Chapter 21

Hina pursued Cristal through the labyrinthine corridors of the sewers, but blocking her path was a hooded figure chasing Cristal as well. If Hina didn't deal with her soon, she would never get close enough to Cristal to help.

"Drust, breath of fire," Hina commanded, glancing at her shadow. From it emerged a black dog that darted forward and began spewing flames from its maw.

The hooded figure rolled away from the inferno, her robes catching fire and burning away to reveal a young woman with long hair—younger than Hina, but with sharp, determined eyes.

"Attack, Drust," Hina commanded.

Drust leaped onto the girl, who was still struggling to her feet on the ground.

"Quick sorcery, force wave," the girl said, extending her hand. A circle of light materialized, filled with intricate symbols. From within it erupted an expanding shockwave that sent Drust flying back toward Hina.

Hina caught the dog mid-air and immediately extended her own hand.

"Quick sorcery, magical projectile."

A different circle of light bloomed from Hina's palm, filled with its own array of complex symbols. Spheres of pure light burst forth and hammered into the girl, sending her flying back through the passageway and into a larger chamber beyond.

The tunnel opened into a vast junction where several corridors converged—a much wider space. Cristal was visible in the distance, still fleeing deeper into the sewers.

"Drust, pursue her," Hina commanded.

Without hesitation, the black dog bolted after her.

The mage pulled herself up, drenched in sewage water from her fall. She wrung out her hair and faced Hina with renewed determination.

"Can you even fight without your dog?" she asked.

"I'm more than capable of handling you alone," Hina replied.

"You're far more dangerous than the other boy."

"I'm something like his older sister. I can't afford to fall behind."

The girl extended her hands, and two circles of light bloomed before them—but these were different from before. Triangles appeared within the circles, surrounded by numerous complex symbols.

"My name is Elaine. What's yours?"

"Hina."

With introductions complete, circles of light erupted from both their hands. But these new ones were more intricate, bearing triangles and multiple layered symbols.

"Primordial runes, serpent of water," Elaine chanted.

Water rose from the ground, coiling and taking the shape of a massive serpent that lunged toward Hina.

A full sorcerer, Hina thought to herself.

"Quick sorcery, frost ray."

Cold air burst from Hina's hand, freezing the water mid-strike and creating a barrier of solid ice that halted the serpent's advance.

Hina quickly sidestepped the frozen wall and extended her hand again.

"Advanced sorcery, inferno cyclone."

Six circles of light materialized around her, spinning in a rapid orbit. From each one burst volleys of fireballs, all directed toward Elaine.

"Primordial runes, cyclone."

A massive tornado formed around Elaine, shielding her from every projectile.

"Quick sorcery, wind blades."

Elaine channeled the tornado's energy, and razor-sharp blades of compressed air shot outward in all directions. One of them caught Hina clean across the torso.

"Got you," Elaine said with a triumphant smile.

But the Hina that had been struck simply dissolved into smoke and vanished.

"Oriental sorcery, substitution," came Hina's voice from behind her.

Elaine spun around, attempting to defend herself, but she was too slow.

"Too late. Advanced sorcery, Gaia's chains."

The earth beneath Elaine's feet erupted upward, forming thick chains of stone and soil that wrapped around her body, leaving her completely immobilized.

"Quick sorcery, electrifying grip."

Electricity began to crackle around Hina's fingertips. She touched the water pooling nearby, and the entire surface charged with current. Since Elaine was soaked and standing in the water, all of that electricity surged through her body at once. She screamed in agony.

"I won't lose like this—primordial runes—"

"You're not getting another spell off," Hina cut her off sharply. "Grand sorcery, hail storm."

A massive circle of light appeared directly above Elaine, and from it cascaded a torrential downpour of ice shards that froze all the water around her solid.

Hina paused, taking in what she'd done. "I think I may have overdone that last one."

She approached Elaine, who lay encased in ice. Remarkably, the girl remained conscious, though barely.

"How can you cast spells so quickly?" Elaine whispered weakly, her voice barely audible. She was fading fast, on the verge of unconsciousness.

"I've been preparing that spell since the beginning of our fight, just in case. You simply didn't realize it."

"You were fighting me while preparing an entire complex incantation? You're incredible."

"I don't need your praise," Hina said curtly. "What interests me more is why you're doing this. You have considerable talent. If you had fought the boy who came with me instead, you would have won. He doesn't even know what sorcery is."

"I want revenge," Elaine said, her voice trembling with weakness. "I need to get close to the noble houses to achieve it. But it doesn't matter anymore—I'm going to die anyway."

Revenge again, Hina thought. More and more people seeking it.

"You might survive this," Hina said suddenly.

"What?" Elaine's eyes widened in shock.

"But for that to happen, I need to chase after that girl, and you need to stay put. I'll thaw you out, but I'm binding you."

"You've already beaten me. My life is in your hands."

"Advanced sorcery, heat wave."

A medium-sized circle of light formed before Hina and released a wave of warm air in all directions. The ice around Elaine began to melt. Hina then conjured new chains of earth to bind her firmly in place. Elaine had already lost consciousness, so Hina carefully laid her in a sheltered corner and turned to pursue Cristal.

That's taken care of. Now I need to deal with the noble. I hope Navnlos is alright.

Hina began running in the direction Drust had gone. Her bond with her familiar allowed her to sense his location regardless of distance. He had been stationary for a while now, which meant he should have already caught up to Cristal.

When she arrived, it was a dead-end alley. Drust sat at the entrance, standing guard over Cristal, who was huddled at the far end of the passage, backed into a corner.

"You've really dragged people into this just by running away from home," Hina observed as she approached.

"Just leave me alone. You don't know what it's like living in that cursed house. I'm nothing but a trophy wrapped in chains."

"I ran away from my own home too, so I understand exactly how you feel."

"Then why are you chasing me?" Cristal cried out.

"Because lives are at stake now. You've involved far too many people."

"I never asked for that!"

"But that's the situation you're in now, whether you like it or not."

Cristal stared at the ground, her expression one of resigned despair.

"I'll be a trophy my entire life."

"Before we go any further, I have some questions for you. The Aithmuir family has many sons and daughters, so why is your father so obsessed with you specifically? I doubt he would go this far for just any child."

"I'm special. My family specializes in creating illusions—no one creates them better than we do. But every so often, someone is born with a unique gift."

"What gift?"

"The power to create real illusions."

Hina's eyes widened at those words.

"I haven't learned to control it yet, but there are signs that I have it. When my father found out, he locked me away completely so that no one else—not even the other noble families—could discover what I was capable of. That's why I decided to escape using my illusion magic to deceive the guards."

"That explains why he's willing to kill anyone who's been in contact with you. But you must understand: he would never stop sending people after you. You would never achieve the freedom you're so desperately craving."

"It's the only path I can see. What else could I do?"

"I'm not the one who should be showing you that path," Hina said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Cristal asked, confused.

"But before we leave, I want to ask you something else."

"What?"

"Why did you take Navnlos's hand that day at the festival? When that illusion was cast over the plaza?"

"What?" Cristal's face flushed.

"It's clear you jumped in to save him. But once the illusion dispersed, you could have simply left. If you were running away, there would be no reason to rescue a stranger in the first place. Why risk your life for someone you didn't even know? Especially when you wanted freedom so badly, and doing this put it in jeopardy?"

Cristal was silent for a long moment.

"When I was little, I loved a fairy tale about a knight who rescued a princess in distress," she said finally.

"Did you think Navnlos was your prince charming?"

"Let me finish. When all members of the Aithmuir family turn sixteen, we visit an oracle who shows us a prophecy of our future. But when I received mine, it was shocking—the prophecy wasn't about me at all. Instead, I saw a knight with blue hair and brilliant blue eyes, wearing white armor, standing against a woman with nine tails. When I first saw Navnlos, he had the exact same face as that knight from my vision. And... he reminded me of the knight from the fairy tale I loved as a child. So I thought perhaps he was the knight from my prophecy—my destined protector. That's why I wanted to know him. But things didn't turn out the way I imagined."

Hina's expression became thoughtful as she repeated the description to herself.

A knight with blue hair, you say?

"Thank you for answering both of my questions," Hina said suddenly. "For now, let's go reunite with Navnlos."