The moment Lucian set foot within the bounds of Sellia, Town of Sorcery, countless spells were unleashed upon him.
Shrouded in night, these specialized assassination sorceries blended seamlessly into the darkness, making them nearly impossible to detect.
At first, Lucian neither saw nor heard anything. Only when the spells closed in on him did he finally spot the faint glimmers of invisible Glintstone Shards.
Fortunately, his reaction was swift. He summoned a storm around himself, the winds scattering the barrage into fragments of black motes that dissolved harmlessly into the air.
Exhaling in relief, Lucian slid the Carian Glintstone Staff from Torrent's side. It was time for his counterattack.
This was his first true battle against sorcerers, and he intended to test the strength of these so-called sorcerer assassins who hunt their fellow sorcerers.
He targeted the spectral Noble Sorcerers drifting in the distance. Canceling the storm for a heartbeat, he loosed a Comet Glintstone before re-gathering the winds. His spell struck true, shattering the nobles one by one.
Repeating the tactic, he soon erased every spectral noble from the field.
But the true sorcerers remained hidden.
Unbeknownst to Lucian, a glinting shard formed directly behind him and shot forward at blinding speed. This time, it struck home.
The blow would have been fatal—were it not for his armor. The Dragonscale Armor absorbed the impact, leaving only scratches across its surface.
This was Ambush Shard, one of Sellia's ambush sorceries—silent, swift, and deadly. Unlike ordinary spells, it manifested behind the target, bypassing ordinary defenses. It had even formed within Lucian's storm.
He had grown complacent, thinking himself untouchable within the gale. That lapse had allowed the strike to land.
His eyes narrowed. These sorcerers of Sellia truly lived up to their reputation as "sorcerer killers."
Lucian's mastery over storm magic allowed him to block nearly any projectile. Only massive spells like Comet Azur or meteorites could force through by sheer weight—or intangible spells that passed unhindered through the winds.
But these sorcerers did not rely on such grandiose arts. Their magic was practical—lethal in its simplicity. Even basic spells could fell the strongest mage, if cast from the right angle.
Had Lucian truly been only a sorcerer, that last Ambush Shard might have killed him.
But he was not. He was a warrior—a warrior clad in steel and scales.
The attack had been wasted.
Another volley of Ambush Shards formed around him, but this time his vigilance was high, and the storm scattered them all.
Shifting tactics, Lucian dismissed the storm and instead formed a wind-forged armor about his body. He opened his senses, feeling for traces of magic in the air.
Spells could never appear from nothing; the flow of sorcery left behind faint trails of mana (FP). Weak though Sellia's concealment was, it was not perfect.
He located one presence and fired three Comet Glintstones. The spell struck, and a hidden figure collapsed.
But Lucian soon gave up this duel at range. There were too many enemies, and his magical training was not deep enough to maintain precision while moving. Standing still, he was little more than a siege engine, trading spells across the dark streets.
Though he could outlast them—his reserves of FP vast, his flask of Cerulean Tears full—he found the method tiresome.
Why fight as a mage, when he was no mage at all?
He had seen enough of their strength. It was time to fight as himself.
He sensed their hidden presences. Sellia's sorcerers had cloaked themselves in Unseen Form, their silhouettes erased. But when they raised their staffs, when their mana stirred, they betrayed themselves.
Lucian mapped their positions in his mind, plotted a path, and launched forward.
The storm erupted outward, clearing the nearby spells, and he charged.
One sorcerer, cloaked in invisibility, had hidden in a house, thinking himself clever. Through a window, he fired spells in rapid succession.
But the house was a trap of his own making. There was no escape once Lucian came.
Wind armor shielding him, Lucian crashed straight through the wall, seized the mage's Glintstone Crown, and slammed his head into the stone. Both helm and skull shattered, the body embedding itself into the wall.
In only seconds, Lucian was already moving again.
Black Night Shards and Night Comets struck his armor as he ran, but none pierced the scaled plates.
He cut through a spirit sorcerer with a single pass of his Swordspear, reducing it to ash, then closed on another sorcerer wielding a small iron shield.
The sorcerer hid his right hand, pretending to defend with only the shield. Lucian knew the trick: an Unseen Blade waited there, ready to strike once his blow was blocked.
The spear drove through the shield's center, splitting both iron and arm, then skewered his neck in the same thrust.
Without pausing, Lucian spun, his weapon releasing a raging arc of wind that tore apart a mage perched on a rooftop.
Sellia's assassins prided themselves on speed and subtlety. But brute strength ripped through their artistry all the same.
Yet suddenly, the sorceries stopped.
The silence made Lucian wary. He tightened his storm, bracing for some great spell. But instead, a voice called out from the town:
"Tch… Great one, may we speak of peace?"
Lucian raised a brow. "Peace? Now?"
Silence. Even the speaker knew how absurd the request sounded.
But Lucian relented slightly. "Unless it is surrender."
"Y-yes! I can speak for all of Sellia," the voice hurried.
But almost at once, another voice protested: "Who gave you the right—"
The words ended with the sound of steel piercing flesh, a body crumpling to the ground. Silence returned.
"…Forgive the interruption. We may continue."
Lucian blinked, faintly amused at Sellia's ruthlessness.
"Then show yourself," he called. "Negotiation demands courtesy. And you are the ones begging peace."
After a pause, a figure emerged.
She wore black armor and a dark hood. Lucian recognized the set at once: the garb of the Night Maiden, though lacking its signature silken cloak and cat-eared crown.
As she drew near, her face came into view—a youthful girl, petite, her features strikingly delicate.
Her skin gleamed silver in the dark, radiant even beneath the moonlight. Not pale—but truly silver.
Her eyes were stranger still; sclera and pupils black, irises shining silver.
Lucian's mind supplied the answer. "You're of the Nox?"
The girl froze, surprised. Few outsiders even knew of her kind. But she inclined her head.
"Yes. I am of the Eternal City's blood—descendant of the Nightfolk, born of cold silver."
It was Lucian's first meeting with one of her race. The silver glow of her skin was like moonlight incarnate.
"Thank you for staying your hand," she said softly. "I have revealed myself as you demanded. Will you now grant us parley?"
Lucian nodded. "Why did you strike me on sight?"
The girl's expression darkened. "My apologies. The order came from the Academy of Raya Lucaria."
At that name, Lucian's frown deepened.
"The Academy? Explain."
She gathered her thoughts and began; "Long ago, Raya Lucaria infiltrated Sellia. Our own sorcerers, who once went to study there, betrayed us. They gave away our hidden Night Sorceries. Many returned already bought, feeding our secrets to the Academy.
"In time, Sellia became their shadow vassal—forced to do their dirty work, hunting defectors and rivals. That is how the name 'sorcerer killers' spread."
"Recently, though the Academy sealed itself away, they reached out to us again. They sent your likeness. They ordered us to kill you."
Her voice lowered. "No reason given. We were tools—tools do not ask reasons. But when we saw your strength, we began to wonder. Why obey the Academy at all? To resist them would bring reprisal… but to oppose you would mean our destruction."
"So," Lucian said coldly, "you intend to betray Raya Lucaria."
She nodded firmly. "Yes. For the survival of Sellia."
Lucian's gaze sharpened. "Even if I forgive your ambush—what can you offer me?"
The girl lifted her chin, voice steady. "Our allegiance. A host of seasoned sorcerers. And…" She hesitated, then spoke with finality. "The true secret of Sellia."