“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
Firesong was stunned. He expected the boy to go flying back with broken bones, but Bjorn took the hit and even smiled.Bjorn didn’t wait for his opponent to dictate the tempo of the fight. He charged forward, using his lightning demon arts to gain speed. They clashed again, swords and spells ringing through the air.They clashed dozens of times in a minute. Bjorn was always pushed back, blood covering him, but he seemed to heal immediately. Firesong could end the fight quickly but wanted to torment Bjorn slowly. He enjoyed that Bjorn could take a beating, thinking it would prolong his suffering.Bjorn was glad Firesong underestimated him. “If I’m your punching bag, you can be my training dummy,” he thought.He saw this as a chance to train. He had always improved quickly when taking his daily dose of beatings from Stormshadow.He had been practicing the second form of lightning demon arts. The first stage powered his body with lightning, and the second stage covered him in lightning a
A second furious roar echoed from the beast, shaking the very air as it sluggishly rose from the lake's deep gorge, gradually picking up speed. Firesong felt a primal terror wash over him, every hair on his body standing on end. "How did I miss something this huge?" he berated himself. He turned to Bjorn and saw his condition was even worse. The beast's roar had shattered Bjorn's lightning armor, leaving him with internal injuries. Bjorn was on one knee, coughing up blood. Despite their enmity, Firesong couldn't help but admire Bjorn's guts and determination as a fellow cultivator. “What is your name, kid?” Firesong asked suddenly. Surprised, Bjorn saw no harm in answering since he needed a moment to stabilize himself. “I am Wildheart,” he declared with conviction. “Remember that name, if you survive today,” Bjorn said with a bloody laugh that turned into a cough. “Now you can die.” Firesong lunged at Bjorn to end the threat, but before he could reach him, a huge, armored, sca
Bjorn groggily woke up in a warm cozy room with the fireplace lit, he found himself lying on a warm bed made of beast furs. I took him about a minute to orient himself. “Where am I?” He muttered as he tried to get up but his body protested in pain, every inch hurts. With a grunt Bjorn pushed through the pain and made his way to the door of the small hut, he opened the door and found himself in a large clearing, with another smaller hut in the clearing, probably the storage room of whomever his host is. Bjorn was about to step out onto the clearing when he saw a large giant savage looking man step into the clearing with a much larger dead bear hanging from his shoulders. The savage giant towered over Bjorn, his massive frame shrouded in a tangle of messy brown hair that cascaded down his back like a blazing waterfall. His enormous, unkempt beard, thick and wild, bristled with the ferocity of a storm, framing a face marked by harsh features and piercing brown eyes that burned with u
Bjorn ate until he couldn’t eat anymore. His belly was so full that he could barely move, yet he watched in amazement as Grizzly continued to eat like a ravenous beast. The mage had the appetite of ten men combined, devouring everything in sight with unrelenting ferocity.Finally, after finishing his meal, Grizzly turned his attention back to Bjorn. "Let's begin," he said.Bjorn shifted into a lotus position, feeling a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Grizzly placed a hand on his back, and Bjorn could feel a strange but powerful energy start to flow through his body. Grizzly was guiding this energy in a precise, intricate pattern, controlling its circulation with expert skill.“We draw our magical essence from sources beyond this world, often ignoring the natural essence of our own,” Grizzly explained, his voice calm and authoritative. “But it’s this very natural essence that most beasts rely on to gain their power.”As Grizzly spoke, Bjorn could feel the natural essence being