2025-03-11 02:13:31August 8
Magic existed long before humans were created. When God created the devil, magic was ocured. The saying "magic belongs to demons" is not incorrect, but over time, magic no longer belongs to the demons. Human greed and reason are the ideal combination to copy the demons' magic to satisfy their desires.
At the begining, there were only three types of magic: defense, attack, and antimatter magic. Two of these three basic types of magic were then imitated by humans to wage war in order to expand their territories or simply to demonstrate dominance over other tribes. Nevertheless, only antimatter magic has remained unchanged throughout time. One of the reasons that has prevented antimatter magic from being studied by humans or even developed by demons is the large use of manna; as a result, the magic has been abandoned over time and is only mentioned a few times in history or community stories as a legendary magic.
Although antimatter magic is often described as "similar" to defensive magic, the two types of magic actually function very differently; defensive magic generally only withstands magic without giving a counterattack, whereas antimatter magic neutralizes and disintegrates not only magical attacks that target the antimatter shield made by condensing manna but also the attacker's ability within a certain radius.
...
A middle-aged man yelled, "Damn…!!" he threw his cigar onto a pile of maroon snow beside his shoes.
"They left me alone in this hell!" he sighed for the umpteenth time.
Alexander Puzrin 45 years old is a sorcerer specialist in S-rank defensive magic assigned to the city of Akarmara. Alex has dedicated more than half of his life to Lazuardy Sword, who protects the Terra border in Abkhazia. An autonomous republic in the northeast Georgia that borders Russia. Unfortunately, this night he has to carry out the patrol mission alone. Because his teammates, the Romanov twins have to be hospitalized. Zirael Romanov, who is a 423-year-old elf, suffered severe diarrhea after consuming a strange mushroom they found in the forest a few days ago. Meanwhile, Kael Romanov had an accident during the trial of the defensive magic they had developed.
Alyosha, as he was fondly called. He never imagined that night would be the most unfortunate of his life. While carrying out a solo patrol mission, Alex unexpectedly found a blood-red snow covering an area of approximately 10 square meters. Not only that, several pieces of meat were scattered on the snow. At first, Alex suspected that the pieces of meat were from a cow or pig, until a few minutes later he finally realized that they belonged to a human. Alex was quite sure of his assumption, as there was a piece of a blue sweater still attached to one of the pieces.
"There's no cow wearing a blue sweater, right?!" said Alex while drawing the Damascus steel blade from the sheath at his waist.
Alex's right hand then reached out into the empty air. Slowly, the shards of ice crystals solidified, then gradually changed color to a deep black. A few seconds later, the ice crystal shards formed a solid black shield with a random water wave pattern.
"I'm doomed!" Alex whispered while on guard, continuously watching the surroundings with vigilance.
"If only Louie could come back earlier.., then I wouldn't have to use this old sword!" he grumbled again before starting to walk further to look over his surroundings.
Louis Anderson, the team's blacksmith, is 23 years old. Alex instructed Louis to go to Ein and get mithril ore to polish his sword. The young man might return the day after tomorrow or in three days. Unfortunately, Alex is unable to use offensive magic without his sword.
'KRACK…!!'
Alex turned around. He heard a sound not far behind him. Alex's heart was beating fast, but he tried to hide the fear with a foolish smile. Alex walked as slowly as possible. Although the pile of ice crystals under his shoes continued to make a rather annoying sound as they rubbed against each other when stepped on.
In the darkness, among the frozen branches and bushes, Alex caught a moving shadow. Alex paused for a moment, weighing whether to approach the shadow without an attack spell or simply observe it from a distance. Alex was hesitant. A fleeting shadow zipped past Alex. A moment later, Alex felt an intense sting on his right arm. The four-layer thick winter clothing he was wearing was torn. Blood seeped through the gap of the cut, then fell onto the pile of snow. Alex was attacked by 'what' or 'who' he didn't know.
Alex remained alert by creating a protective barrier around his body and continually observing his surroundings. Guessing what creature had just scratched his left arm. Alex's body shivered suddenly. Not by the almost negative forty-degree weather, but by the clump of hair that hung down and moved slowly in front of him. Someone appeared to be hunched over, dragging themselves through the snow piles. His or her fingernails were elongated. Even curving at the tips, with a deep black color tinged with a hint of green. A vacant gaze, with dilated pupils and disheveled black teeth. A long tongue jutting out, oozing blood combined with saliva.
Alex raised his sword, ready to slash the hungry creature. Alex thought at first it would be easy, until he noticed the barrier started falling apart; he quickly retreated. The creature's body apparently emitted a mist of decay magic, which Alex realized too late. The creature suddenly moved quickly towards Alex. Reflexively, Alex swung his sword to deflect and attack at the same time. A scream of pain was heard immediately, and Alex retreated again.
"Witch…!" the creature whispered weakly. The clump of hair belonging to the creature moved slowly as if it were alive.
The strands of hair then stuck together, solidifying until they resembled iron blades. Realizing what was about to happen next, Alex prepared with his magic shield. Sure enough, the metal shards made of hair moved very quickly as the owner's incantation was recited. The iron blade tried to slice every inch of Alex's body, which was enveloped in a protective magical barrier. Alex, desperately trying to fend off the attack by continuously strengthening the power of his protective barrier, which he didn't know how long it would last. While reciting the incantation, the creature's expression suddenly changed. He looked at Alex with a confused expression.
"Blood… witch...?" whispered the creature.
‘KRACK…!’
A cracking sound was heard from the protective magic barrier that Alex created.
"No…" Alex said, his body trembling. His defensive magic had reached its limit. He has been relentlessly bombarded with hundreds of knives continuously aimed at him. The sound of metal clanging that had been continuously striking Alex's protective magic barrier suddenly disappeared.
Alex lowered the shield that had previously been used to protect his body with trembling hands. The palms of Alex's hands seemed to be burning, and his joints ached because he had been solidifying manna for too long to apply the defensive magic. If Alex had to do that for a few more minutes, it could be assured that his hands would turn to ash. Alex looked around.
"Did he leave?" Alex whispered, collapsing onto the pile of snow. Alex fainted.
…
Alex awoke three days later in a hospital in Gagra, some two and a half hours from Akarmara. A guard from another gate found him unconscious and buried in snow, while the body parts found next to Alex had been identified as human. Nevertheless, his identity is still unknown.
"What happened?" asked Rudolf, the guard who found Alex.
Alex gestured for Rudolf to come closer. Alex said with a whisper, "I thought it was a banshee, but looking at its attack pattern, I'm no longer sure about that." Alex was still too weak to provide a statement.
Rudolf fell silent, staring at Alex with a puzzled expression.
"If you ask me about the characteristics of the creature that attacked me, I would say it is very similar to a banshee. However, the creature did not attack me with its voice. The long black hair transformed into sharp metal blades that were constantly aimed at me." Alex tried to explain to Rudolf what happened the night before he ended up under a pile of snow.
"Where's your sword? You are a guard; how can you do your duty without a sword?!" Rudolf felt angry with Alex for ignoring his own safety.
"I just got back from duty at the coal mine. Louie is still fixing my sword since it is dull. Two of my teammates are also hospitalized. They are Zirael and Kael, the twin elves from the Romanov clan," said Alex.
Rudolf went silent. He pulled out a chair and then sat down next to Alex. His face looked pale, with black circles under his eyes. It is certain that Rudolf may not have slept for several days.
"Previously… there was a…"
"I've already brought it," interrupted Rudolf. "The other guards... are still investigating the area," he added.
"So... is it really human body?" whispered Alex.
"Yes… several similar cases have just been reported. 1 case occurred in Butugychag, 2 cases near the former Pripyat nuclear reactor, 1 case in Varosha, and another in Vorkuta. Maybe others will follow, although I hope what happened in Vorkuta is the last," said Rudolf hopefully.
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Promise The frozen corpse in the Brantas River. Malang.
August 13The dim light of the streetlamp fell upon the stiff body floating slowly, carried by the river's current that began to recede in August. The temperature below minus three degrees caused some parts of the corpse to freeze. Some people passing over the Blue Bridge that night might have caught a glimpse but seemed reluctant to even offer sympathy. They passed by without a care. Maybe they know that the body will become a disaster for them.Fragments of amethyst crystals cover almost the entire body corpse. A miasma of decay magic is released, capable of countering numerous sorts of elemental magic, even simple curse magic. Thousands of years ago, witches referred to it as antimatter magic, and now maybe hardly anyone believes that this myth would actually appear as a real myth magic."Javi..., go home!" commanded a woman to the elf race wizard who stood behind her. "Senja is waiting for you. Don't make the girl anxious by coming home late!".Javier snorted with annoyance. Javie
Promise The Long Dark In Vorkuta, Komi
Silence pierces the morning. The fog locks the gaze. The cold seeps into the pores, piercing down to the bone. The smell of fish and blood wafts into the nose. Mixed with a faint rotten smell began to smell faintly. The open field is now so crowded with hundreds of corpses. They are curled up in bags made of ruminant stomachs.Anthonius's white horse kept whinnying every time the cold wind blew against its long, unkempt mane. His hooves clashed with the ground and stones. Creating a discordant melody. The horse was terrified. He could sense the miasma emanating from every corpse around his master. At the same time, Anthonius was staring far ahead. Examining each body that has been collected. Just to ensure that they are fully prepared for burial.Anthonius Mareq is a mixed-blood S-rank sorcerer who specializes in magic swords. Anthonius is the Crimson Knights' leader. The young general, who is actually 357 years old, but looks to be about 18 years old. Anthonius is also the only elf r
Promise Wisteria
"The Crystal Cave of Kruber is the grave of the Zu land god," Gistara said, not taking her eyes off Javier.They both then fell silent for quite a while. They knew that the Kruber Crystal Cave was one of the most dangerous places in Terra, besides the slopes of Mount Damavand and the Moon Devil Castle. That place is even more dangerous than The Ruins of The Dark Dragon Temple."I have been assigned to that place once, with two of my teammates. But at the time, the Zu Fortress region and the Zu God Temple inside the cave were still far away from where we were on duty. Staying in that place for too long is just as dangerous as being exposed to miasma." Gistara tried to recall the memory of the mission she had undertaken 10 years ago when she was still part of Division III under the command of an S-rank defense specialist wizard named Dmitriy Borisov. Gistara and the three other people were sent to check out the mineral content of the rocks in the area of the Kruber Crystal Cave.Javier
Promise The Red Forest. Chernobyl.
The bushes block the road. The trees grow tall, reaching for the sky with their deep red trunks like blood, yet barren without a single leaf. People call it the Red Forest, but the place is actually just an area that has been exposed to radioactive waste due to the nuclear reactor explosion that occurred in April 1986.Amidst the dense bushes and branches of trees left to grow wild, the Romanov twins appeared to be engrossed in conversation while smoking cigarettes. They seemed indifferent to the exposure to radioactive waste that still enveloped the area, even after several decades had passed."Ugh… you're cheating!" Zirael said while handing a black-skinned frog to his sibling. "That was supposed to be mine, right?!" he complained. Because he felt dissatisfied with Kael's decision."Hey…Who is older here? I am your older brother!" said Kael curtly.The Romanov twins are fighting over the frog they caught. It seems that the poisoning they experienced a few days ago did not deter the
Promise A cup of tea and biscuits
Wisteria invited Javier into her house."Sir.., consider it your own home!" said Wisteria while inviting Javier to sit in one of the chairs in the dining room. With a smile that never left her lips, Wisteria poured a cup of rose tea and served several jars of biscuits. Not to forget, Wisteria also prepared a slice of apple pie for Javier. Complete with honey on top.Javier feels happy because Wisteria accepted him well. That was in stark contrast to what he had thought before. Wisteria even served almost all of her baked goods, filling the dining table in front of them with jars of various types of cookies and biscuits. However, Javier could not taste any of those cakes. Elves only consume honey and a type of cake made from flower pollen mixed with nectar. Nevertheless, Javier can still drink the rose tea that Wisteria poured into his cup."Can you sit down and chat with me for a bit?! There's something I want to ask you," said Javier while sipping tea from his cup.After placing the
Promise Kelana Field's Salt Traders' Camp
The meadows outside the City of Filanesia's main gate have turned white due to the first snowfall of the early winter. Along the road leading to the location of the old temple ruins, a number of salt traders' camps and rows of wooden barrels filled with the best salt Terra has to offer from the Black Sea were carefully arranged at the edge. Under Meuz's direction, a historical monument is immediately guarded with a barrier that is even comparable to Terra's guardian. It is the home of the black dragon, one of the ten harbingers of death that hundreds of years ago brought about a major disaster on Terra.The sun has not yet risen, and it is just now dawning. Anthonius stood by himself in the middle of the motionless, silent meadow, staring at the city's main entrance. Anthonius's expression was composed, but he could not fool himself. His heart was restless, and his mind was a mess. Anthonius kept his fear to himself. Even Anthonius was baffled by the recent loss of senior forensic phy
Promise Terra's first snowfall and two front guards
"Learn, creating... let alone destroying an antimatter shield is an impossibility for wizards in our time. Even today, very little is known about the antimatter magic we possess. Thus, instead of attempting to destroy the crystal, I would suggest that you stay away from it. Instead of attempting to destroy the amethyst crystal,” Anthonius advised the members of the investigating team to stay away from it."Moreover, we still do not know the specific side effects caused by the miasma produced by antimatter crystals. Therefore, for the time being, it would be wiser to concentrate on locating the individuals on the list and, if still feasible, helping them rather than wasting time on something that is impossible for us to accomplish. If it is still feasible,” Anthonius requested that the main investigating team concentrate only on locating and aiding the victims. In order to learn more about the murder case they are working on, they will also perform a preliminary examination of the scen
Promise The destroyed body in the Ein City.
"Hey… I'm home. How are you doing…?”Only silence was what the young elf received. The gravestone in front of him would not give an answer to the question. A bunch of gladiolus was then placed on the gravestone. A symbol of bravery and the devotion of a soldier who has fallen on the battlefield. A bottle of the finest wine and a crystal glass he placed beside it. All of that was given as a gift for his friend's 134th birthday."I can't save her. Even… I still can't find her. Sorry…! I will try to look for that girl again. The people I asked to send to look for her are now also dead. So… please give me a chance to recruit new ones!""Isn't it funny…," he whispered."I just realized you all are going to get old so fast. I don't even know about you yet, but you've already left me. Sometimes I get confused. Actually… am I the one who is insensitive, or are you the one who always dies too soon?"Thick fog slowly covered every inch of the view. Raindrops began to drench the branches and wil
Latest Chapter
Terra's first snowfall and two front guards
"Learn, creating... let alone destroying an antimatter shield is an impossibility for wizards in our time. Even today, very little is known about the antimatter magic we possess. Thus, instead of attempting to destroy the crystal, I would suggest that you stay away from it. Instead of attempting to destroy the amethyst crystal,” Anthonius advised the members of the investigating team to stay away from it."Moreover, we still do not know the specific side effects caused by the miasma produced by antimatter crystals. Therefore, for the time being, it would be wiser to concentrate on locating the individuals on the list and, if still feasible, helping them rather than wasting time on something that is impossible for us to accomplish. If it is still feasible,” Anthonius requested that the main investigating team concentrate only on locating and aiding the victims. In order to learn more about the murder case they are working on, they will also perform a preliminary examination of the scen
Kelana Field's Salt Traders' Camp
The meadows outside the City of Filanesia's main gate have turned white due to the first snowfall of the early winter. Along the road leading to the location of the old temple ruins, a number of salt traders' camps and rows of wooden barrels filled with the best salt Terra has to offer from the Black Sea were carefully arranged at the edge. Under Meuz's direction, a historical monument is immediately guarded with a barrier that is even comparable to Terra's guardian. It is the home of the black dragon, one of the ten harbingers of death that hundreds of years ago brought about a major disaster on Terra.The sun has not yet risen, and it is just now dawning. Anthonius stood by himself in the middle of the motionless, silent meadow, staring at the city's main entrance. Anthonius's expression was composed, but he could not fool himself. His heart was restless, and his mind was a mess. Anthonius kept his fear to himself. Even Anthonius was baffled by the recent loss of senior forensic phy
A cup of tea and biscuits
Wisteria invited Javier into her house."Sir.., consider it your own home!" said Wisteria while inviting Javier to sit in one of the chairs in the dining room. With a smile that never left her lips, Wisteria poured a cup of rose tea and served several jars of biscuits. Not to forget, Wisteria also prepared a slice of apple pie for Javier. Complete with honey on top.Javier feels happy because Wisteria accepted him well. That was in stark contrast to what he had thought before. Wisteria even served almost all of her baked goods, filling the dining table in front of them with jars of various types of cookies and biscuits. However, Javier could not taste any of those cakes. Elves only consume honey and a type of cake made from flower pollen mixed with nectar. Nevertheless, Javier can still drink the rose tea that Wisteria poured into his cup."Can you sit down and chat with me for a bit?! There's something I want to ask you," said Javier while sipping tea from his cup.After placing the
The Red Forest. Chernobyl.
The bushes block the road. The trees grow tall, reaching for the sky with their deep red trunks like blood, yet barren without a single leaf. People call it the Red Forest, but the place is actually just an area that has been exposed to radioactive waste due to the nuclear reactor explosion that occurred in April 1986.Amidst the dense bushes and branches of trees left to grow wild, the Romanov twins appeared to be engrossed in conversation while smoking cigarettes. They seemed indifferent to the exposure to radioactive waste that still enveloped the area, even after several decades had passed."Ugh… you're cheating!" Zirael said while handing a black-skinned frog to his sibling. "That was supposed to be mine, right?!" he complained. Because he felt dissatisfied with Kael's decision."Hey…Who is older here? I am your older brother!" said Kael curtly.The Romanov twins are fighting over the frog they caught. It seems that the poisoning they experienced a few days ago did not deter the
Wisteria
"The Crystal Cave of Kruber is the grave of the Zu land god," Gistara said, not taking her eyes off Javier.They both then fell silent for quite a while. They knew that the Kruber Crystal Cave was one of the most dangerous places in Terra, besides the slopes of Mount Damavand and the Moon Devil Castle. That place is even more dangerous than The Ruins of The Dark Dragon Temple."I have been assigned to that place once, with two of my teammates. But at the time, the Zu Fortress region and the Zu God Temple inside the cave were still far away from where we were on duty. Staying in that place for too long is just as dangerous as being exposed to miasma." Gistara tried to recall the memory of the mission she had undertaken 10 years ago when she was still part of Division III under the command of an S-rank defense specialist wizard named Dmitriy Borisov. Gistara and the three other people were sent to check out the mineral content of the rocks in the area of the Kruber Crystal Cave.Javier
The Long Dark In Vorkuta, Komi
Silence pierces the morning. The fog locks the gaze. The cold seeps into the pores, piercing down to the bone. The smell of fish and blood wafts into the nose. Mixed with a faint rotten smell began to smell faintly. The open field is now so crowded with hundreds of corpses. They are curled up in bags made of ruminant stomachs.Anthonius's white horse kept whinnying every time the cold wind blew against its long, unkempt mane. His hooves clashed with the ground and stones. Creating a discordant melody. The horse was terrified. He could sense the miasma emanating from every corpse around his master. At the same time, Anthonius was staring far ahead. Examining each body that has been collected. Just to ensure that they are fully prepared for burial.Anthonius Mareq is a mixed-blood S-rank sorcerer who specializes in magic swords. Anthonius is the Crimson Knights' leader. The young general, who is actually 357 years old, but looks to be about 18 years old. Anthonius is also the only elf r
The frozen corpse in the Brantas River. Malang.
August 13The dim light of the streetlamp fell upon the stiff body floating slowly, carried by the river's current that began to recede in August. The temperature below minus three degrees caused some parts of the corpse to freeze. Some people passing over the Blue Bridge that night might have caught a glimpse but seemed reluctant to even offer sympathy. They passed by without a care. Maybe they know that the body will become a disaster for them.Fragments of amethyst crystals cover almost the entire body corpse. A miasma of decay magic is released, capable of countering numerous sorts of elemental magic, even simple curse magic. Thousands of years ago, witches referred to it as antimatter magic, and now maybe hardly anyone believes that this myth would actually appear as a real myth magic."Javi..., go home!" commanded a woman to the elf race wizard who stood behind her. "Senja is waiting for you. Don't make the girl anxious by coming home late!".Javier snorted with annoyance. Javie
The sea of blood in Akarmara. Abkhazia
August 8Magic existed long before humans were created. When God created the devil, magic was ocured. The saying "magic belongs to demons" is not incorrect, but over time, magic no longer belongs to the demons. Human greed and reason are the ideal combination to copy the demons' magic to satisfy their desires.At the begining, there were only three types of magic: defense, attack, and antimatter magic. Two of these three basic types of magic were then imitated by humans to wage war in order to expand their territories or simply to demonstrate dominance over other tribes. Nevertheless, only antimatter magic has remained unchanged throughout time. One of the reasons that has prevented antimatter magic from being studied by humans or even developed by demons is the large use of manna; as a result, the magic has been abandoned over time and is only mentioned a few times in history or community stories as a legendary magic.Although antimatter magic is often described as "similar" to defen
The destroyed body in the Ein City.
"Hey… I'm home. How are you doing…?”Only silence was what the young elf received. The gravestone in front of him would not give an answer to the question. A bunch of gladiolus was then placed on the gravestone. A symbol of bravery and the devotion of a soldier who has fallen on the battlefield. A bottle of the finest wine and a crystal glass he placed beside it. All of that was given as a gift for his friend's 134th birthday."I can't save her. Even… I still can't find her. Sorry…! I will try to look for that girl again. The people I asked to send to look for her are now also dead. So… please give me a chance to recruit new ones!""Isn't it funny…," he whispered."I just realized you all are going to get old so fast. I don't even know about you yet, but you've already left me. Sometimes I get confused. Actually… am I the one who is insensitive, or are you the one who always dies too soon?"Thick fog slowly covered every inch of the view. Raindrops began to drench the branches and wil
