Reunion

“Adam! They attacked earlier than planned!” Grace shouted as Ana held onto her shoulder. From Ana’s hands, glowing runes appeared, encircling her palms. The runes flowed into Grace’s body, lending her magical energy to help ease the burden of her spellcasting.

“No problem, your attack landed right where it needed to!” Adam replied. “Grace, Ana, stay here! Fiz, guard the two of them!”

“Got it, Adam!” Fiz answered.

“You, the one with magic! Prepare your healing spells, in case there are wounded over there!” Adam ordered the mage.

“Okay! And for the record, my name’s Elgar!”

“Galiene, with me!” Adam called. Galiene only nodded, unsheathing her sword.

Amid the sounds of battle echoing around the carriages, Adam and Galiene sprinted toward the fight from the right side, trying to cut off those attempting to flee and eliminate threats from above. Emerging from the forest, they saw the group from the second carriage locked in combat against the attackers. Though the enemies wielded only daggers, their numbers were too many for just four to handle.

Contrary to Adam’s expectations, the attackers kept fighting even after being struck by ice magic that wounded and crippled some of them. Adam realized he’d have to improvise his plan.

“Galiene, help those four! I’ll head up there to make sure nothing dangerous comes from above.”

“What are you saying??, I’m the one better suited for up there!”

But before they could argue further, two men charged at them, daggers in hand, screaming. Adam and Galiene turned to face them. One tried to stab Adam, but the short blade was easy to avoid, Adam leapt back. On the other side, Galiene intercepted the other man, taking the initiative. Before he could strike, she lunged, grabbing his arm with her left hand, then slammed the hilt of her sword into his head, knocking him unconscious. His companion froze in shock at the sight, giving Adam the opening to rush forward, grip his sword with both hands, and smash the flat of his blade into the man’s skull, sending him to the ground.

“ADAM!!” Galiene cried, raising her hand. Adam didn’t understand why she shouted—up on the high ground, a bowman had him in his sights. Just as Galiene extended her hand to blast the archer, he collapsed, an arrow lodged in his chest. She turned and saw Ana lowering her bow.

“Sorry, Adam, but we want to help too!” Grace said, standing beside Ana. But Galiene noticed Fiz wasn’t with them.

“Where’s Fiz?”

“AARGH!!!” a scream of pain rang out from the left.

From that side, six adventurers charged the enemy, joined by two carriage guards who appeared out of nowhere—they had thought them gone. Steel clashed, the tension thick in their struggle for survival.

“Fiz went with the adventurers on the left side!” Ana answered Galiene’s question.

Even as the tide began to turn, Galiene still sensed the magical energy of the enemy mages. From the flow of their mana, she knew they were about to launch another spell at their position. Swiftly, her hand lit up with green light.

“Winflecrier!”

With a sweep of her arm, a wall of wind surged up around the carriages. Moments later, fireballs and rains of fiery needles shot toward them, but the barrier didn’t just block them—it reflected them back upward. Explosions erupted across the high ground, flames consuming anything flammable. Screams of terror echoed from above. Adam realized that while they had avoided the attack, someone had to stop the mages up there—or everything nearby would eventually burn.

“Adam, things are stable down here. I’ll go with you up top!”

“That’s exactly what I need. Let’s move!”

Adam and Galiene began climbing toward the high ground.

                                                                                   -

“Aaahhh…” a groan escaped from a man sprawled on the ground, dagger by his side.

“QUICK! WE NEED BANDAGES AND THE MAGES HERE!!”

One of the fireballs deflected upward had struck a group of reinforcements meant for the attackers below. Some suffered burns; the unlucky ones were obliterated.

“What happened here?” a mage asked as he ran up.

“THIS IS ALL YOUR DAMN FAULT! NOW CLEAN UP THE MESS YOU MADE!” one of the survivors shouted.

“Don’t you dare insult us! Without us, your friends below would—”

“AND WHEN WE TRIED TO HELP THEM, YOU BLASTED US WITH YOUR FIREBALLS?? HAS ALL LOGIC IN YOUR HEAD BURNT AWAY ALONG WITH YOUR SPELLS??”

“ENOUGH! FOCUS ON HEALING THEM FOR NOW!”

The mages had no choice but to swallow their pride. What had just happened was, undeniably, their fault. As they began casting healing magic, water seeped beneath their feet, soaking the ground.

“Where’s this water coming from??” one of the attackers muttered.

Moments later, small explosions rippled through the puddles, freezing everything touched by the water. They all froze solid, unable to move. From the bushes, Adam and Galiene emerged, approaching the frozen figures.

“…How is this possible.”

Galiene was stunned. Adam, who had no magical energy, had frozen them all in an instant. That should have been impossible for anyone without magic. But Adam ignored her disbelief and knelt beside a burn victim, pouring liquid from a vial strapped to his arm onto the wound.

“This solution will stabilize your wound. Stay there. And as for your comrades—don’t try anything.” Adam said flatly.

“Galiene, can you incapacitate the mages with your magic?”

“…Yes.”

Galiene walked up to the mages, pressing her glowing hand to their heads. Within seconds, they collapsed into unconsciousness, as if put to sleep.

“There are three mages here. Where are the others?” Adam asked.

“About 500 meters from here.”

“Alright, let’s head there now.”

But before they could move, a black-cloaked figure appeared a few meters ahead. Adam and Galiene froze, they hadn’t sensed his presence at all. Galiene, even more shaken, realized her intuition hadn’t warned her. They raised their swords at the figure.

“…You didn’t kill them?” the figure asked in a heavy voice. “They nearly killed you all. Surely you remember?”

“Who are you?” Ask Adam.

“Who I am doesn’t matter. Millions of humans and other races live in this world, why should you care who I am?”

“Enough chatter. What are you doing here?” Galiene snapped.
“…No need to rush. With time, a person’s mind relaxes, and that helps them give the right answer.” The figure’s words weren’t aimed at anyone in particular, but Adam sensed they were indirectly meant for him.

“…I didn’t kill them because they’re just desperate civilians. I don’t know what’s happening in the city they came from, but if they weren’t entirely evil, merely trying to enrich themselves, then I see no reason to slaughter them all,” Adam replied.

“A complicated stance. Do you think you can hold unto it, in a world growing ever more chaotic?”

“…I can’t promise you an answer because I don’t know about it myself. But no matter how dire things have been for me till this time, it hasn’t been enough to break my resolve.”

“…Very well. A satisfying answer.”

No sooner had he spoken than an earthen spear laced with magic shot from behind the cloaked figure, not at Adam and Galiene, but at the frozen mages behind them. It impaled one of them. The other attackers who saw it were struck with fear. Another spear followed, but Galiene quickly summoned a magical barrier, blocking it from piercing another mage.

“Oh… well done, Galiene. I thought you’d lost the fighting instincts forged back when you were a knight. It seems I was mistaken,” the figure said.

“…What…”

“And as for you… the mage I just killed was a spy for the nobles of Dramur City. He spied on the movements of the commoners who resisted their rulers. He even killed innocents for something as petty as lacking magical energy. The same goes for the other mage—but unfortunately, I don’t know the extent of his sins. And he still lives.”

“…How do you know my identity…” Galiene whispered.

“Galiene??” Adam called out.

“HOW!!” Galiene screamed at the figure.

“Hey, calm down. He’s trying to provoke you,” Adam said, trying to ease her rage.

“…You must be thinking—the only one who could know your identity is someone from your past.”

“Well… you’re not wrong…”

The cloaked figure pulled back his hood, revealing his face. Short silver-white hair framed a scarred left cheek, his unshaven beard rugged.

“It’s been a long time, Galiene.”

Galiene’s eyes widened, her jaw dropping. Her heartbeat raced, her grip on her sword tightening, as if to contain the anger boiling inside. But it wasn’t enough. With a fierce swing of her left arm, her entire hand ignited with a blinding mix of white and orange light, blazing with her fury. She planted her feet hard into the ground, cracking the earth beneath.

“TRAITOR!!!” she roared.

Adam was utterly stunned, he had never seen Galiene like this, not even in the face of mortal danger. In her hand materialized a sword, its blade an unnatural shape, radiating such intense magic that it blew the surrounding grass flat as though pressed by a storm.

“…So… will it be me, or you, who teaches the other a new lesson today? Let’s find out,” Galiene’s former captain said, a calm smile on his face.