a blur was visible.
Aarya held onto the little spikes grown on the neck of the creature. He would have fallen many times if not for his strong grip.
The treacherous creature was still unwilling to cooperate. But he remained calm, waiting for the right opportunity.
It was useless to waste words with him for now. High on his ego, the creature looked down upon him, believing Aarya was beneath him.
The creature beat its wings, creating powerful gusts. It flew at its top speed, confident that it would escape.
"Dodge!" screamed Aarya, but the creature ignored him, as it could not sense anything.
'Swish.'
It was then that a projectile approached it.
While he didn't believe Aarya, his warning has alerted him. Allowing him enough time to twist his body in time.
'Puch'
It skidded through the scales on its abdomen, leaving behind a small cut. The area around the cut charred, releasing black smoke.
'Roar'
The beast screamed in pain, like someone was pouring acid into its wound. It lost its balance a little but soon regained it.
Its wings thrashed harder, fear of death driving it into frantic, twisting maneuvers.
Aarya turned his head and saw a figure clad in black robes chasing after him. He was riding a strange dark hoverboard that floated in the air.
It left behind a trail of black smoke, which corroded even the air itself.
"It's Damien! The Dark Archer," screamed Aarya.
The young boy held a bow larger than him in his left hand, then took out an arrow from his quiver.
This arrow looked pristine white, as if carved from bones. He then dipped the arrow in his hoverboard's dark smoke before nocking it and aiming.
His lips curled up to form a sadistic smile as he released the arrow.
'Ping'
The arrow this time moved so fast that the moment he released it, it was already behind the creature.
"Aether Shield!" Aarya gathered the Aether in his body and formed a barrier.
'Boom'—a loud explosion took place.
Smoke trailed across the sky. Aarya's ears rang from the blast. The beast staggered beneath him, wings trembling—but still they flew. For now.
The boy raised his brows, his eyes with a hint of confusion.
He changed his posture, now with one knee bent and his hand holding the bow also resting. His speed skyrocketed, catching up to them in no time.
He screamed at the top of his lungs, "What are you doing, Aarya?"
"As if you have not already brought enough shame to the clan."
Aarya gritted his teeth but didn't reply, trying to buy some time. In the meanwhile, he started thinking of a solution.
Information about his opponent started appearing in his mind.
Damien—the prodigy archer. That cursed hoverboard found in some forgotten ruin had chosen him.
His arrows could end battles alone. And every strike left wounds that never healed.
"Fortunately, he didn't use his trump card from the start, or it would have been over with one attack."
Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as he thought about it. "Big guy, attack him! We can't escape from him."
"If we don't do something, he will use his special move—'Enchanted Arrow,'" warned Aarya.
"Once he releases that arrow, there will be no escape."
"Aarya, you have forced me," said Damien as he pulled out another arrow and started chanting.
The arrowhead started shining, and then he released it. This arrow was not as fast as the previous one.
But, when it approached, it appeared like a meteor that signified imminent death.
Aarya moved his hand, creating three barriers, one behind another. The arrow approached the barrier.
'Puch'
The first barrier shattered. The second crumbled. The third barely slowed it. The arrow struck.
'Roar'
The creature screamed in agony and started falling, Aarya doing his best to hold onto its back.