The sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the outside of the mansion. Like time itself froze, so did my body as I trembled while watching the smoke coming out of the hole on the ground just beneath my feet.

"Haah! I missed! Why!!" Leovhan hurriedly and shakily loaded more ammo into his gun which turned out to be a revolver.

"Oi, are you alright?" Felgard came to me as I was slightly frozen in fear of the sound. I didn't know why but the sound of that gun really got into me. Then I felt Felgard 's hands touch me and I was brought back to my senses.

"Oi! Snap out of it!"

"I-I'm fine already!"

"Yes! Finished!" Leovhan just finished and was ready to fire again.

"I won't let you!" I immediately castea shadow spell. "Darkness Grab!"

My intention was to wrap him in his own shadow, yet what happened was his shadow was given form.

:W-what is this?!" Leovhan squealed like a girl. "S-soldiers! What are you doing?! Help me now!!"

With quick response, the soldiers prioritized the coward and approached the dark figure.

It rose from behind Leovhan and started attacking people at random. The shadow creature looked like a cat but standing on two legs, having no eyes but a huge mouth as it bellowed so loudly.

"Oi, what is that?" Felgard then curiously went to the creature. The creature was busy pummeling the soldiers, it failed to notice the trembling Leovhan as he crouched in fear.

Meanwhile, I saw Milla's scarlet haired sister, Shammia, tried to run away.

"No you won't!" I immediately levitated and flew in front of her before she could get inside.

"You..." she seemed so enraged. "Because of you, she is still alive."

"Why?" I asked her as I slowly went down to the ground. "Sebas asked the bandits who sent them to kill Milla. They said it was the father. Your father!"

"Humph! How hard could that be? Of course all I did was pay the bandits extra to tell a lie," as she spoke, I noticed her trying to take something from her pocket. I didn't expect a pocket from an elegant red dress she wore. "Everyone really believed it was Father who sent them."

"I see, so since your father favored the eldest son whom wanted all shares to himself, he could be up to something," I prepared myself for whatever she might do. "And you took advantage of that."

"Heh! You really think I'm the only one who wants her dead?! So does that coward over there, as well as sister Mariandaveshvloendrina, especially the eldest brother Adamanthiniobellandero. Surely, even Xandelphinuaronnie too. We all want her dead! We just don't cooperate but still, we want her out of our lives!" (Hearing sir Xandel's name was quite a downer.)

Just then, Shammia took out a ruby colored dagger and attempted to plunge it deep into me, "You shall die first!"

I then released a small amount of realea from my body in the form of a shock wave which pushed her away, the dagger made loud clanking sound as it fell from her hands towards the ground.

"And she called you darling siblings," saying so, I clenched my fists tight, ready to punch her face, until I heard plenty of footsteps from inside the mansion towards us.

It was irritating to see more soldiers, so I stepped back outside. The shadow creature was slowly fading as it accepted more attacks from the soldiers. Turned out it wasn't ethereal as I expected as it's body slowly dissipated in the air. I turned to look where Felgard had ran off to, only to see him beating down Leovhan like a pulp.

"Hey, what are you doing? More soldiers are coming!" I shouted at him.

"Ah, ok wait a while," he then punched the full-of-lumps faced Leovhan one more time before letting go. He then came to me and asked, "So what now?"

"I don't know, maybe escape?" as I was thinking to myself, more soldiers came from behind us. "Ah, curses! Will they never stop coming!"

"What about a vanishing thingy?" Felgard recommend. "Like how you and that girl vanished like before?"

"I could, but being unstable might just teleport us somewhere random near here," I reasoned.

"Unstable?" he asked.

"Yeah, my staff broke during the fight against the bandits," I looked at my blood-coated hands before gripping them tight.

Without anything left in mind, I ran and grabbed my bag and prepared to cast a teleportation magic. Just then, soldiers have suddenly surrounded us. Those that Felgard I and have defeated then stood up one by one .

"Oi oi, are they zombies or something?" Felgard then took a stance fully prepared.

"Fool! It's because we didn't kill them!"

"Well yeah, but..."

Feeling my whole body shivering from fatigue and low on realea, I narrowed my eyes to keep focus on my surroundings despite my blurry eyesight. I thought if this could be the end of everything... Maybe I should be happy for Milla.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Stop all of this at once!" someone commanded in a loud voice. I turned to where the voice came from and saw sir Xandel coming out of the doors. "No one is to harm this mage. Nor anyone else! She is to be let go."

"Sir Xandel!" I exclaimed.

"You, Xandelphinuaronnie, why are you awake? Does that mean the others too..." Shammia backed away from him, who was now walking towards her.

"No, father and the other siblings are still asleep, as you planned. As for me, I already drank tea made by Sebas, which somehow fought the effects of the drug you placed on the drinks," Xandel was quite intimidating as he stood there with his pointy finger touched the center of his glasses. "Leovhanduchiarrano is just slightly resistant to such drugs. He is an addict. Perhaps he has taken something similar before."

"Why, why do you side with her? She has half of the entire fortune of dear mother while we share the other half! It's unfair!" Shammia was then slightly in tears. "I loved dear mother too. Yet she never paid me that much attention."

"And? What does our youngest sibling have to do with that?" he asked.

"It's all her fault!" Shammia shouted. "She was too clingy! Too selfish! She would always take mother's time. She would always stay by her side! She wouldn't let me be with dear mother! It's her fault! Her!"

"So what?" Xandel gave a very cold response. "What do I care about that? Am I supposed to sympathize you?"

Shammia looked devastated.

"Millavuenoghatthendillia did not take mother away. It was you who had no courage to speak to her."

Shammia's eyes widened even more.

"A flower would face where the light is, the same as how mother was attracted to Millavuenoghatthendillia's joyful energy and enthusiasm. You've always been like that Shammiallannamba... You don't make your move, only blame those who achieved. You pay no effort, yet curse those who did. Seriously, you're just a lowlife..."

"X-Xandelphinuaronnie!" she then picked up the ruby-colored dagger and attacked Xandel. "You!!"

Xandel merely slapped the ruby dagger away from her hands the moment it came close to his range. Shammia stopped the moment she lost her weapon, before kneeling on the cold unforgiving ground in tears.

"M-mother..." she whispered.

"Money, fame, love, hopes, these are all irrelevant items. All I care about is law and order. So practically your feelings don't matter to me, but your actions," he looked down on his older sister without a hint of care.

Xandel left her and went towards us. The soldiers then began to look firm and attentive upon his presence.

"Soldiers of Pheremoor, I am the grandson of Lady Afrivashkamiollefluerto, one of the golden pillars of Pheremoor kingdom. So if you know what's best for you, listen to what I am going to say."

"Yes esteemed one!" the soldiers responded with full respect.

"What was the reason you were all sent here?" Xandel asked the soldiers.

"Allow me to answer, esteemed one," a soldier near him requested.

"Go ahead," he said without even looking at him.

"As commanded by the high noble, Shammiallannamba Biovustheronnanmiose Mayoubhoughergoise, to eliminate a possible threat to mankind known as a mage, we came lead by commander Oulus Vayrha, to eliminate the mage to have been said to be located inside the Mayoubhoughergoise-"

"Summary please," Xandel looked annoyed.

"C-certainly!" the soldier responded. "Your sister wanted us to get rid of the mage."

"That is all?" Xandel now pierced his eyes at him.

"Yes, esteemed one," the soldier answered firmly.

"I see," Xandel removed his gaze from the soldier. "However, your commander is dead, and you heard everything my sister has confessed."

"Yes, esteemed one!"

"Therefore I shall give you a new order! Arrest Shammiallannamba Biovustheronnanmiose Mayoubhoughergoise! for the attempted murder of Millavuenoghatthendillia Edelvoughahndi Mayoubhoughergoise!"

"Yes! Esteemed one!" and the soldiers began to surround Shammia.

"What, no!" Shammia stood up. "You cannot do this to me! I am a high noble! Accusation against me is high treason!"

"Indeed, that is the law, although I myself hate it," Xandel went towards her. "However, between the two of us, you are the one with a criminal record. Therefore it is I who has the upper command."

"No, no!" Shammia screamed as the soldiers apprehended her. "This won't be my last! You Xandelphinuaronnie, and Millavuenoghatthendillia! I'll have my revenge!"

"I know," Xandel sighed. "I mean, the law has it's ways to pardon you..."

Shammia grinned before lowering her face as the soldiers took her away.

"Oi, that was easy," Felgard placed his wooden sword on his back and and his hands behind his head.

"Esteemed one? What do they mean by that sir Xandel?" my curiosity got the best if me and ended up asking him.

Xandel let out a sigh before speaking, "We high nobles are treated with a far higher position than the king of Pheremoor himself."

"Really?!" I was amazed.

"It's nothing special really,' Xandel looked annoyed. "It's because high nobles are family members of the golden pillars of Pheremoor. It's basically them that's really running the whole kingdom with their money and power."

"A-ahh, I see. So that's what this is about," So the soldiers are owned by the king yet once a golden pillar or a high noble says so, they will be dispatched immediately. "Basically the king has to be buddies with you high nobles to gain more might and power as well as permanence in ruling."

"Well, something like that," Xandel said as he turned his back towards the mansion.

Felgard behind me just tilted his head in confusion of the simple conversation me and Xandel just had. His face began to distort as he was analyzing deeper on his thoughts, until I punched him on the head.

"OI! What was that for?!" he was scratching his head. "It hurts."

I just kept silent as I walked towards the corpse of the dead old faker. Just looking at him filled me with rage. The thought of murdering mages because of magic yet now, it is them that has magic? This for me was more than insulting and truly unforgivable.

Felgard who was following behind me asked, "Strange for a human to have magic. Do you know how he got it?!"

"I don't," I clenched my fists tight. "But I'm willing to know how..."

Mages are still all over the world. Currently hiding away from those who wanted their blood to color the cold earth. Maybe someone out there, could be after the Tomb of Origin like me. Someone out there could also want to be an Astral Mage. I just hope I'll find him/her before the humans does.

"So, what now?" Felgard asked all of a sudden.

"Now? Oh, right!" I then ran after sir Xandel.

"Oi! Where are you going?!"

I did not answer as I was deep in thought.

"I won't get back in there! They'll chase me again!"

* * *

"Sir Xandel!" I shouted as soon as his back was visible. He was talking to some soldiers with a few servants around.

"Ah wait..." I remembered, I have no ear protection.

"Yes?" sir Xandel looked at me. The soldiers he was talking to looked me with fierce eyes. "Speak out."

"A-ah," I then brushed my safety off for now. "Will Milla really be alright?"

"I believe I told you last night. Sebas will be with her. As long as he is around, Milla will be safe."

"But that scarlet hair, Shammia..."

Xandel only sighed before saying, "You really do worry too much."

"No I don't..." I suddenly felt dizzy and weak. My overuse of unstable magic and fatigue had finally kicked in. I could only fall down before feeling sir Xandel catch me as I lost consciousness.