The Golden Road and the Roaring Flash.

Maria walked down the main street of Delsea. 

Several tens of meters ahead of her, a struggle between the defenders of the village and the ferocious monsters was underway. On the beasts' side were dozens of lupens, on the side of the defenders—a few knights and a couple dozen of guards and soldiers.

Numerically, the fight was pretty even. But in reality, the only thing that kept the battle going was the skill of the knights on the defenders' side.

Normal guards and soldiers were mere commoners and rarely knew any advanced magic. They could all use enhancement, and maybe a few of them could pull off acceleration or strengthening spells as well, but their relatively low mana reserves and magical skill meant that the spells wouldn't last long. Even if they did, they still paled in comparison to the strength of lupens.

The wolf-like creatures were much too fast for a normal human. Even the knights could only deal with them thanks to their varied magic, practiced strategy, and a wealth of experience.

In fact, there was probably only one person in this entire domain that Maria could think of who would actually try to outpace a lupen. And the scary thing was that she would succeed as well.

The village guards present in this battle, however, were average and struggled to hold back even a single beast. And even then, they only saw some success because the monsters lacked a way to break through their shields. The lupens' sole weakness was their relatively low offensive power.

In conclusion, the battle was an uphill struggle for the defenders, and it was also unfortunate that one of the knights was wounded after getting distracted. There were no casualties yet, but it was only for now. At this rate, the dam would break, and the torrent of beasts would invade the village.

Where did those monsters come from? Just how did a pack of this size go unnoticed by the patrolling knight orders?

Those questions momentarily swirled in Maria's mind, but she shook them off. Now wasn't the time to doubt. Instead, she had to concentrate on the problem at hand. Concentrate and solve it. 

And so she began to chant.

"Deos Fatima, Deos Coria, et Deos Menid, escite oratio meus! Laes vobis triburebe, caeles canto. Simplo est requer meus."

Her voice resounded through the streets of Delsea. It wasn't particularly loud, yet it reverberated clearly. Beautiful and melodic, her song brought gentle reassurance, but also a sense of grandeur and excitement to everyone who heard it.

At first, it sounded like a beautiful prayer to the Deas. But what hid inside was a tale of a grand journey.

"Non ergo auxe deoseme. Instē, requo. Requo ut puteres en lenga vio meteum vōs custebunt."

A journey that was meaningful and satisfying. A journey so unnaturally beautiful that it would usually make cynics dismiss and deride it as naïve. And yet, even they would remain quiet when faced with this tale. It was a journey so touching and precious that it would make anyone believe.

"Ellī quī nītant et ellī quī sperant. Ellī quī vivent et ellī quī sadiunt. Tribite omne auxe vestrum: en laborīs temporīs respete; en asperīs momentīs spirite; quando corpī probent roboritare; quando tempī experent axelaritare"

It wasn't just a prayer. Instead, it was an ode to the beauty of the human soul. A praise to its ambition and an acknowledgement of its weakness. It was an inspiring melody meant to bring respite to those exhausted and discouraged.

"Quaseo, elles quis sadiunt en vio meteum fovete et custite. Nam id est volar eorum qui vivent."

It was the road to the person's most coveted desires and most moving ambitions.

"Saditormeteum."

The Dreamwalker.

A golden road paved its way through the village.

***

Kyle was locked in a struggle against a lupen.

He wanted to finish the monster off quickly, but it was proving to be a challenging task. Mainly, because of his wound and exhaustion. The pain made it difficult to focus on weaving spells, and the closeness of a swift enemy prevented him from taking time on his casts. The only spells he could use were one or two-word incantations that were aimed at enhancing his body.

Once again, the monster pounced at him with incredible speed. Barely, the knight deflected the beast's claws and jumped to the side.

That's when he heard a growling noise behind him.

When he turned around, he saw another beast, lunging at him with full strength.

"Crap—"

Kyle cursed and shielded himself just as the lupen landed on him. He fell on the ground together with the monster. The only thing between him and the beast's sharp teeth was the shaft of his spear.

Is this it? the knight thought with desperation.

Just as that question crossed his mind, he heard a spell. As the spell continued, a golden glow descended on the battlefield, submerging everyone present in a warm embrace.

All the defenders began looking around in shock. Even the beasts stared at the skies, startled by the sudden phenomena.

"...The Golden Road," Kyle muttered in awe.

Slowly, the knight's exhaustion began disappearing. The warm glow surrounded his wounds, closing them quickly. A wave of courage and inspiration filled him up, and his mind became incredibly clean.

With this, he could easily focus on the spells.

"Ab meo aude soveo"

The wind blew and the lupens were instantly blown away from him. The monster in front of him flew backwards, giving Kyle time and space to get back on his feet.

"Roboritar fortior!"

As he chanted his next spell, his spear pierced through the lupen's body while it was still stuck in the air.

The tides of the battle were turning.

***

At some point, the pain disappeared from Ayumu's body. Instead, he was feeling refreshed and full of energy. He clenched and unclenched his hands and looked all over himself, searching for wounds and bruises. But they were all long gone.

Lucy headed back to the main road, and Ayumu followed her. Slowly, the battlefield returned into their view.

A beautiful sight opened to Ayumu's eyes.

The entire road was fully bathed in golden. It shined spectacularly, but the glow didn't blind Ayumu, instead it provided a feeling of warmth. Golden sparks fell from the heavens and surrounded the defenders of the village. They, in turn, moved with energy and swiftness, striking down the fearsome beasts one after another.

And at the source of the golden road, she stood. It was obvious who the culprit behind this phenomena was. With a single spell, she completely turned the tides of the battle.

"N-no way."

Ayumu was so shocked that he didn't even notice those words leave his mouth. Many things he had seen today had made him dumbfounded, but this time was different from them all. For the first time since he had arrived in this world, magic brought out a different emotion from him than childish excitement or a sense of curiosity. Instead, he felt awe and fear.

I-is this what you have to do for people to consider you a genius...? Can Fabian really do something as impressive as this? No, judging from Maria's own words, he should be even more impressive.

There is no way I can be like that.

But just as a sense of resignation started entering his mind, he shook his head.

No, hold on, Ayumu! You've already decided that you will do it. 

He recalled the last storm of images his mind went through. With time, those memories became even clearer, and the information in his head creeped closer and closer to its completion.

Because right now you're already on the verge of becoming Fabian. It's not you who has to do it— it's the genius mage. The genius mage that you've become.

Ayumu didn't believe in himself, but he had firm faith in the visions he saw. For they contained knowledge and skill of someone so much more talented than he was. They couldn't possibly fail him.

That encouragement brought him back to reality. In front of his eyes, he saw Maria. She still stood at the beginning of the golden road, but something about her posture seemed shaky. It looked like she was struggling to keep herself on her feet.

Meanwhile, the battle took a turn for the better for Delsea's side. The lupens were being pushed back. Whenever they rushed into the soldiers' shields, the defenders reacted in time and bashed their shields against the monsters, stunning and dealing them damage in the process.

The lupens were becoming more and more cautious with every received blow. They were in a tight spot, and the numbers in their pack started dwindling. Despite that, the beasts showed no sign of retreat. They never did. That's what made them monsters in humans' eyes.

"We need to hurry and get to Mary" Ayumu said to Lucy, "she's not in good shape."

Lucy nodded and they rushed towards Maria.

The lupens, meanwhile, started behaving weirdly. They stopped attacking and instead gathered together and observed. Their red glowing eyes were directed at Mary—at the caster of the golden road.

Ayumu had a bad feeling about this.

"Keep pushing!" Kyle shouted from the back of the formation, "we have them on the backfoot! Don't let them recover!"

""Yeah!""

With a war cry, Delsea's defenders rushed at the monsters.

In return, the beasts stayed grouped.

This is strange, Ayumu thought. Normally, that sort of grouping would prevent lupens from utilizing their mobility to the fullest. What are the beasts doing?

Just as he thought that, he saw the monsters ready themselves for lunges. As the soldiers approached with their shields ready, the lupens stayed still patiently. Then, at the last moment, they leaped. But not at the soldiers.

Instead, they jumped into the skies. If Ayumu didn't know better, he would think they flew. Each lupen ascended a dozen meters, and they were now behind the defenders' frontline.

"S-shoot them down!" Kyle shouted as he launched a spell.

He struck down several of the monsters with his wind spells, and then finished off a couple more with his spear. The other knights and soldiers also desperately fired at the beasts. Still, over a dozen lupens made it past Kyle.

In this suicide rush, the lupens lost nearly half of their numbers, but they made it past the defenders. After that, they rushed towards their destination— towards Maria.

"This is bad!" Ayumu shouted, "Lucy, save her!"

"Axelitar Fortimus" Lucy chanted and rushed towards Mary.

Maria, meanwhile, saw the pack of wolves approaching but didn't run. She wouldn't be able to get away in time. Instead, she began casting a spell.

"Scuto lumenus me proteget."

A golden shield of light appeared in front of her. When it did, she stumbled slightly, struggling to keep herself standing. Her endurance and magical reserves were reaching their limits.

Three of the lupen ran at her from the front. They crashed with the shield that suddenly appeared in their path and stopped in their tracks. The rest of the lupens either split up to the sides or stayed back. The monsters that split ran either to the left or to the right side of the shield. They divided their numbers evenly, approaching Maria from both flanks.

"Igne ex manīs" Maria chanted as she pointed her hands in opposing directions.

Two blasts of fire spread from her. The flames burnt the rushing beasts and stopped them in their tracks. Meanwhile, The knights and soldiers also cast their spells, killing several lupens in the process.

The brief window of time that Maria bought with her fire was enough for Lucy to arrive. While, the beasts were still blocked by the flames, the maid quickly picked up Maria and ran.

By that point, the flames were already gone, and the lupens were ready to charge after them. They leaped at the girls, brandishing their fangs and claws. 

In order to dodge their attacks, Lucy jumped up in the air.

But then, more lupens appeared from above. They were the ones who initially stayed behind instead of flanking Maria. Those monsters leaped high into the air and made it over the golden shield, aiming at the pair. 

Barely, Lucy kicked away the beast that dove her and used the momentum to launch herself in the opposite direction. 

But she couldn't control the direction of her flight, and they landed in an awkward spot, surrounded by lupens. The beasts rushed at them, threatening to tear them apart.

"Mary, Lucy!" Ayumu shouted in panic.

He saw the monsters slowly closing in on the girls. It was as if the world was stuck in slow motion. But that didn't bring him any relief. Instead, it only exacerbated his feeling of helplessness. He was just as slow as the rest of the world and could do nothing but watch as the danger approached Lucy and Mary.

An incantation! No, a normal spell won't make it at this range.

He barely had enough time for a cast. By the time his spell would reach its target, it would be too late. 

And so Ayumu's mind raced.

I need something different. Something that can make it. Something that can surpass the winds of the lupens—outrace the storm itself!

Something faster than the beasts, faster than wind and storms, faster than the sound itself! A flash of light to burn away the wicked creatures. Authoritative and fearsome. Instant and powerful. A devastating blow that strikes before enemies can even react...

In that moment, a single spell came to his mind. His lips began moving even before he had time to realize it.

"Ab manō ferrit—"

He stretched his hand in the direction of the lupens.

"—fulmar!"

A blinding burst of light appeared in Ayumu's hand. It was bright, powerful, and awe inspiring. Accompanying it was a thunderous roar that quickly spread over the battlefield. But even that roar paled in comparison with the swiftness of the spell—for the roaring flash was meant to outpace even the very cry that marked its own birth.

It was the fastest destructive phenomenon Ayumu could imagine. Something that surpassed even the speed of sound.

It was a bolt of lighting.

The spell traveled quickly through the frozen world. Before Ayumu could even blink, it approached the beasts and clashed into them.

It struck the lupen, mere moments before its jaws could reach Lucy. 

It didn't stop there—the thunderbolt was big enough that it swallowed all of the monsters behind the first one. It burnt them away, and their silhouettes disappeared in a blinding flash of light. 

When the dust settled, only charred corpses remained. In the blink of an eye, nine lupens were struck down. Such was the power of Magia Nobili.

Ayumu caught his breath. He didn't even realize that he had stopped blinking. His mind refused to process what just happened. It was an unbelievable feat: lightning itself was at his beck and call. 

And so he stood there, stunned. 

Then, his confusion was interrupted by a loud sound. A moment later, he realized that it was the sound of a horn, coming from the direction of the village's center—no, from the direction of the Berion Manor.

When Ayumu turned around, he saw dozens of soldiers, marching towards them. In the lead was his father, Julian Aes Berion.

It seemed that the battle was finally over. And when that realization hit him, Ayumu unconsciously smiled.

Seeing the lightning that he so vividly imagined come to life in front of his very eyes, made him once again realize just how powerful magic was. And not just any magic—his magic. After all, he successfully recreated Fabian's greatest achievement—the roaring flash. At this point he was all but certain: he indeed possessed Fabian's spellcasting talent.

He was now one step closer to becoming a magical genius.