Fallen on the ground, still processing the impact against the hill, Theo landed face down, not immediately noticing the rocks collapsing on him. However, Aryna quickly reacted and created a high-pressure water cannon, eliminating any debris that could pose a danger to Theo.
"Useless blondie," Aryna exclaimed, pulling Theo up. "Are you listening to me?" she asked, noticing that Theo was in a daze.
Theo's five senses disappeared. But not because of the impact, rather due to his concentration. He blocked out everything from his sight, any sound, any smell, or touch. He was only thinking: "What is the pattern of this crystal?"
All arcane crystals correspond to a different pattern. Theo's main training method during his childhood had been defeating arcane crystals around his house, so he knew the primary strategy to defeat one of these crystals: understanding the pattern.
Whatever the pattern, it always leads to a moment: an instant of vulnerability for the arcane core.
"Time is running out. I can't waste... time..."
A light illuminated Theo's mind, and his five senses returned.
"That's it!" Theo exclaimed, looking ahead and getting a surprise.
The harpy was charging at him again, and he had no choice but to create a wind vortex that flung him to the side. It was only when he jumped to the right that he noticed Aryna heading his way.
Theo grabbed Aryna with one hand on her waist and the other on her head. He threw himself to the other side, using his own body as a shield to protect his classmate. The boy slammed his back against a tree.
Theo fell to the ground on top of Aryna.
"Time is the key," Theo thought, his eyes almost closing. But as he remembered, he woke up shouting: "Time is the pattern!"
Aryna's eyes fixed on Theo's lips, which went from neutral to a smile of pleasure. Theo looked down and saw Aryna staring intently at him, swallowing hard with flushed cheeks.
"You said you wouldn't get involved."
She turned her face away.
"You were close; I couldn't just watch you die."
"I see... Thank you, Sabbac." He stood up and extended his hand to Aryna. "Can you move?"
"Of course I can."
"Great."
Theo charged into the territory using the wind to propel himself. It was only when he touched the ground that the harpy attacked him again.
"Ivan! Kill it!" Theo ordered, holding the harpy's talon. "I have a plan!"
A cold breath escaped Ivan's mouth. Charging at the harpy, the young man didn't hold back, slicing the beast in half with the sickle, though his movements were clumsy and lacked finesse, it was enough.
"Why was it only attacking you?" Antony asked.
"The wind," Theo replied. "Harpies are mythological beasts that are supposedly an evolution of the kynigos anemus. Because of that, they always attack those with the wind attribute first. Probably to say 'I am superior.'"
"I see."
"What's your plan?" Ivan asked.
Catching his breath, Theo replied:
"Time is the pattern. When Ivan was killing the albastrons, I noticed that the crystal becomes invulnerable for 0.5 seconds. But that's too little time to attack. That's why I asked to kill the harpy. Twenty seconds have passed. That's how long it takes for the crystal to summon the harpy."
An energy projection appeared in the sky and gradually gave life to a new harpy.
"I still don't understand your plan," Antony said.
"In short: we have to kill as many harpies as possible. Once the crystal is about to summon the strongest beast, we have to destroy it during its moment of vulnerability."
"Why not kill it during these twenty seconds?"
"During these twenty seconds, everything becomes more aggressive near the crystal. Notice how the other birds are circling the core as if protecting a queen."
"The kid thinks too much..." Paul muttered, watching from afar.
"Damn Lawrence... Everyone from that lineage is strategic. There's nothing you can do about them," Amiah retorted. "That's also the family's strength."
Before the harpy could complete its first attack, Antony easily sliced it in half. Aiming to prove Theo's theory, Antony charged at the crystal while it was still summoning the harpy. Several albastrons attacked Antony as soon as he entered a five-meter radius of the crystal.
"So that's the limit we can reach..." Antony thought, driving a sword into the ground to mark the perimeter.
With the other three defeating the harpies and as many albastrons as possible to prevent more mythological beasts from being created, Theo placed his hand on his chest and walked around the arcane territory.
"I have to reduce the energy consumption... I'm using too much ether. In a few moves, I could exceed my limit." Theo looked at the crystal. "Would that be a problem? If I can get close enough to absorb the ether from this crystal... Yes. I have to try. I'm sorry for using you all as machines for my sake, but it's necessary." Slowly turning his head to the side, he saw Aryna heading back to the mentors' side. "And you are my key."
"Aryna," Theo called. "I see you absorbed what I said. About the high-pressure cannon."
She looked at her hands.
"Yes. I tested it, but it still uses too much mana. Even with my reserves, it's significant..."
"I see... In that case, can I borrow you once?"
"Huh?"
Theo extended his hand to Aryna, who was about to sit on the ground.
"I'll need your ability. I'll help you control it along the way. So, are you coming?" he asked, stretching out his hand one last time. Aryna accepted. Theo pulled her up, saying, "Great. Now follow my lead..."
"Theo's back..." Ivan thought, watching his classmate re-enter the territory. "I think he'll be more cautious now... Knowing the monsters will chase him if he uses the wind, he'll probably limit himself to physical combat..."
With the sword made by Antony in hand, Theo charged at the albastrons. Beside Ivan, who quickly joined him, they began alternating moves: at one moment, Ivan attacked while Theo protected him from the animals' claws, and the next moment, the opposite happened, with Ivan protecting and Theo attacking.
Using Ivan's shoulder as support, Theo jumped up, where a new harpy began to materialize. Theo ignored it and looked for a place of refuge. Looking at the small hill that had collapsed on him, he decided to use the wind attribute to propel himself in that direction.
"That harpy..." Paul murmured with some concern.
"It's a kynigos harpy..." Amiah retorted. "It's stronger and faster. If the kid uses the wind in front of it..."
Not reaching the hill, Theo used another wind impulse to reach his destination. Touching the ground with the tip of his foot, his whole body shivered.
Instinctively, he threw himself completely to the ground, not caring about the damage. A tail, as sharp as a blade, grazed Theo's back.
Looking ahead, there was the creation of the arcane crystal: a harpy, with the usual female body. However, covered in a layer of green feathers that outlined the curves of her body, hair like leaves, and a pair of wings that looked more like glass. Her face, unlike any harpy, was beautiful like a maiden's. Above her hair, a floating, almost transparent rune emerged. And, one of the reasons for Theo's dread, her tail resembled that of a scorpion.
An energy sphere began to collapse in the harpy's chest, but Theo didn't wait for the result. Charging at the beast, which immediately launched the stinger of its tail at the boy, Theo was forced to retreat and dodge, sliding under the tail.
The stinger slowly passed by Theo's body, touching only the tip of his nose. That simple contact was enough to convey the sensation that the boy's head had been exploded by the harpy.
Turning against the monster, Theo tried to attack with his sword. To defend itself, the beast used its tail as a shield, not only blocking but shattering the metal sword as if it were glass.
Surprised and in awe of what had happened, Theo froze, and the harpy used the moment to strike his face with its tail.
Rolling on the ground with nothing to hold onto, Theo pushed off the ground and slid to run through the forest. At that moment, like a whistle, the harpy's voice echoed through the forest:
'All you know is how to run? Child.'
"Where did that voice come from?" Theo thought as he ran. Looking to the side, he saw the harpy still hovering in the air. "It spoke? No. Harpies don't speak. Unless they're evolved...!"
The harpy suddenly appeared in front of him. Swinging its tail, the beast created wind gusts that cut through the environment. Theo managed to dodge most of them, except for one that hit his shoulder.
Ignoring the harpy, Theo used two tree trunks to try to throw the beast off. Trying to circle the forest, he only managed to feel his own heart: beating so fast it seemed to want to leap out of his body. His breathing became increasingly rapid, sweat dripping down his face more frequently.
His senses became sharp, especially his intuition. Even though the harpy was fast enough to easily escape his sight, Theo managed, through intuition, to predict the future locations where the monster would be.
His pupils dilated as he understood that sensation: adrenaline and anxiety, with the possibility of death in mind.
A dark green rune appeared on the palm of Theo's left hand: like an arrow pointing north, accompanied by fragments of wind. All the winds and the energy of the air molecules began to be sucked into the mark. The more energy was absorbed, the clearer the mark became.
The mark began to hurt, a pain he had never felt before, burning and searing, but at the same time bringing a cold breeze with it. The sensation of pain couldn't be purer. Even suffering, Theo didn't stop running from the beast.
Only when he looked ahead did he feel the harpy's stinger touching his neck. The beast stopped right in front of him and looked down at him with disdain.
Once again, the pressure of the stinger gave Theo a single prediction: his head would be torn off at the moment of physical contact.