Bjorn focused hard, shaping a blob of water into different forms as Hana, with her stern voice, called out what she wanted him to create. They'd been training alone for a month, making big progress in their strength, especially in Bjorn's control.Stormshadow had focused on teaching Bjorn survival skills but now he needed to refine his magic control. Despite no major breakthroughs, he felt much stronger than before.Hana, noticing Bjorn's struggle with control, focused on fixing it. His wide-open sources robbed him of finesse, but Hana was determined to help him improve."That's it for today," Hana said with a smile. Spending so much time alone, they'd grown close."I feel my control improving," Bjorn said with a smile.Hana is a beauty, with light skin glistening,Her blonde locks cascaded around her shoulders, framing her delicate features. Big brown eyes sparkled with determination, reflecting her inner strength. Petite yet perfectly proportioned. "I'm off to practice my spell," H
“What is happening?” Hana asked with confusion. She had seen the church inquisitors and knew they meant trouble, but Bjorns expression showed terror. “That’s the church, we have to warn my master!” he set off running to the monastery. Hana was shocked but she quickly composed herself, “follow me I know a shortcut back” she steered bjorn towards the fastest route to the monastery. They arrived at the gates of the monastery in less than the time it would have taken, sweating and panting, their condition had the guards surprised and alert. “What is..” “We have to warn grandmaster waterfox ,” bjorn quickly urged them. The guards were surprised but well trained, they quickly urged them both inside. They hurried towards the grandmasters abode but met adept Arthur on their way and when they quickly explained the situation to him, sporting the same look of fear on his face he set off towards the grandmasters lodgings. He pushed the door more brazenly than the last time he was here, “
Bjorn felt a surge of power. His wounds healed instantly, and he felt stronger and more alive.He gripped his hands, feeling the soothing energy flow through him. "This is amazing," Bjorn thought, discovering a new side of his powers.He looked at the initiates with excitement, but saw only fear in their eyes. The scene they had just witnessed terrified them. Bjorn turned to Hana and saw the same fear, though she was more composed.Bjorn himself was scared of what he'd done, but he couldn't let that show now.His face turned cold as he addressed the initiates. "We need to leave. Now. More are sure to come," he ordered, his voice brooking no argument as he looted the adept. His strength and actions were enough to get them moving. He walked up to Hana, who was standing through sheer willpower.With a flick of his hands, he produced some meat from his space ring. "Eat this. You need to recover," he said, handing it to her.Though scared, she knew Bjorn wasn't a bad guy and She was exhau
A few hours after leaving the city, the sun had already set when Stormshadow led them to a secluded clearing off the main road."Come here," he motioned to Bjorn, who walked over. Stormshadow placed a hand on Bjorn and undid his disguise spell. Bjorn's golden blonde hair turned back to its usual dark color, and his body grew lean, with well-defined muscles filling out his clothes. The rough stubble on his chin vanished.His new, handsome appearance stunned Hana, who had watched the transformation.“What kind of magic is this?” she gasped, having never seen such a thorough change.“It’s a disguise spell, nothing more,” Stormshadow replied."It’s a terrible disguise," Hana commented, staring hard at Bjorn. "He looks too handsome and like he's from the western part of the empire. It might draw more attention.""This is my real face," Bjorn blushed, flustered by being called handsome.He had stolen a kiss or two from girls in his village but was still inexperienced with women."Oh," Hana
“Damn it,” Hana cursed in frustration. It had been a week since Master Shadowstorm’s dramatic farewell, and they had been heading north, avoiding every city they came across. Hana had eagerly tried to learn the lightning demon arts, but found them difficult. “What kind of technique is this? It’s so complicated,” she said, falling in step beside Bjorn. “You’ll learn it with time,” Bjorn reassured her, even though he could not relate to her frustration as he practiced the maelstrom surge spell. Bjorn had no trouble learning the lightning techniques and now understood his master's comment about his good comprehension ability. "I hope so," Hana said with a sigh. "But I'm doing really well with my water spells. I can now perform the maelstrom surge three out of five times." She expected an encouraging comment from Bjorn but when it didn’t come, she noticed him watching other travelers on the road who were giving them strange looks. “What’s wrong?” She had spent enough time w
Bjorn was a whirlwind of emotions, mostly anger at the blacksmith. The betrayal from Waterfox was still fresh, and now the blacksmith had sold him out to the church. He almost lost his temper. Sensing his change in mood, Hana quickly took his elbow, trying to calm him down and reassure herself.“What’s going on here?” Hana asked confidently as she approached the group.The church mages were two men and a woman. The older male, dark-skinned like the southern people of the empire and likely much older than he appeared, stepped forward.“I am Mage Firesong. These are my companions, Mage Julius and Tilda,” he introduced himself with a thick southern accent. “The blacksmith reported this man acting suspiciously, and we’re on a mission to find some fugitives.”“I see,” Hana nodded. “How can we help, Mage Firesong? We are friends of the church,” she smiled.Bjorn nodded in agreement, thinking it best to avoid a fight. “Just a few questions,” Mage Firesong smiled.“Of course,” Hana smiled b
Two figures dressed in black raced toward a canyon. With a loud thunderclap, they leapt across the chasm, landing powerfully on the other side.Bjorn and Hana had been running for three days without rest, heading straight to the northern borders of the empire. They were determined to reach the Stormveil Order, uncaring that the church inquisitors might figure out their destination.The pressure of their situation had forced Hana to master the lightning demon arts, which boosted their speed. Bjorn was determined to keep moving until he couldn’t move anymore. They took no rests, eating while they ran, pushing their bodies and minds to the limit. But the strain was starting to show, and Bjorn knew they would have to take a break soon.Bjorn's instincts told him that Adept Firesong was no ordinary adept. Firesong was more powerful than the weak adversaries they had faced at the monastery. The only reason he hadn’t caught up with them yet was because his companion, Tilda, was still a novic
Bjorn saw their pursuers coming straight for them. They were still far away, needing about three hours to reach Bjorn's spot. But Bjorn knew they couldn't outrun Firesong for long.“I guess I have to figure out how to kill a murderous Adept,” he muttered to himself.Bjorn used some magic to make his shadow jump from shadow to shadow, reaching their position in minutes. He then sent his shadow ahead to scout the path.“Stay close, this will be dangerous,” Bjorn whispered, holding Hana's trembling hand to comfort her.They moved into the marshland, surrounded by thick fog. The ground was soft and muddy, slowing them down. Strange noises echoed around them, making the place feel eerie.Bjorn thought about their situation. “My only advantage is my devouring source, which they don't know about. They're angry, so their judgment is clouded. I can use my surroundings to my benefit,” he mused.“Look for the strongest beast,” Bjorn instructed his shadow. It was a risky plan that could end their