Aedan squeezed the thing purely out of desperation, terrified by the incoming wind blade. The force that exploded from the strange object shocked his hand, sending it flying out of his grasp and crashing to the ground. His heart pounded in his chest, and his wide eyes locked onto Darian."AAAAAAARGH!"Darian was screaming.Blood seeped through the torn fabric of his upper right arm. His eyes blazed with a mix of shock and fury, but the pain was clear on his face as he clutched at his arm trying to stop the bleeding.His cronies stood frozen with mouths agape, staring at their injured leader.Aedan barely processed what had just happened. The sound, the blood... it all felt surreal."Y-you bastard! You hurt me! You fucking ARGH!" Darian's curses broke through the haze. He writhed in pain, struggling to regain composure."What the hell are you waiting for? Kill him!" he said to his cronies.The others snapped out of their shock at Darian's order. They didn't know what Aedan had just done but they knew one thing, it wasn't magic. And yet, it had hurt Darian. Badly. That made them nervous.Aedan's instincts took over. He scrambled for the strange object and grabbing it off the ground with trembling hands. The weight of it now felt different as if he had new power. His fear was still there but now it was joined by something else: determination.The four remaining students hesitated with wands raised but they are not sure. The fact that the thing — whatever it was — wasn't magic rattled them. They had no idea how to defend against it. But Darian's shout from behind spurred them on."Kill him, you idiots!"Aedan's mind was racing, but one thought cut through the chaos. He had to survive.He gripped the object tighter this time after feeling the power. A strange calm settled over him. He raised it then pointed it at one of the students, and squeezed the crescent-shaped trigger again.BANG!The student dropped to the ground with a scream, clutching his leg. Another student panicking and tried to cast a spell, but before he could finish, Aedan fired again.BANG!The second one went down, clutching his arm as he howled in pain. The other two froze, their eyes darting between their fallen friends and the strange weapon in Aedan's hands. Panic flashed across their faces.Aedan fired again but unfortunately this time its missing, but it didn't matter. The last two students were already scrambling. One ducked behind a tree, and the other rolled behind Darian, who stood unsteadily, still gripping his bleeding arm.Aedan's breathing was heavy, but his mind was clearer than it had been in a long time. He didn't know exactly what he was holding, but he *knew* it was powerful.Darian was panting, his face twisted in rage and disbelief. "You think this changes anything? You think you're safe now, Varros?! I'll kill you for this!"Aedan's heart raced, the adrenaline flooding his veins as panic tightened its grip around him.Darian's furious shout echoed in his mind, and the threat of death looming closer with each passing second. He gripped the strange weapon with trembling hands as he realized what it could do — what he could do with it.This wasn't magic, but it was powerful. And dangerous.If the academy found out, they'd surely strip it from him, maybe even punish him for hurting Darian the prodigy. That thought filled him with dread. He couldn't let that happen. This was his chance to gain power, survival, and revenge. He wasn't going to lose it.Aedan's eyes flicked to Darian who was still panting, rage etched across his face. Without thinking, he raised the weapon again, trying to steady his shaking hand. He aimed for Darian, but his fear and trembling fingers betrayed him.BANG!The shot went wide, grazing Darian's ear, missing his head by hair bredth. Blood trickled down the side of Darian's face and his eyes flashed with raw anger."YOU COWARD!" Darian bellowed, his voice strained with pain and anger. Despite the wound, he raised his other hand and summoning wind magic. The air around him stirred violently and with a sharp motion Darian sent a powerful gust toward Aedan.The impact hit Aedan squarely in the chest, knocking him off his feet. His back slammed against a tree, pain shooting through him. The weapon clattered to the ground again, and Aedan groaned, struggling to catch his breath.He looked up to see Darian slowly regaining his composure, his eyes burning with murderous intent. Aedan's mind moved and he know that he was running out of time. He didn't fully understand how this strange weapon worked and Darian was quickly recovering his focus. If he didn't act soon, he will be dead for sure.With no other choice, Aedan did the only thing that came to him. He ran after picking the weapon."I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!"Darian's screams echoed through the trees as Aedan bolted into the thick of the forest, blood still pounding in his ears."Get back here, you damn coward! You think this is over?!" Darian's voice cracked with a mix of pain and rage.But Aedan didn't stop. His heart pounded as he sprinted through the undergrowth, the pain in his leg flaring up again. Every step pushed him farther away from Darian and farther away from the academy.But in his mind, a single thought burned brighter than his fear."I'll learn this weapon's power. I'll master it, and then... I'll make them pay!"As the forest swallowed him, Aedan promised himself that this was just the beginning."Just you wait, bastard," he thought with wide grin as he pushed forward, disappearing into the shadows of the woods.---