by : BlackbeardtheBear
"Everyone, wake up! We're under attack!" Syrus's voice rang out, piercing through the quiet night after Myla and Astra had managed to get some rest.
The urgent shout of Syrus jolted Myla and Astra awake, and they rushed outside the hut.
As they emerged, they were met with chaos. Several monsters were attacking furiously, a wildfire spreading uncontrollably, and the roar of beasts echoed through the forest. Syrus was fighting a large basilisk, while Largas, still severely injured, continued to battle a four-armed bear with fierce determination.
"Princess, get Largas to safety!" Syrus shouted, launching an assault on the basilisk with his ash magic.
Astra nodded and quickly made her way to Largas, who was still unconscious. She cast a protective fire spell around him and hurriedly lifted him up.
"Myla, cover our retreat!" Astra ordered.
Myla acted swiftly, using water magic to create a deceptive barrier around the hut, giving the illusion that they were still inside. The two of them then broke through the back of the hut and fled.
As the battle raged on, the full moon illuminated the Moonwood Forest, revealing a group of cloaked figures floating in the sky.
Suddenly, one of these figures hurled a powerful sound-based spell at Astra and Myla. The spell hit them with such force that they lost their footing and fell. Largas, who was being carried by Astra, slipped from her grasp and tumbled to the ground.
"Myla, watch out!" Astra yelled, trying to get back on her feet.
Myla turned to see the cloaked figure closing in. She quickly summoned a water shield around them while the figure continued to bombard them with sound magic, its echoes reverberating through the forest.
"Let me handle this!" Syrus, witnessing the situation, charged in with his ash magic, enveloping the area around the cloaked figure and disrupting the sound magic attack.
"Damn it! These pests are such a nuisance!" the cloaked figure cursed, unleashing destructive sound magic that ravaged the surrounding area.
"Myla, cover the retreat! I'll hold him off!" Myla shouted to Astra as she conjured a wave of water to assault the cloaked figure.
Astra nodded and grabbed Largas again. Both of them ran away from the fray, while Syrus and Myla continued to fight fiercely, despite knowing they were at a severe disadvantage.
"We need to find a safe place," Astra murmured to herself as they dashed through the thick forest foliage.
Meanwhile, the cloaked group in the sky began to descend into the Moonwood Forest, using their magic to wreak more havoc and increase the chaos.
Astra and Largas eventually stumbled upon a small cave overgrown with dense vegetation. They hurried inside, hoping to escape the immediate danger.
"Largas, hang in there," Astra whispered, looking at Largas's still unconscious form. Her concern and fear were palpable as the sounds of battle continued to echo from outside the cave.
Suddenly, the noise of the battle outside diminished, replaced by the sound of footsteps drawing closer to the cave entrance. Astra clung tightly to Largas, her heart racing with fear and worry as she scanned the dark cave for a hiding spot.
The approaching footsteps grew louder, and Astra held her breath, pulling Largas closer and draping his cloak over them to blend into the darkness.
"There's no point in hiding, Princess Astra," a familiar elderly voice called out.
Astra's heart sank as she recognized the voice of one of her former mentors, a level 7 sorcerer known as Cassian Dragos.
Her pulse quickened as she tried to keep her composure. The fear was overwhelming, but she forced herself to stay silent.
"Master Cassian…" Astra whispered, remembering him as a revered teacher now turned enemy.
"Come out, Princess," Cassian's cold voice echoed. "I know you're hiding here. Don't you want to ensure your friends aren't harmed?"
Astra hesitated, her gaze shifting to the unconscious Largas. She wanted to fight, but knew she stood no chance against a sorcerer of Cassian's caliber.
As Astra struggled to decide, Syrus and Myla emerged silently behind Cassian. Syrus signaled to Astra that he would assist, but she noticed that his right arm was missing and Myla was covered in wounds.
"Let her go, Cassian," Syrus said, his voice grave.
Cassian turned his icy stare toward Syrus. "Do you think you can stop me?"
In an instant, Myla unleashed a massive wave of water at Cassian. Cassian easily deflected it with a wind spell, but in that moment, Syrus struck from behind with his ash magic.
Cassian was taken by surprise but remained standing, glaring at the two with fury.
"Don't you know fear!" Cassian roared, summoning a powerful storm of wind to strike at Syrus and Myla.
Seeing her friends in danger, Astra decided to reveal herself. She gathered her remaining mana and unleashed a massive fire spell at Cassian.
The flames engulfed Cassian, causing him to momentarily falter. Astra seized the opportunity, rushing to gather her friends and Largas.
"We need to get out of here!" Astra shouted, lifting Largas once more. Syrus and Myla followed as they fled into the moonlit Moonwood Forest.
"Such a foolish decision," Cassian's voice came from in front of them, and he conjured another massive storm to attack.
Syrus, using all his remaining mana, created a protective ash barrier around Astra, while Myla expended her last reserves of mana to reinforce the shield.
The storm hit with overwhelming force, tearing Syrus and Myla apart.
Astra, protected by the ash barrier, witnessed the horrifying sight of Syrus and Myla being torn to pieces. The devastation was so brutal that it left no recognizable trace of them. Their bodies were scattered across the forest floor, their suffering and demise starkly visible amidst the darkness and silence of Moonwood.
Each piece of their bodies reflected the horrific end they had met. The area was filled with a profound sense of loss and cruelty, leaving a bleak and irreversible despair.
"No! Not Myla! Syrus!" Astra cried out in despair, her face etched with hopelessness.
Astra, overwhelmed, curled up on the ground, clutching Largas's unconscious form tightly. She blamed herself for the disastrous plan that led to the deaths of her friends. Tears of frustration and sorrow refused to flow, and she felt a deep, choking sense of guilt.
Cassian approached Astra, raising his hand to deliver the final blow. Astra, still in despair, had given up on escaping or fighting back, focusing only on protecting Largas.
But just then, the temperature around them plummeted, and a massive ice shard flew towards Cassian. Astra, shocked, saw that Largas had awakened.
Yet, something felt strange. Largas slowly stood, his black hair turning white and his eyes transforming into emerald-green reptilian slits.
Largas extended his hand, causing emerald snowflakes to fall from the sky, freezing everything they touched.
"What are you?" Cassian roared in anger.
Largas remained silent, gathering immense mana in his right hand before unleashing a green beam of energy at Cassian.
The beam caused a massive explosion upon hitting Cassian, freezing the surrounding area into a sea of ice. As the smoke cleared, Cassian was revealed, with his left torso frozen solid.
The attack took its toll on Largas, who collapsed to the ground afterward. Cassian, seeing this, prepared another storm to eliminate both Largas and Astra.
Astra, seeing the impending danger, shielded Largas with her body. But then, a purple flame shot towards Cassian.
"It's gone too far, old man," Erik appeared before Cassian.
"!? Erik Flameheart!" Cassian exclaimed in shock.