Draven exhaled sharply, forcing his body to stay still despite the overwhelming urge to collapse. "Calm down, both of you. Don't panic. We will use our routine method" His voice was steady, but inside, he felt the weight of exhaustion press against his muscles.
Damn it. His legs were sluggish. Three days without proper food his body was betraying him at the worst possible moment.
Serephina swallowed hard. "Draven… are you sure about this? That 'routine' was for hunting predator-class monsters, not…" She gestured at the towering beast before them, "…this calamity-class"
Draven's grip on his sword tightened. "We don't have a choice. We either fight and maybe survive or we die without even trying."
Grimwald let out a slow breath, then unsheathed his twin axes, twirling them in his hands. "Then I'd rather go down swinging."
Draven nodded, his mind racing. "Serephina, how many spells can you manage?"
She hesitated. "Three low-level spells… or one high-level spell if I pour everything into it." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry. If we'd had proper meals, I could do more."
"It's fine. We'll work with what we have."
Draven's mind worked furiously. There's no winning this fight. Our only chance is to escape.
"Alright, here's the plan." He spoke quickly, his voice sharp with urgency. "Serephina, hit its left eye with a fire spell which won't hurt it, but it does create a smoke cloud. That'll block its vision for a few seconds."
She nodded, gripping her staff tighter.
"I'll move to the right. If its left eye is blocked, it'll focus on me."
Grimwald's grip tightened around his axes. "And I attack from the left while its attention is elsewhere."
"Exactly," Draven confirmed. "The moment it turns toward you, we run. Split up, different directions. Serephina, fire another spell from a distance to draw its focus away from Grimwald."
"And then?" Serephina asked.
"We keep running and hide. We regroup at Vihadi." Draven inhaled sharply. "This probably won't work… but it's the best shot we have."
He clenched his jaw, glancing at the beast before them.
Damn it. Please work.
At least one of us needs to make it out alive.
"All right, that's a solid plan," Serephina said, steadying her breath as she raised her staff, her hands trembling despite her best efforts.
"Got it. Let's do this," Grimwald muttered, gripping his twin axes tighter. His voice was firm, but the slight tremor in his stance betrayed his nerves.
Draven exhaled sharply. "Alright, people. On the count of three. Three… two… one "
He never finished.
Without warning, the Lycan did something none of them expected.
It turned its head away.
"Huh?" Serephina's pulse spiked. "Wait what's happening? Why isn't it looking at us?" Panic laced her voice. This wasn't part of the plan.
Draven's fingers twitched around his sword hilt. "Uhh…. Grimwald, what's going on?!"
Grimwald's eyes narrowed, his nostrils flaring as he tried to make sense of the sudden shift. "There's… another mana source nearby." His brows furrowed. "A dense one. It just appeared out of nowhere… and now it's – gone? How the hell…?"
Before any of them could react, the Lycan spread its massive wings, launching itself into the air. The force of its takeoff sent shockwaves through the ground, nearly knocking them off their feet.
They watched in stunned silence as the beast veered toward the unknown mana source completely ignoring them.
Serephina collapsed to her knees, gasping. "Did it just… leave us alone?" A nervous laugh bubbled from her throat. "Does that mean we're saved?!"
"Ahhh… I almost peed myself," she groaned, running a shaky hand through her hair. "What a terrifying experience. I never want to go through that again."
Draven, still tense, scanned the sky where the Lycan had disappeared. "I don't know why it left, but I don't care. We need to get the hell out of here before it changes its mind."
Grimwald, however, was still staring in the direction the Lycan had flown, deep in thought. "What the hell was that?" he muttered. "That mana felt almost like a monster, but… I've never heard of a beast that can hide its mana, release it, and then suppress it again."
Without another word, Grimwald bolted toward the unknown energy's source.
"HEY! You idiot! Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Draven barked, eyes blazing with frustration.
"Sorry, Draven, but I have to check this out!" Grimwald called over his shoulder, his voice tinged with reckless excitement. "You guys go on ahead! I'll catch up in a second!"
Draven let out a string of curses, his grip tightening around his sword. "You fucking dumbass!" His jaw clenched. "Come on, Serephina before that dumbass gets himself killed!"
But Serephina didn't move.
"I… I can't." Her voice came out weak, barely above a whisper. "I don't have the energy. My legs… they won't move."
Draven turned to her, irritation flashing across his face but when he saw the exhaustion in her expression, it faded.
He exhaled through his nose. "Damn it. Both of you are seriously getting on my nerves."
Without another word, he crouched down and hoisted her onto his back.
"Hang on," he muttered, adjusting his grip. "We're leaving."
"Hey!! Wait, what are you doing?! Put me down!" Serephina yelled, squirming against Draven's grip.
"Sorry, no can do." Draven kept running, his breath steady despite the weight on his back. "We're regrouping with that idiot and getting the hell out of here. HEY! Get back here, you muscle-brained moron!"
Grimwald ignored him, pushing forward. He ran through the thick underbrush, barely registering the sting of branches scraping against his arms. His legs burned, but he didn't stop not until he reached a clearing near the edge of a cliff.
And then he saw it.
The Lycan hovered in the air, its red eyes scanning the ground below. It was searching, its massive wings stirring up dust and leaves with every slow, deliberate beat.
But Grimwald had already found the source.
Several feet away, at the edge of the cliff overlooking Vihadi, stood a single tree. Beneath its shade, a man lay asleep, a cloth draped over his face as if completely unaware of the chaos around him.
"…It has to be him." Grimwald's voice was barely a whisper, not wanting to draw the Lycan's attention.
Draven caught up moments later, Serephina still clinging to his back. "You idiot!" he hissed. "What were you thinking?! You want to go through that again?"
"Shh… don't talk too loud," Grimwald murmured, eyes locked onto the figure under the tree.
Serephina, finally able to stand on her own, followed his gaze. "Wait… who's that?"
"I think…" Grimwald exhaled, his mind racing. "I think he's the reason the Lycan left us alone."
Draven frowned. "Why the hell would anyone do that? That's basically calling death straight to your doorstep."
"Well…" Grimwald's eyes gleamed. "We'll see."
Above them, the Lycan let out a low growl, its wings shifting. It had found what it was looking for.
Without hesitation, it dived.
The ground trembled as the beast landed in front of the sleeping man, sending chunks of grass and soil flying. The force alone was enough to make the trio instinctively take a step back.
"Damn it… he's in danger! We have to wake him up!" Serephina whispered urgently.
But Grimwald didn't move. Instead, he grinned. "Wait. Just watch."
Draven shot him a look. "What do you mean, watch?! He's about to get killed!"
But the man under the tree didn't even flinch.
The Lycan roared, a deafening sound that made the trio's ears ring painfully. Then, without hesitation, it lunged, its jaws wide open, aiming to tear through the man in a single bite.
CLANG!
The impact sent a shockwave through the clearing, but
The Lycan stopped.
Its entire head had slammed into something, something invisible, something unmovable. A solid force held it back, repelling its attack like an iron wall.
"What the fuck just happened?" Draven's voice cracked, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"Did that guy just repel a Lycan's attack… with a mana shield?" Serephina, who had spent her life studying magic, could barely process what she had just seen.
But Grimwald's shock ran deeper. His breath hitched as he stared at the scene, realization sinking in. "No… you guys don't get it." He turned to them, his face a mixture of awe and sheer disbelief. "That guy… he only put up his barrier after the Lycan attacked."
Draven blinked. "Wait "
"He put up his defense after the Lycan had already begun moving." Grimwald's hands clenched into fists, his excitement nearly spilling over. "That means he only needed less than a second to form a barrier that strong."
Serephina's breath hitched.
That… shouldn't be possible.
The Lycan staggered back, shaking its massive head as if dazed. Slamming into something so unyielding had rattled it.
And at last, the man stirred.
He slowly reached up, removing the cloth from his face.
The sunlight hit him perfectly, illuminating the sharp contours of his face. His golden long hair reaching below his shoulders gleamed, strands catching the light like molten gold. His features his jawline, his expression and his muscled and toned body standing at 6 foot 4 inches tall, looked as if they had been sculpted by the gods themselves.
Every movement he made, from brushing the grass off his shoulder to standing up, felt effortlessly commanding and charismatic
Draven, Grimwald, and Serephina could only watch in stunned silence.
He exhaled, tilting his head slightly as he gazed at the Lycan before him.
"Well, aren't you a mischievous one," he mused, his voice smooth, almost amused. "What do you think you were doing… interrupting my nap?"
The Lycan roared, fire surging in its throat.
A split second later, it unleashed its flames, engulfing the man entirely.
"Shit!" Draven cursed. "Grim, did he…?" He turned, only to see Grimwald grinning like a lunatic.
Draven's stomach twisted. "Hey… Grimwald?"
"That guy…" Grimwald's voice was breathless, almost in awe. "That guy is nuts."
"What do you mean? Did he block it?"
Grimwald turned to face them, his expression almost manic. "He didn't put up a barrier immediately."
Draven's blood ran cold. "What?"
"He waited," Grimwald said, his grin widening. "He only formed his barrier right before the flames touched him."
Draven and Serephina exchanged stunned glances.
Draven swallowed. "Is… is that really impressive?"
Serephina, still staring at the flames, answered without hesitation. "Yes."
Mana control required deliberate timing most mages cast their defences in advance. But to deploy a shield at the exact moment of impact, with flawless execution and zero hesitation?
That required absolute confidence.
Absolute control.
Absolute power.
The flames finally died down and the smoke dissipated.
And there he stood unscathed.