The next wave began with a low, resonating growl that seemed to vibrate through the air. The sea churned violently, its surface breaking apart as more monstrous shapes emerged. This wave was larger, more ferocious, their guttural snarls and eerie cries echoing across the battlefield.
Aeliana’s breath hitched slightly as she gripped the railing tighter. The adventurers and mercenaries responded instantly, their formations shifting with practiced precision as they prepared to meet the oncoming horde.
She forced herself to tear her gaze away from the young man she had been watching. Her curiosity burned brighter now—if someone like him existed in this chaotic theater, surely there were others. She didn’t want to miss them, not when the battlefield was teeming with potential.
Her eyes scanned the scene, drawn to a pair of figures at the forefront of the Fourth Station. They stood out starkly among the others, their presence commanding attention even from her distant vantage point.
The first was a massive, black-armored man wielding an enormous axe. His weapon seemed almost too large to be practical, but he handled it with surprising agility. Each swing sent monsters sprawling, their bodies crumpling under the sheer force of his strikes. His armor gleamed faintly, dark and imposing, and the mana radiating from him was palpable even at this distance. He moved like a juggernaut, relentless and unstoppable, carving through the horde with brute strength.
Beside him was a woman with twin blades, her movements a stark contrast to the man’s. She was quick, almost too fast to track, her dual swords flashing in the light as she darted between monsters. Her strikes were precise, each one aimed at vital points that dropped her foes in an instant. Her mana swirled around her like a storm, crackling with energy that seemed to fuel her speed and lethality.
Aeliana watched them intently, her analytical mind assessing their performance. They were undoubtedly skilled, their coordination with the rest of the team seamless. The black-armored man’s strength kept the monsters at bay, while the dual swordswoman’s agility exploited openings with deadly efficiency. Together, they were a formidable duo, their presence commanding the battlefield.
But even as she observed their prowess, a faint sense of dissatisfaction crept into her thoughts.
‘They’re strong,’ she acknowledged, her fingers drumming lightly against the railing. ‘The man’s strength is overwhelming, and the woman’s speed is remarkable. They’re clearly experienced.’
Her gaze flicked briefly back to the young man she had watched earlier. He was still fighting, his blade flashing with that strange, otherworldly light as he cut through the monsters with an elegance that seemed almost effortless. There was something about him—something that set him apart from the others.
‘But they’re just strong,’ she thought, her lips pressing into a thin line beneath her veil. ‘Their movements are efficient, their power impressive. But that young man… he felt more than that. He felt deliberate. Calculated. Like every step, every strike, was part of a greater design.’
Aeliana’s father had drilled into her the importance of precision, of understanding the flow of battle. She had spent years watching his knights train, their movements honed to perfection. The brute force of the black-armored man and the agility of the swordswoman were commendable, but they lacked the finesse, the sheer presence, that the young man exuded.
The next wave of monsters surged forward, and the battlefield erupted into chaos once more. Aeliana leaned slightly forward, her eyes scanning the scene with renewed focus. She would continue watching, continue searching.
But no matter how many skilled adventurers she found, her thoughts kept returning to that lone figure—an anomaly in the sea of strength and fury.
As Aeliana’s gaze swept across the battlefield, it was drawn to a sudden, brilliant burst of frost. The air shimmered as an icy spear materialized mid-flight, piercing through a hulking monster and leaving a trail of crystalline shards in its wake. Another spell followed—a sweeping arc of frost that froze an entire group of creatures in their tracks. The young mage responsible stood at the edge of the platforms, her blonde hair catching the light as she unleashed her magic with practiced ease.
“Hm?” Aeliana’s eyes narrowed behind her veil. Her focus sharpened on the mage, her movements precise and her spells devastatingly effective. Ice continued to cascade down from the sky in controlled, destructive waves, the temperature in her vicinity visibly dropping. The mage’s presence was commanding, her control over frost elemental mana remarkable.
“Madeleina,” Aeliana called, her voice calm but carrying a note of curiosity. “Do you recognize her? Is she contracted to our territory?”
Madeleina stepped closer, her gaze following Aeliana’s line of sight. She studied the blonde mage for a moment before shaking her head. “No, my lady. I don’t believe she’s contracted to any noble house in our lands.”
“Then is she from the Mage Tower?” Aeliana pressed, her tone slightly sharper. “Surely someone with such skill would be registered there.”
Madeleina hesitated, her expression thoughtful. “I’ve not seen her name in the Mage Tower’s registries, nor have I heard mention of a rogue mage with such abilities. If she’s not registered with the tower or contracted within Stormhaven, her presence here is… unusual.”
Aeliana’s brow furrowed beneath her veil, her fingers lightly drumming against the railing. The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. A mage of this caliber, unaligned with any organization or territory, was an anomaly. Mages were often highly sought after, their skills a valuable asset to noble houses, guilds, and even merchant associations.
“She’s not a rogue,” Aeliana murmured, almost to herself. “Her discipline is too refined. Her control is extraordinary—she’s no self-taught caster.”
Madeleina tilted her head slightly. “It’s possible she belongs to a less publicized sect or group. Or perhaps she’s a freelancer hired specifically for this expedition.”
Aeliana’s gaze lingered on the blonde mage, her veil fluttering gently in the breeze as she scrutinized every movement, every spell. The frost that cascaded from the mage’s hands wasn’t just powerful—it carried a certain finesse, a precision that felt oddly familiar. The way the ice formed, sharp and angular, reminded her of something buried deep in her memory.
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‘Where have I seen this before?’ she thought, her fingers tightening around the railing.
The clarity of the frost, the elegance in its formation, wasn’t something one encountered often. It wasn’t just about raw power; it was the way the magic danced, like a symphony conducted by a master.
And then it clicked—or almost did. Aeliana stiffened, her breath catching as a memory surfaced.
It was faint, hazy around the edges, but unmistakable. Years ago, before her illness had confined her to her chambers, she had attended a grand exhibition in the capital.
Among them was one who had stolen the show-their frost magic had been unforgettable: graceful, commanding, and utterly captivating.
‘It can’t be, right?’ Aeliana’s mind raced as she pieced together fragments of the memory.
‘No, I’m imagining things,’ she decided, shaking her head. ‘That was a long time ago, and the world is full of skilled mages. It’s just a coincidence.’
Even as she dismissed the thought, her curiosity gnawed at her. The mage’s movements, the artistry of her spells—it was too similar. But Aeliana wasn’t one to chase shadows, not when there were more pressing things to focus on.
She turned her attention back to the battlefield, her gaze zeroing in on the young man she had watched earlier. The flickering black light on his blade caught her eye once more, its strange, starlit quality captivating her in a way no other fighter had.
‘He’s different,’ she thought, her lips curling faintly beneath her veil. The others, for all their strength and coordination, felt predictable—ordinary, even. But this young man was something else entirely. His movements weren’t just efficient; they were deliberate.’
The blonde mage, the armored man, the dual swordswoman—they were impressive, no doubt. But none of them held her attention the way he did.
‘Come on….Entertain me more….’
Aeliana’s veiled gaze remained fixed on the battlefield, her thoughts a mixture of intrigue and detached amusement. She watched the young man carve through the chaos, his blade a mesmerizing streak of black light. But then, something shifted.
‘What is that?’
Her fingers tightened on the railing as she noticed a faint, almost imperceptible aura beginning to coil around him. Black and ethereal, it shimmered like smoke laced with stars, wrapping around his figure as though the battlefield itself acknowledged him. The air surrounding him seemed heavier, charged with an unnatural energy that made the hairs on her arms rise even from this distance.
And then the sky rumbled.
Aeliana’s eyes widened beneath her veil as the clouds above twisted unnaturally, swirling into a vortex that mirrored the chaos below. The mana in the air—the very essence of the battlefield—was converging, drawn irresistibly toward the young man at the epicenter.
‘What’s happening?’
The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. She had seen something similar before, long ago, when she was still allowed to observe her father’s knights train. It was rare—so rare that it was spoken of in hushed tones among even the most seasoned of Awakened. But she recognized it nonetheless.
‘He’s breaking through,’ she thought, her breath catching. ‘In the middle of battle.’
The phenomenon was unheard of for most. To break through one’s limits in the midst of life-or-death combat was something that happened perhaps once in ten thousand Awakened. The sheer concentration, the perfect alignment of danger, skill, and willpower—it was almost mythical. Yet here it was, unfolding before her eyes.
The young man’s aura darkened further, the starlit black shimmering brighter with each passing second. Or that was what her brain seemed to register, as her eyes didn’t realize what she was seeing.
The monsters around him seemed to hesitate, their primal instincts screaming of danger as the mana storm around him intensified. Even his allies had begun to notice, their movements faltering as they turned to witness the spectacle.
‘This… This isn’t normal,’ Aeliana thought, her heartbeat quickening. For someone confined to a room for years, she had seen more than her fair share of battles—observed them, studied them, dissected them through countless reports and retellings. But this? This was different. This was something extraordinary.
And as the first crackle of his breakthrough echoed across the battlefield, she couldn’t look away, her thoughts no longer dismissive or idle.
‘Who are you?’