"You are the one with Cole, aren't you?" Master Harkin said, his gaze fixed on the imposing Arno, a flicker of surprise crossing his mind.
"I have a name," Arno sneered. "I'm Arno."
"Time—freeze..." Master Harkin's voice faltered as he tried to steady his emotions before he began chanting the spell aloud.
"Not so fast!" Just before Master Harkin could finish his incantation, Arno swiftly hurled a small knife directly at him. In order to avoid the blade, Master Harkin was forced to abandon his spell, narrowly evading the attack.
The evasive movement disrupted Master Harkin's balance, and in that brief moment, Arno seized the opportunity, moving with blinding speed to position himself behind the master. With lightning reflexes, he gripped Harkin's throat, preventing him from continuing his incantations or using any high-level magic.
"Since then, I've been training diligently. Learning how to deal with mages," Arno whispered, his voice trembling with excitement. "To make it more authentic, I even killed many of the United Nations' mages. Heh heh heh."
"Dammit, just kill me already," Master Harkin rasped, struggling for air.
"No," Arno grinned darkly. "I'll enjoy torturing you slowly. You won't die so easily."
Arno drew a small knife from his belt, the same one he'd used for the explosives. With a swift motion, he made a shallow cut on Master Harkin's arm.
"This dagger is coated with a potent paralyzing poison. It will numb your entire body, and in the end, you'll suffocate as your lungs lose their ability to function. Heh heh heh. It should take about an hour or two."
Arno slowly lowered Master Harkin to the ground, and as the paralyzing toxin began to take effect, Harkin's body trembled uncontrollably. His face grew pale, and he struggled to draw breath.
"Didn't you say there were three kids? I don't see them. Did my bombs take care of them?" Arno stood up, scanning the wreckage of the refuge. He was looking for any signs of life.
"Anyone still alive?" Arno called out loudly, his voice laced with malice.
"Anyone left?" He repeated, his tone venomous.
"Well, if not, I'll go find King Sam II." With no response, Arno resumed his search, moving toward a narrow path behind the ruined refuge hall, the one that led to King Sam II's chambers.
...
"Quick, follow me!" Lisa urged, her three companions quickly emerging from the ancient study.
"Damn it, the corridor's been destroyed by the explosion," Lisa said, her voice tense as she reached the cliffside corridor. It had been torn apart by Arno's bombs. The gap was nearly twenty meters wide, much like the magic door.
"Lisa, do you have a way across?" Jin asked urgently, his eyes scanning the collapsing landscape. The ground beneath their feet was crumbling, and if they didn't move quickly, they would fall into the abyss.
"Alright," Lisa replied, crouching and pressing her hands to the ground. "Frost!" she called out, and immediately a thick layer of ice formed on the collapsed corridor.
"Will, let's go!" Jin was the first to dash across the icy surface, heading for the magic door. Will and Lisa followed closely behind.
"Dammit, this bastard used explosives to blow open the magic door," Jin muttered angrily, reaching the door first. Originally, it would have required a secret phrase to open, but now it lay shattered by Arno's bomb.
Without hesitation, Jin rushed into the ruined refuge hall. Inside, the place had been reduced to a wasteland, the majority of the structure destroyed by fire. Thick black smoke had replaced the ceiling.
"Wait, there's toxic gas!" Jin shouted as he saw the green fumes floating in the air. Years of experience told him it was poison gas. He quickly pinched his nose and waved his other hand to stop Will and Lisa from entering.
"Jin, you need to get out too," Will called out in concern.
"I can't. I think I see Master Harkin. He's lying on the ground, and he's not moving. I need to get him out first." Holding his nose, Jin glanced at the still body of Master Harkin.
"What? Master Harkin, so easily?" Lisa was in disbelief, but given Jin's serious tone, she knew he wasn't joking.
"You two stay out here. I'll rescue him, dead or alive," Jin said gravely, and without another word, he rushed to Harkin's side.
"Master Harkin! Master Harkin!" Jin shouted, kneeling beside the motionless form. Harkin's body trembled, the poison beginning to take its toll, and the master could no longer hear Jin's calls.
"Twitching? Good, he's still alive." Jin exhaled deeply, then quickly held his breath and lifted Harkin's body, running toward the exit.
"Quickly, quickly! Master Harkin is still alive!" Jin shouted as he reached the door, placing the unconscious man on the ground. Harkin continued to convulse, struggling for breath.
"What happened to Master Harkin?" Will asked, wide-eyed. It was the first time he had seen Harkin in such a helpless state. Even during battles with the Shadow Council's four members, he hadn't seen him like this.
"Could it be the poison gas?" Lisa asked with concern, tears welling up in her eyes. She remembered what Harkin had once taught her—never cry in front of the enemy, and she was forcing herself to hold back her emotions.
"No, it's not that simple," Jin said as he quickly checked Harkin's body. His instincts told him that if it were just the poison gas, Harkin wouldn't be reacting this severely, and he certainly wouldn't have failed to defend himself. Jin was certain that Harkin had sustained another injury, one that caused this drastic effect.
"Wait, there's a wound here," Jin muttered as he felt a small cut on Harkin's arm. It was shallow, and there was little blood, making it hard to detect.
"Such a small wound, this was done by a master," Jin said as he tore Harkin's sleeve off. The wound was tiny, no longer than a fingertip, and not deep enough to cause significant blood loss. After examining it, Jin quickly pressed his finger to the wound, then sniffed it.
"Shit, it's paralyzing poison," Jin said in alarm.
"Paralyzing poison?" Will and Lisa asked in unison.
"It's a poison used by assassins from the Arus Empire. A tiny amount can completely numb your body, eventually causing your lungs to stop functioning, and you'll die from suffocation."
"What do we do?" Will asked, worried.
"The poison will last for about an hour or two. We need to find the person who poisoned him and get the antidote before it's too late," Jin said, scanning the destroyed refuge.
"Shit, King Sam II is still in there," Lisa exclaimed in horror.
"Alright, Lisa, stay here and watch over Master Harkin. Will and I will go find the poisoner." Jin said, setting off toward the ruins of the refuge.
"Jin, do you know who it is?" Will asked, catching up with him.
"Paralyzing poison, that tiny wound... It has to be someone from Arus. It was that big guy, the one from ten years ago. You should remember him," Jin replied.
"Yes, I remember. The Shadow Council... They've finally come." Will said gravely.