Ronan's jaw tightened as he stepped forward, boots grinding against loose stone. "We need to help her!" he growled.
Orin caught his arm before he could move farther. His grip was firm, steady despite the chaos unfolding ahead. "Ronan, think." His voice stayed low, controlled, though tension tightened every word. "If we rush in recklessly, we'll only drag Mr. Alden and the others down with us. Those men…" He gestured toward the hooded figures surrounding the stone platform. "They're Master Tier. We're still Adept Tier. We are not strong enough to fight them."
But the words barely reached him.
Ronan's gaze remained fixed on the girl.
Her body convulsed against the restraints. Thin cries escaped her throat—weak, broken sounds that scraped through the cavern like rusted blades. The air smelled of damp stone, stale blood, and burnt incense. Strange symbols carved into the platform glowed faintly beneath her, pulsing with an unnatural rhythm.
Then something emerged from her chest.
A small orb of light.
It rose slowly, trembling as though struggling to remain whole. Pale radiance flickered through the darkness like a candle moments from being extinguished.
Ronan's breath caught.
Recognition struck instantly.
He had seen sketches of this before in the academy library.
A Magical Core.
The source of every mage's power. The centre of one's Aether. The thing is tied not only to strength, but to existence itself.
His memory dragged fragments of text to the surface.
Removal of a magical core was not simply death.
It was agony prolonged.
A destruction that unravelled body and soul together.
And she was still alive.
Still feeling it.
Her fingers clawed weakly against the stone. Her back arched. A raw, soundless scream trembled in her throat.
Something inside Ronan snapped.
The cavern narrowed.
The world dimmed.
The sound of battle faded beneath the pounding roar of blood in his ears.
Without conscious thought, he tore free from Orin's grasp.
Steel hissed as Eclipse Edge left its sheath.
Flames burst along the blade, casting violent orange light across the cavern walls.
"Ronan, wait!" Orin shouted.
Too late.
Ronan vanished forward.
Stone shattered beneath his feet as he crossed the distance in an instant. Heat exploded around him, Aether flooding his limbs so violently it burned beneath his skin.
He appeared behind the hooded man, extracting the core.
Muscles locked.
Grip tightened.
Aether surged into Eclipse Edge until the blade screamed with fire.
"Blazing Strike!"
The slash tore forward in a blazing arc, fire twisting through the cavern like a living beast.
For a fraction of a second, hope ignited.
Then the flames stopped.
An invisible force rippled through the air.
A translucent barrier shimmered into existence around the hooded man and the girl, its surface refracting the fire into scattered light.
The attack vanished against it.
Ronan's eyes widened.
Then hardened.
He struck again.
Steel collided with the barrier.
A violent tremor echoed through the cavern.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each impact sent bursts of fire scattering across the stone floor. Sparks showered around him. The shield pulsed with every hit, yet remained intact.
Ronan barely noticed his breathing growing ragged.
His arms shook.
Sweat slid down his neck.
Aether poured from him at a reckless pace.
Still, he attacked.
The barrier refused to yield.
His blade rebounded.
His grip slipped.
His lungs burned.
But he couldn't stop.
He saw only the girl.
Only the trembling light was being ripped from her chest.
Only the helplessness clawing through him.
Break.
His sword slammed down.
Break.
Fire exploded outward.
Break.
His teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached.
His vision blurred.
His muscles screamed.
The blade felt impossibly heavy now, every swing slower than the last.
Still, he lifted it again.
One final strike.
Everything he had left flooded into Eclipse Edge.
Flames roared brighter than before, consuming the blade entirely.
Ronan screamed as he swung.
The barrier shattered.
Cracks spread across its surface in a violent burst of light.
Fragments dissolved into glittering particles.
Relief flashed—
Too late.
The Magical Core had already been absorbed.
A sharp fracture split across its glowing surface.
Then—
It broke.
A deafening shockwave erupted through the chamber.
The explosion slammed into Ronan like a collapsing mountain.
He flew backwards.
Stone rushed toward him.
Impact.
Pain detonated through his body as he crashed into the cavern wall.
Air burst from his lungs.
A sharp cry tore from his throat before he hit the ground.
Dust drifted through the silence.
The girl's body collapsed onto the platform.
Lifeless.
Still.
The glow vanished.
Only silence remained.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Ronan pushed weakly against the stone floor.
His fingers dug into rough rock until grit lodged beneath his nails.
His body trembled.
Pain radiated through every limb.
But it barely registered.
His eyes stayed fixed on the platform.
Too late.
Too slow.
The thought sank into him like poison.
Nearby, steel rang through the cavern.
Mr. Alden and his men moved quickly, cutting down the remaining hooded figures. Bodies fell. The surviving captives cried weakly as chains were broken.
"Everyone, take the boys and girls and get out of here!" Mr. Alden shouted, voice sharp with urgency.
His men rushed to obey.
Eight children in total.
Thin. Exhausted. Frightened.
Among them, the girl whose core had been taken.
Orin reached Ronan first.
He grabbed his arm and hauled him upright. "We need to go."
Ronan barely reacted.
His fingers curled slowly into a fist.
His nails dug into his palm.
Sharp pain followed.
Warm blood slid across his skin.
His heartbeat pounded violently against his ribs.
As they moved through the cavern, something caught his eye.
A faint glow near the ground.
Small.
Crystalline.
Half-hidden beneath dust and debris.
Ronan slowed.
He bent without a word.
His fingers brushed the surface.
Cold.
Smooth.
The crystal pulsed faintly beneath his touch.
He closed his hand around it.
Behind them, footsteps echoed through the cave as everyone retreated.
But inside Ronan, something remained behind.
Something dark.
Something burning.
The cavern's cold no longer reached him.
Only the storm inside his chest remained.
And somewhere deep within that storm, a vow quietly took root.
Not spoken.
Not yet.
But alive.
The clash of steel rang through the night as Mr. Alden's blade met the black-hooded man's in a violent spray of sparks.
They had emerged from the cave into the cold forest clearing, where moonlight filtered through skeletal branches. Wind rustled through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. Frost clung to the grass beneath their feet.
Steel shrieked against steel.
Their movements blurred.
Fast.
Precise.
Deadly.
Mr. Alden attacked with measured control, every strike efficient, refined by years of battle. The hooded man met him without hesitation, countering with equal skill.
Neither yielded ground for long.
Then the hooded man smirked.
"You disappoint me."
He slid backwards, blade lowering slightly.
Moonlight caught the edge of his grin beneath the hood.
"Is that all you've got?" he asked, amusement dripping from his voice. "So the rumors are true. You really are seriously injured."
His eyes narrowed.
"I expected more from the renowned Swordsman Alden."
Steel scraped as he adjusted his grip.
"Alden… you're weaker than I thought."
His smile widened.
"Pathetic."
The hooded man licked his lips slowly.
"Your magical core will taste far better than that girl's."
Behind them, something shifted.
Ronan stood several paces away, carrying an unconscious boy from the cave.
He lowered the child carefully beside a tree.
Gentle.
Controlled.
His movements lacked urgency.
Almost too controlled.
The boy's head rested against exposed roots.
Ronan straightened.
Slowly.
The warmth that usually lingered in his expression had disappeared.
No frustration.
No panic.
No visible grief.
Only stillness.
Cold and absolute.
His eyes lifted toward the hooded man.
Something dark lingered there.
Predatory.
Focused.
Orin felt it immediately.
A pressure.
Invisible, yet crushing.
The air itself seemed heavier.
He stepped closer, unease tightening his chest. "Ronan—"
His fingers brushed Ronan's shoulder.
"Your Aether is almost depleted. Don't—"
Ronan turned slightly.
Their eyes met.
Orin froze.
The breath left his lungs.
There was nothing familiar in that gaze.
No warmth.
No hesitation.
Only an emptiness so deep it felt wrong to look at.
A chill shot through Orin's spine.
His body reacted before thought could catch up.
He stumbled backwards several steps.
Distance.
His instincts demanded distance.
Only after stopping did he realise his hands were shaking.
His chest rose sharply as he fought for breath.
What was that?
His throat tightened.
That pressure—
That killing intent—
It crawled across his skin like ice.
"What… kind of Malice is that…?"
Even Mr. Alden felt it.
Mid-clash, his attention flickered toward Ronan.
A shiver passed through him.
That pressure did not belong to an Adept Tier.
Not even close.
"Is that… Ronan?"
For the first time since the battle began, uncertainty crossed his face.
Ronan reached into his pocket.
His fingers closed around the crystal.
The one taken from the cave.
Faint light seeped between his fingers.
Orin's eyes widened.
"An Aether crystal…"
His pulse spiked.
"No…"
Understanding struck instantly.
"He's going to absorb it?"
Fear tightened around his chest.
Aether crystals carried unstable energy.
Absorbing one directly was reckless.
Dangerous.
Too much could destroy the magical core itself.
Permanent damage.
Permanent ruin.
Orin opened his mouth to stop him.
No sound came.
His body refused to move.
Ronan crushed the crystal.
It shattered in his palm.
A violent surge of energy burst outward.
Light exploded between his fingers.
Raw Aether rushed into him like floodwater breaking through a dam.
His body jerked.
Muscles tightened violently.
Heat radiated from his skin.
Steam hissed into the freezing night air.
The ground beneath him cracked.
He inhaled slowly.
Deeply.
Then exhaled.
Void Overdrive activated.
Power flooded through him.
His breathing steadied.
Veins of faint crimson light spread beneath his skin.
Strength surged into his limbs.
Speed.
Endurance.
Everything sharpened.
But he knew the limit.
Four minutes.
At most.
Ronan moved.
The ground shattered beneath his feet.
He crossed the distance instantly.
The hooded man barely turned before Ronan's fist slammed toward him.
Fire exploded from the strike.
The impact forced the man backwards.
Another punch followed.
Then another.
A relentless barrage.
Flames cracked through the air with every strike.
The hooded man shifted into defence, blocking, weaving, redirecting.
Though Ronan's power had risen sharply, his movements still lacked refinement.
Too direct.
Too emotional.
Too raw.
The enemy exploited every opening.
Countered.
Dodged.
Redirected.
But Ronan did not stop.
Pain no longer mattered.
Fatigue no longer mattered.
His sword ignited once more.
Crimson fire wrapped around Eclipse Edge.
The air distorted from the heat.
Ronan raised the blade high.
Muscles coiled.
"Sky Splitter!"
The slash descended.
A massive arc of flame carved through the night.
Trees bent beneath the pressure.
The hooded man crossed his arms, summoning a barrier.
Light flared.
The impact struck.
The shield held—
But the hooded man's eyes widened.