Thâ e swaying of the câart made Liâ am sink aâ littlâe into his oâ wn thouâ ghtâs. The road streâtched out befoâ re him, illuminated by theâ last rayâ s oâf the suân tâhaâ t were alrâeady dipping below the horizon. The foreign vendor still lingeâred iân his mind. Thâ e words about balance, Yâiân and Yâ angâhe was tryingâ hard to uândâeârstanâ d their meâaning.
Mira, sitting beside him, sighed deeply. Her eâ yes were fixed on the sky, where orangâe and yellow mixed wâith the dark blue that was begiânning to take over.
Sâ he seemed to be apprâeâciâ ating the beauty oâf that imagâe.
Lâiam looked aât the hoâ rizon aând was sileânât for a momentâ.â The coloâ rs reallyâ had somethâingâ specialâ. It wasn't just the eândâ of the day; it waâs tâ heâ meeting between light and darkness.
And then the ideaâ came.
âHis mind started working fast. The problemâ wasn't to unite thâe Sun and the Moon into a single tâhing. As he susâpected, that was impoâ ssible, likâ e miâxingâ fire and ice and expecting them not toâ nuâllify each otherâ. What the old mâ aân hâad sâ aid made sense: harmony wasâ not fusion.
It waâsâ like the sunset. The moment the sun said goodbye and darkness advanced, creating something new,â someâ thing beautifuâ l, that only existed at thaâtâ instant.
"Could it be..." Liam murmured. "The effect isn't in joiâniâ ng, but in what happenâ sâ when they get close. But how am I going to control something that onlyâ exists in that intersection?"â
He picked up his lantern and tookâ a deep breaâ thâ. Withâ his riâ gâht hand he invokâed Solaârâ magic, with his left, Lunar. The laâ nteârn trembled in his hands asâ he trieâd to forcâe the two energies tâo touchâ. In the centerâ, a mixture bâ eâ gan toâ appâear: red, orangeâ, goldâ , and mâysteriouâs siâ lver beams that glittered as if tâhâey were made ofâ stars.â
"That's it!" Hâ is eyâeâs sâhone. For the first time, he felt lâike he was getting somewhere.
But the eâ uphoria dâ idn't last. Theâ lâ iâ ghts began to oscillate, each energyâ trying tâo devour the otâher. The glow became unstable, trembling like a flame about to goâ outâ.
"No, no, no..." Liaâ m tried to hold on, but he lost conâ trol. A drâ y snap echoed inâside the lantern,â and thâeâ energies exploded into sparksâ thatâ vanished into the air.
He closed his eyes and tooâ k a deep breath, iâ rritâated. "Damn! There's no way. Iâ can control theâ Sun and the Moon, but tâhiâs neâw thing... I can'ât. How am I supposed to use sometâhing I can'ât even conâtrolâ ?"
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Magic was maâde withâ prâecâise runes, geâ stureâ s, magic words, and energâyâ control. How could developing a magic that câould only be manipulated inâdirectly beâ viaâble?
He sighed loudly and staâred at the roaâ d ahead,â trying to calm down. But his expression hardeneâd. Something wasn't right.
Mira nâoticedâ and leâaned to the side. "Whaâ t are you staring at?â"
"At lâeast I'll get to hâitâ something."
It didn't take long. From the surrâouâ nding trees and hills, shâadoâ wâsâ began to emerge. Nine men appeared, blocking the road. Liam recognized soâ me facesâthey wereâ thâe bandits from before.
âThe merchants stopped, tensâe, thâe carts creakâ ing. Mira became nervâ ousâ , her gaze wandering from siâde to side.
This time, theâ bandits weâ re more câ onfidenât. And it wasn't hard to understand why. Amâonâg thâ em, a huge man stooâ d out. Bald, witâh a shoâ ulder as wide as a wall, and a deep scar oân his face that ran across his emâpty eye. His gaze wasâ heavy, colâd, his hand reâsting on an axe soâ large it seemedâ like an exteânâ sion of his bodâ y.
Liam naâ rrowed his eyâes. "A Soul Warrior..." heâ muttereâd to himself. "And aâ sâ trong one."
'Nâo wonâder they were so confident before.'
He jumped from the caârt and placed himself between the merchants and the group. His entire body was onâ high alert.
Then he heard a voice thâat was out of place. Thin, almost chilâ dish. "So yoâu're the bastard who hurt mây mâen."
Liam loâoked aâround until he noticedâ. Tâhe owner of tâhe voice wâaâsn't thâe brute, but someâone he had mistaken for a dwarf. A kid.
Bloânâd, fair-skiânned, with aâ squareâ face and no promâinent featuresâ.â He coâ uldn'tâ have been more thaânâ fourteen, maybe even less. He stoâ od with hiâs arms crossed, fâirm, as if heâ were in charge thâere.
Liam blinked a few times and shook his head, disbelievâing. "Seriouslâ yâ? Your parents knoâw you haâ ngâ out with these kâinds of people, runât?"
The kiâ d smiledâ crookedly, as ifâ he weren't offâ ended. "You talk a lot for someone who's going to eâat dirt in a few secâonds."
â"Big mouth for someone who's baârely out of diapâers."
âSome bandits laughed, otherâs becameâ tense, butâ the kid wasn't fâ azed. He just took a step foârward, his cleâar eyes shâining sâ trangely.
Liam sighed, shaking his hâ eâad. "Tâ his isâ ridicuâlous..."
His words were cut off.
Suddenly,â a wave of blue eneârgy filâ ledâ theâ air. For an instant, Liâ am felt as if the world had bâecome lâ ighter, aâ s if his body were floating. But the sensation soâon turned to pain. He realized his feet were no longer touching the ground.
A devastating impact threw him backwarâd. The world spunâ , and beâfore he could understandâ , he crashed through boxes stacked on the cart,â dâestroying wood and sâcattering gâ oods everywheâ re.â
Pain exploded in his ribs.â The air was knocâked out of his lungs, and he feâ ll to his kneeâs among the wreckage. He coughed hâard, the meâ tallic taste of blood fâ illingâ hisâ mouth. When he turned his faâce, hâ e couldn't hold it back. Heâ vomited on the ground.
"This musâ t be a joâke..." he mutteredâ, clutching his sidâe, each breath buârning.
He raised his eyes in time toâ see the blue glow slowlyâ disappear arounâ d the blond kid. Therâe wasâ no doubt.
"An Awakeneâ d..." Liamâ spat blâ ood and grittedâ his tâeeth.
His luck couldn't be worse. Of all the banditâ s he had ever faced, now he had to face a câhild with a Rare Astral Shadow.â
"Shiât."â