Harbinger of Chaos

The guards had already extinguished the town's fire before dawn.

The sun pierced through the clouds, casting its light upon the gravestones of thousands. What was once a thriving town was now nothing more than ruins. Only the smell of ashes remained.

Four horses stood at the town's exit, their riders—Elina, Kazuki, King Jonathan, and a royal guard—ready to depart.

King Jonathan turned to Elina and Kazuki and said, “I'm heading to the other towns to warn them.”

Elina nodded. “Then Kazuki and I will go to the Elven Kingdom to seek aid. Make sure to stay on guard while traveling.”

King Jonathan nodded, then spurred his horse forward, his guard following at full speed as they disappeared into the depths of the forest.

“Shall we get going too?” Elina asked.

Kazuki nodded, and together, they disappeared into the forest.

They rode through the forest as Kazuki thought, ‘She has gone through so much, yet she spoke of it as if it were nothing.’

Elina noticed him lost in thought and smiled softly. “Don't worry, it's been a decade since that incident. I struggled to accept it back then, but now… I’ve moved on.”

The forest rustled as the wind weaved through the trees. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled patterns on the ground. The chirping of birds echoed softly, blending with the rhythmic hoofbeats of their horses.

The birds suddenly burst from the trees, their wings flapping loudly. In an instant, everything fell silent.

“Halt!” Elina whispered.

Kazuki furrowed his brows. “What happened?”

“Don't speak. I sense a demon nearby.”

Suddenly, a shadow leaped from the bushes and rushed away at an incredible speed.

"Kazuki! Use magic!" Elina shouted.

Kazuki swiftly gathered the surrounding air, converting it into ice spikes before launching them at blinding speed.

The spikes pierced through the demon's body, making it fall to the ground.

Elina and Kazuki approached the demon’s lifeless body, their eyes fixated on its still form. Its mouth hung open, hands splayed wide.

“It might have been a messenger. We should pick up the pace.” Kazuki said.

Elina's grip tightened around her reins.

“If we continue riding even at night, then we can reach the Elven Kingdom before tomorrow night.”

“We can't continue at night. It'll be too dark.”

“You can use fire magic, right?”

Kazuki hesitated. “Yeah, but I cannot control the power…”

Elina smiled. “Don't worry, just think of it as holding a flower in your hand—gently.”

“I'll try…”

Kazuki lifted his hand halfway, palm facing upwards. ‘Holding a flower…’

A nearby flower dissolved into particles, vanishing into the air. At the same time, a very small yellow fireball flickered to life in Kazuki's palm.

Noticing the flower dissolve into particles, Elina shifted her gaze to the fireball in his hand before locking eyes with him.

Kazuki's eyes widened, mirroring Elina's reaction before he muttered, “This is new…”

“I've never seen this kind of magic before.”

Kazuki's expression shifted into a nerdy grin. “There's a possibility that this isn’t magic… It might be quantum manipulation.”

Elina blinked. “Qua—what?”

The grin on his face widened. "I might be able to transform any object or element into something else—and control them."

Elina sighed, her tone turning serious. "We can figure that out later. For now, we need to hurry."

"You're right… let's go."

They pressed on, speeding through the forest as shadows of trees flickered past. Fallen leaves crunched beneath their horses' hooves, blending with the rustling whispers of the wind. They only stopped for short breaks before continuing.

Night fell, but they pressed on, guided by the faint glow of Kazuki's fireball, which cast light for at least eight meters around them.

“I hope we don't get lost,” Kazuki remarked.

Elina shook her head with a reassuring smile. “We won't, don't worry. I remember the path very clearly even to this day.”

Suddenly, an arrow shot out from Kazuki's right side, whistling past his face before embedding itself into a nearby tree.

Kazuki scowled, his frustration evident. “Seriously?! How many more assassination attempts are they going to make?!”

“Keep moving! If we stop, we'll get hit!” Elina shouted.

Arrows rained down from the sky, whistling through the air as Kazuki and Elina barely managed to dodge them.

“If we don't do anything, we'll get shot eventually!” Kazuki shouted.

“Then just make a big blue fireball!” Elina yelled back.

“What?! The forest will burn down if I do that!”

“Who cares?! If you die, then everyone else will die too!”

“Should I create a star?!”

“What—?! Don't make jokes right now!”

“But I'm not jo—”

“No!”

“Fine! But I'm not making a fireball!”

“Then what will you do?!”

“Just watch!”

Kazuki pulled his reins with one hand, bringing his horse to an abrupt stop, while he raised his other hand into the air.

The trees within a one-kilometer radius dissolved into particles and formed millions of razor-sharp ice spears.

Elina's eyes widened in shock. “What the—?! How did you even do that?!”

Kazuki smirked. “Remember I told you about quantum manipulation? I tried, but unfortunately, it can't manipulate living beings. But this is what it can do.”

The ice spears hovered in the air for a brief moment before launching forward like a storm of projectiles. They tore through armor, flesh, and anything in their path.

Screams erupted from the hidden attackers as the ambush was instantly crushed. Silence followed.

Elina stared in brief awe before speaking. “If you can do that… do we even need the elf warriors’ help?”

Kazuki shrugged. “Maybe not.”

Elina sighed. “Well, since we're already halfway there, we might as well show our faces.”

After a long journey, they finally arrived at the Elven Kingdom's entrance.

Elina took a deep breath, her eyes scanning the familiar surroundings. “We're finally here. It feels so nostalgic.”

“The grass around here is quite tall.”

Elina smiled. “Isn't it? I always used to play in these tall grasses.”

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to them. “Is that you?! Elina?!”

Elina's breath hitched. “Aunt—! You're still alive…”

“Of course, I am. Did you think I'd be killed by some petty demons? Hah! Well, I guess that doesn't matter now. You're finally here, after all. You'll be staying here, right? And who is that with you?”

Kazuki smirked, his tone teasing. “Who, me? I'm her boyfriend.”

Elina's face turned bright red. “S-Since when?!”

Kazuki chuckled. “I’m just kidding, chill out.”

Elina’s aunt burst into laughter.

“Hey! Don’t laugh,” Elina protested.

Her aunt struggled to contain her amusement. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just—your boyfriend is hilarious.”

Elina’s face turned red as she pouted. “He’s not my boyfriend! I’m just protecting him from threats.”

Kazuki smirked. “Wow, way to make me feel special.”

“You're not!”

Her aunt wiped away a tear from laughing. “Oh dear, you two are adorable.”

Elina groaned. “Can we just go inside already?”

“Fine, fine. Let's get inside. I'll call the others too.”

As they stepped inside the house, a sudden gust of wind swept through, sending a chill down their spines.

A similar kind of gust swept across the desolated plains of the Demon Kingdom, carrying with it an eerie silence.

A lone figure appeared before the demon king's throne. A human with jet-black hair and brown eyes, wearing a black robe, knelt down.

“My lord, I have arrived. Give me the command.”

A deep, resonant voice echoed from the throne. “Go and kill that summoned man.”

A subtle smirk played on the human’s lips, hidden beneath his lowered gaze. “Yes, my lord.”