Arran followed the short woman as she led him back inside the prison building, a long line of escaped prisoners trailing behind them.
Some of the prisoners looked unhappy with the sudden change in plans, and Arran couldn't blame them — after the conditions they had to endure within the walls of this building, it was only natural that they had little interest in going back.
A handful of them actually didn't follow the group back inside, instead running out of the gate and leaving the walled area behind.
Their screams only lasted some moments, but that was enough to tell the other prisoners what was waiting for them outside the walls. No others left after that.
Understanding that beyond the courtyard lay only death and that the courtyard itself offered little protection, the remaining prisoners hurried back inside.
With a thought, Arran directed the bushy-bearded mage from th
"Watch out!" Arran yelled.Windsong barely dodged the fireball, but the prisoner behind him wasn't as lucky. Before the man had time to look shocked, he was dead, a head-sized hole burned through his chest.Arran rushed toward the Academy mage who had launched the attack, a terrifyingly strong fighter with a hard face and snow-white hair. And, if Arran was right, one of the few Grandmasters who still fought on the side of the Academy at the prison.Their initial attack had been unexpectedly successful. Before the Academy could mount a defense, Arran, Windsong, and the prisoners who accompanied them had overrun the guards' quarters, taking down hundreds of unprepared enemies while losing less than two dozen of their own.Without delay they had forged ahead to the officers' quarters, attacking with enough fury that it seemed as if they really were intent on finding and fighting the enemy commanders.
The hall had exploded into chaos the moment the Academy mages and guards attacked, and for a time, all Arran could do was desperately dodge the mages' attacks while fighting off the guards.That he still remained standing was only because the Academy mages seemed hesitant to kill their own, allowing him to use the guards to block them from attacking.Yet while Arran was barely holding on, the other prisoners weren't faring as well. Within minutes half of them lay dead, and more fell by the second, with both the guards' weapons and the mages' Essence attacks cutting them down mercilessly.Seeing that the situation had turned desperate, Arran knew he had to use the last of the raw Essence within his body. There was only enough left for a few more attacks, but there was no point in saving it now.Arran rushed forward, ducking behind a small cluster of guards to avoid a burst of Fire that lashed his way
Arran awoke in a small but clean bedroom, lying in a bed so hard it almost seemed like its owner had wanted to prove his toughness even when sleeping.The room was furnished with simple but well-made furniture, and several ink drawings of battle scenes decorated the walls. At a glance, Arran thought it should be one of the commanders' quarters.The first thing he did after waking was to examine his body, and when he did, he saw that it was covered in bruises. And not just that — with every breath he took he felt sharp stabs of pain in his chest. From this, he knew that at least some of his ribs had to be bruised or even broken.His left shoulder and arm were covered in bandages, and when he looked underneath them, he found several deep wounds, still open even if they weren't bleeding anymore.Moving his left arm was extremely painful, but he felt some relief at this — the mere fact that h
Three months had passed since Arran escaped from the prison, and by now, he had recovered almost completely.Although he would sometimes still feel pangs of pain if he moved too quickly, he knew that for some time already, he had been well enough to travel.That he remained here was in part because he wanted to recover fully before braving the dangers of the road, but mostly, he was reluctant to abandon the peace and safety of the stronghold.After the stronghold had fallen to the prisoners, surprisingly little had happened.Arran had been unconscious during the final battle for the stronghold, and after he came to, it had taken some weeks before he had been able to leave his bed.When he finally got the chance to explore the stronghold, he found it almost shockingly normal. Instead of the castle he had imagined, the stronghold was more like a small town, albeit an unusually well
After leaving the stronghold, Arran traveled in secret.Although the Academy wouldn't be looking for him just yet, he knew it was only a matter of time until they came after him. To avoid leaving a trail for them to follow, he made it a point to avoid villages and even roads.Instead, he moved through the wilderness, doing all he could to avoid other travelers. The fewer people who saw him, the fewer ways the Academy would have to find him.The journey was lonely, but not uncomfortable. His void bags contained all the supplies he needed, as well as a large tent to protect him during cold and rainy nights.He didn't know exactly where he was going, but that didn't bother him — as long as he kept moving west, he would eventually reach his destination.The Shadowflame Society controlled the western border of the Empire, and from what others had told him, he knew the entire bor
Arran grew up the son of a common guardsman in a small town named Riverbend. His mother abandoned him when he was just a small child, and he was raised by his father.After Arran's father was mortally wounded by bandits, on his deathbed he revealed that Arran's mother had been a mage.Arran took revenge for his father's death, killing the bandits responsible by barricading the farm where they were hiding out and setting it ablaze with them inside.With his father dead and knowing that his mother had been a mage, Arran decided to travel to Fulai City in hopes of joining the Academy, a magical college.When he was tested for magical talent at the Academy, Arran was discovered to have a forbidden Realm — a forbidden type of magic that would see him imprisoned and killed by the Academy if he was caught.Arran fled the Academy and Fulai City with the help of Master Zhao, a power
Arran spent several hours exploring the city, which he discovered was named Eremont after asking some of the locals. Although it was even larger than Silvermere, there was an aura of impermanence to it, as if many of those in the city either arrived only recently or did not plan to stay for long.The city was littered with inns and taverns, far more than would be found in any normal city, and as Arran wandered the streets he soon realized that many of the people there were either traveling merchants or youths hoping to join the Shadowflame Society.After a time, he got hungry, and he stopped at a small food stall on the side of the road, where an old man stood beside a red-hot grill."What'll you have?" the old man asked as Arran stopped in front of him. "I've got flatbread, grilled goat, mutton, sausages, and ribs.""I'll have a piece of flatbread with grilled goat," Arran said.
When they arrived at Darkfire's home, Arran was stunned for a moment. It was not so much a house as it was a vast mansion, large enough to serve as the headquarters of a merchant clan and surrounded by a ten-foot wall."You live here?" Arran asked with some disbelief."For the time being," Darkfire replied. "I was hoping not to have to stay here long, but then…" He sighed before finishing the sentence. "It's been a while already."Arran remained quiet. Although he was curious, he didn't want to pry into Darkfire's affairs."So, you want to go a few rounds?" Darkfire asked, changing the subject.Arran nodded. It would be good to get some practice.Darkfire led the way through the gate, Arran following him inside. Within the walls, a large field lay next to the mansion, empty except for some training dummies and other practice equipment.