The night wrapped the wasteland outside Fallen Dust Town like a heavy black cloth. Lynn, slinging a simple pack over his shoulder, darted through the withered grass; the faint crunch of gravel under his soles rang sharply in the silent dark. He dared not look back or slow down—Gray's venomous gaze and Mage Colin's scrutinizing stare were thorns in his mind, urging him to flee the town he'd called home for three years.
The night wind carried the wasteland's chill, flapping his thin clothes. He clutched the Forbidden Codex tighter to his chest; the faint warmth from the parchment was the only comfort in the blackness. After two hours, the sky paled with the first light of dawn, and Lynn leaned against a dead tree, gasping for breath.
He pulled a hard black loaf from his pack and took a bite; its rough texture scraped his throat. Just then, the Forbidden Codex burned hot in his arms, its black patterns glowing faintly—a signal that energy was approaching. Lynn snapped his head up: three familiar figures stood on a distant slope, led by Gray in a gray mage robe, flanked by his two closest lackeys.
"Lynn, keep running! Let's see how far you get!" Gray's voice dripped with triumphant malice. He raised his short staff, the fire-element crystal at its tip glowing red in the dawn light. "You thought sneaking out of town would let you escape me? Since you burned my robe, you're as good as dead!"
Lynn's heart sank. He hadn't expected Gray to chase him, let alone arrive so quickly. He clenched his fists, stirring the ashen energy in his body—after siphoning Colin's Holy Light energy the night before, his Ashen Spark had grown, and his Ashen Fireballs were more powerful. But against three apprentices, especially Gray (who could cast Intermediate Fireball proficiently), he wasn't fully confident.
"Gray, I've left Fallen Dust Town. Why are you still out for blood?" Lynn forced calm into his voice, stalling for a chance to counterattack.
"Out for blood?" Gray scoffed, stepping closer to loom over Lynn. "You ruined my robe and humiliated me in front of the apprentices—how do I settle that? Besides, that weird magic aura on you… maybe it is linked to forbidden magic, like I wrote in my note to Colin. If I hand you over to the Council, I get revenge and a reward. Maybe even a direct spot in the senior academy. Why wouldn't I?"
Gray cut the talk short, swinging his staff at Lynn: "Get him! Alive!"
His lackeys acted at once, raising their staves. Two orange Fireballs coalesced, streaking toward Lynn and sealing off his escape routes.
Lynn's pupils contracted. He rolled sideways to dodge the left Fireball, then channeled ashen energy to summon a larger gray Fireball at his fingertip. Instead of throwing it, he waited until the right Fireball neared, then collided the two—no explosion followed, only a hissing sound. The orange Fireball's energy was swallowed whole, like water into a sponge.
The gray Fireball brightened, its black patterns sharpening; Lynn felt his ashen energy swell slightly.
"What… what kind of cursed magic is that?!" Tom, the lanky lackey, paled. He'd cast the right Fireball and felt his magic drained instantly—a horror he'd never read about in theory books.
Gray froze, then his eyes turned crueler: "No matter what it is, he can't keep this up! Hit him with a flood of Fireballs!"
Gray unleashed an Intermediate Fireball first—larger, hotter, hurtling toward Lynn. The other two followed suit; three Fireballs formed a burning serpent, lunging at him.
Lynn knew he couldn't block them head-on. He sprinted to the dead tree, channeling all his ashen energy to conjure a thin gray shield—Ashen Barrier, a new ability he'd learned from the Forbidden Codex the night before. It only defended against low-level magic, but he had no choice.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The Fireballs crashed into the barrier. The impact forced Lynn back two steps, his arms numb. The gray shield rippled, cracking—yet it held. To his surprise, a fraction of the Fireball energy was absorbed by the barrier, converting to ashen energy and mending the cracks.
"How is that possible?! He blocked three Fireballs!" Gray gaped, disbelief etched on his face. He'd assumed three against one would be easy, even with Lynn's strange magic—but he'd underestimated him.
Lynn didn't let Gray recover. He charged forward, and as he neared, hurled the Ashen Fireball—not at Gray, but at the ground. The gray Fireball exploded, sending dust and gravel billowing, blinding Gray and his lackeys.
"Dammit! He's running!" Gray yelled, swatting the dust away. When his vision cleared, Lynn was gone, vanished into the distant woods.
"Chase him! Don't let him get away!" Gray gritted his teeth, leading the lackeys toward the trees. But a few steps in, Lynn's footprints faded, then vanished in tangled grass—he'd planned ahead, leaving a decoy trail.
"Curse him! He got away!" Gray kicked a rock, wincing in pain. "But it's fine—he's heading for Azure Breeze Magic Academy! Colin said I have a recommendation spot. A zero-affinity handyman like him can't get in even if he reaches the gate! We'll go back to town, tell Colin what happened. Even if he gets in, he can't run forever!"
Lynn, hiding in a tall tree nearby, heard every word. He exhaled, dropping to the ground—his decoy trail had bought him time, and he'd learned a critical detail.
"Azure Breeze Magic Academy… recommendation spot…" Lynn murmured, his eyes lighting up. He'd heard apprentices talk about it: the lowest-ranked academy in southern Essos, but the only path for low-tier apprentices to enter the magic world. Gray had Colin's recommendation—but what about him?
Lynn touched the Forbidden Codex instinctively, recalling a message it had sent when he'd siphoned magic items: he could compress absorbed mixed energy into a Fake Element Crystal. It was far less pure than natural crystals, but enough to fool a junior academy's entrance checks.
He pulled a cracked, drained fire-element crystal from his pack—discarded scrap from the workshop. Clutching it, he channeled ashen energy and催动 the Forbidden Codex, pouring the absorbed fire-element residue and trace Holy Light energy into the crystal.
The parchment's black patterns glowed, wrapping the mixed energy in gentle force to compress it inside the crystal. After half an hour, Lynn opened his hand: the once-cracked crystal now glowed dull orange, emitting faint fire-element fluctuations—a Fake Element Crystal.
Lynn held the crystal, his chest swelling with excitement. This gave him a shot at Azure Breeze's entrance exam! It was the lowest academy, but for him, it was the first step beyond Fallen Dust, the only path to unlocking the Forbidden Codex's secrets.
He tucked the crystal safely into his chest, checked his pack, and set off toward Azure Breeze. Dawn had flooded the wasteland; a tall tower loomed on the horizon—Azure Breeze's landmark, his new destination.
Walking the sunlit path, Lynn's steps were firmer. He knew more danger awaited: Gray's revenge, Colin's suspicion, discrimination and challenges at the academy. But he was no longer the bullied "magic good-for-nothing."
The Forbidden Codex warmed faintly, as if answering his resolve. Lynn looked ahead, a faint smile on his lips: Azure Breeze Academy, here I come. No matter how hard the road, I'll carve my own place in this magic world.