After killing the Hobgoblin Chieftain with a single, scornful throw of his summoned spear, Aelric stood for a moment in the middle of the chaos in Oakhaven. The golden light around his sword dimmed slightly. Without their leader, the remaining Goblins, Grak, and insect-like creatures hesitated, their attack losing organization. Still, small fights continued around the edges of the village where Captain Crane's soldiers held a desperate line. Smoke filled the air, thick with the smell of blood and burning homes.
Aelric looked at the scene without the satisfaction of a savior or the worry of a hero. He seemed tired, almost bored. His golden eyes, showing no warmth, quickly scanned the battlefield. He glanced at the soldiers fighting near the mill and then dismissed them from his thoughts. He had done what he came to do – kill the commander he knew would be there. The rest was just background noise, irrelevant collateral damage. Without looking back at the destruction, the wounded people, or the girl Captain Crane now protected, Aelric turned. He began walking calmly away from the village center, heading towards the southern road, as if he were just passing through.
Captain Elias Crane had just made sure the unconscious Hinaria was relatively safe behind Kenzo's shield when he saw Aelric leaving. A cold, sharp anger, stronger than any he'd felt on the dangerous Northern Frontier, surged through him. This supposed hero, this 'Aelric' from the notes, had ignored a girl choking to death right in front of him, killed the leader with unbelievable power, and was now just… leaving? Leaving the village to burn? Leaving soldiers to die? Leaving people undefended?
"AELRIC!" Elias roared, his voice loud above the noise of battle. He pushed himself forward, adrenaline momentarily overriding the fatigue of the prolonged battle. "Where in the hells do you think you're going?! This fight isn't over!"
Aelric stopped, turning slowly. His face showed no emotion, almost distant, but his eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on Elias. "Have we met?" he asked, his voice calm, carrying easily over the noise.
"Doesn't matter who I am!" Elias spat, stalking closer, his Storm-Forged sword held ready. "What matters is this fight isn't finished! Look around you! People are dying! Why didn't you help that girl? Why aren't you acting like the hero you're supposed to be?!" The cruelty of it, the lack of feeling, went against everything Elias believed in.
Aelric simply looked past Elias, his gaze distant, utterly dismissive of the Captain's fury and the surrounding carnage. He offered no explanation, no justification. With a faint sigh that might have been boredom, he turned his back completely and started walking towards the southern road again.
Seeing Aelric turn away, ignoring the pleas, ignoring the battle, ignoring him – it was the final insult. Elias's control snapped. With a roar of pure frustration, he lunged forward, bringing his Storm-Forged sword down in a powerful overhead chop aimed at Aelric's retreating back.
Faster than thought, Aelric spun, his own golden sword flashing up to intercept the blow with a deafening clang. Sparks flew. Aelric didn't even seem surprised, merely annoyed. The force of the parry was immense, wrenching the Storm-Forged sword from Elias's grip and sending it spinning into the mud several feet away. Elias stumbled back, momentarily disarmed.
"Attack from behind?" Aelric mocked, lowering his golden sword slightly, a cold, sarcastic smile touching his lips. "How... noble."
Elias glared, flexing his empty hands. Somehow sky started raining. It was due to fight between mages above. "Think you better than me?" Elias growled, spitting muddy rainwater. "Take away what was handed to you... and you're worthless" He took a step back, eyes never leaving Aelric, then dove low, scooping his Storm-Forged sword from the mud. He came up swinging, rain and mud flying from the blade.
The fight resumed, but the dynamic had shifted. Elias, now fueled purely by rage and desperation, attacked with renewed ferocity. Aelric, however, seemed almost playful, easily parrying Elias's thrusts and slashes with his glowing golden blade, his movements fluid and dismissive. He wasn't even trying hard, yet Elias couldn't land a solid blow. Still, Elias pressed, his predictive eye working overtime, trying to find an opening in Aelric's seemingly flawless defense.
He feinted low, then brought the Storm-Forged sword up in a swift uppercut. Aelric parried contemptuously, knocking the blade aside. But as steel met glowing gold, the stored lightning within Elias's blade discharged unpredictably. A crackle of blue energy leaped from the Storm-Forged sword and struck Aelric squarely on the parrying shoulder.
Aelric cried out, a genuine sound of pain this time, stumbling back a step, his left arm going momentarily limp. Smoke curled from the point of impact on his shoulder pauldron, the smell of ozone sharp in the rainy air. He looked down at the injury, then back at Elias, his golden eyes suddenly losing their bored detachment, replaced by a flare of cold, dangerous anger.
"Stop!" A choked cry came from behind Elias. Hinaria, awake again, stumbled forward. Tears streamed down her face as she saw the two men facing each other, Aelric clutching his injured shoulder, Elias breathing heavily. "Please! Don't fight!" She raised her hands, and a familiar green light pulsed out, washing over both Aelric and Elias. The warmth flowed into Elias's minor cuts and bruises, easing the fatigue almost instantly. He saw the smoking burn on Aelric's shoulder rapidly fade under the healing light. "Please," she sobbed, looking from one to the other. "No more fighting!"
Aelric looked down at his healed shoulder, then at Hinaria. His face was impossible to read. "Kindness," he murmured softly, as if talking to himself. "Always wasted." He raised a hand, not cruelly, but with complete control. A shining ball of golden energy formed around Hinaria, lifting her gently but unstoppably off her feet. "You shouldn't be here," he said softly. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the energy ball floating quickly away towards the mill where other villagers were hiding. It set her down gently, then disappeared.
Aelric turned back to Elias, the brief moment of thought gone, replaced by cold determination fueled now by the unexpected injury. "You are strong. Perhaps, better than most." He raised his glowing sword. "But not for me"
Before Elias could react, Aelric moved. It wasn't just speed this time; it felt like reality itself bent around him. Elias's predictive eye screamed warnings, showing several attacks at once – a sword thrust, a kick, a blast of golden energy – but he couldn't possibly counter them all. Aelric's fist hit his stomach with magical force, making him bend over, struggling for breath. The handle of the golden sword struck his temple with blinding force. The world exploded into stars, then went black. Captain Elias Crane collapsed, unconscious before he even hit the mud.
High above, the fight in the air also reached its end. Reika, laughing wildly, attacked Lyra with everything she had – corrosive orbs, animated rocks, bolts of raw chaotic energy. Lyra answered with precise shields, disciplined counter-spells, and skillful flying on her war-hawk, her face set in grim determination.
"Give it up, Mizono!" Lyra shouted over the wind. "Surrender to the Council!"
"Surrender? Oh, please!?" Reika shot back, getting ready to cast another spell.
But Lyra wasn't just using her own power. Reaching into her robe, she pulled out a small, sparkling crystal pulsing with stored mana – an emergency power boost given by the Council. Pouring its energy into her staff, she unleashed a blindingly powerful Stasis Field spell. Reika felt the spell hit like a solid wall. Her connection to Kagari broke for a moment, and her own magic faltered under the immense power. Kagari shrieked, thrown off balance. Reika lost her grip on the Solarynth's feathers. She tumbled through the air, the wind roaring in her ears as she fell towards the dark forest far below.