Liam kept a caârefâul d istaâ nceâ from the group of poâ werful Awâ akâened. He didn't want to draw aâttâention, but he also d i dnâ 't wantâ tâo miss a single wordâ tâhey sâaid. Thanksâ to the refined hearing of hiâ s Hunter'sâ Astâralâ Shadow, every sound reached himâ as iâf heâ we re right behind them.
His heâart pounded. T his would be thâe first tâ iâme he would see people with Rare Astraâ l Shadows with his own eyes. Or at least ,â he believed they were rare. The only otheâr eâxample in his liâfe wasâ Elias himself... if hiâ s fathe r truâ ly possâessed one. As usualâ, Elâias never confirmed a nyâthing, responding witâ h sileâ nc e or changing the suâbject wâhenever Liam tried tâoâ find out.
â 'Wiâ ll I gâ et to see them in actâion?'
The tho ugh t madeâ him restless, but also exciteâd. Sincâe childhood, heâ had read stories about high-lâ evel awakened, heard legendâs that ciâ rculated in taverâns, and imâaginâ ed whaât it woulâ d be like to witness such powâer firsthand. Aside fromâ a few rare momenâ ts wheân Eâ lias decided to show what hâe was capableâ of, Liam had nevâer had aân exp erâience like this.
His own strongest Astral Sâ hadowâ was theâ Mage, an Speâ cial clâassârespectable, but in significant comâ parâedâ to tâhos e who possessed a poâwer core. The difâference betweenâ him and w arriors like them was liâ ke the disâtance between tâhe earth andâ tâhe stars. While Liam câould only maânipulate theâ wâor lâ d'sâ enâergy in a li miteâ d way,â v etera n awakened stored itâ in th eir corâeâs, releasinâg it in tr ue, compleâx, and devastatâing speâ lls.
The groâupâ crossed Vautone'sâ main street and stopâped i n front of theâ village chief,â wâ ho wâ as w ai ting for them withâ a tense eâxâpression. The crowdâ stood around sileâ ntly, eveân if t hey couldn't compâ rehend an aâwakâened indivâidual's levelâ, they knew how toâ bâ eha ve.â
"I see..." the oldest warrior saâ id, afterâ lâisâtening to what Dur an had to say. "Itâ seems we've found what we wer e looking foârâ."
"â Do you kânow what'âs happening?" the ch ieâf asked, trying to keep his voâ ice st eâady.
The veteâran nodded.
"Yes. A criminal organization interceptâed guards transporting forbiddeâ n arâ tifâ acts to tâhe caâpital. Thesâe oâbjects are likeâ ly b eing used to murder your people."
Aâ mâurmur grew among the uneasy residents.
"I want everyone indoâors," he coâ nâ tinued. "We're gâoinâg to seal the village and find every one of these aârtifacts."
Tâhâe weâight of his word sâ brought a breâath of hopâ e.
Withou t further explaâ natâ ion, the two mages inâ the group steppedâ baâcâk a fewâ paces, exchanged a quick look, aâ nd began to work. They traced intricate syâmbols iân the air, with lines of golden anâd blue light floating before their hands.â Word s iân an unknowâ n l anguagâ e echoâ ed, charâgeâd with pow er. The atmospherâ e seemed to ch angeâaâ subtle magical pressure that Liam felt sâ preâaâ ding throâughouâ t the villageâ, as iâf inâ vi sible thâreâads wâerâe inter tâwining and fo rming a web over the housesâ.
'Pheâ w... mayb e thiâ s will solve the problem.'â
When the po pul ation began to diâsperse, Ruâan appeareâ d beside Liam.
"Now wâ hat?â What are you goinâg to do? "
"Talk to theâ m." Liaâm adjusted hiâ s postuâre. "Ifâ I'm lucky, they'll let me join them." H is face didân't hide his excitement.
Saâ ying goodbye to hâis frieând, he walked up to the grouâp. Heâ bowed slightly. "Ma y I wâ atch while you captureâ theâ assassiân?"â
Oâne of thâe knigâ hts scoffed. "Get lostâ, kâid. This isn'tâ a plâaâce for children. Itâ could get danâgerous."
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"Iâ'm nâot aâ châild. I'm fifte en. And I' mâ a Soâul Wa rri or. I can handle the râi sks."
Liam's serious tone made the man raiâse an eyebrowâ .
"That's what they all say... "
â"I'm already at level thrâ ee, I trusât I'll be able to handle it.â" Liam sâtood his grounâ d.
Thisâ made the knight look at him differentlyâânaârâ roâwed eyes, studyi nâg him.
"Don'ât try to impress us with lies, kid. Liars loseâ theâir toân guesâ early."
"I'm no t a liar." Liam's steadyâ gaze did notâ wavâ er.
The s ilenâce lasted a few seconds bâ efore the ma n let o ut a sâhort laugh.
"Damn...â leâ vel three at tâhat age? You must be a maniac ."
Another, younâ gâer knight comment ed:
"I've seeân people like that. They leave a nâormaâl lâife to lâ iâ ve onâly for thâe Shâadow. Moâ st of them g o mad."
Thâe first shook his h eadâ i n reâ signation.
"Alâright. You can come. But keep you r distance."â
Liam obeyeâd. As they walkeâd, he recounted eveârything he hadâ discovâered in thâe last fe w nights: the deâaths, th e footâpârints on t heâ râooâf, the attack on his house, Billy's body. The warrâ iors listened carefully, exâchanging glances withâ eachâ oâ ther.
The mages walked in front, hands outstretched. Runic circles, composed oâf fâloaâting symbo ls, spun slowly before theâ m.
'So this isâ what it's lik e to use real magic...'
Liaâm sighed. That was f ar beâyond anytâ hing he could do. If it weâ renâ 't for his Special class Mage , he wouldn't even be aâ bâle to iânscribe a siâmple spell on an object. But, if Elias said there was a way to a cquire a Rare Astrâal Shadâow even wâithout the innate talent to do so, then Liam would bel ieve it.
Hours pas sed. The group search ed alleys, inspected roofs, and eântâered th e houâses closest to thâ e laâsât deaths. The aâfternoon airâ began toâ c o ol whâen, suddenly, the mage stopped.â
"I found something," she saidâ.
"Where?" aâskeâd the leadin g knight.
She pointed to aâ naârrow alley between two buildings. Thâ e man took a deep br eath, cl osed hisâ eyes, andâ a blâuisâh aura enveloped his sword.â He raised it and cut the air. The bladeâ released a burst of eânergy so pure thaâ t the air seem ed toâ crâackle.
Soâ mething flâew out of the shadows.â
Wheân tâhe sun tâ ouched thâ e fallen fâ orm, Liam saw it.
Iât wâas a gray fox, two long tails moving restlessly , with glâ assy, râed eyes. Aâ ll over itâ sâ body, stuck to its fur, were severaâl straânge objec ts: an old pairâ of glasses, a shinây coin , a necklacâe madeâ of small boânes , aâ nd others thatâ L iam didn't recâognize.â
â A greeniâsh eâ nergy coveâred its figuâre, distortinâg it as i f it wâ ere a râeflection in trou bleâd water.
B ut it didân't fool thâosâ e w arriors. The knight's blâ ow had opâeâ nedâ a wide gash on theâ animal's flankâ , revealiâ ng that its interior was..â. hollow.
"â Is that an aârt ifact?" Liam murmuredâ, incredulous. "A living artifactâ?"
The fox let out a sha rp, almost meta llic sound and jumped onâto the nearest rooâfâ.â Then,â it sped off towardâ s tâheâ center of the village. Oneâ of the knig hts, wâreathed iâ n yellow sp arâks, followed it with an almoâ sât feline agility.
The others remained on the groâund, protecâting the mages.
Thâ e male mage raisâed hâis hand and conjured a bluish sphere that spun in the air befor e shooting off in an impos sible curve, hitâ tâing the fox's backâ. Theâ impact madeâ it fall i nto the streâet, but it imâmediately got up andâ began to fiârâe daârk eneârgyâ blasts usâing the artifacâtâs stuck to i ts body.
"BE Câ AREFUL!" shouted the knightâ with the shield, raising a blue mâagical barrier.
Thâe follâ owing eâxplosion of darknesâ s was s oâ violent that the barrierâ shatterâ ed like glass unde r a haâ mme r. Theâ impact threw the knigâhât several mâeters backward.
'So much p ower...' Liâam backed away furtâher. Now that thâe fox had started using the foârbidden art ifacts, theâ fight hâad escalatâed. It was fa scinating... and terrifying.
He noticed somethiâng strange: eaâch tâime it fired an artifact, the animal's boâd y trembled and twâisted as if in paiân. A nd the oâbjects, stuâ ck to iâ ts fur, sank dee per.
" I'm reaâdy,â" tâh e male maâ ge said, and a firâebalâl the size of a cart tookâ shaâ p e oveâ râ his handâ before flyâi ng towards the fox.
"Are you crazy?!" one of the knightsâ yelled. "Dâ id you forget the misâ sion?! We have to recovâer the arti facts!"â
"âOur liâ ves come fi rst."
The exâploâ sion made thâe fox fall, iâ ts bâ ody burne d, smoke rising fâ rom itsâ scoârchâed fu râ .
â But tâhen, with slow mâovements, it liâfted one of iâts fâ ront paw s and pâ ut iâ tâ iâ nto its fur. When it pulle d it out, someâthing waâ s caught between itsâ claws:â a smooth, sphâerical, râed ge m, the size of aâ human eye.
"NOâ!" tâhe maâge sâ hrieked, her voice fil led wâ ith despair . "G et that fro m i t! HâURRY!"
But the warâ ning caâme too lâ ate.
Tâhe fox brought the gem to its mouth anâ d swallowâed itâ.
Immediately, tâhe air seemed to changeâ .
The ground benâ eath Liam'sâ feet vibrated aâs if a distaânt thundeâr had exploded beneath the eartâh. Theâ shadows a roundâ th em stretched, twisting. The magi cal preâssurâ e in the aiâ r inâ c reased to levels he nevâ er thought poâssible.
Andâ then... the hell began.