The world passed by in a blur as Lieren, his body augmented with wild mana, dashed into and throughout the canopy of enchanted trees, his body filled with unnatural vigor and newfound strength, vastly increasing his endurance and agility, while leaving his constitution mostly untouched. As that would require a much more intimate and complicated application of internal mana control, a feat still way out of reach for the budding mage. Still, though, what he has achieved despite his recent initiation and lack of overall guidance has left him is enough to put him above and beyond even the most accomplished mages of noble descent his age, an accomplishment worthy of praise, but not of public upfront respect, in fear of punishment and isolation.
Intricately maintaining his concentration and focus of the chaotic wild mana within himself with utmost care and precision, he willed the defiant thing to his muscle and bones, partially reaching his nerves and eyes as he did so, in order to keep up with his heightened physical prowess, lest he trip and hurt himself again.
For him, this was the world as he saw fit; blurry and excessively fast, passing by faster than he could take in, but slow enough for him to take in and admire. It was a morbid thought unfit for a ten-year-old, especially considering his life up until now. Despite all, the truth still remains: Life will continue to pass by like normal, and so will everything, too.
The only thing that mattered was not what lay ahead, nor was it what was left behind, but what is in front of him right now. And what laid in front of him right now is…
A cold chill that sent electricity dancing throughout his nerves and ice-cold water doused his bones, urging the boy to stop, duck, and flare-up whatever Augmentation he had cast on himself as much as he could, as fast as he could.
Death loomed close.
As he grit his teeth, he welcomed the urgent pleading of his mind to avoid…something, immediately lowering himself while covering his left side with as much Fortification as he could, bringing up his arms to cover his head and crouching down to ground level so fast that he could feel the air resisting his sudden descent and slowing him down.
An invisible projectile hit the enchanted tree beside him, passing by with a thin, sharp scream, striking the bark without a sound. It was only through the slight disturbance created in the space around it that Lieren managed to notice that it even was a projectile, instead of some kind of projectile in the first place, some time ago, when his Aegis had first shot the invisible arrows, almost killing him on the spot.
He could still remember the profound depth of fright and lost at that infinitesimally stretched second coursing through his veins as a reminder to never let his guard down at all costs, neither trusting nor underestimating anybody, assuming the worst outcome possible, while keeping a positive outlook on the rest. Though, with where he was at this very moment, that is still a far-off future that would requires years of practice and experience to put into action properly.
Not bothering to look back, Lieren reignited his Enhancement and immediately began dashing away from the scene, flaring his wild mana with bated breaths, his mind on the very edge of giving up, while his body desperately yelled at him to run away with all his might.
Things were not looking well for Lieren.
A familiar voice echoed throughout the enchanted forest, berating him for his mistake once again.
"Lesson number seven. Never run in a straight line when being chased by a creature with intelligence. While this tactic may be effective when facing magical beasts with low intellect or people on the same level as you are currently. This kind of simple and easily predictable behavior will let you last five minutes, tops; possibly even lower, depending on the opponent. Just pray that you don't anger somebody stronger than you."
Harita's voice seemed to come from all directions, eventually joining with itself and overlapping some words and phrases, but Lieren understood the gist of what his Aegis was trying to say, even as he was desperately running for his life.
Immediately following his advice, just like the first, Lieren threw himself to the side, barely dodging another incoming arrow as it hit the ground he was just on the second before. The earth began to cave in on itself, attracted by some unknown mystical force produced by Harita's weird magic, causing the ground to implode in on itself, leaving the ground with a small crater barely the size of Lieren's scrawny, tiny fist.
Despite the relatively insignificant damage that it did, he could still the insect of fear pass by his skin, causing goosebumps to crawl up his arm and the back of his neck.
'The problem isn't the quality or the range; those can be easily dealt with by utilizing the forest's natural properties. Trees can block his vision and diminish his aim, and the spell itself doesn't have that much power to work off on. The biggest problem is the other one…'
As he let a cloud of calculation and cunning restrict his perception, Lieren could vaguely hear the trudging of boots on the cold ground, as well as the cautious stance that it carried.
'So, the bow is corporeal, but the arrows aren't… Interesting. In that case, is it a condition? Maybe he's using two different spells in tandem, each one a compliment to the other? That WOULD make sense…a little too much, in fact. Moreover, the amount that he can release is unimaginable. Its been a solid two or three minutes since we started this "training drill," as he called it, in preparation of me learning a spell of his. I imagine it to be his conjured bow, or possibly even his invisible implosive arrows, possibly even the two mixed together, if I score high enough—or just pass, I guess.'
Lieren, in terms of confidence, was extremely lacking, even bordering on nonexistence. In his mind, the only thing that mattered was his continued survival, leading up until his next meeting with HER, which he was most certain of over anything else. Until then, he could not die, he will not die, and sure as hell would not let himself get trampled over by a mere 'training drill.'
With a hardened face and a ready body, along with all he power he could muster; Lieren jumped out of the shadows and dashed forward, taking one bold step after another, into his companion-turned-adversary…!!