Sacred Brother

The sun was still high in the sky when Jazor took my hand and accepted to lend me his strength to save Aliannelle. Unable to convince me to give up, he chose to help me in my stubborn and crazy endeavor to avoid a disaster in this unfair and sordid situation.

Our confrontation didn't last long, but the trail of mana was almost completely gone. I was definitely the only one able to sense its remains.

According to Jazor, the Ryunno clan member and his small escort used a Vrapy carriage, the most convenient means of transportation inside the wilderness. Even if their speed wasn't completely overwhelming without the Blueway relaying the King's valley of the Dorell Kingdom and the Great forest of the West, they were still able to move at high speed for long hours without tiring. My wind magic at maximum output would have been enough to catch up with them if they were still close.

However, too much time had passed to hold this kind of hope anymore.

With so much advance and such fast transport, I couldn't hope to catch up with them no matter what.

My abilities weren't strong enough for that yet.

However, Jazor's were.

His legs, buried into the ground until halfway through his t.h.i.g.hs, allowed him to move at high speed for long distances, which was something we desperately needed.

This magic, which seemed more like a fusion as if he was part of the earth, produced no ripples or destruction of the ground. I didn't know if this ability used up a lot of mana but Jazor didn't seem to care as he used it at maximum output while I was sitting on his massive left shoulder to guide him. Apparently, he was totally able to take me with him safely under the ground but I wouldn't be able to feel the faint trail of mana among the dense earth.

This strange combination of our respective abilities allowed us to track down Aliannelle and her captors for long hours.

The heat of the sun reached its peak before slowly receding. The determination and vigor visible on Jazor's face also lessened as his weariness increased.

I ignored it at first.

Jazor accepted to help me and was ready to give his best. This kind of prolonged use of this magic was obviously something consuming a vast quantity of mana.

However, I realized that Jazor wasn't totally honest with me when he told me that this magic was safe when I started to feel his massive body seized by a violent spasm under me.

This confession of weakness stayed silent.

He stubbornly refused to comment on this violent and unwanted movement that nearly made me fall. A single glance at his face was enough to understand that he didn't want nor needed my concern. That's just who he was.

A stubborn but kind man.

The kind that I desperately needed as my ally at this moment.

Praying that his determination wouldn't falter and that his body would hold on, I continued to support and guide him throughout our journey. The trail of mana slowly became denser and easier to follow, proof that we were closing the gap. The landscapes followed one another while various species unknown to me crossed our path. Some chose to avoid us while others tried to attack, but Jazor skillfully avoided all the possible confrontations along with the most dangerous places.

At some point, I couldn't help but imagine what my journey on my own would have been with this kind of magic at my disposal. Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury to study it to understand its secrets. I was too busy following the trail while guiding Jazor to avoid as many foreign life forms as possible.

When the light of the day was finally replaced by the stars and the moon, we were still moving. The carriage didn't go east toward the border of the Dorell Kingdom, neither did it go west toward the Great forest of the west where Hirillë was living. It went north and stubbornly refused to change its course.

We crossed an incredibly long distance, much more than what I initially planned.

Much more than what Jazor initially planned.

The lonely spasm of before was a memory, replaced by numerous and nearly continuous shaking. However, these evident signs of weakness weren't what I was the most concerned about.

Some parts on his face had started to take a strange brown hue. It took me a while to notice, but a large part of his right hand was also undergoing this worrying change.

This change was difficult to notice with only the light of the moon but a rapid examination was enough for me to notice a foreign mana surrounding him and trying to rampage inside his body. After this observation, it immediately became evident that this hue was the color of the earth that had welcomed his body for too long.

It was as if he was slowly being corroded by his own magic.

He didn't let out a single complain and I didn't comment on his appearance either.

The only words that left my mouth were to guide him as efficiently as possible.

Because I knew that even his stubbornness and determination would soon be unable to let him keep going.

We were running out of time.

"Wait for us!"

I clenched my fists in frustration while my silent prayers accompanied us across the rest of our journey under the dark sky of this foreign and hostile territory.

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"Stop! Why are you doing this? Leave him!"

Aliannelle' screams echoed in everyone ears while Jazor tackled Sillath' small body, violently crushing his head into the ground. However, none of the inhabitants who saw this scene dared to intervene or protest.

One of the guards was ready to make a move, when he saw the young boy with strange red and brown hair trying to attack his comrade, but his practiced movement of drawing his sword was interrupted by the dwarf' sudden attack.

He silently watched the dwarf using his magic to neutralize the young boy. The dark gaze of the dwarf crossed his own immediately after and was enough for him to realize that he understood his place.

Knowing that this was the most important, the Ryunno clan guard finally disregarded the existence of the rebellious young boy and took a few steps back to stand by his master's side who had his eyes fixed on the young girl trying to resist with all her might.

A few violent gusts of wind were produced by her resistance but neither her magic nor her strength were enough to resist against the other special guards who dedicated his entire life toward the pursuit of strength.

"Why? What did I do wrong?" She finally screamed in despair after the end of her desperate and fruitless struggle.

However, none answered her question.

No one beside Sillath tried to save her either.

This short confrontation was more than enough to completely stun the vast crowd. Some children were tightly held by their parents to prevent them from witnessing the entire scene while the rest chose to simply turn their gaze away probably feeling blessed that this misfortune didn't befall them.

Only Paul with shaking limbs repeatedly begged the apparent calm Ryunno clan member who was looking at this whole scene as if it had nothing to do with him.

His desperate plight stayed unanswered.

He could only watch his daughter crying for help.

He could only watch Sillath being mercilessly crushed by Jazor after his attempt to intervene.

The cruel scene didn't last long. His daughter was taken further away by one of the special guards dressed in an elegant silver clothing completely different from his own tattered and ordinary clothing he wore to work in the fields day after day.

In this instant, Paul finally understood.

This was the difference between them.

They were blessed existences. Not just the Ryunno clan member, who was born to rule them all, but also the guards chosen to accompany and protect him.

All three of them, in their own respective ways, were blessed from the moment of their birth.

Paul knew he was different and, in this instant determining the rest of his life, he realized how trivial he was compared to them.

He was just an insignificant farmer without strength, magic or connexion. His precious daughter was all he had left. She was the only thing worth living for in his life.

In an impulse of wrath caused by this unbearable feeling of powerlessness, he clenched his strong fist and started to rush toward the guard dragging her away against her will.

However, a single gaze from the closest guard, who noticed his sudden movement, was enough to completely stop him. All thoughts of resistance completely vanished like snow under the hot sun.

The instant he crossed this gaze, Paul saw his own pointless death. Even Aliannelle's pleading and finally disappointed gaze in his own surrender wasn't enough to reignite his will to fight.

He couldn't do anything to save her.

He didn't have the strength nor the courage for that.

Unable to bear it any longer, he fell on his knees and watched the dense crowd of people quickly retreating into their respective houses after the Ryunno clan member left with his only daughter.

Left alone with tears of regret and shame covering his face, he stayed for long minutes on his knees. His head was filled with disturbing thoughts about the cruel fate awaiting his daughter.

Only a few people were left near the gate and none of them chose to comment on what had just unfolded. Even his friends chose to keep their distance from him, probably not knowing what to tell him after this tragic event.

Now that his fear was gone, Paul finally realized that without his daughter there was no more reason for him to live in this world. However, the chance he had to die while trying to rescue her was already gone.

He was left alone with his guilt and shame tormenting his heart and he knew that this will continue to haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Aaaah!!!"

A scream filled with anger and unwillingness suddenly broke apart the apparent silence and covered Paul's sobbing.

Sillath used a powerful gust of wind to escape from Jazor's clutch and jumped a dozen meters away with incredible agility. This abnormal display of skill attracted everyone's attention to him.

His head was bleeding but the young boy didn't seem to care at all. His beautiful sky-blue eyes were furiously looking all around him and finally crossed Paul's gaze still filled with tears.

As soon as Paul crossed this deep gaze, completely different from his usual eyes filled with intelligence and kindness, the shame assaulting him immediately amplified and made him lower his head in reflex.

"Why are you acting as if she's already dead Paul?" Furiously screamed Sillath from the top of his lungs.

In this instant, this small boy younger than his own daughter appeared even more imposing than the guards who took Aliannelle away.

This absurd thought only became truer after Sillath directly confronted Jazor with his own magic.

There were many different races in this world but there was also a common rule known even to ordinary farmers like Paul.

Even the most gifted children couldn't measure to an ordinary a.d.u.l.t mage. The fragility of their young and growing bodies couldn't manifest the entirety of the magical potential of their soul.

That's why slavers made them their target.

Because the potential of a strong soul and the advantage of the body of a strong race couldn't manifest yet in a child's body.

However, this common-sense seemed to completely shatter after Sillath's incredible display.

He knew that the boy was skilled in magic. Skilled enough to survive on his own beyond the wall of the town but he never imagined him to be this strong.

After a short confrontation, he tricked Jazor and was able to leave the town before anyone else could stop him. After Jazor left with a strange magic to pursue Sillath, the entrance of the town regained its previous calmness.

Paul's tears had already stopped falling while his gaze was fixed above the gate from where Sillath disappeared.

He ignored his shaky legs and finally got up while he wiped the tears off his face. The deep blue eyes of this young boy filled with anger and accusation was still haunting his mind. He couldn't forget this kind of gaze especially after Sillath risked everything to go save his own daughter.

The cold wind blowing strongly against his face finally allowed him to clear his thoughts.

If he was still allowed to hope after his shameful display, he wanted to see his daughter one more time to apologize for not fighting harder for her.

Ever since he lost the rest of his family and his ability to use magic, Paul became just an ordinary man only able to peacefully live with his daughter by hiding deep into the wilderness.

He wasn't strong anymore.

He was just a weak man who could only entrust his last selfish wish to a child.

However, even if this was all he was after all these years of hiding, his daughter was innocent.

She didn't deserve this kind of fate.

With his gaze fixed beyond the imposing gate of the town, Paul swore in this instant to change if his last selfish wish could be granted.

"Please, Sillath. Save her…"

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"Let me go!"

Aliannelle's struggle and screams continued beyond the gate of the town until one of the special guards finally couldn't bear it anymore.

With a swift and practiced motion, he knocked her out and carried her inside the luxurious blue carriage awaiting them.

Their master, who ordered to take her away, seemed satisfied by his subordinate's initiative. With a small nod, making his long blue hair undulate, he gracefully entered the carriage and closed the door behind him.

This four-wheeled carriage was at least three times larger than the one Sillath rode with his grandfather.

There was more than enough space inside for the unconscious young girl to lie down and for the tall owner of this carriage to easily stand. The various Lost magic used on the wheels and on the structure of the carriage also allowed it to move silently and with few tremors. After a few minutes of a silent ride inside, it was more than obvious that the carriage was isolated from the noises outside giving it a strange quietness knowing what kind of dangerous land it was currently crossing.

The four imposing Vrapy pulling it were strong enough to move this kind of ridiculously oversized carriage even if they couldn't reach their usual speed. They were also ferocious enough to keep most of the ordinary animals away and were sufficiently trained to patiently wait for the two guards to order them to move.

After the two men in silver clothing sat on the front of the carriage, the strong bodies of the fierce creatures pulled the expensive-looking blue carriage and moved away from the Advanced town.

Even inside this carriage specially made for him, this Ryuuno clan member wasn't feeling very comfortable principally because of the heat of the sun mercilessly falling on the roof of the carriage. Swearing to find a Lost magic able to counter this disagreeable effect among their archives, he took out a small pouch from the inner pocket of his elegant garment.

Contrary to the rest of the furniture he owned and the clothes he was wearing, this small gray pouch was very ordinary. No jewel or elegant decoration ornate it and the fabric didn't seem particularly resistant either.

However, he was more than able to feel that what was inside was beyond ordinary.

He carefully opened it and revealed a shiny red stone.

Far from the jewels he was used wearing, the surface of the stone wasn't smooth, some could even call it somewhat crude. There was also some dirt left around it, but the man didn't care about that.

The wide smile on his face when he once more saw with his own eyes the strange but powerful aura radiating from it was enough proof of his true thoughts concerning this strange stone.

There was a chance that the Humans of this Advanced town who found it inside the wilderness made a mistake. It was, after all, an extremely rare object and ordinary Humans had troubles clearly feeling the mana around them unlike their noble clan or the Elven race.

To prevent another member of his clan from arriving before him, he rushed despite the heat with minimal escort when he received the message about this stone and was still ready to get disappointed, but in the end, this trip was more than worth it.

This was a primordial elemental stone of the fire element.

Even if he couldn't use it himself, he had no doubt that he would be awarded by their leader. Maybe he would even be able to exchange it for a primordial elemental stone of his element.

This would finally allow him to cross the barrier that stopped him his entire life.

With this, he would be just one step away from his goal.

With these pleasant thoughts occupying his mind, he stored the red stone back inside the gray pouch and carefully put it in the pocket near his heart. The sensation of the stone pulsating like a beating heart against his own was strange but still gave him a comfortable feeling.

Yes, this trip was definitely worth it.

This thought once more crossed his mind when his gaze landed on the unconscious young girl with shiny long blond hair covering a large part of her face.

Contrary to what most people in the town thought, including his own guards, he didn't take her on a whim or because of her looks.

When he was this close to her, he could clearly feel it.

Her true nature.

His blue eyes continued to observe the young girl for a long time as their carriage moved almost unhindered inside the wilderness.

When the heat of the sun became more bearable for him and when the light of the day started to recede, the young girl finally showed signs that she would soon awaken.

Noticing this, and thinking that it was also about time to let the four Vrapy rest, the Ryunno clan member lazily snapped his finger.

Immediately after, his personal guards, who seemed to have mysteriously heard the discrete sound, slew down the carriage and completely stopped it when they found a place far enough from any evident threat.

Even with their Vrapy carriage and their master riding inside, they were still deep inside the wilderness.

These lands didn't belong to them and they were definitely not welcomed inside.

Most animals chose to stay away because of the four Vrapy while most of the intelligent magical beasts chose to stay away because of their master but it was best not to provoke them.

An apparent calm and grassy plain welcomed their carriage.

Not wanting to confront the noisy little girl on his own after her awakening, the Ryunno clan member simply got off the carriage and let one of his subordinates take over this annoying task.

"Let her know her place."

With these simple words, filled with a hidden meaning completely familiar to his guard, he walked a few meters away from the carriage with his other guard faithfully following a couple of steps behind him.

This sun was almost set but they were still a few days away from their destination.

Crossing the wilderness from east to west was much faster than doing the same thing from north to south. All because of the impressive Blueway relaying the King's valley of the Dorell Kingdom with the Great forest of the West.

This monumental construct that took an incredible amount of resources and lives allowed the two races to directly communicate.

As a result, it was possible to relatively easily cross the wilderness if you had enough money to have a Vrapy carriage.

However, the same magical construct obviously didn't exist anywhere else.

Even so, this Ryunno clan member named Alusha still chose to cross the wilderness without relying on the Blueway with minimal escort.

In normal time, he would have chosen to stay inside the Advanced town of the Humans and wait for the rest of his men on their way to pick him up. It would have been much easier, safer and more comfortable.

However, the stone in his inner pocket beating like a true heart was enough reason for him to discard this option.

He was a Ryunno clan member.

This world belonged to his clan and the races governing the various territories on the two largest continents were at their services.

This situation began after the Great Racial War several hundred years ago.

The thought that someone among the races at their service would be crazy enough to attack and rob him of this miraculous treasure didn't even cross his mind.

However, he was currently inside the wilderness.

These savage lands covering almost half of the Eastern Continent were populated by numerous powerful magical beasts for which the existence of this stone was a fatal attraction. It was already fortunate that he was able to come just a few days after its discovery, otherwise there were good chances that the stone would have long disappeared.

Alusha was aware of his own strength. Even if he was naturally much more powerful than all the other races, he wasn't a Master mage yet.

His presence alone was enough to keep most of the magical beasts away. As a result, he could cross the wilderness relatively safely, but if one of the mythical beasts chose to attack him because of this stone, he would be powerless to resist.

These thoughts continued to swirl in his mind as he slowly turned his head to look around him. The vast grassy plain wasn't devoid of life, far from it. However, all the animals he saw smartly chose to stay away from him.

The screams of the young girl that suddenly came from within the carriage frightened them further and finish to convince the bravest of them to stay away.

With a wave of his pale hand, a slender stream of water manifested and quickly took form just in front of him. Without waiting for his magic to be complete, he elegantly sat on the bundle of moving water.

The water immediately changed after touching him. Its elegant and somewhat mysterious movement abruptly stopped. With a relaxed expression, Alusha allowed with practiced confidence his entire weight to lean on it.

The guard standing behind him could only marvel at the control of his master as he proudly sat on his newly made chair of ice. It was possible to feel the coldness emanated by this magic several feet away but Alusha didn't seem to mind.

He patiently waited for the screams inside the carriage to die down.

Several minutes later, a man exited the carriage and quickly walked toward Alusha.

"It's done. She will be quiet from now on." He simply said with his head bowed.

"Good."

Alusha noticed the small bloodstains on his elegant and ordinarily immaculate silver uniform but he didn't care.

"We will let the Vrapy rest for a few more minutes then we will resume our journey. Stay alert while I have a little conversation with this young lady."

His subordinates didn't answer and simply bowed their heads.

The impressive transparent chair of ice continued to stand proudly in the middle of this vast plain even after Alusha stood up to slowly walk toward his carriage.

The young girl curled up and sobbing in a corner of his impressive carriage was the first thing welcoming him when he entered.

"Silence."

Immediately after this word left his mouth, the cries of the young girl were forcefully suppressed into muffled sobs. She slowly raised her head and look with fear at the tall man just a few steps away from her.

Her nose and lips were still bleeding, but other than this, her face was apparently left untouched. The same couldn't be said for the rest of her body. Alusha immediately noticed various large bruises on her arms and legs while the way she was clutching her stomach along with her pale face easily revealed the violent blows her stomach just suffered.

Alusha ignored her messy appearance caused by the violence of his own subordinate toward this child.

He elegantly sat on the comfortable red seat of the carriage without leaving the frightened young girl on the floor out of his sight for a second.

"What's your name?"

Taken aback by this simple question asked with a soft voice, she immediately replied, afraid that more blows would come her way.

"Aliannelle."

"Do you know why I took you with me, Aliannelle?" Alusha simply asked but the question visibly further frightened the young girl who had her face visibly turn paler after horrible thoughts crossed her mind.

Alusha waited for a few seconds with a small smile at the corner of his mouth but seeing that no answer was ready to leave her mouth anytime soon, he simply raised his hand while speaking about his motive.

"I took you away because of this." He declared with a strong voice.

His elegant-looking hand was abruptly put down after his words. Immediately after, a small stream of thin water left his hand and headed for the frightened young girl who didn't have the time to react in front of his sudden attack.

She could only scream while a large part of her clothes were ripped apart by the violent magic.

With her worst fears about his l.u.s.tful intentions being confirmed, Aliannelle could only tightly clench what was left of her simple cloth to cover her bosom while preparing to endure the worst humiliation and suffering to come.

She waited with her eyes closed, her body shaking furiously and her little hands squeezing the rest of her clothes so tight that her fingers had already started to turn white.

However, none of the horrible thoughts plaguing her mind happened even after several seconds of anxious waiting.

"How is it possible?"

For the first time, this calm but pressuring voice of the tall man responsible for her abduction lost its composure.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw his elegant face contorted in disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e and incomprehension as he looked at her almost n.a.k.e.d body.

"Was I wrong?" He slowly mumbled.

Aliannelle didn't know what he was talking about and was certainly too afraid to ask. Even in this instant, she didn't know if this reaction was good or bad news for her. If she wasn't useful for him then maybe he would release her.

This unrealistic thought wasn't able to cross her innocent mind for more than a second before being totally discarded. Even if he did release her, they were actually deep inside the wilderness and it was impossible for her to return to the advanced town on her own.

She knew that only one fate would await her if he made this choice.

Her young mind was in disarray while a heavy silence settled between them.

After long seconds, Alusha seemed to regain his wits and focused once again on the almost n.a.k.e.d body of the young girl who could only silently bear it with her eyes closed.

He slowly walked closer and slowly touched her slim waist with one of his long fingers.

"So that's how it is." A relieved voice reached her ears as tears silently started to spill from her tightly shut eyes as soon as she felt his hand on her.

Seeing her reaction, Alusha straightened his back and chuckle softly. His previous anxiousness and incomprehension were gone, replaced by a difficult to hide glee.

"You seem to misunderstand something, young girl."

The soft voice just above Aliannelle's head made her open her eyes in reflex and slowly raise her head to look into the eyes of the tall and mysterious man just above her.

Without touching her this time, he simply pointed his fingers at her flanks left b.a.r.e after the destruction of her clothes.

"This is why I'm interested in you." He simply said.

With incomprehension all over her young and teary face, Aliannelle hurriedly looked at her own body where he was pointing as if it was the first time she was discovering it.

She quickly realized what this Ryunno clan member was showing.

Two large parallel scars on each side of her body just above her h.i.p.s.

These inelegant scars seemed to greatly interest this man.

"You like my scars?" She dubiously asked with a complicated face.

Alusha finally lost some of his composure after her innocent and damaging words.

"Who likes this kind of thing, stupid girl." He replied with an annoyed voice.

Sensing his change of mood, Aliannelle abruptly closed her mouth and further tightened the grip on her remaining clothes while feeling the cold wall of the carriage against her bareback.

"Don't you find these scars strange?" He carefully asked while looking at her reaction.

"Well… I don't know what you mean. I really don't. I just hurt myself when I was young."

"Do you remember it?"

Alianelle slowly shook her head in denial after the abrupt question. She didn't understand his interests in the scars she always bear for as long as she could remember but she knew that it wasn't wise to upset him so she continued to answer every question he had without complaint.

A few minutes later, Alusha stopped his questions and simply took a couple of minutes to organize his thoughts about this young girl.

His senses couldn't be wrong especially when he was this close with her. He saw too many people like her to be wrong.

The scars proved him that he wasn't fundamentally wrong about her. However, in the end, he expressed his relief too soon.

Her situation was too peculiar.

Depending on the truth she was hiding, or that was hidden from her, she could be just a regular little girl or an invaluable treasure, maybe even more precious than the stone beating like a true heart against his c.h.e.s.t.

His guards waiting outside were ready to leave at anytime, but his entire attention was fixed on the scared young girl at his feet.

He had to be sure.

Without another word, he slowly extended his hand strangely covered by a pale-blue light and carefully put it on top of the young girl's head who stiffened but didn't dare to make any other movement.

The pale-blue light quickly covered her head and swiftly entered inside her nose and mouth.

*Cough*

Aliannelle didn't have the time to react and could only forcefully cough to expel the strange thing that entered her mouth against her will but to no avail.

The Ryunno clan member with his large hand still firmly planted on her head didn't mind her futile struggle. He stayed motionless with his eyes closed for a few minutes before retracting his hand.

Immediately after, the strange light was finally expelled from Aliannelle's mouth and swiftly returned toward the same hand that had summoned it.

"Huh?"

A surprised sound escaped his lips when he saw the strangely purple light that returned after only wandering inside her body for a few minutes.

Suddenly, a realization struck him immediately followed by a wide smile and a difficult to control laughter.

His strange reaction finished frightening Aliannelle, but she stubbornly kept her mouth shut with her hands placed protectively in front, afraid that more water would enter.

"You don't have to act like this, I didn't do anything to you. I just used my water magic to check your body. I was prepared for many things but not for this. Do you want to know what I found?" He playfully asked with the same large smile stuck on his face.

His previous doubts and cold attitude were gone, replaced by a deep joy. A single glance at this young walking treasure was enough for him to slightly neglect the precious stone against his heart.

However, even someone as naive and inexperienced as Alianelle knew that this kind of fanatical reaction from this man wasn't a good thing for her.

Seeing her face turning paler and her lack of answers, Alusha simply waved his right hand covered with a strange purple light.

"Poison! This is what I found. And from the look of it, the poison already stayed several years inside your body."

"Poison? I… I don't understand… I don't feel sick." She slowly mumbled.

"Of course you don't. This is what is the most interesting about you." He simply chuckled.

Aliannelle wasn't able to hide her deep confusion after his words. Alusha wasn't hurried to disperse her doubts.

They still had a long road ahead of them and much more time than this to let her experience the terrible truth about her hidden nature.

"You pitiful little girl, your father is a liar in addition to being a useless coward. He lied to you your entire life but don't worry."

Alusha bent his tall body and slowly knelt in front of her to plunge his blue eyes into her own eyes filled with confusion and fear.

"I will take good care of you."

The strange, almost crazed look on this man's face while he was looking at her from this close made Aliannelle blood run cold. The foreign feeling invading her made her heart beat faster because she was sure of one thing while she was looking straight at his deep blue eyes.

She mustn't stay near this man.

This disturbing and worrying thought just crossed her terrified mind when the man suddenly snapped his fingers.

However, this time, the large carriage didn't immediately start moving.

Alusha furrowed his brows in disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e in front of his failed command.

He once more snapped his long fingers but a strange silence was the only thing welcoming his order.

Unable to bear it anymore, Alusha coldly snorted and headed out of the carriage. Even if he spent more time than he initially thought talking to Aliannelle, his guards were supposed to be always ready to receive his commands. This kind of misfire didn't happen with these two strong and faithful guards for many years, but they were ultimately just humans despite their rigorous training from a young age.

They sometimes needed a little reminder about their real place and the importance of his orders.

One of his loyal guards dressed in elegant silver clothing immediately entered his sight as soon as the large door of the carriage was opened.

Alusha was ready to rebuke him when he noticed something.

The soundproof carriage prevented any noise to disturb him inside, but when he opened its door, the sound of the outside world should have reached him at the same time. However, the lively plain sheltering numerous different species didn't produce any noise this time.

This unusual silence immediately made Alusha understand that something was wrong.

"Run…"

The muffled voice of the guard standing a dozen meters away just sounded when a bright and deep purple light appeared behind him and engulfed the entire carriage in its majestic glow.

Aliannelle still crouched in the carriage could only look at this overwhelming light quickly robbing her of any other kind of light.

Even Alusha was temporarily blinded by the unusual light and was ready to unleash his own magic to protect himself. However, just before the release of his magic, the overbearing glow abruptly disappeared.

No attack was launched against him or the carriage and nothing in front of his eyes in the vast grassy plain appeared any different.

"Huh?"

A surprised sound involuntarily escaped Alusha's lips when he noticed that his guard, standing at the exact same spot as before, had a hand coming out of his c.h.e.s.t from behind.

The hand was slowly pulled out and finally allowed the body of the guard to powerlessly fall face-first on the ground. All life already left him after this bloody hole appeared near his heart. His immaculate and elegant silver clothing, symbol of his statue as a guard of the noblest clan of the world, was already tainted by a large trace of blood still extending even after his body touched the ground.

As soon as his guard fell, a man with a long purple cloak appeared in front of Alusha stunned eyes. His face was completely covered by a large hood and only a part of his white chin was visible.

The only other part visible of this man's body was his pale left hand. The right one was already completely covered with blood after the previous execution of his guard.

Alusha's beautiful deep blue eyes visibly turned one shade paler in front of this scene.

A frightening amount of mana started to gather inside his body while the fresh breeze of the nascent night was quickly being replaced by a coldness seemingly coming from deep within Alusha's body.

However, the mysterious man completely hidden under his purple cloak didn't seem to mind.

He didn't cower in front of the majestic presence of his opponent. Faced with a member of the most noble clan of the world, he didn't flee like many would have done.

He took a single step forward while a brilliant purple light started to emit from his entire body.

It was too late to turn back.

Alusha never confronted anyone crazy enough to defy the noble clan he represented, but he also immediately understood.

There was only one way left for them.