Part 1
The sky was already starting to turn a deep blue, with the first stars starting to shine, after I said goodbye to Shadow, I continued on my way home. The training area now seemed like a vague happy memory of that day of adventure. Yahir, who I had just met today insisted on accompanying me, warning me that it would not be safe for me to go back to the wall gate alone since it was dangerous to walk alone through the alleys at that time.
"Thank you again for helping me again." I said, trying to make conversation.
"You're really cool, Shadow is very lucky to have you as his brother."
He laughed, a dry, humorless sound.
"Well, I do what I can to help him, and that's what brothers do, right? And you? Do you also train a lot with that wizard?"
"Yes, the master is a great teacher. He helps me when he can, even if we don't spend much time together. But what about you? I know you live here in the village, but what exactly do you do and what is your specialty?" I nodded, trying to keep him in the conversation.
He hesitated for a second before responding, his expression was a bit serious and tense.
"I'm a mercenary, I do different jobs for whoever pays me well."
A mercenary? Something about his response didn't seem right, but based on the way he responded, I thought it best not to prolong the subject.
"Oh, it must be a very… busy life. You must have traveled a lot already."
"And I think so." He ended up mumbling at the end.
After a few minutes of walking through the narrow, dark alleys, I began to feel the same uncomfortable sensation of being watched. It was the same feeling I had earlier. I stopped for a few seconds trying to understand what was happening.
"Hey... Mr Yahir, are you feeling this too? It feels like we are being watched."
Before he could answer me, I felt a sharp blow to my back. I was thrown against the alley wall, the pain of the impact exploding through my body. I tried to get up, but the pain was too intense.
"Are you okay brat?"
Yahir asked, but there was something strange in his tone. When I managed to focus on him, I ended up seeing a sinister smile on his face.
"What... is happening?" I managed to say in my weak voice.
He looked at me as if he was analyzing me, it was the same look he had when we watched Shadow's fight.
"That's wonderful, you have excellent resistance, it will be worth even more. You know boy, I'm very lucky that my useless little brother can finally be useful to me this time; He found some of the most valuable treasures in Hemera." He walked toward me.
"What are you talking about?" My mind was still reeling from the attack, I was trying to understand his words.
"You really don't know? I thought you were smarter. Since the moment we met, I have been analyzing you, observing your potential. After all, you belong to a clan that was almost extinct in the history of this planet. This makes you a very valuable item."
He continued approaching, but before he could do anything, I finished the end of my spell by concentrating my mana and casting the Inflamus spell in his direction.
An intense light enveloped his body, hitting him squarely. He ended up being thrown a few meters back, I ended up hearing the sound of the crash against some old boxes being destroyed in the process.
"Nice blow, but you won't get away that easily." he growled, struggling to his feet, but I was already bracing myself for another attack.
"What do you want from me?" I asked, trying to stall for time.
"You still don't understand? THERE IS! I WANT YOU!" he said, arming himself with his daggers.
"But why? I have no value to the Felles." I tried to keep my distance from him, while I worked out an escape route from this situation.
"I didn't mention it would be for the Felles." he laughed again full of confidence. "With the right client, you could make me tons of money. Now I'll try not to hurt too much, I don't want to ruin the goods." he licked one of the blades, looking like a beast about to attack.
Seeing that there was no point talking to him without wasting more time, I fired another spell towards him, this time with more force. At first he was already prepared for this, easily dodging my attack, but as the spell was unstable it ended up causing a strong explosion of light.
The light shone brightly in the dark alley, causing him to fall heavily to the ground, screaming as he covered his eyes with his hands.
"Aaaargh! Damn you!" he shouted, his voice full of hatred.
"You blinded me!"
As he writhed on the ground I took the chance to run, my mind was still trying to process everything that had happened. But one thing was certain: my life had just become a lot more complicated.
During my run, I didn't notice the trail of blood I left behind, the result of the injuries he had caused me. The pain was intense, but the adrenaline kept me moving. I needed to find a safe place to think and heal before he recovered and found me again.
Part 2
I ran through the narrow alleys, each step was a fight against the pain that was throbbing in my back. Yahir had turned out to be a treacherous enemy, and I knew I needed to find a safe place to hide. My heart beat wildly, fear driving me to keep going even as my muscles began to give out.
I turned a corner and noticed an abandoned house. The windows were broken, and the door was hanging off its hinges. Without thinking twice, I ran inside, my feet making noise as they hit the old, rotting wooden floor. I closed the door behind me and walked away, breathing hard.
My vision was blurred, and my hands were shaking as I tried to channel what little mana I had left to heal myself. I concentrated, muttering a healing spell as I felt the energy coursing through my veins. The soft green light enveloped my wounds, partially closing them and relieving some of the pain. But I knew that wasn't enough. My mana was almost exhausted, and the wounds were still open.
I walked over to one of the broken windows and looked out, trying to get my bearings. The night shadows were thick, and the maze of alleys and narrow streets made everything look the same. I couldn't see anything to help me understand where I was.
"-Damn it! If I only had a little mana, I could use the Loocalytia spell that master taught me."
The silence of the night was broken by a distant sound of footsteps. Fear gripped me again, and my instincts told me to hide, but there was no time. The footsteps got closer, louder and louder, until finally I heard his voice.
"You will pay for blinding me!" His voice was full of hatred and revenge.
Before I could react, the door was broken down and he entered. His eyes were red and swollen, still suffering the effects of my magic. He found me with ease, hate guided his steps.
I tried to raise my hands to defend myself, but I was out of mana and my strength was exhausted. He charged at me, and the impact of his attack was heavy. I was thrown against the wall, pain exploding through my body again. The force of the blow was so great that we went through the wall, falling into the next room amidst a rain of debris.
"All you did was piss me off even more." he growled, his voice low and threatening as I tried to compose myself.
"Now you will pay!"
I was cornered and without strength. The only thing I could do was defend myself to maintain consciousness and wait for an opportunity. His words echoed in my mind as he attacked me, and the feeling of despair grew inside me. He was determined to capture me, and I knew that without mana, my chances of escaping were slim.
The impact of the fall left me stunned, and my body ached everywhere. I struggled to catch my breath as I heard his voice even closer and more threatening.
"You're a fool, you know?" he growled, advancing on me.
"Did you really think you could run away from me? You should have realized you didn't have a chance. I would be gentle with you and not hurt you too much, but no! You decided to challenge me."
I raised one of my hands shakily, trying to channel any remaining mana I might have, but nothing came.
The exhaustion and pain were crushing. He ended up grabbing me by the collar and lifting me up, shaking me like I was a rag doll.
"Your resilience and amazing kid. No one who has faced me in combat to date has managed to last that long, you are an incredible find indeed."
He threw me against another wall, and I felt the structure and wood give way under the impact. I fell to the ground with a groan, my vision becoming increasingly blurry as I tried to get up. But he didn't give me time to recover, with a quick movement, he hit me again, throwing me against another wall. I ended up hearing the sound of wood splintering and dust rising filling the air.
"You think you're special, don't you?" he continued, his voice full of contempt.
"Well, let me tell you something. In the real world, there is no place for children with fanciful illusions. You are learning this the hard way possible."
Before I could react again, he grabbed me again, his strength was tremendous, lifting me off the ground with ease.
With a roar, he threw me through the third wall, I felt my body pass through the structure before falling into the alleys outside. The impact was brutal, and all the air was expelled from my lungs.
I was struggling to breathe. The place was completely dark without a living soul to help me. Yahir appeared in the opening in the broken wall, slowly walking towards me, with an expression of pure malice on his face.
"You may have temporarily blinded me, but that only made the hunt even more exciting," he said, his voice thick with menace.
"Now, it's time to put an end to this. I have no more patience for these games."
He raised his hand, ready to deliver the final blow, the only thing that went through my head at that moment was that I should have listened to the master and not left the house.
Notes:
1 - Loocalytia: It is a location spell, it is ideal for situations in which you are lost. Upon casting it, a thin line of incandescent light appears in front of the user, glowing softly and pulsing with a warm color that stands out in the environment. The line extends into the air, indicating the safest and most direct path to the desired destination. In addition to guiding the caster, the line can also reveal hidden obstacles and dangerous detours, ensuring that the journey is not only swift but also safe. It is an easy-to-use spell, accessible to mages of all levels, and especially useful in dense forests, unfamiliar cities, or dark caves.