Episode 1 – Prologue (2/2)

They changed their target to Elaru

She got too close to the ene over theoff of hih his mana

Elaru's abilities were a perfect match for this type of battle Her aura was so thick that it influenced all the daggers that came in contact with it The density of her ers, disorienting and weakening theers were inadequate, they couldn't possibly hurt a fighter of her caliber She didn't even consider thenored them completely and returned fire to the enemy directly

In that regard, it was understandable why the ene to panic

Ignoring me huh? That miscalculation will be your last! A cruel s than the iciness of his eyes He readied hi to try out his newest spell on a real opponent Since he didn't need to avoid the daggers anyreatly

A wide, bright ray of light ee, disintegrating everything in its path in a sizzling and zapping high pitched sound

Giving Kiel enough tihtbeaers her level spell, it would inevitably break

Ti in the bean of their existence, not even little fragments of metal Not even dust The only proof was the sh the stale, moldy air

The eyes of the enee widened in realization of his inized that he had no tiainst it – his full focus was already spent on his fight with Elaru

The beaht illuminated Elaru's face Her eyebroitched in annoyance, her ratification from it, for when he understood the source of her displeasure, it was already too late to stop the beam

It was ironic A second before, he was jeering at the miscalculation of the enemy, then a second later, it was he who had miscalculated

They were fighting in therock which couldn't possibly endure the power of their battle

And instead of carefully controlling his power, he used a high-level spell whose power he seereatly

Kiel didn't even have the ti a powerful blast As if the pulse froether, the ceiling above and the floor below began to crumble in unison The walls around the all three of them with dense rock as they fell down into the basement

Why is it so powerful?! - Kiel'sthis spell on Elaru earlier, it didn't see

As Kiel raised his hands in front of his face, preparing to defend against the avalanche of rock, one question reawakened deep inside hi a flame

How did I get into this mess?!

Why was he fighting a life and death battle against an unknown e in the middle of ancient ruins deep in the forbidden zone?

How did he, Kiel Rroda, a son of a noble faes, end up in such a situation? His position in the fah to have people after his head and yet, he was still wealthy enough to lead an easy and co life

Yet, his life, his identity, everything turned upside down after a single

”How did I get into this mess?!” - He had asked himself that same question a countless number of times over the course of the last feeeks And no matter how many times he had asked himself, the answer stayed the same

Calamity, thy name is Elaru

She didn't haveat her heart, slowly slithering beneath her skin, spreading deeper and deeper with every breath she took

The stabbing pain in her chest lasted longer and longer every day Yet the worst pain wasn't caused by the sickness, but by the knowledge She was the only one who knew

Nelaira stared at the cold metal walls with a desire to break thee No matter how hard she clawed at them, hale scratch or dent And tomana into the walls to power a spell was near ih mana resistance

She i outwards like she was opening double doors Nelaira could picture theIt would slide away, creating a hole for her to pass through Yes, that's how she would have done it At her prime, even platinum would have shi+fted in her wake Nelaira was a Transic master - this ould have been history if she could still use her ic

If only she could still use her ic…

But it was no longer her own The Ink growing inside her had tainted her mana, it resisted and twirled chaotically Nelaira could no longer control it

Nelaira wanted to cry, to sob, but she had never been the type to cry when she metdifficulty Even now, faced with bitter frustration and futility, her fighting spirit burned in her chest She swore under her breath, her fist clenched so hard her nails drew blood

The sharp pain made her look down at her palms The blood was black and it refused to flow

Her eyes traced the black veins branching under her skin, traveling up her ar every bit of color, turning snohite Nelaira averted her gaze to the floor She was disgusted

However, the shi+ny ed Her eyes had lost their glow, her pupils had shrunk so ued by dark bags and cracked blue lips The hair on her head was as lifeless as straw It had stopped growing and it was slowly decaying into shades of silver

Nelaira looked back at the walls, her eyes losing their focus Hercloudier every day The secret inside her head weighed on her, consu her from inside

She stared into the distance as if she could see beyond the walls It was there, soic

He was there, doing what he always did, completely unaware that she had been betrayed She should have been more careful If only they hadn't found out what she had stu her doubt Her ”accident” could have been avoided

Alas, now her only as to pass it on to him He needed to know Everyone needed to know He would believe her; he would not attribute her words to the ras of a sick person He would make sure her death would not be in vain

Nelaira closed her eyes, i curiosity He gave her strength to hold on, to fight She would cling on to life as long as she could

The thought of him cleared her head

These walls couldn't hold her prisoner All of this was just a farce They should have just killed her back then Their own greed would cost them dearly

She would shatter the lie they encased everyone in Caged like animals in the false naly truth, no one would They would get aith their sins and continue to manipulate history

She needed to find a way to reveal it! But how? No one was allowed to see her She couldn't get out Her body eak and her ic was unusable Nelaira could write him a letter, but it would never reach hierous And to the the source of the Ink and the secret behind the shi+eld of Aegis, was nothing short of a large axe swinging above their heads

Think, just think! Nelaira screa woman You can find a way You can outwit thereatly! They have no idea what you are truly capable of

Nelaira sighed That's right! She was ic she could wreak havoc! She would not sit still and count days to her untimely demise

Nelaira sat in silence, conte a plan until her vision becay and her mind slipped back into the darkness

Next time, when her mind cleared, she would be ready to act

Fate binds us Everything is connected Seee into the same point It is the secrets and mysteries that suck in and intertwine countless lives like a black hole

For curiosity and hope is what makes us human And it is also the curiosity and hope that drives the moths into the flame

Is it a path of no return? Or is it a path from which only the fated ones can return? Or maybe, it isn’t a question of fate at all Maybe e call fate is just a result of decisions and abilities

Either way, to unveil the ball of yarn, one needs to start frole thread