"Dang this! Is it really this far?" I panted as I ran.

"Just a bit further!" Nicole panted next to me.

"Why must this happen!" I screamed despite being out of breath as I ran.

In my mind, the scene from the mansion was still stuck.

* * * * *

"What's going on!" I exclaimed as I stomped multiple times on the floor. "Did something happen to the teleportation circle back at the church?"

"Friesha, the door!" Nicole pointed at the door being pushed slowly as the force of the space spell was being pushed by multiple soldiers and guards.

"No other choice," I immediately placed my hands together. "I'll be doing a teleportation magic. I won't be casting it, so who knows where we'll end up around here."

"But you said you'll get injured," Nicole worriedly held my arm.

"There's no time for that," I instantly did the teleportation magic.

A pillar of light emitted below Nicole and me the moment the door was completely open. Soldiers began entering as soon as the light completely engulfed us. Before we vanished from the room, Nicole got a short glimpse of a mother and her child.

* * * * *

"We're almost there," Nicole said as we were almost out of these quiet houses. We weren't exactly at the middle of the town that night. However, it was still alarming to see a few humans looking down from their windows.

Sooner, we arrived at a hill with a road leading above it. A few more distance was some trees with a figure of probably the church's roof behind.

"Wait, Friesha..." I heard Nicole and stopped.

"Nicole!" I went to her as she knelt down and panted. "Are you okay?"

"...Just tired," she breathe heavily. "I'm worried Friesha..." she looked up to me. "What if something bad happened? What if-"

"Save your energy," I abrupted. "Like I said, Felgard is with them."

"...Okay," she began calming down.

"Kugh!.." I felt the pain from using teleportation without chanting. It made me kneel along with Nicole.

"Friesha! Oh!" Nicole then saw how blood flowed from my left arm. "You're bleeding!"

"No worries," I stood up. " Been through worse..."

"Can you not heal yourself?"

"I could. But with chanting, healing takes quite a while. Plus we're in a hurry so I cannot delay here."

"Friesha... I'm sorry, for dragging you into this..." Nicole bowed her head.

"Again, no worries. Been through worse..."

"At least," Nicole then tore a part of her dress. "Cover the wound with this."

"Oh, okay..."

She raised the sleeve of my shirt and, "Kyaa! There's a lot!!" She tore more from her dress and successfully covered the wound.

"This should do it," Nicole lowered my sleeve back.

"Thank you," I felt embarrassed. "N-now then, let us go back quickly."

"Yes," Nicole nodded.

My oh my, this is quite dramatic is it?" someone suddenly spoke from a distance. Nicole and I looked around until our eyes led us to a nearby tree. The darkness of the shadow seemed to have the figure of a man. "Pardon me but, which one of you is the mage?"

I remembered what that mayor said back at the mansion, "I see... So he was right."

What is going on? How could anybody find out a mage is here?

"Reveal yourself mage," another figure appeared behind the other. This figure was taller and masculine.

"No Claymarra," the first one said as he walked into the light. "Perhaps we should reveal ourselves first."

As soon as the person was in plain sight, my eyes narrowed at the familiar clothes he wore. It was identical to that of the old faker from Milla's mansion.

'Well then," the other one emerged as well. "I too shall do so."

Both were men; the first one had long straight hair up to his neck with round glasses. The other was bald and had pale skin. However, what widened my eyes were the things they held on their hands.

"I see," I confirmed it. Those were magic staffs.

"Friesha..." Nicole whispered.

"Stand back Nicole," I took a step in front of her. "If I tell you to, you better run back to the church..."

"But Friesha..."

"Since you stepped forward, it's you right?" the long-haired man asked. "Or perhaps, it's the one behind you..?"

I feel like their bluffing. Why would they ask two random girls which one of them is a mage? Perhaps I could try tricking them.

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"Mage? What do you mean by that?" I acted dumb by looking all worried.

"Oh? So you don't know?" the long-haired man tilted his head. "We're given information about a mage here, you see."

Now that is what I want to know. Who, and how?

'"I haven't heard of anything about it," I'll try tricking them to tell me. "Who would spread such scary rumors?"

"Someone special, that is all I need to say," he gave a sly smile.

'I'm sorry but nobody's a mage here," it would be best to avoid any unnecessary fights. But in case, I hid my hand behind me and prepared a spell. "We're also in a hurry so-"

"We're in a hurry as well," the glasses dude abrupted me. "So please kindly comply to our request."

He extended his right hand, as his left gripped the staff tight before saying, "So, I wonder which one is the mage?"

"...Nobody..." I felt nervous. A fight here will surely harm Nicole.

The two stared silently at us for a while before saying, "Okay, if you say so... We should leave, Claymarra."

"Yes," the bald guy agreed.

"O-oh," I somehow lowered my guard..

"...However," after he said that, soldiers began to surround Nicole and me. "We were requested to assist the capture of fugitives who threatened the mayor."

"This is bad. Nicole run!" I readied my spell.

"But you-"

"Hurry!" I raised my hand and released it. Fog emerged from below and engulfed the two of us.

"Don't let them escape!" the soldiers began entering the thick fog.

"Got you!" one soldier got hold of someone's arm.

Just then, the one with glasses stepped forth, raised his staff and slammed its tip on the ground. Doing so, he immediately blew the fog away. Only to his surprise, he only saw soldiers swaying their heads around.

"Hey," turned out the soldier was holding the arm of a fellow soldier.

"Hey, did they just vanish?" one soldiers asked.

"That's impossible! We surrounded the fog, nobody escape!" another shouted.

"Teleportation?" another asked.

"What happened here Myorlin," the Claymarra dude asked. "There was absolutely no one who got out of the fog."

The glasses dude, who was Myorlin, caressed his chin in deep thought as he walked towards the soldiers.

"Indeed, no mage should be underestimated," he smiled. "They truly are remarkable beings..."

And he began laughing hysterically. The soldiers around him looked at each other, yet Claymarra was as calm as ever.

"S-sir Myorlin, what should we do?" a soldier came forward and asked.

Suddenly, Myorlin looked at the soldier with wide eyes full of rage, "How dare you disturb me in my moment..?"

"N-no, forgive me sir," the soldier just lowered his head in apology, obvious fear emanating behind his helmet.

"Yes, you, who are lower than me shouldn't even speak..."

"Please forgive me sir!" the soldier felt stares of death.

"Did you lose your sense of hearing? I said don't speak..."

"Stop it Myorlin," Claymarra held his shoulder.

"Heh, this is why you're weaker than me Claymarra," he shoved his hands, turned away, and shrugged his shoulders. "You're too sympathetic. We are no longer of their level, so it would be best to not lower ourselves with them."

"All you soldiers should search the area," Claymarra ignored him and commanded the soldiers. "They can't be that far."

"No Claymarra. Don't make them leave," Myorlin grinned. "Or they'll really escape..."

"What do you mean?" the bald man narrowed his eyes.

"Exactly what I said," Myorlin faced him. "Dispersing our soldiers here would make the mage and the fugitive escape."

"...I see what you mean," Claymarra closed his eyes, understanding what his grinning comrade meant. "I really do have more to learn."

"Now soldiers!" this dangerous person sneered. "Kindly take off your helmets."

The soldiers looked at each other before complying to the command. To me, it spelled trouble.

"There she is!" a soldier pointed at the trees ahead before running towards that direction. Some soldiers went along with him.

However, before they could get away, Myorlin ignited flames to rise in front of them.

"No escape here..." the sneering glasses freak shouted. "Mage!"

"Hehe, thank you!" the soldier grinned before suddenly became fog.

"What?" the soldiers reacted.

"I'll be borrowing this!" I emerged from the fog and opened my palm at the flames. "Flame Wall!"

I wafted my hands towards them and the flames bursted towards them in the form of a humongous wall of flames.

Myorlin raised his staff and pointed it towards the wall of flames. But before he could use magic, Claymarra pulled him away.

"What are yo-" and he was silenced by the pillar of flames which emerged seconds where he was. "Strong... So strong! Mages really are amazing!!!"

"Kugh," I felt the pain in my left hand as blood came out of an open wound. "At least Nicole is safe for now."

Good thing the night was cold, amplifying my magic further. I coated Nicole and I with invisibility using water magic. If only that soldier hadn't grabbed my arm, I would've escaped with Nicole. Hopefully she's already far towards the church.

Just as I was about to cast another spell, the ground below me felt hot. I instantly jumped to the side. However, roots suddenly grabbed my foot.

"Oh no," flames bursted below me in the form of a pillar, just not as big as mine.

"Did we get her?" Claymarra asked with his staff held in front of him.

"Of course," Myorlin was just grinning. "But not much."

I jumped towards them and slammed a spell, "Take this you fakers!" A large magic circle shone, and rained down large chunks of earth and soil.

Claymarra put up a barrier but it wasn't that strong. After shielding some of my attacks, it broke and allowed some to deal damage to the soldiers. Myorlin shifted his fingers from up to down, weighing the gravity around me.

"Hey-ahh!" I heavily fell to the ground face first (it hurts imma tell you that.)

"Surround her immediately!" and by Claymarra's command, the soldiers surrounded me, pointing their spears at me.

"Not a chance!" I reformed the ground and had spikes emerge to shield me.

"Reforming! Amazing!" Myorlin admired what I did. "How about this!"

He then summoned a white circle below me, losing his gravity spell. He slammed his staff to the ground and lightning fell towards me. Fortunately, I managed to cast a barrier. But not strong that the lightning pierced through and hit me directly.

"...Y-you dare..." I struggled to stand. Their magic wasn't that strong to begin with. Although the old faker was stronger, I wasn't in a good condition already.

Soldiers surrounded me once again. In every move I make, one of them would hit me with the neck of the spear, "Hey stay still, will you??!"

"Take her to the carriage, we are to take her to our dungeon," glasses guy took a good long look at me before bowing his head. "Witnessing true power was satisfying. My sincerest of gratitude."

"...Heh, you're welcome," I almost meant it.

He smiled before raising his head, "Take her to the carriage."

Just as a soldier grabbed me by the shoulder, I casted an instant, yet secret and immediate spell, "Switch."

And so, I managed to switch bodies with him.

The one inside my body then began to question, "Hey, what's going on? What happened to me???"

"You got captured, that's what happened to you!" I then have to act the part of being a human guard. "So stand up!!"

"Hey wait, you got it all wrong! I'm not a mage!" he struggled to fight back but my weak fragile body disabled him from doing so.

We then took my body with him in it to a prison-like carriage. He did his best to explain while I countered it all. As we placed my body inside, I went in the carriage too but...

"Hey, where do you think you're going Nathan?" one soldier held my shoulder.

"I-inside of course," I said to him about to enter.

"What you have a thing for little girls now? Get out of there you jokester," he laughed as he dragged me away and closed the door with my body in it yelling for help.

"But what if she gets out of there?" I tried reasoning out.

"Hahaha! What's wrong did you? Are you still drunk from last night's booze?" he punched me, or rather the body I had, on the shoulder. "You were there when Sir Myorlin explained those prison bars to be anti mage."

I was shocked to know such an object exists. Never before have I heard of an anti mage item. It most likely came from those faker mages.

I went and touched the steel bars myself but felt nothing. Does that mean these bars aren't truly effective? How pathetic humans could be?.. Wait, I'm inside a human body right now... It can't be that... I left my magic capabilities in my real body... right? I mean magic is from the soul. I tried doing a small flame magic but... Why is nothing coming out?

"You!!" the one in my body came near me. "You're the real mage here! You switched bodies with me!!!" As he tried to grab me, he was hurt by the pillars and stepped back, "Why?.. What's going on?!!"

"Hahahahahaha! See? What more proof can you show us?! You stupid mage!!" the other soldier laughed, making the others laugh as well.

"Look at her, telling she switched bodies with Nathan!"

"Hahahahahaha! What a lowly excuse!"

"Why don't you remove your clothes and show us Nathan's wiener then?!"

"Hey Nathan? What can you say about this?"

I simply froze and went silent.

"Hey, are you alright Nathan?" a soldier grabbed me by the shoulder.

I could only let out a, "Ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa....." while the others laughed with me.

I couldn't believe this is happening... Now what should I do?