His aura was calm… but suffocating. Kaelith felt it immediately. The pressure in the air thickened with each step Gabriel took. His presence wasn't wild or overwhelming like most powerful mages. His aura was cold, and controlled. It was the kind of power that didn't need to speak loudly to be heard.
Kaelith straightened his posture, after the guards had let go of him.
Gabriel's gaze shifted to him, his expression was unreadable. "You snuck in?"
"Yes," Kaelith replied, holding the man's gaze. "I would've sent word ahead, but I figured that wouldn't work for someone who hardly receives any letters."
A slow smirk tugged at Gabriel's lips. "You're sharper than you look. What do you want?"
"To talk."
"About?"
Kaelith stepped forward. "About you becoming my teacher." his voice was more of a command to a plea.
The men in the room stiffened. Gabriel raised one brow. "You picked an interesting time to knock."
Kaelith smiled. "I didn't knock. I broke in."
Gabriel's smirk widened. "Fair enough. Throw him out."
"What?... Wait…. Hear me out… I have a good deal for you." His words echoed through the hallway as the guards dragged him out, throwing him outside the gate.
"How disrespectful!" Kaelith spat out angrily, his fist clenching beside him. 'If it wasn't because of white lotus, I would have never come to you to train me. This is an honour of a lifetime. If you knew who I was you would have bowed down either in awe or in fear. How dare he treat me like this?!'
He looked up at the sky, it was getting too late now. It stays out too long, they might discover that he had gone missing.
"Fine, I'll come again." he muttered under his breath.
He turned around to enter the carriage, only to realize that it had disappeared. From a far distance he could see the carriage driving away. "This went well." he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Kaelith rubbed the back of his neck, sighing as he stared down the road. "No point standing here all night."
He decided to walk. Even though Gabriel's manor was far from the palace, Kaelith figured he would find another carriage along the way. The night air was cold, brushing against his face as he moved. The city was quiet, almost too quiet. His boots hit the cobbled path with soft thuds, and the lanterns hanging from street posts flickered weakly, offering little warmth in the cold darkness.
He walked past narrow alleys and broken fences, moving farther from the manor with each step. The distant howls of stray dogs echoed through the night. Kaelith stayed alert, but nothing seemed out of place… at first.
It wasn't until he entered an old pathway near the edge of the woods that he felt changes in the air. His steps slowed, then he stopped and turned around.
His eyes scanned the shadows, but there was nothing, apart from rustling leaves and an empty road. Still, the feeling didn't leave. He knew something was off. He had a faint tug in his chest, like his instincts were screaming at him to stay alert.
He turned back around and continued walking, slower this time. His ears strained for every sound, and his fingers hovered near the Drakyn ring on his thumb.
Then a whoosh sound travelled through the air, before a flicker of silver under the moonlight followed.
Kaelith tilted his head just in time, and a blade cut through the air beside him, missing his neck by inches. His body jerked back instinctively, his feet skidding across the ground. Dark figures emerged around him, cloaked in black, their faces hidden behind black masks. Their movements were silent, swift, and deadly.
Kaelith's grey eyes narrowed. "So… my father still wants me dead." His voice was low, and a little irritated.
The first attacker lunged forward. Kaelith raised his hand, the ring on his finger glows faintly. A wave of distorted energy shot out, slicing through the air like a rippling flame. The man flew backward, crashing into a tree with a sickening thud.
But that was just one. Another dashed in from the left, and Kaelith ducked, his small legs sweeping under the assailant's feet. The man toppled over, and Kaelith delivered a solid kick to his ribs.
He spun around, raising his hand again. "Ignis flare." A burst of fire shot from his palm, engulfing two more of them. They wailed, rolling across the dirt.
His breath came quicker, as his mana was draining fast.
One of the attackers came from behind, Kaelith turned and blocked with a weak energy shield, but the force broke through, grazing his side slightly. He stumbled, clutching his ribs, then gritted his teeth and countered with a flare from the ring. The enemy staggered, but more kept coming.
There are too many. 'It seems like he really wants me dead this time? But how did he know I would go out tonight?... except he had been watching, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.'
Kaelith crouched, blood dripping from his cut. He pressed two fingers to the ground. "Nbid." The earth trembled slightly, and chains of magic surged up, wrapping around two more attackers.
He panted, stumbling back toward a tree, his body aching all over. Then, suddenly, he felt something flying toward him from behind.
He spun around, his eyes widening as a sharp blade whirled toward him through the air. His grey eyes locked on the steel, the world slowed around him.
"Stop," he commanded.
The blade halted mid-air, inches from his face, trembling violently as if caught between invisible forces. The air crackled with unstable energy.
Before he could catch his breath, another blade soared at him from the other side. His ring glowed.
Kaelith growled, "Don't test me…"
His fingers stretched out, and the second blade screeched to a halt just before it could strike his shoulder. Both weapons hung in the air, caught in a silent war of mind power.
Kaelith's arms trembled. His mana was nearly depleted. Blood trickled down the side of his face. His legs buckled slightly.
"I can't… hold this much longer, damn this body," he muttered under his breath.
His enemies rushed forward, realizing his limits. Kaelith clenched his jaw. "Damn it. I need to survive. There is no way I will die now."
He raised his hand toward the Drakyn ring. "Awaken…"
But that was when the ring chose to fail him. The ring glowed faintly, as if responding, then dimmed again.
Kaelith's eyes flicked to the Assassins. More of them were approaching.
His vision blurred for a moment. The blades began to vibrate harder, slipping from his control.
And just then, from the distance, came a gust of wind. The approaching enemies froze, as they too felt the change in the air. The aura was too powerful to be ignored.
Just then a figure appeared in the air.