𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥,
𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.
𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳.
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"We still have time."
They have been riding nonstop, attempting to get back to the Pellemeur house as soon as possible.
Houvdon squinted at the Sun that was only an hour or so away from setting.
Verilius specifically said a "sun cycle". The moment the Sun touched the horizon, he would unleash the full armies of his Knights.
The Council had said they were not the [DELUSIONAL] Knights that they had thought they were. Which meant that Verilius had lied about their identity.
"Shouldn't we rest for our horses?"
She can tell their horses were tired. Their speed was much slower than it used to be.
"No, we don't have 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦." He stressed the word as he continued to push his horse further.
"Houvdon!"
She saw how his posture stiffened as her shrill cry. She can practically see the conflict in him as he tightened his hold on the reins.
He pulled backwards as the horse slowed. Kryva followed his lead as she also slowed her horse down, both of them trotting in circles slowly.
"One break. We genuinely don't have much time left."
She nodded as she got off first. Houvdon quickly followed. His eyes narrowed at the sun low in the sky. He gritted his teeth in frustration, knowing that every minute they spent resting, was every minute spent not getting back.
They were close. She can practically feel how close her home was from their current location, even if she didn't know where exactly it was.
Come to think of it, she never realized where Reveria was on a map. She had never looked for it simply because she never thought that she would become a Candidate.
"Why did you vouch for me to be Candidate?" She found herself asking the question.
"You've lost your flustered nature rather quickly around me. It's only been a few days?" He gave her a disinterested look. "It's surprising how drastically one would change just by a single level."
"Are you talking about how you referred to me as a 'Rank Two' Mage?"
"Every rank you ascend, the more powerful you get, the more you change. Your magic core and mortal heart slowly merge as you get stronger. Eventually comes the time where the two of them are one in the same. You don't think like your affinity, you are your affinity."
"You didn't answer my question. Why me?"
"You certainly are different." He mused. He knew his lack of a response was starting to raise her ire, yet he continued to avoid the topic knowing that it would easily anger her.
The two of them basked in the awkward silence following his lack of answers.
Kryva thought back to just less than half a day ago. Houvdon had shown a rare sign of affection towards her, caressing her hands as if it were something precious. From what she had seen from him in the past couple of days, as well as the banquet that seemed so long ago, the Prince of Etherstorm was not easy to gain the attention of.
He gave out a sigh. "You are special. I don't think you realized it, but your personality changed faster than what is considered normal. I don't know why, but your Flame holds a certain amount of coldness to it...yet is warm to the touch at the same time."
She gave him a small smile. "I didn't know you can sound so philosophical. One of the few things that I know about you now."
"We are talking about you. Not me. And I don't see how anything I said related to anything philosophical."
They sat leaning against the trees in silence. Unlike before, this silence was not awkward but rather soothing.
"You are smart Kryva. Too smart. Your curiosity ruins your intelligence. Eventually, it would bring the up memories and events you don't want to happen because your pried too far." Houvdon warned her the way he did hours ago.
"Maybe if you stop being all mysterious then I wouldn't overthink because then I would know the truth."
Houvdon let out a snort, perhaps to mock her audacity to pry into his personal matters.
"What 'level' are you? If I'm Rank Two, what are you with your power?"
His amber eyes gave her a cold look as she can practically see the gears turning in his head. She waited patiently, knowing a part of him had already opened up to her considering his actions on their way to Reveria.
"The difficulty grows in between levels exponentially. You should ascend to Rank Three relatively soon." He paused. His eyes looking away from her and looking down. "I am Rank Four, the highest is five."
"So close to the strongest? I thought people called you the strongest magic-wielder of our time. If you aren't the strongest, then who is? How can there be a level above yours if you are the strongest?"
He shrugged. "You know you ascend when you feel a course of raw power flow through your body. Your core automatically unlocks itself once you safely surpass the limit your heart can maintain. It can completely change the course of a battle."
He gave a soft smile. "But that scenario is highly unlikely, a Rank Two mage will never be able to last long enough versus a Rank Three to unlock their level. Everyone I personally know achieved their powers through training rather than a real battle."
He gazed back at the sky, seeing the sun already just about to touch the horizon. "Enough talking. We need to go now."
She nodded.
They quickly got onto their horses and continued their way back.
Both Houvdon and Kryva felt a heavy presence. Almost as if they had the same mind, they jumped upwards, leaving their horses running.
Arrows flew by where they had just been. Had they remained on their horses, they would've been shot by multiple arrows.
Houvdon landed gracefully while Kryva landed awkwardly, stumbling as her feet were unable to grip the dirt properly.
They both turned their heads quickly, both of them sensing powers from different sides. Kryva raised her hand, a wall of fire appearing between her and the heavy presence, yet it wasn't needed as she saw a translucent yellow barrier form in front of her. Houvdon's aura pulsed and she knew that he had activated his Light.
She heard the sound of multiple projectiles striking the barrier, and upon impact, the projectiles exploded. She pressed her hand against the ground to steady herself.
Houvdon cursed. "I didn't expect Verilius to launch an attack the moment it would become twenty-four hours since they began to march."
She turned to look at him, his hands held outwards in a protective way, almost as if he were holding a sword in a defensive block, one hand on the hilt and the other on the flat of the blade.
She had read records where if one contained enough power, their aura would become visible as they released their power simply due to their magic being so condensed that it would take a physical form before it was being used.
This was what created this sort of shell around the wielder, their magic wrapping around them as they released it into a sort of armor, or their magic continuously flowing out of them like a mist.
Houvdon's was 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩. A shell made out of pure light had wrapped around him as aura continued to drift around him, flashing as his Light coursed through its physical manifestations.
Their attackers continued to shoot their explosive arrows, yet not a single crack appeared on the barrier.
"We can't stay on the defense forever. We need to find them and subdue them. Then we can return to your manor for safety." He gritted his teeth. "Each individual arrow contains enough power to completely disintegrate an ordinary barrier."
Kryva looked at the Prince in a new light. For him to say that while maintaining a barrier that kept both of them safe from a constant bombardment showed how strong he was.
"As I said before, the difference in power between levels becomes exponentially larger as you go up the ladder. They wouldn't be able to touch my barrier, but at the same time, we can't touch them unless I release the only thing shielding us."
"They can't keep this forever can they?"
"They can, they have an entire legion. They won't tire. They'll just shoot until I tire." He furrowed his brow, before turning to her. "I'm going to jump, get ready."
"Ju-" Before she can even mutter one word, she felt his arm wrap around her, the barrier dropping as soon as he moved his arm. Faster than she realized, he had already jumped to a different spot. The world blurred around them as Houvdon quickly weaved between trees.
However, this quickness only lasted for a few seconds at best. Houvdon stopped as he looked back. "We need to move in between the forest. I only bought us a couple of seconds."
Before he had even finished speaking, he had began running. He had completed his sentence by turning his head to speak to her.
Kryva opened her mouth before her eyes widened. She ducked just as an arrow flew over her head. She heard a distant explosion as the arrow hit a faraway tree.
She followed Houvdon, quickly moving in between trees. She heard the arrows whizzing by the two of them, striking the ground or trees before exploding upon impact.
A single hit onto either of them would cripple their body forever if they even survive the blast.
He spun around, his hand being held out as a small ball of light left his palm. It practically scorched her head as it flew past dangerously close. She heard an explosion close to where she was, and knew if Houvdon hadn't intercepted the arrow, she would've been struck.
"You go ahead. Just go straight down, I'll be able to delay them." His amber eyes widened as he held out his hands. Just like before, his aura pulsed and a translucent barrier formed between her and the arrows.
A series of explosions rocked the forest as arrows struck the shield.
"Don't waste anymore time, go!"
She nodded and kept going.
He narrowed his eyes as the arrows slowed. The Knights knew that it would have no effect on him now that Kryva was no longer with him. He had only a couple of seconds left before they split up to hunt down Kryva.
He knew what Verilius was after. He had only just realized it. Verilius and his master knew he did not possess Tempus Vernum Ruptor. They were after something else only found in the Pellemeur Manor. It wasn't by coincidence that they had showed by there. He had just happened to be the only thing stopping them because they hadn't expected him to be helping the Princess.
They had given him a day, knowing he wouldn't be able to make it back from Reveria in time. They knew that he would go see the Council about the matter. They had predicted his every move and decision, including bring the Pellemur daughter with him.
There was only one thing that he could do that they couldn't predict.
He let out a scream, his body lighting up as his Light magic coursed through every vein of his body. Power rippled out of him as he felt his core vibrate within his body.
There was no physical manifestation of one's core. It was purely conceptual.
Yet, he could feel it the same way he could feel the blood in his head beat as he lay down.
Light exploded out of him as he furrowed his brow. He thrust his arm out, as small fragments of crystal floated around him, each filled to the brim with magic. Each individual crystal contained enough power to level an entire home.
And Houvdon held hundreds of them by his own will. His eyes glowed brightly as power continued to course through his body.
They would never expect him to actually risk the life of Kryva in the process of using his magic due to the inaccuracy of this specific technique. But this move of his was the only one that would be able to devastate an entire area in a short amount of time. Any other and the Knights would be able to react quick enough to farm a defensive shield.
He brought both arms outwards, as the small crystals obeyed his command, spreading in all directions, causing a ring of fire to appear around him as the crystals detonated all around him.
Unknown to all, the shadow beneath Houvdon's feet convulsed, almost as if it were laughing.
-----
Kryva ran, with every explosion she heard she winced.
After what felt like an everlasting hour despite only being a few seconds, the deafening sounds stopped and she knew it was because Houvdon had somehow stopped them.
Yet...why was it getting brighter?
Her eyes widened as she turned around. The light was blinding, coming from where Houvdon and her had split just a few moments ago.
It was so bright, it looked like the Sun itself had descended into the mortal plane.
The ball of light expanded and she raised her arms to protect her eyes. Instinctively, a wall of fire formed in front of her, protecting her from the rapidly approaching brilliance.
Yet, her Flame 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 as crystals struck the surface of her shield. She was thrown back by the force of the blast, crashing through multiple trees. Eventually she was stopped by a tree that she didn't instantly crush upon impact. Upon her stopping, blood filled her mouth as she spit outwards.
Her vision blurred as she groaned. She felt her core calm as she felt her Flame fade from her back.
Her subconsciousness had caused her Flame to initiate a barrier and protect herself from the majority of the force.
The bright light slowly faded, dark spots fading in her vision.
Silence enveloped the forest as the light completely faded. The red and orange lights of the sunset shined through the gaps between trees, bathing the trees in a beautiful light.
She felt weak, weaker than she had ever felt before. She couldn't even wipe the blood away from her mouth as her eyes drooped slightly.
"Kryva!"
She heard his voice distant, faraway from where she was. To think that he would call out to her in a voice full of protectiveness and care.
In a daze, she lifted her head softly, her body screaming in protest as even that small bit of movement hurt.
She felt his presence next to her as she heard him knelt through the thick haze in her mind. His amber eyes glowed as they looked at her in disbelief.
"Come." He stood and stretched his hand outwards, keeping it close enough where she would be able to lightly grasp it even in her severely weakened state. "Take my hand. I won't let you die."
Such soft words caused her heart to flutter in the sheer amount of softness in words that seemed to rarely never leave the powerful Prince's mouth.
She gave him a soft smile as she shakily reached upwards, grasping his hand with all the strength she could muster, her wrist shaking as it could barely sustain enough strength to keep her touching his hand. She fought the pain that enveloped her body as she continued to ignore its protests.
He pulled her up gently and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry, Zylaorfier will meet us at the manor. For now...just rest. The Knights won't be coming anytime soon."
She only released a shaky breath, resting her head on his shoulder. She succumbed to the darkness, her eyes closing as she felt herself relax in Houvdon's comforting hold as his arms cradled her.
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𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕰𝖓𝖉