Traitor

Author note: Due to favorable circumstances, I could upload this chapter early lol
Enjoy this bloodfest!!

***

The moon hung high when Arvan slipped past their camp, his steps soundless against the cold earth. He had told Luciel that he’ll be coming back by sunrise to scout for possible enemies.

Though what he said is really far from the truth…

In the dark woods, Arvan moved like a shadow—silent, precise, deadly. His blade never rang, his breath never wavered. One by one, he eliminated students in the dark, vanishing before any alarm could be raised. And somewhere, in that quiet void of the forest, The screen ticked, slowly—but surely.

As he ventured further—beyond the woods, where shadows grew deeper, a lone figure in a green hood awaited him. Arvan then took a step forward, their distance slowly diminishing.

“Master Arvan…” the green-hooded person spoke. “Is there something wrong for me to have been summoned?”

“Nothing much…” he ordered. “I just want you to hunt them.”

His breath came out like frost, and the surrounding plants withered under the chill of his words.

“As you wish, my master…” the person knelt, bowing their head in reverence. “But… I have a problem, sir…”

“And what’s seem to be the problem then?”

“I was tracked by one of them…” the person sighed, showing the mark to Arvan.

He scoffed, mildly impressed. The sigil was compact and well-constructed, even—but nothing beyond his grasp to unravel or bend.

“Remove your hood,” he commanded, voice cold and absolute.

“Y-Yessir!?” the figure squeaked, startled by the demand.

“Just do it,” he repeated, eyes narrowing.

A moment passed. Then, with clear reluctance, the figure reached up and slowly pulled back the hood.

The moonlight caught her—delicate, unmistakably feminine. Long, silky strands of green-tinted hair spilled out, glinting faintly under the night sky. Her crimson gaze pierced through his.

Seeing her face, he gently cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing across her skin. “Are you hurt, Mireille?” he asked, his voice was soft and calm.

“Y-Yes… I-I am… my Lord…” she stammered, surprised by his sudden actions.

Arvan’s hand lingered for a moment longer, then slowly withdrew. The warmth in his eyes faded, replaced by a calculating coldness.

“...That said,” he said, standing to his full height. “It’s still tracking you, correct?”

“It still is, though the pulse has weakened…”

“Good,” he murmured, raising his hand over the mark. A faint glow shimmered around his fingers as ancient symbols briefly lit up.

Mireille then just stayed there, looking at Arvan—only.

She can’t help but be drawn to him, not because he’s strong, and notably handsome—but something deeper that she can’t quite explain herself.

Mireille bowed her head. “As you command, my Lord… but before that…”

He turned to her, raising an eyebrow. “What is it now?”

She hesitated for a moment, then straightened her posture, eyes trembling with resolve. “Can I… go out with you, once this is all over?”

Arvan paused. For a split second, something flickered in his eyes. Then he smiled—cool, unreadable.

“Sure… once everything is over.”

Mireille then squealed, full of joy as she left to track Cedric and Luciel. Meanwhile, Arvan decided to go for more eliminations, before going back to camp.

Back in the present, Luciel barely had time to react. A sharp whistle whispered in the air, followed by a crack. A slim green-hooded figure jumped at him, the tip of the blade placed onto his neck.

“Luciel!” Lilith screamed, quickly dashing to his side, deflecting the said attack.

The hooded figure then flipped backward, landing on her feet. And then—she removed her hood, revealing herself in front of them.

The group was shocked, that a young woman is doing all of these heinous actions, that could lead to them being given a death penalty.

She then laughed hysterically, licking the blade as she introduced herself. “Good evening folks of Eledale! I’m Mireille Graham—your personal assassin. Any final words—”

Before she could finish her speech, Anneliese and Cedric immediately jumped at her, landing a combo onto her. Three arrows flew toward her back. A sword aimed for her chest.

But in one fluid motion, she twisted—deflecting both attacks effortlessly. A shockwave burst outward, sending Cedric skidding back across the ground.

“What a feeble attempt…” she glared coldly, mocking their skill. “So weak…”

Cedric hearing those words, was not able to contain all his rage. His face twitched, eyes slowly turning red, and his teeth gritting as he processed those words. In other words—Totally pissed.

“Weak? Say that again, you bitch—I'll make you eat those words!” he surged forward, rage sharpening every movement.

Mireille’s smile widened, almost amused.

“Sigil of Earth: Wall of Gaia.”

Her voice rang like a command to the earth itself. In an instant, the ground split beneath her feet, and a massive column of jagged stone burst upward.

Cedric barely had time to react before it slammed into him, hurling him skyward with bone-rattling force.

Anneliese then muttered to herself, “How did she skip half of the incantation…”

Just then Luciel and Lilith joined the fray, assisting Anneliese and Cedric in their fight—though Cedric is out of this one for now.

He took a breath and whispered, “This fight’s gonna be rough… Anne, fire arrows—her left flank. Lilith, stun her with ice to the right. I’ll go straight for the center.”

But Lilith frowned, pouting. “Wait—how come Anneliese gets a nickname and I don’t?”

“Her name’s long… yours is already short…”

“That’s not fair…”

Luciel sighed. “Fine… Lily—happy now?”

Her expression brightened immediately. “Much better.”

“Stop flirting in front of me!” Anneliese snapped from behind.

“We’re not!” both of them said in unison, their cheeks giving off crimson hue due to her remark.

“O God of Fire, Bargos, heed my prayer! Light these arrows with your blessing and burn all in their path! Sigil of Fire: Bargos’ Volley!”

A burst of flaming arrows ignited midair, streaking toward Mireille like a storm of meteors—scorching the sky with their fiery glow.

At the same moment, Lilith slammed both hands to the ground, her voice echoing with resolve.

“God of Water, Drea, and God of Wind, Ayla—lend me your blessing! Charge this earth with your chill, and freeze all that opposes us! Sigil of Ice: Rose of Death!”

Frost bloomed outward from her palms in elegant spirals, wrapping the battlefield in sharp, crystalline vines. Moments later, a wall of jagged ice erupted to Mireille’s right, cutting off her escape. It was like hell was let on loose on that specific area.

Luciel then sighed, thanking the god’s of this world for not making these two his enemies. That aside, Luciel immediately charged towards the middle—his sword glowing in magical aura as he sped up his approach.

The earth rumbled as he hurled towards her, and in one fluid motion; “Solar Veil—Phase Break!”

A searing light erupted from his blade as he slashed clean through Mireille—splitting her in two. The force left the battlefield trembling in its wake.

Lilith blinked, stunned. “You just learned about your affinity today, and you’re already using power techniques?”

Luciel shrugged, still catching his breath. “You literally summoned an ice wall. How do you explain that?”

“Well… I read a lot of books,” she replied, scratching her cheek. “Guess I just remembered some things…”

He smiled faintly. “As for me, I got it from my dad. Once this is all over, I’ll definitely pay him a visit.”

Lilith brightened. “I want to eat your mom’s porkchops again…”

Luciel chuckled. “I’ll let you eat all you want.”

“Enough with the flirting already!” Anneliese snapped. “We need to tend to Cedric—now!”
As they were tending to Cedric’s wound, the image of Mireille’s cut body, strings of flesh, and veins connecting the body, seemed to have vanished. Even the teared up organs, and bones that fell also vanished.

It was as if… it was all a mirage.

Just then, she jumped towards a nearby tree, gasping as she nearly escaped the death sentence.

“Geez… people these days….” she sighed.

Even though she has no route for escape, she managed to escape from their grasp—leaving a mirage of what seemed to be her being cut down.

After restoring her mana, she immediately jumped into the battlefield gearing up for another fight.

“Round two,” she whispered, and with a flash, she dove back into the battlefield—ready to kill or be killed.

Just like earlier, she jumped towards Luciel, but this time managing to stab him from behind. Her blade pierced his back, sliding between his ribs. Blood burst forth, painting his cloak in a violent crimson and splattering across Lilith’s stunned face, still trying to process what just happened.

Time seemed to have slowed down, Lilith stared at his wound, her body froze.

“L-Luciel…?” she whispered, her voice shaking as she did.

Behind him, Mireille leaned in, a cruel smirk tugging at her lips. “Oh my, so this is the power of a Divine Swordsman? Pathetic…”

She tackled Mireille to the ground, fists clenched with trembling fury. “You bitch… You’ll pay for this…”

As she pressed the traitor down, her voice dropped into a seething whisper, cutting her chant in half. “Sigil of Earth: Sword of Gaia.”

The earth responded—vibrating, rumbling.

A blade of stone surged up beside her, jagged and sharp, forged from the wrath of the world itself.

Mireille immediately dashed backward, leaving Luciel’s staggered body. “Growing violent, you slut! Give me more!”

As Anneliese tried to heal Luciel and Cedric, Lilith dashed forward, her body moved before thought could catch up—propelled by fury, grief, and instinct.

She soared forward, her feet barely touching the ground, each step a whisper of grace and intent.

It was like a dance when the two fought, exchanging blows and spells. Lilith’s every movement was elegant, like a practiced ballerina weaving through blades and death. Sparks flew as their blades kissed.

But inexperience got the best of her, being knocked down by Mireille with a single kick, sending shockwaves as she landed. She coughed up blood, her arms growing numb.

“Time to end it I guess…” she sighed. “At least you guys did not make it boring. So you shall receive a painless death!” laughing hysterically as she said that.

Sigil of Void: Death’s Door—

But before she could finish her spell, an astounding force pulled her downwards, making her kneel on her knees.

—It was Arvan, executing the spell. Astonishingly enough, he did not use any incantations, as expected from a prodigy of this century.

“So you do need me to save your asses huh? I just left for a few hours and this happened?”

“Arvan…” Lilith muttered, before she fell unconscious.

“M-Mas—”

Crack—

It was not the sound of trees breaking—but bones of a person. Mireille coughed up so much blood, screaming endlessly—a pain so vivid, it was like two pistons pushing on you on your left and right.

Her crimson eyes faltered, squinting at the person she deemed her master.

She tried to scream Traitor—but before the word could leave her lips, it was over. Her body lay twisted, mangled, and crushed beyond recognition.

“You served me well enough… Go have fun in the afterlife,” Arvan muttered, barely sparing her a glance.

“For a high-ranking noble, you sure are violent,” Anneliese said dryly, watching him finish the job.

“She’s dead-dead, by the way,” he replied. “Used that sigil she cast on others. Guess that’s karma.”

Author note: What a bloody chapter, and Arvan is quite a jerk huh... Can't wait for next chapters...
Chapter 8: Aftermath - Eledale Academy
Chapter 9: The Beginning of an Adventure
Release Date: 24th of July, 2025

Have fun readers, there's 5 chapters releasing this week including this one!