The air in the clearing grew heavier.
Fayne's eyes stayed fixed on the stump. He felt the mana shift — faint, but deliberate — like someone trying to stay hidden.
"You can mask your presence," he said evenly, "but you can't hide the distortion."
The shimmer froze. Then, slowly, something stepped out.
At first, it looked like a shadow given shape — thin, human-like, but translucent, its body flickering like smoke. Its eyes glowed the same pale blue as the fox's.
Fayne's grip on his spear tightened. Residual mana solidified into form, he thought. An echo — but how?
He took a cautious step forward. The figure mirrored him, head tilting slightly as though studying him.
"You're not real," Fayne murmured. "Just leftover magic."
The figure opened its mouth. No words came — only a low, vibrating hum that made the air ripple. Mana particles scattered, dancing between them like dust in sunlight.
Fayne winced. The vibration wasn't just sound; it was resonance — an echoing of the spell that created it.
He muttered under his breath, "Auxiliary Magic: Nullification."
A faint green shimmer pulsed from his hand. The air steadied — the hum softened. But instead of vanishing, the figure stepped closer.
It raised a hand, pointing past him — toward the direction of his cabin.
Fayne's stomach sank. "You're leading something there, aren't you…"
The echo's body trembled violently, then shattered into threads of light that scattered into the air.
Silence returned, broken only by the rustle of wind through scorched branches.
Fayne stood there for a long moment, watching the last trace of blue fade into nothing.
"If that was just an echo," he muttered, "then the real thing's still out there."
He turned back toward the trail. His mind raced — possibilities forming, collapsing, reforming.
Something attacked that fox with magic powerful enough to leave a residual echo… and it's heading toward the barrier.
He broke into a run, boots thudding softly against the forest floor, mana gathering around his legs to push his speed. The trees blurred past him as he muttered the words to Auxiliary Magic: Acceleration, a simple technique to ease movement.
The barrier's faint pulse appeared ahead — the shimmering edge of home.
It was still intact.
But the moment he crossed it, he froze.
The fox was gone.
The small barrier dome he had left behind shimmered faintly, collapsing into sparks.
Only a single tuft of white fur remained on the ground — glowing faintly blue.
Fayne knelt beside it, his jaw tightening.
"Taken… no signs of struggle. Teleportation, or space displacement."
He stood again, eyes narrowing toward the forest beyond the barrier.
"Whoever you are… you're not just playing with magic. You're testing my patience."
The wind picked up — colder this time, carrying the faint hum of mana in the distance. Fayne's hand rested on his spear as he whispered to himself,
"Then let's see how far your game goes."