CRASH!
Glass shattered and fell to the floor, mixing with debris as the man's ferocious attack tore through the window and part of the wall. The impact sent the entire frame and chunks of stone tumbling into the courtyard below.
Lucius barely managed to dodge in time. His body instinctively reacted to the attack, and he bolted to the opposite side of the room just before the blow could land. The force of the strike sent a rush of wind past him, sharp and biting, as if even the air itself had been carved apart.
"Hmm, I see you managed to dodge that, I guess you're not just a useless child then," the man remarked with a cold voice as he stared outside at the damage he'd caused. Slowly, he turned back to face Lucius, his eyes narrowing as he did so. "However... how long do you—"
The man's sentence trailed off as he noticed Lucius crouched low against the far side of the room. The boy's back was turned, and his hands were hidden from view. He appeared to be muttering something under his breath, and his words were too soft and indistinct for the man to catch.
"What are you doing?" the man demanded with a sharp tome to his voice, laced with irritation. Lucius gave no reply, continuing his strange, inaudible chant.
The man clicked his tongue in frustration. "Tch." He cursed under his breath and strode toward Lucius, and every step he took was menacing. Reaching him, he grabbed Lucius by the shoulder, his fingers digging in as he yanked the boy upright with a forceful pull.
"What—" The man's eyes widened in shock, cutting himself off mid-question. He finally saw what Lucius had been hiding.
"Get out of my home!" Lucius screamed, his voice echoing through the room. His entire arm was wreathed in flames, the bright orange and red glow casting dancing shadows across the walls. "Ignis Strike!"
With a scream of defiance, Lucius swung his flaming fist forward, planting it directly into the man's torso.
"Kughhh!" The man let out a guttural groan as the fiery blow connected, forcing him to stagger back a step.
The flames flickered violently for a moment, their intensity growing as though feeding off Lucius's resolve. Then, with a deafening BOOM, they erupted into a blazing explosion.
The blast sent the man hurtling backward, his body crashing through the already destroyed wall and into the courtyard below. Simultaneously, the force of the explosion threw Lucius backward as well, propelling him through the open doorway and slamming him hard against the opposite wall of the hallway with a resounding THUD.
Dazed and winded, Lucius slumped to the ground, and his vision blurred as the sound of the explosion faded away.
Urgh," he groaned as he tried to steady himself after a few moments had passed. He struggled to stand, finally managing to rise onto shaky legs before collapsing back against the wall for support.
'Did I... Did I get him?' he wondered, his mind racing as he finally pulled himself upright.
Determined, he started toward his room, intending to peek through the shattered window and confirm if the man was still there. But just as he took his first step, his heart began to pound wildly.
The air grew eerily silent, and an overwhelming tension gripped him.
Suddenly, without hesitation, he bolted down the hallway, his instincts screaming at him to move.
Why? Because he could sense them—several ominous presences rapidly closing in on his room.
Moments later, the creatures reached his room. Without hesitation, they charged right past it, their focus locked on him.
Glancing over his shoulder, Lucius caught a glimpse of his pursuers.
They were humanoid in shape but far from human. Their dark red skin gleamed in the dim light, sharp horns protruded from their heads, and their elongated, twisted limbs propelled them forward on all fours with terrifying speed.
They were demons.
And five of them were chasing after Lucius.
Lucius's mind raced as the demons bore down on him. 'Demons?! But how can they be here? How did they manage to get into the empire?' His thoughts spiraled in panic, and his heart pounded furiously in his chest.
Suddenly, one of the demons picked up speed, its distorted limbs propelling it forward at an alarming pace. With a powerful leap, it soared over Lucius and landed heavily in front of him, the floor beneath its claws cracking on impact.
"Shit!" Lucius cursed, skidding to a halt as the demon turned to face him. It roared at him, and it reverberated through the corridor, its sharp fangs glinting menacingly in the dim light.
Thinking quickly, Lucius began chanting, his voice trembling but steadying with each word.
"O unseen force, carrier of whispers, veil me within your fleeting embrace—become my shield from prying eyes. Zephyr's Veil!"
The demon lunged, its claws aimed directly at Lucius's chest.
But as the attack landed, its hand passed straight through his body, slicing through what seemed to be nothing but a gust of wind.
Lucius's form disintegrated into an airy swirl, the faint sound of rushing wind echoing through the hall as he vanished before the demon's glowing eyes.
The other demons soon caught up to their comrade, skidding to a halt as they reached the spot where Lucius had vanished.
The one who had struck at Lucius's wind-formed body snarled in frustration, and its distorted limbs began cracking and contorting. With a series of grotesque pops, its body shifted, shrinking and reshaping until it resembled a humanoid figure, though its crimson skin, glowing yellow eyes, and sharp horns left no doubt about its demonic nature.
"Find him!" it bellowed, its voice echoing through the corridor. The other demons immediately scattered, sniffing the air and prowling through the shadows in search of Lucius.
The leader raised a clawed hand, its palm glowing faintly. From thin air, a small orb materialized, its surface etched with intricate glowing runes. The orb pulsed with faint energy as the demon muttered guttural words in its dark tongue.
"Reveal all that is hidden, let no mana escape my gaze—Ether's Eye!"
The orb floated from the demon's hand, spinning rapidly in midair before shattering into countless glowing white particles. The mana particles dispersed into the air, spreading throughout the corridor like a fine mist.
The demon's eyes darted around, scanning the area intently. Unbeknownst to him, Lucius clung to the ceiling directly above, his body pressed was against the surface as he used wind magic to stay aloft, and his was breathing carefully controlled to avoid detection.
As the demon took a step forward, Lucius sprang into action. Pushing off from the ceiling, he leapt down, twisting in the air as he began chanting.
"Heed my call, mighty earth, churn and swallow my foes—Quagmire Spiral!"
Before his feet touched the ground, the floor beneath the demons shifted and cracked, transforming into a swirling whirlpool of quicksand. The demons shrieked as the spinning ground dragged them down, their claws flailing wildly as they sank deeper into the trap.
Lucius kicked against the air with a sharp burst of wind magic, propelling himself forward and landing gracefully on solid ground. He straightened, his chest heaving but his eyes sharp.
"Stay down," he muttered under his breath, already preparing for the next move.
He knew the spell wouldn't hold them down for too long, so he decided it was best to flee. Lucius chanted his wind spell again, and spheres of compressed air appeared beneath his feet. They lifted him slightly as he sped through the corridor, gliding effortlessly.
'Mom, I need to find Mom,' he thought urgently, increasing his speed and heading for her quarters.
The corridors stretched endlessly before him, shrouded in darkness and eerily silent. A disquieting thought gnawed at the edges of his mind. 'Where are all the maids? The butlers? Could they all be... dead already?'
The possibility sent a chill down his spine, but he forced the thought aside. There was no time to dwell on the unknown—his mother's safety was all that mattered now.
Just as he rounded a corner, a strange sensation washed over him. He skidded to a halt, his wind magic dissipating as his feet touched the ground.
There was a presence up ahead.
It wasn't like the demons—there was no oppressive malice, no suffocating weight to it. Instead, it was... familiar.
Lucius narrowed his eyes, straining to pierce the gloom of the hallway. "Who's there?" he called out cautiously, his voice echoing in the stillness.
His instincts screamed at him to remain on guard, but his heart whispered something different. This presence—it wasn't a stranger.