Cecilia Pov:
Soaring through the sky I watched as clouds sped past me and the ground was pulled from below me like a rug. That old elf Commander Virion hadn't heard back from Alexander after he arrived at his hometown.
Because the other Paladins and the Lances were needed elsewhere they sent me instead, the mana felt disturbed, almost frightened. Like those Vritra and Asura's had fought each other on a massive scale here.
I saw something shoot toward me in the corner of my eye. Mana followed my instincts before I had even realized it, Thick barriers of ice formed around me forming layer after layer after layer.
a massive shockwave hit me from the back, forcing the air from my lungs as the world faded black for an instant before layers of storm magic and every base element surrounded me.
I could barely control my own body let alone breathe in, my chest felt like there was a mountain on top of me and my lungs felt ready to burst. Not having time to draw breath I grit my teeth balling my hands into fists, loose soil hardened into stone in my grasp.
Wait.. why am I on the ground?!
Wasn't I a few kilometres in the sky a second ago!?
Thousands of Questions raced through my mind as I looked through my barriers finding myself in a massive crater, shards of my ice barriers fluttering to the ground like heavy snowflakes as mana formed into a rapier of pure ice in my hands.
The hundreds of spells I sensed forming not even half a minute ago completely vanished like they never even existed, the mana fluttered around me as I lifted into the air gently as if lifted up by an angel.
The instant I took to the sky a bolt of lightning nearly killed me, the only thing saving my life being the training drilled into me for thousands of hours in my last life. I sidestepped slashing in an arc, the lightning struck my sword of ice redirecting it to the ground in a clean swipe.
Landing back on the forest floor I sensed the spells instantly disintegrate the second I touched down. Whatever or whoever is out there doesn't want me flying that's for sure.
Checking myself for wounds I only came out with a bruised back and numb arms from the lighting but the drain on my core for just blocking those 3 spells was nothing to scoff at
Mana flowed into my core purifying itself with just my absentminded will as I stood up shakily as mana flowed through my body strengthening me. I started running at a steady pace towards Ashbern, the mana moulding the world as I ran, the wind blew me faster as the earth was paved flat before me.
Stepping out of the treeline What I saw wasn't a destroyed or ravaged town, that would be making light of the situation, even looking down off the hilltop I was on what I saw could only be described as a hellscape of ash and snow atop a shattered mountain of ice and rock.
Twigs snapped behind me, instantly I snapped around brandishing a sword of pure lightning pointing it towards the source of the noise.
The sword melted into the air as I let go of it the second I saw who it was. A little boy no older than six years old. He had dishevelled dusty brown hair the same shade as the brown in my hair and eyes.
Tears welled in his eyes as he ran up to me and grabbed the hem of my uniform, tugging at it gently as tears streamed down his eyes and he cried. "Where were you, big sister?"
What? Sister? Why is this kid calling me his big sister!? They didn't say anything about me having a little brother or even living relatives! And why is a child still here? Was he one of the villagers here when they attacked?
Should I take him with me or leave him here, no If I brought him into that hellscape his body would give out from the ambient mana alone. But if I left him here he might get attacked by a surviving alacryan that fled.
'AGH!! Dammit, Cecilia think! Think god dammit!' I cursed at myself mentally as my body grew warm with the flurry of confusion and worry for this child. Ok calm down, you're the legacy, I can just cover him in a bunch of barriers and keep him safe, yes that's a good idea!
"H-hey B-brother, Can you let go of me for a second??" I tripped over the words as I asked them, his breathing hitched and he cried louder. "No! I'm not wetting gwo!" he yelled wrapping himself around my leg and holding me as tight as his little arms could
'AWWWW HE'S SOOO CUTE!' I felt my heart practically melt before I slapped myself across the face remembering what I was here to do, That being said he probably won't let me go no matter what I do.
"I'm not going anywhere, I just want you to hold my hand instead," I held out my hand to him giving him a sweet smile. His little hand flew to my palm, and he tried to spread his fingers to interlock his with mine but his hands were just too small.
Or are my hands too big?! Well I'm not exactly as slender as I used to be... oh well that's a problem for another day.
I wrapped my hand around his and pushed my mana over him like a glowing shroud, his eyes lit up like thousands of amber brown stars as he looked at his glowing skin.
barely managing to suppress myself from squealing at how cute my "little brother" was, we continued walking down towards the ruined streets of Ashbern.
The air was thick with Storm magic and decay mana for even a yellow core mage this would be oppressive, If not for me actively pushing it away from the kid he would probably die from his body not being able to support itself under this absurd density of mana.
I kept my magic ready to cast at a moment's notice, barriers of every element ready to burst from the ground and protect us as well as counter attacking. Nothing here felt right, not the atmospheric mana being almost ninety percent Storm magic for kilometres around the town, but for some reason, I felt like we were being watched.
I held my little brother close as we walked deeper into the hellscape that used to be a town, thousands of spikes and columns of ice and blood iron littered every inch of collapsed and shattered buildings.
Some bloody iron columns were bent and buckled under the weight of attacks and others sheared straight through. Shattered Ice and snow littered every inch of the ground and were dyed red with blood around the rivers of blood left by whatever atrocity happened here.
We turned around the ruins of the city hall passing through collapsed arches of Ice holding up rubble and uprooted trees and even other buildings as if they were ripped from the ground and thrown like a mere pebble.
I looked up seeing a massive shattered mountain of jagged ice, the clear blue ice seemed more like crystals than ice. But I looked closer and it was tinged with a shifting iridescent glow of greens, purples, and blues.
"Stasis infused ice," I muttered feeling that even if I tried as hard as I could I could only manage to chip it at my current strength. But didn't using Stasis put a massive toll on both his mind and body?
Looking closer at all the ice and snow around me even the wind and Storm magic were all infused with Stasis. "What the hell pushed him to use this much power?" my voice trembled as a chill ran down my spine.
"Oh? you managed to survive the barrier's defensive spells, quite impressive for a mere human. In lieu of your achievement, I'll allow thy to live, vacate the area now if you value your life." A deep, rough, rumbling voice rasped out sending a chill down my spine.
With a flick of my wrist dozens of barriers formed around the child as he crumpled to his knees under the bloodlust that surged from nothingness like a tsunami. Raising my arm I blew away the barrier surrounding the child to a safe distance in a gust of wind.
Storm magic solidified in my hand in a rapier of blazing storm clouds that crackled in my palm. Taking a defensive stance, tornados compressed into spinning spears that orbited around me coving my back as I frantically searched for the voice among the ruins.
"Ohhhh! your Cecilia. The legacy, the one destined to be the strongest at manipulating mana, and it seems you've acquired storm magic as well. To bad for you the Young master has truly earned his throne today." The voice was harsh and gruff but carried a level of refinement on par with my instructors that tried to groom me into their puppet queen.
gnashing my teeth I let out a blast of wind in all directions shredding the rubble around me, except for one spot. I snapped my blade to it letting loose a nimbus of thunder.
But it all sucked into one location, crushed into a small sphere before fading out of existence, that's when I saw him.
Materializing from thin air was an old man with ash white hair tied neatly back in a low ponytail except for his bangs that were split in a middle part that flowed into the ponytail. His sharp refined features weren't lost with his age but enhanced as if he aged like a fine wine, a well-built body as if made for combat couldn't be hidden below his black suit with golden accents embellishing it.
Gingerly leaning on a wooden cane that looked like it was carved from a branch of the finest wood and made by the finest craftsman his amethyst eyes bore into my very soul. This man felt impossible to fight, his stance was relaxed and gentle and his balance looked evenly split between his legs and cane.
But he had no openings, Just one by his neck that was bait as if he was saying "just try and kill me." he lifted his free hand beckoning me forward. "Come young miss, don't keep an old man waiting for a fight you wanted." his voice rumbled with a laugh as he taunted.
Lightning flowed through my nerves as the world slowed around me under the influence of thunderclap impulse, Fire erupted from my heels propelling me forward in an instant. Thrusting my arm forward my blade was a blur as it snapped forward like a viper.
My blade melted into his skin, not piercing it, but being absorbed into his very body. I let go of my sword, and Piston stamped backwards, further gliding away with draft step I formed another rapier in my hand.
he merely stood there as my weapon melted into his skin almost immediately his presence grew stronger as if he added my sword to his mana pool.
"Amature technique of mana manipulation, but that being said it obeys your will well. You are like a child with her father's dagger thinking she can be a knight," he spoke in an even tone for his rumbling voice.
Holding up his cane he pulled gently and the cane separated, A translucent silver blade soundlessly glided out of the cane as he flourished the cane sword as its scabbard disappeared into thin air.
"Prepare yourself, child, you face one of the greatest warriors to ever serve the Storm clan.'' His voice was like ice as silvery blue runes flowed like the strokes of a brush on an oil painting across his skin.
Loud pops snapped behind me as I turned to see my spells spiral out of control and destroy themselves. I formed bolts of lightning only for them to strike themselves out of existence as if committing suicide in fear of this man.
Looking back he was mere inches from my face. Rolling under his sword I stabbed at his side my blade glided into his flesh smoothly, but there was no resistance. His body crackled and rippled around the cut.
"Amateur," he scolded, Lighting ripped through my body locking my muscles as his body exploded into a torrent of crimson thunder. my body convulsed, jerking to the ground the current wrestling against me as I tried to stand.
Willing the mana to carry me a torrent of wind jerked my body back as I regained control over my body, I didn't even have time to conjure anything more than a blade of pure mana.
I barely deflected his slash, My arm went numb from the force, Righting my footing I stabbed at his exposed side. He flashed out of my strike instantly, I couldn't even see him move.
Then I was flying, Blood forced itself from my mouth as the glacier I slammed into crackled and shattered, I fell to the ground in a heap as my breastplate fell into a pile of shards.
My body froze as my sight snapped to the mountain of stasis-infused ice, the mana was moving in rhythm with something, a drum? No, a heartbeat.
The mana screamed in cheers like it was welcoming its new king, The clouds blew away leaving a clear sky, the air quaked visibly like a heat haze on a road, Water floated up into the air in individual droplets in perfect unison with each other; Frostspread over the earth and the very air reshaping the shattered glaciers and waters around it in a geometric pattern.
Lightning flowed from the sky without so much as a snap, as if it was a lake flowing gently to the man at the center nourishing him with its power, green mists poured out from the silhouetted man dancing like miniature hurricanes as Soulfire moulded itself into blades floating around the man.
The Shadows writhed around him forming massive snowflakes of blood iron that were sharper than any blade I've seen.
A rich baritone voice exploded from power "Stand down now, Balmung." Alexander's voice dripped with power as he floated into the air. the mana swirled around him obeying his every whim faster and smoother than I ever could make it.
With a squeeze of his hands, the stasis-infused ice rushed to his hand flowing into a blade of ice as he opened his other hand and his Katana flew to it instantly glowing amethyst starlight.
"I was only testing if she was worthy to wield our mana arts, with the proper training she could earn the rank of Tempest knight without difficulty." the old man that bore the same name as his greatsword spoke.
Alexander remained silent for an instant taking in the man's words. "Cecilia, take him, Zephyr, and that kid back to the Typhon. Also how long have I been out?"
"12 hours approximately, And I presume you'll be testing your power before your return Lord Tempest?" Balmung asked as I stood up shakily clutching my broken ribs.
"Yea, Cecillia tell Virion I'm paying Elshire a visit, Also tell Aldir that Agrona broke the treaty and sent a Vritra assassin to kill me." He chuckled, swinging his sword causing a massive gash in the sky to tear open into a rift in space.
My mouth fell agape as I stared at him wordlessly, He's alive after getting attacked by a Vritra! And with all this mana in the air, I don't doubt he fought it at all. But it must have fled. There wasn't a single body here amongst the rubble.
Focusing on his mana core my skull throbbed in agony, I was at the white core stage and couldn't see his mana core, hell I couldn't even tell if he had one... don't tell me!
"That's right That Vritra is motherfucking minced meat, and as a reward for killing him Boreas Broke me past white core Stage." He Roared with laughter stepping through the portal as the mana around him followed him through the portal.