The practical examination was scheduled to begin in only a few minutes. But there was a disturbing chatter among the students
Alice who just sent off principal Aldron was coming back to start the exam
Then—
"Professor Alice!"
A panicked voice echoed across the grounds.
She turned to the sound ,Luca came sprinting toward them, his face completely drained of color.
His breathing was ragged.
Alice immediately stepped forward "Luca? What happened?"
Luca struggled to catch his breath before blurting out,
"...Professor.. ...Lucian...has been kidnapped."
Alice's expression froze."What?!" She stared at Luca in disbelief .
Luca nodded frantically."Madam... Lucian has been kidnapped and I think Aarav is behind it."
"When Selena confronted him...and he confessed everything."
A murmur spread throughout the gathered students.
Alice immediately searched the crowd.
"Aarav and Selena? Where are they?"
Luca lowered his head "...I think..." hesitating
"Tell me fadt Luca " Alica grabbed his shoulders .
"...they've already gone to the hideout."
______________________________________
Lucian slowly opens his eyes . "Where are I" . His head hurted a lot . "Must be from that powder"
He looked around . It was a dark abandoned area . It smelled of damp wood... Rust...And blood. There were a bunch of dusty sacks present there . In the adjacent room ,he heard voices .
Lucian slowly started to recollect his memories from the morning
_____________________________________
Earlier That Morning
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Lucian checked his sword for any damages before putting it in his sheath .
"I'm coming, Luca."
He opened it.
His smile disappeared.
Five unfamiliar men stood outside.
They wore ordinary clothes, but their scarred faces and imposing builds immediately put him on guard.
Lucian instinctively stepped back.
"...Who are you?"
No one answered.
Instead ,one of the men casually tossed a small pouch toward him.
The pouch burst open.
A cloud of pale powder exploded into the air.
Lucian immediately covered his mouth."...What?" His vision blurred. His legs suddenly felt heavy.
Without hesitation on instinct . he drew his sword.
A faint layer of mana flowed along the blade. It was the first time he used his basic sword arts but he mana on the blade was flickering . Lucian was naturally weak at controlling mana . Along with the sleeping powder he could not manifest enough of it .
CLANG!
The first attacker rushed him.
Lucian intercepted the strike, his mana-reinforced blade forcing the man backward.
A second attacker charged from the side.
Lucian twisted his body just enough to avoid the strike before slamming the hilt of his sword into the man's jaw.
The attacker staggered.
Lucian immediately dashed toward the hallway.
His vision continued to blur.
"Move...Lucian move . Just reach somebody Just reach the instructors..."
Heavy footsteps thundered behind him. Someone grabbed his shoulder but Lucian twisted free and striked the person with his elbow
A second man blocked the corridor.
Then a third .
Those three surrounded him. Lucian fought desperately.His swordsmanship was precise. Every movement economical.
But the powder slowly overwhelmed his body. His breathing became heavier.
His swings slowed and knees buckled.
The last thing he saw was one of the men catching him before he struck the floor.
Darkness swallowed his vision
_______________________________________
Lucian snapped out of his thoughts when a fist slammed into his stomach.
"Gah!"
A rough-looking man grabbed him by the hair. "So...You're finally awake."
Lucian slowly looked around.
Nearly a dozen men surrounded him.
"You should've stayed unconscious."
Another punch crashed into his face. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"What.....do you want?"
The leader laughed. "We were only paid to keep you away from the academy for a day , keep you safe and sound and return you tommrow "
Lucian's face showed a hint of relaxation .
"But then" The leaders smile vanished "But then...You killed one of ours."
Lucian froze. He looked into the leaders eyes as he remembered the rest .
_______________________________________
The rhythmic sound of wagon wheels echoed faintly.
Lucian slowly regained consciousness.
His hands were tied tightly behind his back.
He found himself inside a moving carriage.
Three men sat opposite him. One noticed his eyes opening. "Finally awake , huh brat !!!."
Without warning , A heavy kick slammed into Lucian's ribs.Pain exploded through his body.
The man laughed."Tough brat,Still awake after all that."
Lucian didn't answer. Instead ,his eyes quietly examined the carriage.
Three opponents.
One small knife tied to the kidnappers ankle
"You don't look scared."
The bandit smirked.
Lucian calmly laid down
Lucian never answered.
His fingers slowly worked against the ropes binding his wrists. He was waiting for a moment.
The carriage suddenly lurched over a large rock. Everyone momentarily lost their balance.
That single moment was enough. He turns his body using his body weight
He grabs the knife with his tied hands and cuts the rope .
Thn , He slammed his shoulder into the nearest man, sending him crashing into the opposite wall.
The carriage erupted into chaos.
Shouts.
Punches.
Bodies collided with the wooden walls.
During the struggle , man lunged at Lucian
Lucian who was caught off guard , thrust the knife forward.
Everything happened instinctively.
Silence.
The attacker froze. He touched his neck , to find a warm redb liquid ozzing out . His eyes widened. Then ,he slowly collapsed. Blood spread across the carriage floor.
Lucian stared at the knife in disbelief."..I...I didn't..."
Another bandit rushed toward the fallen man. "...He's dead."
The atmosphere instantly changed. The leader slowly stood. His face twisted with rage. "...Beat him."
The rest 2 men descended upon a suprised Lucian.
Punches.
Kicks.
Blows from every direction
At the end lucian's vision blurred.His body finally gave out. Darkness claimed him once again.
______________________________________
The leader grabbed Lucian's hair and leaned closer.
"You made this personal."
He slammed his fist into Lucian's face
"So now...we're going to enjoy ourselves."
They tortured Lucian for hours
By the time they finally stopped , Lucian's academy uniform had turned crimson with blood.
Even then he refused to scream, his eyes scanning for a way out
______________________________________
Outside the abandoned warehouse, Selena raced through the narrow streets of the capital's slums following the location .
She had followed every clue she could find.
Every passing second tightened the knot in her chest. "Please...Don't let me be too late."
She slowed as the warehouse finally came into view.
The building looked abandoned.
Its windows were boarded up.But faint voices echoed from within.
"...Still alive?"
"Barely."
Selena's grip tightened around the hilt of her sword.
Lucian...
Without another thought ,She crashed through the side window to take them by suprise.
Glass exploded across the warehouse floor.
The bandits barely had time to react.
A faint blue glow spread along the edge of Selena's blade.
SLASH!
The first bandit's shoulder split open.
Before he could even scream—
she spun.
The flat of her sword crashed into another man's jaw, sending him flying.
A third rushed toward her.
She stepped inside his guard and struck the back of his neck with the hilt of her sword.
He collapsed instantly.
"Lucian!"
She sprinted toward the bloodied boy tied to the chair.
One clean slash.
The ropes snapped apart.
"You came..."
Lucian forced a weak smile.
"I knew....you would."
Selena helped him to his feet.
"I've got you."
"We're leaving."
Unfortunately—
the remaining bandits had already recovered.
"There she is!"
"Get them!"
Steel clashed.
Selena moved with practiced precision " in academy duels we dont use mana do you know why lucian?"
Lucian stared at her admiringly
Blue mana danced across her blade.
One memeber runs towards her with a sword .
Selena just slashes him with a sword . The member and the sword both cut into exact half .
"Bacause if used , it can easily kill people" selena smirks
Every swing forced another member backward.
One fell.
Then another.
But more kept coming.
Too many.
She protected Lucian while trying to push toward the exit.
One sword struck.
She blocked.
Another came from behind. Then another from the left. The attacks never stopped.
Her breathing gradually became heavier.
A bandit seized the opening.A heavy chain wrapped tightly around her sword arm.
Before she could react , another tackled her from behind.
She crashed onto the wooden floor. Her sword slid several meters away.
Someone grabbed her by the hair.
"Got you."
The leader smiled.
"Oii noble what were you saying mana and what again ." He slaps her "Bitch you can kill people easily without mana too . wanna know how?!"
He pressed a dagger against her throat.
Lucian struggled desperately."STOP! Leave her alone!"
The leader laughed "So...You finally care."
He looked down at Selena. " if i wasn't so fucking angry, i would have tasted you first before killing you" He slowly raised the dagger."but looking at that brat panicing is giving me even more pleasure"
Lucian desperately struggled against the ropes binding his wrists. Every movement earned another punch. Blood streamed down his face.
"No..."
"Please..."
"I'll do anything..."
"Just don't hurt her..."
The leader only smiled "Too late, i brat , i wanna see your expresssion with I play with this girls severed head."
The dagger rose.
Then The warehouse doors burst open.
Aarav stood at the entrance.
Panting.
His face was pale.
"STOP!"
Every head turned toward him.
The leader frowned. "...You. Our employer."
Aarav took a shaky step forward. "I... I'll pay more. What about twenty thousand gold?That's double what I gave before .Just let them go..."
"Please..."
The leader slowly approached him."No."
He smiled coldly. "You know...Plans change."
"That bastard killed one of my men. We believe in an eye for an eye."
Without warning a member's fist slammed into Aarav's face causing him to crash into the wall.
Before he could recover, another kick buried itself in his stomach.
He curled up in pain "I...I'm sorry..."
The leader spat onto the floor. "You should've thought about that before hiring us."
He turned back toward Selena.
"Now...Let's finish this."
The dagger slowly descended.
Lucian watched helplessly.
Selena struggled desperately against the leader holding her down.
Aarav couldn't even stand.
Everything.. Was about to end.
Then Something inside Lucian shattered.
Move...
Move...
MOVE!
An overwhelming torrent of mana erupted from his body. The entire warehouse shook violently.
"...What?!"
The wooden floor split apart. Roots burst upward from beneath the earth.
One.
Ten.
They exploded through the warehouse like living spears.
THUD!
One bandit looked down.
A massive root had pierced straight through his chest.
Another was thrown into the air before a second root impaled him against the wall.
A third desperately tried to flee.
The roots wrapped around his body—
Then crushed him with a sickening crack.
The leader barely had time to scream.Dozens of roots erupted beneath his feet and held him to ground.
"You wanted to taste a noble huh" lucian grunted "try to touch her mother fucker"
As Lucian clenched his fist ,the roots pierced the leader from every direction. They didnot give the leader time to shout .
The warehouse became a slaughterhouse.
Blood painted the walls. Broken weapons scattered across the floor.
Within moments,Every scream disappeared.
Silence returned.
The roots slowly withdrew back beneath the earth.
Lucian's body swayed.His eyes lost focus.
"...Selena..."
His knees gave way.
Before he hit the floor, Selena caught him.
"Lucian! Stay with me! Please..." She pulled him tightly into her arms. "I've got you...You're safe now...". Tears streamed down her face.
Lucian looked at her weakly."...You're...okay"
A faint smile appeared on his lips. Then ,his eyes slowly closed.
Selena hugged him even tighter.
Several steps away, Aarav remained frozen.
His body refused to move.
Blood.
Corpses.
Lucian.
Selena.
Everything...
Had happened because of him. He slowly lowered his gaze toward his trembling hands
For the first time he learnt , his actions have consequences dl,deadly consequences.
The warehouse fell completely silent.
Only the sound of blood dripping onto the wooden floor remained.
Several minutes later, Alice finally arrived, following the trail Selena had left behind.
She stopped at the entrance.
The sight before her stole every word from her mouth.
________________________
Inside the ring—
Silence.
Then—
"WAIT."
Vyom's voice exploded inside Aarav's head.
"WHAT?!"
"Dude..."
"What in the world did I just listen to?"
He sounded genuinely horrified.
"You've been telling me this story for what feels like five hours...And somehow...It just kept getting worse."
A brief silence followed.Then he sighed deeply.
"You know...I was actually starting to feel sorry for you..Then you hired kidnappers. That too a dark guild ."
"Aarav...What the hell were you thinking?"