Rachel untied Davis from his restraints. "We need to go, he won't be gone for long," she explained hurriedly.

Still groggy from waking up, Davis looked around and realized he was in a basement. "W—" he started to question Rachel, but the throbbing in his head made it hard to speak. "What about the Academy?" he managed, rubbing his eyes.

Rachel finished untying his final restraint. "I'm not sure about that either, but I believe that the others are all right." Getting on their feet they assess the room closely, finding nothing useful.

Using one of the techniques they had learned in their lessons, Rachel focused her energy on the surrounding environment and sensed two people standing guard outside. The basement, they realized, resembled a prison more than anything else.

Rachel quickly thought of a plan and discussed it with Davis. After agreeing on the details, they began to set it in motion.

[ Groaning in pain.]

One of the guards kicked the door, and frustratingly shouted, "SHUT UP!" Ignoring the command, Davis continued his act. After a few minutes, both guards entered the room, assuming Davis and Rachel were still restrained.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Shut up or I'll—" One guard began, but before he could finish, Rachel knocked him out cold, quickly followed by the second guard.

After tying them up and gagging them with fabric, Rachel and Davis began their escape. They moved swiftly, knocking out and subduing anyone who crossed their path. It felt easy... a bit too easy. Reaching the front door, they opened it and aimed straight for the forest.

Before they could leave the front porch, Rachel forcibly pulled Davis back. "Wires," she said, pointing to the translucent lines in front of them. "What a sharp eye you have there, princess," a voice called out. Vincent emerged from the dark edge of the forest. "I almost had you," he chuckled.

Rachel focused her mana, forming a blade of wind that sliced through the wires. "The wires weren't reinforced? They were meant to restrain, not kill," she thought, quickly assessing the situation.

Davis and Rachel stood facing the man who had attacked them at the restaurant. The breeze added a layer of tension to the already charged atmosphere.

Without any other choice, they rushed at Vincent, and Davis used purely his magical spell to attack while Rachel using the blade that she picked up from one of the guards attacked Vincent relentlessly.

But their gap in experience and strength is evidenced as Vincent was playing with them, each of his attacks is non-lethal and his wires are focused solely on defense. Rachel used everything she knew to attack but nothing connected, as the battle went on their hope for escape dwindled.

"Mr. Davis, I had high hopes for this meeting. But I must say, you're disappointing me right now," Vincent mocked as Davis launched his attacks. Despite their increased power, none of them seemed to affect Vincent.

Growing tired of the assault, Vincent swung his arm, using three of his wires to form a claw that decimated the surrounding forest and ground, sending Rachel and Davis stumbling backward. Then, Vincent drew a blade and gestured for them to come at him.

Their battle intensified as Vincent expertly blocked and countered their attacks with ease. However, the more he fought, the more he felt himself losing ground. Leaping back, Vincent swung his blade, releasing his aura into the ground and creating a large smoke screen.

A powerful aura slash hurtled toward Davis, but Rachel swiftly blocked it with her blade. Another slash came from the side, and Davis used his spell to intercept it, though his magic shattered on impact.

When the dust cleared, Vincent smirked at them. His blade, now fully charged with aura, gleamed ominously. Raising it above his head, he brought it down in a devastating attack that far surpassed anything they had experienced before.

With their combined power, the two barely managed to block the attack, leaving them completely exhausted as the slash's energy dissipated. They were so focused on the assault ahead that they failed to notice the danger lurking around them.

Suddenly, wires flew at them from both sides and behind with blinding speed. The energy around the wires morphed into the shape of a dragon, which hurtled directly toward them. If the attack landed, their hopes of escape would be crushed.

In a split second before the attack landed, Davis's mother’s ring shone brightly creating a powerful barrier around them that unexpectedly stopped the attack surprising even Vincent, “I didn’t expect you to have something like that up your sleeve Mr. Davis” he said jokingly as he retract his wires.

The barrier successfully stopped the attack, but both the barrier and the ring shattered completely. Realizing they couldn't be confined with Rachel to devise a plan, Davis whispered, "Rachel, I don’t think we’re going to win. I have a plan."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Don’t worry about me, guys. Just keep talking... I'll wait," Vincent shouted, watching with interest. "What’s your plan?" Rachel asked, her eyes fixed on Vincent.

"I'll create a distraction, and you bolt to the right and into the forest," Davis suggested. "No, that would leave you alone. I’ll stay instead. I’m his target, not you, so I should be fine," Rachel rejected his proposal with stern determination.

Davis sighed. "I can’t. I’ve almost exhausted my mana, so you have to go. Hurry, we don’t have much time. You're faster and stronger, so go."

Unbeknownst to them, Vincent stood patiently, hearing everything they said. He smiled, amused by their conversation.

As Davis shot a fire spell at Vincent, causing an explosion, Rachel seized the opportunity and bolted straight into the forest in search of help.

"Not a bad plan, Mr. Davis," Vincent chuckled, his gaze shifting toward Rachel's direction. "You don’t seem too concerned about your target getting away," Davis remarked, hoping to buy more time for Rachel.

"What's there to worry about? She isn't our target to begin with, and besides," Vincent's eyes sparkled with gleeful amusement, "She's running straight in the direction of my backup unit," he laughed at Davis's realization.

After a tense stare-down, they resumed their battle once again. Meanwhile, Rachel, unknowingly, found herself face to face with a group of masked men who were on their way to the cabin. To prevent them from leading back to Davis, she bolted in the opposite direction, drawing them away from the fight.

Back at the Academy, Principal Wuldor and the other leaders convened once more. "After interrogating the captured intruders, we have discovered the location believed to be where they're holding Davis Edwelt and Princess Rachel, among other things" Dravon announced, his voice chillingly cold.

"Great, then let's head there ASAP," Garrick said, barely concealing his excitement at the news. Meanwhile, Alistair Helsar inquired, "What other information have we gathered?"

Draven sighed heavily before divulging his findings. "The man leading the infiltration goes by the name of Vincent. They seem to hail from an organization that operates in the shadows. Their network and connections have spread far and wide; spies and members of their organization are scattered across the continent."

He gestured, and his servant presented them with a piece of paper. "Vincent wore a spider mask, and eight other individuals were donning different animal masks. Surprisingly, this man Vincent appears to be the weakest among the nine leaders."

[ His words elicited surprise from everyone present.]

"We've interrogated over ten individuals, and they all provided the same answer: the organization worships a god called 'Thanatyr,' and each of the nine leaders has received divine power. According to them, Vincent excels in hunting down targets and infiltration," Draven summarized the paper's contents for them as they double-checked.

Draven concluded his summary with a frown, stating, "But the other eight leaders are far more cruel and deadlier than Vincent, and they're each ranked by their power level. At the top stands Leon. Not much information regarding the other eight is given, but this mysterious Leon appears to outrank everyone in every category."

[ He sat back, awaiting the others' responses.]

Aldric replied in an annoyed tone, "So, to keep it short, they're a bunch of crazy cult followers. But does this have anything to do with the kidnapping of the Royal Princess and a student?" Silence enveloped the room as no one could provide a clear answer.

After a prolonged silence, Principal Wuldor rose from his seat. "Whatever their motives may be, they have attacked the Celestial Academy. This act, in and of itself, is a direct affront to Celestia. After hearing the report, we must prepare for all possible scenarios in our rescue mission. This will also serve as a warning to this organization that Celestia is not to be trifled with."

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. Wuldor then continued, "We shall gather our best and most elite members for this mission. Let's regroup in two hours and depart for the location."

With unanimous approval, everyone hurriedly dispersed to gather their elite forces for the mission…

[ Back in the forest.]

Davis lay heavily beaten, gasping for air, while Vincent appeared unaffected. "You seem different," Vincent observed, questioning Davis. "Not as strong or charismatic as you were during the test."

Davis didn't reply. He knew why. During the test, it was K who had used his body. With each passing moment, his hope for backup wavered. Falling to his knees, Davis's eyes scanned the ground until they fixed on his mother's ring. He felt angered at Vincent and himself.

As Davis blamed himself, his mind unconsciously drifted to thoughts of K. Davis remembered K's confidence, strength, and how he always know what to do. He wished he could emulate him. These emotions slowly intensified, fueled by K’s dark crimson energy.

"I'm tired of our little game. Just give me what I want, Davis," Vincent rambled, stepping closer. Unaware of the rage building within Davis he gazed at the broken token of his mother's love.

Davis, consumed by anger and hatred, refused to let his effort be in vain. His emotions triggered the ruin left on his forehead by K before the physical test. Dark crimson energy surged forth, and Davis's injuries began to heal as he regained his footing.

With his hand clawed like a beast, Davis unleashed the crimson energy in an upward motion. It rushed at Vincent like a thundering tornado, destroying everything in its path.

The destructive energy was so powerful that it pushed Vincent back ten steps, shattering his sword that had been reinforced by his aura. This unexpected turn of events both surprised and thrilled Vincent. Turning to Davis, he blurted out, "Now that's the Davis I know! Come on, let's play!"

Fury and self-blaming engulfed Davis's mind as he stared at Vincent. His emotions blinded him to reason, driving him to rush at Vincent with purely animalistic attacks. With each swing, parts of the battleground were obliterated.

Vincent met the onslaught with a gleeful ferocity, relishing the thrill of combat he hadn't felt in ages. Their battle raged on, shaking the forest and all its residents with each devastating attack they unleashed.