Rothester

Grandmaster Alberich Geiszler is one of the most powerful and respected mages in the Kingdom of Scorcia. At eighty-six years old, he is also one of the oldest human mages who still lives. Famous for his prowess on the battlefield, he lived the life of a successful adventurer, completing some of the most challenging contracts the Mercenary Guild ever offered. From exterminating common goblins, wolves, and trolls, to hunting basilisk, dragons, and drakes, Grandmaster Geiszler’s power was rivaled by few.

Now having his prime years decades in the past, Grandmaster Geiszler has long been retired from adventuring and has been living the rest of his life as Dean of the Scorrest Academy, helping to produce the next generations of mages.

He now leads a calm and stable life, having only experienced a brief return to monster hunting during the civil war. At least that’s how things have been going until very recently.

The Kingdom is undergoing tremendous change; for better or worse, he isn’t sure. Simply put, progression is accelerating. A miraculous corporation on the southern coast has been making strides in new discoveries and inventions, primarily in the industrial sector, named Ardai Industries. Given his status, Grandmaster Geiszler can not miss the topics of discussion among the upper class. The most concerning of which is the sudden publication of papers documenting vast amounts of scientific knowledge.

It’s been rumored that the southern port city of Efielge has undergone a dramatic change in its industrial district. Strange new machines and structures have been built, reportedly producing massive amounts of iron and other metals. Even steel is being made in large quantities, and Efielge is now thought to produce far more steel than Scorrest, and prices for these materials plummeted.

The phenomena quickly became chaotic when those documents were published. The secrets to Ardai Industries and Efielge’s industrial success were distributed to anyone who wanted it. It was first thought that the new corporation was exploited, and their secrets subsequently leaked, but it was quickly realized that Ardai Industries themselves were releasing these documents. Grandmaster Geiszler is puzzled by their actions and even more puzzled about who the people behind them are. It makes no sense for a company to give away its advantage. Regardless, it created a rise in academic interest.

Wanting to imitate the success of Efielge, everyone scrambled to obtain Ardai’s research documents and establish their own companies. Many construction projects sprung up in Scorrest and other cities in Scorcia. Needless to say, the Academy also got their hands on those documents. Geiszler read through them to see what the fuss was about and was astonished to see just how much knowledge the documents contained. Mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other disciplines were greatly expanded upon. Conceptual blueprints for various industrial machines and structures were also included as a guide for any prospecting industrialist.

All this sudden change has been causing an effect. Notably, the King has taken an interest in all the recent advancements and commissioned various research projects for the Academy to explore. Among them, he sponsored the Academy to research long-distance communication, which led to many questions. Nonetheless, the Academy complied and started a research project to develop telegraphy.

Grandmaster Geiszler tried to pay no mind to what was happening, and the research project was advancing as expected. But seeing that a few surprises weren’t enough, the universe threw yet another. An unknown young man arrived one day and somehow created a monumental leap in the telegraphy research project and established the concept of wireless telegraphy. Grandmaster Geiszler’s curiosity heightened when he was told that Ken’s memory vanished days prior.

However, what intrigues him most is what secrets the young man likely holds. No one could have thought of wireless telegraphy, especially if they aren’t supposed to have memory. Furthermore, any assumption that Ken simply read the Ardai documents to learn about wireless telegraphy must be thrown out. Grandmaster Geiszler thoroughly read them. Even though someone could develop wireless telegraphy with what is taught in the documents, they don’t explicitly mention it. Something else was going on, so he decided he would personally help restore Ken’s memory, not only to observe him but also because he’s the only one capable of doing so.

.

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Grandmaster Geiszler waits patiently in the Academy’s infirmary, holding a staff by his side. His jewelry and embroidered blue robes are highlighted by the magic orbs providing light. His long white hair and beard stretch to his waist. He has prepared a bed for Ken since manipulating the mind will cause Ken to become too exhausted.

Eventually, the infirmary’s door opens, and Ken enters. Master Hartelle and a young blonde woman enter alongside him; she must be Ken’s sister.

“Welcome, everyone,” Grandmaster Geiszler softly speaks.

Upon entering, Ken is struck by the Dean’s appearance. Despite his age, Geiszler by no means looks like a small, frail, elderly man. He stands straight and tall, with a commanding atmosphere around him.

“Greetings, Grandmaster,” Arierane says and bows slightly.

“Hello,” Ken says, not knowing the etiquette.

Grandmaster Geiszler softly smiles and nods at their greetings, but he notices something very different about Arierane. She has a minimal resemblance to Ken; her facial features are sharper. She also appears tenser, as if she’s magically strengthening herself as a precaution which contradicts the notion that Ken is a pure-blooded human. Geiszler instantly comes to the idea that they may not be siblings.

Arierane nudges Ken’s arms and whispers, “Bow to him.”

“There is no need for that,” Grandmaster Geiszler says. “Without memory, I don’t expect him to know the etiquette.”

Arierane nods her head and says, “I want to sincerely thank you for lending your aid to us. It’s been difficult seeing my brother like this.”

“It’s my pleasure to help. It’s not often we encounter an event such as this. I simply had to see it for myself. Now, shall we begin?”

“Sure,” Ken says. His face remains neutral as he studies the Grandmaster. He’s slightly cautious about trusting a stranger to play with his mind, but he doesn’t have much choice. This might be the only way to find out precisely what is going on.

“You are in good hands,” Master Hartelle says to Ken before turning to face Arierane. “If you could kindly follow me.”

“What?” she responds. “May I not remain?”

“Kenneth and I will need to be alone for this procedure. It will be too troublesome to have an audience, and I need total concentration.”

“Very well. Get well soon, brother.”

Knowing she’s just acting, Ken doesn’t react. His face is neutral as she leaves the infirmary with Master Hartelle.

“Before we begin, I would like to ask a few questions,” Grandmaster Geiszler says. “What do you remember?”

“What do you mean?” Ken asks, unsure why he’s asking.

“I’m uncertain of your memory loss. How could you have known about wireless telegraphy? Where did you learn it?”

Ken inhales, and his eyes look away. He didn’t expect to be asked such a question and is unsure how to respond. Perhaps it was a mistake to use it as a bargaining chip for help.

“I was well educated when I was a child.”

Grandmaster Geiszler hums while he observes Ken. What he revealed is simply too absurd to believe he is a commoner. To know about telegraphy means Ken knows more.

“Yet you lack common knowledge. I heard you have been trying to learn more about magic, is that right?”

“Yes. Master Stoddard taught me to summon flames. It was very enlightening.”

“Good. Good. May you demonstrate? I would like to see what you learned.”

“I’d need one of those crystal things.”

Geiszler pushes forward his staff, suggesting Ken grab it.

Ken thinks Geiszler is acting very strange and can sense that he is trying to test him somehow. Whatever the Grandmaster is trying to do, Ken obliges and grabs the staff with one hand and lifts his other.

Thinking back to how he initially lit his hand on fire, Ken concentrates. The strange feeling in his arm returns, and his palm ignites into yellow flames. Picturing himself turning knobs in his mind, the intensity of the flames change, and a flash of blue appears.

“That’s enough. You seem to understand how to control those flames, do you not? Blue is a color that shows you are close to mastering it.”

Ken shrugs his shoulders. “Maybe I’m lucky.”

“Doubtful. Tell me, Kenneth, how do you produce blue fire?”

Ken lets go of the staff and stares at his hand. He knows how blue fire is produced but isn’t sure if he wants to say it. Before he can say anything, Geiszler says it himself.

“Complete combustion. If you know about electromagnetic waves, you must know that fire requires fuel and that a balanced mix with air creates complete combustion. Or should I say, oxygen?”

Now it’s Ken’s turn to be perplexed. What the Grandmaster just said is striking. Have people in this medieval-like world already discovered chemical elements? The only explanation Ken can make relies on Geiszler’s title of Grandmaster and the infinite knowledge that comes with it.

“Judging by your reaction, you know perfectly what I refer to, correct? You couldn’t have produced it so soon otherwise.”

“Yeah,” Ken says in defeat, “I know what it is.”

“Then your mind is intact.”

Ken shakes his head and says, “I retain most of my memories, but some are still missing. I don’t know why I’m here. I know nothing of this kingdom or how I got here. This is why I need your help.”

“Hmmm. Then you must be able to tell me who you are, yes?”

“I don’t know if I can say that.”

Grandmaster Geiszler can see that Ken is hesitant and defensive. He hides too much, but Geiszler isn’t one to force him to reveal his identity. Tricking him to reveal what he just revealed is plenty to know that Ken might bring much trouble with him.

“I know not what your intention is, nor that of your fake sister. This makes me hesitant. If you want my help, answer my question truthfully—will I regret restoring your memory?”

Stunned that Geiszler knows Arierane is faking, Ken thinks for several seconds. He doesn’t know what he’s even doing in this world but thinks it’s probably not to spread love and sunshine. Depending on why a Green Beret would be in this fantastical world, he can’t truthfully say that he won’t regret it. He will have to choose his words carefully.

“I think that, if anything regretful happens, it is not dependent on me. I can only be helpful if I know what I previously knew.”

Grandmaster Geiszler stares at Ken, analyzing what he said and how he said it. Considering everything he heard, trouble may be just around the corner. However, Geiszler thinks Ken is not lying, despite how elusive his wording is.

“I will restore your memories. Stand by the bed,” Geiszler orders.

Relieved that his interrogation is over, Ken stands in front of the bed as told. He’s still apprehensive about how his memories will be restored and worries if Grandmaster Geiszler will see images of Earth. But it doesn’t matter now. This is the only way to find out what is going on.

“Hold my staff as I do. It will be your source of magic energy for this.”

“So, how will this work exactly?”

“Memory restoration touches upon one of the most obscure, difficult, and dangerous arts of magic—mind control. It allows a mage to manipulate someone’s mind, and if they want, their body. However, this art is largely extinct as few mages know it.”

“Why?”

“It’s too dangerous. Mistakes can create highly unpredictable effects on the mind, perhaps even death. Its relations to necromancy also make it an undesirable discipline to spread. Therefore, magic institutions usually ban its practice.”

“But, I’ll be fine, right?”

“What I will do is make your mind relive the events that are lost. As you relive through those events, new memories will be generated, identical to those they substitute. Now, are you ready?”

Ken apprehensively nods and waits. It’s an understatement to say he is nervous, and he hopes the old man has enough practice not to kill him.

Grandmaster Geiszler lifts two fingers in front of Ken’s face. A small electrical arc zaps from one finger to the other, and his eyes start to glow, which makes Ken nervous. Then, Geiszler taps Ken’s forehead. Ken feels a minor pain like his face was just zapped from static electricity.

For a few seconds, it is anti-climactic, but Ken suddenly starts getting a headache. In addition, the arm he is holding Geiszler’s staff with is becoming numb, and suddenly a strange feeling of weightlessness starts to set in. His vision wanes, and he now knows he is about to lose consciousness.

As Ken loses strength, Grandmaster Geiszler continues to put Ken’s mind in motion. Ken will need to be put in a deep sleep. Starting from the most recent intact memory, Ken will relive what happens onward in a matter of hours.

Unexpectedly, Geiszler notices something is off with Ken’s mind. It appears that Ken’s mind has already been tampered with and has attempted to relive memories several times before.

Strange. Ken himself could not have attempted this; only a mage can do this. This only means that someone else has been trying to manipulate his mind and memories. Judging how it has been done shows that whoever attempted to manipulate his mind is not an experienced mage; the wrong memories were relieved.

He will have to artificially increase mental strength as a precaution.

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“Agent Matson, these are members of the Entesian team we encountered in Efielge.”

“Ah yes, I remember reading that message. A pleasure to meet you lads.”

Matt, Jax, and Eleanor have arrived at a Raven safehouse in Scorrest, where more Ravenian spies hide. In just about the most inconspicuous building in the neighborhood, Agent Matson and his agents seem to have been living in the city for quite some time with ease; none of them look too worried or stressed about anything.

Matt shakes Agent Matson’s hand and says, “Likewise. I guess you’ve been told who we are.”

“An interesting piece of news it was,” Matson says while smiling. “Spies from the new world, yeah? Bloody amazing. What was it you called yourselves again?”

“Ringleader. Field Research and Assistance Group.”

“Your people have a way with words, it seems.”

“Matson,” Eleanor interrupts, “we’re here for Ken Kai, the man the STC is after. What can you tell us?”

“Right then, follow me.”

Matson waves his hand at them and walks towards the kitchen. Eleanor, Matt, and Jax follow while they look around. They notice that all the Ravens there look relatively relaxed. Some are sleeping while others are eating.

“Slow day at work, huh?” Jax comments.

“What we do here is monotonous, friend. Most of us have jobs and work the life of a commoner. We listen, we observe, we record. Every now and then, we find someone doing something interesting, but we just send the report to the mainland. That’s about as exciting as it gets here.”

The group surrounds a rickety wooden table. A candle burns in the middle to provide some light. Papers are spread across as if someone just threw them there without a care.

“Here’s what we got: Several weeks ago, we intercepted an incoming message, intended for the STC, which claimed that Venesia’s own Tabellarii sent their agents to help solve the Ardai problem. A week later, they arrived. One of our men who work at an STC warehouse overheard a conversation. The Tabellarii agents found that your friend was traveling to and from the Heimfara mountains, and they planned an ambush. Then we passed on the information to Efielge.”

“Who’s the Tabellarii?” Jax asks.

“Venesian spies mate. Assassins too. Tough nuts to crack, they are. Disappeared when we tried to follow them, so we don’t know much about their whereabouts.”

“So is this all we know? It’s not much to go off of,” Matt says.

“Interesting you say that. What came next was quite a surprise to us. As it turns out, someone else has been investigating this mess as well. We found and followed several people who were snooping around. Amateurs, really. The difficult part was simply following enough people to find who is sending them, and well, you can bet your bottom coin we found them.”

“Who is it?”

“Countess Maida Thorne, a fallen socialite who now lives isolated from the rest of nobility.”

“A noble?” Eleanor growls. “Why would she be interested in Ken?”

“Probably because Ken is CEO of Ardai,” Matt says.

“Could be,” Matson comments. “Truthfully, we don’t know what to make of this, so you’ll have to come to your own conclusions.”

“Do we have any idea where Kai is then?”

“Not at all, mate. We don’t even know if he’s alive.”

“Damn,” Matt hisses. “We’re going to need a miracle to find him.”

“I suggest you get right to it,” Matson says. “Take this map. We marked areas of interest where we think you’ll have the most luck in finding your friend.”

Matt takes the map that Matson gives them and looks it over. The map is crude but legible. He folds the paper and puts it in a pocket underneath his clothes, and says, “Thanks for that. If there’s nothing else, I think we’ll be leaving.”

Matson nods at them. “Good luck, friends.”

Matt turns around and heads for the door, with Jax and Eleanor behind him.

“By the way, Agent Ross, tell Agent Solomon I’m still going to kick his arse, would you? I haven’t forgotten our little rivalry.”

Eleanor smirks and says, “I’ll let him know, but I don’t think he’ll be friendly about it.”

“He never is.”

The three exit the safehouse and enter the busy Scorrest streets outside. The sun is starting to set, and they have a few hours to search before they have to retire for the night.

As they glance around, they are pleasantly surprised to see their influence is growing. A few Ardai C1 Wagons can be seen roaming the streets. Even some of their weapons are appearing every now and then, wielded by adventurers and mercenaries.

“At least business is good.”

“C’mon, let’s find him.”

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In the realm of dreams, Ken’s mind is in motion.

“Mister Morgan, welcome to Cheyenne Mountain.”

Entering the tunnel to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex was a black SUV. Inside, Ken was being driven towards something mysterious hidden inside. A CIA Security Protective Service officer has never left his side ever since he agreed to work for the CIA, always keeping an eye on him and those around him. 

When he was recovering from wounds he received in combat, the CIA approached him with a recruitment offer. With the promise of a once-in-a-lifetime experience of something extraordinary, Ken agreed, especially after fighting cartels for two years severely wore him out. He was then transferred into the CIA’s Special Activities Division and sent to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex for briefing.

“So what’s going on? I still don’t know what the job entails.”

“I think it’s best we show you,” the SPS officer said and smiled.

For as long as he’s known, Cheyenne Mountain housed NORAD and pretty much nothing else. Built in the early 1960s, Cheyenne Mountain Complex was included as a site for various Continuity protocols. Though surviving the nuclear apocalypse was the primary concern, its main function was to monitor the airspace above the North American continent, constantly scanning for incoming missiles.

Reaching the end of the tunnel, the SUV came to a halt. Ken stepped out, as did the SPS officer. The giant blast door to the complex was already opened and guarded by armed Air Force personnel. Having already heard the countless conspiracy theories about the secretive facility, Ken stared at the entrance in awe. 

“Never thought I’d be here.”

“Before we go any further,” the SPS officer says, “you need to be absolutely sure you want to do this. What hides here is classified as Top Secret. There is no going back.”

Ken gulped as a slight excitement built within. He never thought he would ever be trusted to learn something so sensitive. Like a gleeful kid, he nods his head to confirm.

The SPS officer walked forward past the guard and into the complex. Ken followed behind, his heart pounding with curiosity.

“Mister Kenneth Kai Morgan.”

Coming his way was an older man in uniform. His arrival was already expected.

“I’m Brigadier General Biondo, Deputy Director of the 21st Mission Support Group. Glad to have you here.”

Ken shook General Biondo’s hand and replied, “Likewise, sir.”

“So you’ve decided to join our little project of ours.”

“I figured it would be a refreshing change of pace,” Ken said.

“I bet. I heard about what happened on your deployment. You did good and saved the lives of your teammates. From what I heard, your selfless action cleared your plate.”

“It just felt like the only thing to do, sir.”

“Of course. I dug into your file. I hope you don’t mind. Your track record is rather impressive: climbing through the ranks at an incredible pace, overcoming everything thrown at you, even fearlessly facing the Los Zetas head-on. I heard your acts impressed them. Considering the brutality they are known for, that’s quite the achievement while also worrisome.”

“I try not to think of that as much as I can, sir.”

“Yeah, well. A dishonorable discharge would be the least of your worries. Luckily for you, those operations weren’t exactly legal either. But you gave results, despite how questionable your methods were. You even had people who questioned your sanity.”

“I believe you know why that is, sir. Last year’s operation changed my perspective.”

“Of course. Seeing kids die left and right or getting mutilated will scar just about anyone. It’s unfortunate, but I think it was at least worth something. It helped track Morales and his people, even leading to his arrest in Monterrey shortly after your informant was executed. I’m sure finally wiping out that group after monitoring them for so long must have been a relieving taste of revenge and closure. Anyway, enough of that, let’s get to your next deployment.”

A year has passed since Rodrigo was executed in the desert, a day that completely changed Ken. A day he’s had plenty of time to reflect on while recovering in a hospital the previous month.

As Ken walked deeper and deeper into the complex, General Biondo gave a history lesson about what hid deep inside. An alien device that creates a wormhole, simply called a portal, is buried under the complex. He explained the infamous Roswell incident and the subsequent research into the damaged alien technology. He explained the discovery of the wormhole and where it led to.

Ken felt like he was being told a conspiracy theory only a nutcase could make up, except the nutcase is the Deputy Director of the complex himself. If this wasn’t some sort of impossibly elaborate prank, then he is being told some of the most classified information the US Government has its hands on.

“When the complex was completed, the portal was relocated here. It was thought it had a better chance to survive intact here than in Homey Airport under nuclear attack. Plus, that place has so much notoriety that keeping it a secret is too much of a headache. So it’s been here ever since.”

After what felt like hours of walking and history lessons, they finally reached the deepest area of the entire facility. With even more guards and security, it felt like not even the president had as much protection. Indeed, he was about to see something remarkable.

When the doors to a massive space opened, Ken was met with a colossal structure in the middle. It was a large ring. Humming and distorting the air around, the machine was already activated. Streams of distorted colorful light were generated near the rim of the ring. It was like a vortex of light that turned into nothing but endless white towards the center.

A single walkway made of scaffolding led into the center of the portal, where it disappeared into the white void.

“We call it the Pixie Ring, where the land of fairies and fairy tales lay beyond. Get ready to go through.”

“What? I’m going now?”

“Yes. You don’t have a date, do you?”

Ken shook his head; he didn’t think he would go through the portal immediately after it was revealed to him.

A pair of guards led him towards the steps to the walkway, and the staff bid him goodbye.

“They are already expecting you. Paradise awaits; just walk into the Pixie Ring. Good luck,” General Biondo said.

Saying his final goodbyes and praying for his safety, Ken walked towards the portal and stepped through. The white mass consumed his body, and his vision faded in an instant.

Then, pain. Nothing but pain. All he feels is a sharp pain in his head which doesn’t stop. It goes on and on for what feels like hours.

Suddenly, he starts hearing voices. Voices that sound familiar but are saying strange things. A wave of emotions rampages his inner thoughts as he listens.

Look at him, even chopped the ears off.

Fall back! We’re done here!

What’s gone into you, man? Snap out of it!

Mister Morgan, you’re in a predator’s world now.

You’re no stranger to this. What changed?

Do the ends justify the means? Reconsider your career if you can’t answer.

Our goal here is not to make friends! It’s to create opportunity.

The voices dissipate, along with the rest of his feelings. Long has he thought he could do good in the world until it backfired right into his face. For over a year, he has done nothing but kill. Day in and day out, he sought and destroyed, regardless of whom it was, seeking revenge.

Every shot he’s taken flashes, and he sees the faces of the lives he took. The deaths he’s responsible for, even those he wanted to help. The ones he lied to, without ever giving them the truth. His transformation into a demon led him on a rampage and was only stopped when he was hospitalized.

And it all started when he recruited Rodrigo.

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Ken lies motionless on the bed in the Scorrest Academy’s infirmary, but he’s not alone. A dark hooded figure stands over him, their hand firmly on Ken’s forehead.

“No, no, no. What went wrong?” a feminine voice whispers.

The hooded figure is visibly distraught. Something went wrong. She has been attempting to gain control of Ken’s mind for the last time, but it seems that it backfired. Her attempt appears to have only severely destabilized Ken’s mind, and suppressed emotions have flooded his inner thoughts. She worries she may have mistakenly awoken something she shouldn’t have.

“That old fool must have figured it out,” she whispers again.

After she whispers her complaint, Ken’s eyes shoot open, and he awakes from his slumber. The first thing he sees is a hooded figure standing above him. The room is dark, and he can’t see the face or any defining features, yet that’s not his primary concern. Whatever he just experienced, all he feels is rage and regret. His slumber was not relaxing. Instead, it was nightmarish. He just unwillingly relived the worst of his life, and he seeks to release his emotions.

Without warning, Ken violently grabs the figure’s arm off his forehead before lifting his leg to kick the figure on the side of the head.

The figure stumbles. Ken rolls out of bed and stands on his feet before ducking to avoid a punch the figure throws at him.

Ken throws a punch but is blocked and is instead kicked by the figure across the room. He rolls on the ground before stopping, feeling pain in his stomach where he was kicked. He also feels something dangling from his ears and moves his hand to check. He recognizes them as earrings but doesn’t know why he’s wearing them. Ignoring it, he looks up at the hooded figure.

“Who are you?” Ken angrily growls as he tries to stand up.

The figure, standing across the room, pulls her hood down to reveal herself. The sharp face lacks any friendliness.

“Aria,” Ken growls.

Ken’s mind is in shambles. Grandmaster Geiszler’s memory restoration attempt has not concluded and is still ongoing. The earrings he wears have magic crystals in them, supplying the restoration process with magic energy. However, Arierane’s interference has caused a shift in Ken’s personality. His murderous side is in control.

“Don’t fight me, Ken. Let’s talk,” she says.

Ken lunges at Arierane, who does her best to avoid his attacks. She swings her fist, and Ken dodges. Through his combat training and experience, Ken’s body is on autopilot as he starts to punch, kick, and shove while Arierane tries to avoid and counter, showing evidence of training as well. Both are seemingly evenly matched in hand-to-hand combat, and Ken’s blind rage grows uncontrollably.

At some point, Arierane briefly leaves herself open, and Ken knees her in the stomach. She is stunned, and Ken takes advantage by sweeping her legs, and she falls. Before he can attack again, Arierane also sweeps his leg, and Ken also falls.

“We don’t have to fight,” Arierane comments as she stands back up.

On her feet, Arierane tries to walk towards the bed but feels something tug on her waist. Ken has pulled out her dagger from her sheath and attempts to slash Arierane. She jumps back, the blade barely missing her face having cut off a few strands of her hair.

Arierane is shocked. If she reacted a millisecond too late, a dagger would have sliced open her face. Ken swings again, but Arierane catches his wrist, rams her knee into his stomach, and knocks him onto the ground. Given this opportunity, Arierane races to the drawer beside the bed, where another weapon hides inside.

Arierane opens the drawer, but before she can take out the item inside, Ken’s leg, engulfed in flames, kicks her with a tremendous amount of force. She slides across the room, clutching her abdomen.

Both are astonished at Ken’s kick. The power behind it means he’s utilizing magic, and Arierane is just able to shrug it off as she has been continuously strengthening her body.

Ken glances at the drawer and finds a Glock 19 sitting inside. Arierane watches Ken as he grabs the gun, noticing that he has completely changed. His face shows nothing but animosity, and she can see that he won’t listen to her words.

She realizes something must have happened while she was trying to access his mind. Ken has reverted to his dark days, where constant warfare was the only thing in his life.

Ken swings the gun around to face Arierane. However, her own combat prowess allows her to quickly reach Ken and push his arm away right as he pulls the trigger. A gunshot implants itself into the ceiling, leaving Arierane shocked once again that Ken intends to kill her.

Arierane twists Ken’s arm around and gets him to drop the gun before kicking it away. As they tussle, Arierane says, “Ken, listen to me! Your mind is unstable! You need to calm down!”

Ken says nothing. Instead, he opens his hand and ignites a fireball, causing Arierane to let go and push him away.

“I think I know who you are, ” Arierane says. “You were an elite warrior not long ago, am I correct?”

Having just learned to use fire magic, Ken gets into a fighting stance. Right leg forward and his arms up, he coldly says, “You know nothing of me.”

As if jabbing, Ken summons and launches a fireball at Arierane before stepping forward for a sidekick. Arierane immediately creates a small shield on her hand and slaps away the fireball as it explodes. She also just narrowly avoids the subsequent sidekick aimed at her face, but then Ken does something unexpected.

Ken retracts his leg and swings his other leg to try a tornado kick. Arierane steps back and avoids what she thought was the kick, but Ken follows through with the spin. Ken spins around and jumps forward. Fully utilizing the earrings’ magic, he strengthens and ignites his leg on fire as it flies towards Arierane.

Witnessing fight moves she’s never seen before, Arierane didn’t expect the tornado kick and finds herself unable to dodge. All she can do is quickly summon a shield and hope to block.

Ken’s kick impacts the hastily summoned shield, and it explodes into a blue fireball. Arierane is thrown across the room and lands near a window.

Utterly astonished by Ken’s combat power, Arierane will need to end the fight soon. She has never encountered anyone with such an unorthodox method of hand-to-hand combat. Combined and enhanced with magic, Ken might actually overpower her, something she never considered.

Arierane looks around for anything to give her an upper hand and finds his gun on the ground nearby. At the same time, Ken also notices and bolts towards her.

Arierane tries to run to the gun but sees Ken coming close. As Ken engulfs his arms with flames, Arierane summons a large translucent sphere. She reasons that she has the upper hand in magic power, and her magic attacks will be far more effective than melee attacks.

However, Ken isn’t aiming to attack. He’s aiming to tackle. As Arierane throws the sphere, it bursts into flames, and Ken lunges at Arierane. Arierane’s giant fireball impacts Ken too close, and it detonates into a devastating explosion. The wall and window they are near are blasted away as the shockwave shakes the building. Dust and smoke fill the area as the stone crumbles.

In the distance, the explosion is felt and heard by a lonesome student. Lana, the student with green hair, looks around in surprise. Knowing something awful just happened, she runs towards the source of the explosion.

Lana very quickly comes across the damaged building where dust, smoke, and rubble litter the area. In her attempt to find what went wrong, she searches the vicinity and finds Arierane lying motionless in the rubble. Now she has an idea of what happened.

A few meters away, Ken crawls around, coughing from all the smoke and dust. He stands up with effort, analyzing the situation. Whatever magic Arierane used was powerful, and he has no intention to face that again. Peeking back into the building, Ken miraculously finds his Glock 19 and picks it up. It still has rounds loaded and is still functional.

As Ken attempts to walk away from the scene, he hears a woman call out to him.

“Is that you? Ken?”

He turns around and instantly spots Lana’s familiar green hair

“Oh, it’s just you.”

“What happened?”

“Aria is an elf. You were right. She was up to no good.”

“An elf? Here?” Lana says with a shocked expression.

“Yeah, I need to get out of here.”

“W-wait! Come with me! I can help you.”

.

.

“Did you guys hear that?”

“Yeah. It sounded like an explosion.”

“A big one too, just as we were headed towards the inn. Eleanor, what is over in that direction?”

“Just the Scorrest Academy of Magic Arts. It’s likely a research experiment gone wrong.”

“At this hour? It sounded too powerful to be an accident.”

“You’re right. It didn’t sound right. What do we do?”

“Matt. Your call.”

“Let’s take a look.”