Chereads / The Light's Ascent / Chapter 4 - The Man In Black (2)

Chapter 4 - The Man In Black (2)

"You're a dumb little spy, aren't you?" The white-haired teen mocked as he tried to kick Ryan.

"You and this spy thing, fuck off with it already!" Ryan barked back, dodging the kick before landing a punch on the teen's face.

"Never knew a spy that would curse, guess you weren't taught proper manners," the teen said unfazed by the punch.

Ryan looked shocked that his punch didn't even faze the white-haired teen, backing away slowly.

At that moment, Ryan realized, [This guy, he's just as strong as Mr. Edward. Maybe even stronger.]

"You must've realized a little spy," the white-haired teen said with cold eyes, a shadow slowly appearing behind him. "I'm way out of your league."

Ryan quickly tried to increase the distance between them, but the white-haired teen wouldn't let up his assault. Laughing maniacally as the boy desperately dodges his sword slashes. 

Before Ryan could escape, his mana reserves depleted due to him not fully recovering from the Edward spar, causing him to fall on his face in front of the teen.

The white-haired teen sighed, "Guess our game of cat and mouse is over little spy, tell those other spies in heaven that the Dark Legion will return this world to darkne-,"

"Firebolt!" A red-haired woman shouted as a giant ball of fire shoots towards the teen who promptly dodges. 

"Tch, an Imperial Mage," the teen said disappointed.

The woman looked annoyed at the mess, stalls were broken, food and other goods all over the floor, and many buildings damaged by wind slashes. She sighed as she looked at the two teens.

"You little bastards are so annoying, today was my break and I just had to be called because of you guys."

Ryan, who had gotten back up, pointed at the white-haired teen. "He's the one who started it."

The white-haired teen just rolled his eyes and started walking away, "Guess the party's over now."

The red-haired woman looked even more annoyed now, "Where the hell do you think you're going brat? The two of you will have to be arrested for using magic within city grounds."

Ryan's face turned pale while the white-haired teen's face stayed neutral before smirking slyly at Ryan.

"Guess you're about to get arrested, spy. I hope you enjoy your time," the white-haired teen casually teased before disappearing into the shadows, as if he was never there.

The red-haired woman just rolled her eyes and went up to the blond boy, "The other guy may have gotten away, but you're not leaving my sight."

Ryan could only cry on the inside as he was taken away by the woman, thinking about Edward's reaction to him getting arrested on his very first day.

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"What!?!?!?" Edward shouted as he read the newspaper the next day. At the center of the paper was an image of Ryan, who hadn't returned since he left yesterday. 

"Sir, please calm down. You're disturbing the other guests," a male waiter told him.

"How can I calm down when my apprentice goes and gets himself arrested on the first day!" Edward said, slamming his hand onto the table. "Hell, he's even about to be executed!"

The waiter could only sigh as the Emerald Knight kept complaining on and on.

[I need a new job.]

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Ryan sat alone in a dimly lit prison cell, his hands tied up in a sturdy, magic-sealing handcuff. He had been there for about a day now, with no telling when he would get out.

[Of course I get arrested for defending myself, long live justice.]

He had tried to explain his side, but the red-haired woman and the judge never listened. That just pissed him off even more than that white-haired guy who mocked him.

Suddenly, a guard walks by, shoving bread into his cell. "Here is your meal scum."

Scratch that, this pisses him off more. 

"You bastard, I have a name you know!"

The guard just spat on his bread before saying, "Why should I care about the name of a kid who's about to be executed."

Ryan stared at the guard blankly for a few seconds before shouting, "Executed?!?! What the hell did I even do?!"

The guard just rolled his eyes and started walking away.

Ryan yelled at the guard as he walked away, continuing to ask about why he was being executed, but he was just ignored.

"Damn!" He shouted as he slammed his fists into the wall.

The day his village was ravaged by a demonic creature, he met Mr. Edward, his mentor. This mentor trained him and promised to get him into Arcane Academy. Everything was going the way it was supposed to go.

He just had to be fucking curious about that white-haired guy and ruin everything.

Ryan just fell to his knees. He didn't want to die, but nobody was going to come save him. Even Edward, an A-rank Essence Mage, couldn't save him.

He'll have to save himself, somehow. So, he started chewing away at the chains on his handcuffs, slowly but surely breaking them down until the chains were only a single tug away from breaking. This whole process took him around 3 days due to how durable the chains were.

Then once a guard came around to give Ryan his daily piece of bread, the boy showed him that the chains on his handcuff were about to break, and told him that he needed new ones or else he would break out of his cell at that moment and kill the guard. The guard, scared of the boy, put on new cuffs, durable but not made to seal magic.

Ryan just thanked the guard before they left. He was ready for his execution.

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Somewhere else, the white-haired teen was lounging around on a rooftop peacefully before those same suspicious guys appeared from the shadows.

"Rowan, what are you doing lounging around?" One of the men angrily asked. "You know we don't have much time to complete the mission right?"

"He is right, the mistress would not be pleased," the other man calmly added.

Rowan, the white-haired teen, just yawned and shooed them off. "Go away, I'll finish up soon."

"That's what you said a whole week ago! The gem we need won't be in the capital for long."

"And you also have other tasks that you must complete like the assassination of Freya Clarimont."

Rowan just rolled his eyes, "I'll complete them after the public execution."

"Public execution?" The hot headed man asked. "Why the hell would that matter."

Rowan smiled and casually stated, "The boy being executed is accused of being a member of the Dark Legion since they couldn't get their hands on me. Don't you think that'll be the perfect opportunity to go and steal a gem or attempt to kill that girl again?"

The two men both shake their heads, [He just wants to waste time.]

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"Titania, there has to be some sort of misunderstanding. Can't you help me convince them to call off the execution," Edward pleaded to the red-haired woman.

Titania just shook her head, "There's nothing I could do, the Emperor himself wanted this execution. And besides, you should've watched over him, he and that Dark Legion brat caused quite the mess."

"But nobody died, I don't see why you'd need to execute a child." 

Titania just rolled her eyes, "You're so annoying, go bug somebody else."

"But you're the only one who could help convince the higher ups."

"And I won't so get the fuck out of here!" Titania pushed him out of her room, slamming the door shut.

Edward just stood there with an uneasy expression.

[The execution is tomorrow, I'm running out of time.]