Episode 1 – Prologue
People are not born equal.
Some are gifted with power, intelligence and status from the moment they leave their mother's womb. Others might spend their entire lives helplessly chasing what they had been denied from the start.
Kiel, who was born as a non-mage in a world ruled by magic, had become painfully aware of this fact at a very early age.
But Kiel, as he was now, was no longer the same.
The old Kiel had died. Even now, he remembered the deafening silence of his heart clearly.
He was now someone… no, something else.
This was clearly evident in the way he jumped around like a bouncing rubber ball, trying to avoid a stream of daggers, flying, swishing and slashing at him from all angles. Kiel put several reflective barriers up to ward off the daggers. However, they were enchanted with a high-level piercing magic that prevented a change of their velocity from external sources.
They would collide with his barriers, the spell on the daggers causing strong waves of interference with his own spells, shattering the barriers in a single hit. The impact would send the imposing daggers flying away from him, however, the rest of them would continue on their path of destruction.
Kiel didn’t have enough time to put up a stronger, more durable barrier. He didn't even have the time to glare venomously at the enemy mage who attacked them for no apparent reason. Was it premeditated? Was it personal? Were they too close to something dangerous? Kiel didn't have the time to ponder over it.
All he could do was respond quickly with low-level spells, such as the weak barriers he was currently casting, which were quick and easy to put up. Unfortunately, he could not put enough barriers up to stop all of the daggers. Even he, as great a mage as he was, couldn't create hundreds of barriers in a span of few short seconds. He doubted even Elaru herself would be able to do something of that magnitude.
Kiel swore under his breath as a dagger whizzed past his head leaving a stinging shallow cut on his cheek in its wake. The searing hot blood pumping through his veins took his already superb reflexes to the next level when he was faced with the question of life and death.
Kiel's eyes briefly glanced towards the other side of the ancient, decaying hall, his eyes searching for Elaru. He was worried that she would be in a worse condition than him, knowing how reckless she was. Elaru was able to forget her own mortality and disregard her pain in the midst of battle, fighting and enjoying the rush. For the same reason, she often didn't notice just how much damage she was taking in the process.
However, Kiel's worries were misplaced.
Elaru didn't have a single scratch on her - just a few cuts on her clothes, which didn't reach her skin. Unlike him, who could attack both from the distance and from close range, Elaru almost exclusively and carelessly charged right into melee combat. All together, it left an impression of as if her luck was going to expire at any moment; like the next battle would be her last.
Only by disregarding appearances and concentrating on the pure and simple truth, would one realize that Elaru was a combat master. When she suffered damage, it was because she deemed it necessary to get closer to her goal. Her movements, though they appeared reckless, were precise and planned, comparable to the flawless actions of a well-calibrated machine.
Kiel let out a quiet "Tsk". She made his blood boil. He hated being outperformed by her.
She had become the determinant of his worth. The one he could compare himself with. The one who motivated him to exceed his own limits.
His rival.
He had to become better. Faster. Superior.
Elaru dished out spells and avoided daggers with such speed and precision that one would think she could stop time itself. The swirling blades hissed as they fell down on her like rain, reflecting soft rays of light onto her long carmine red hair. Her ponytail flailed around like it had a life of its own. It was ethereally shining in the darkness of the ruins as if it was glowing. Which gave that last push to the beauty of her playful dance into otherworldly realms.
Kiel was a high ranking mage, so his reaction speed and casting speed were both quite incredible. Elaru, on the other hand was on an entirely different level.
Kiel swore again, his brief moment of distraction was enough for a few daggers to graze his skin.
I don’t have time to worry about that monster! He thought.
Unlike her, he was on the defensive. Keeping himself alive was already a big deal in itself. Besides, it's not like she shared his sentiment! She was clearly enjoying the situation.
She laughed, her lips spread in an eerie and wide, yet somehow attractive grin. In the midst of battle was where Elaru felt the most alive.
Kiel's mind was filled with possibilities. How to defend, avoid and destroy. All the facts gathered inside his mind into