image [https://i.imgur.com/XIZL0SH.png]

“Absolutely not!” Taiyo shook her head and stared into Victor’s eyes firmly.

They stood within her magic circle. Currently, there were no more magic beasts, giving them a breather and Victor an opportunity to explain his plan.

“But this could actually work–”

“I’m not agreeing to a plan that’s going to get you killed!” Taiyo said.

Was she always this uncompromising?

“It’s not like I’m happy to jump headfirst into danger,” Victor said. “But what other options do we have?”

“There has to be some other way…” Taiyo said. Her body slumped, though she still maintained eye contact with him.

“It doesn’t mean I’ll get hurt,” Victor said. “I’ll simply lure the beasts into one place, then we can think of a way to destroy them at once.”

The last battle had confirmed it.

Now that Garyu was dead, the beasts were after him.

This made him the perfect bait.

“You will get hurt!” Taiyo said. “Besides, how are you going to get away from that thing?”

Victor looked over to where Taiyo was pointing. The Demonified Sun Fox was currently going on a rampage. Its enormous frame towered over the nearby houses, and it destroyed buildings as it moved. The two bulging purple forelimbs growing out of its abdomen were like blades on a fulcrum as it wreaked havoc on the village.

Victor could feel his palms sweat as he watched the scene.

If that was the beast king, then it most likely would also be after him. Whatever, or whoever, was controlling the beasts had stopped. They seemed to run off instinct.

And those instincts wanted to kill him. However, he couldn’t tell Taiyo any of this.

“Don’t worry about it.” Victor forced out a smile. “I’m a Mythril adventurer, aren’t I?”

Taiyo’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Victor could feel his smile tug at the corner of his lips.

Taiyo sighed. “Fine,” she said. Her shoulders loosened just slightly. “But the second you’re in any danger, promise me you’ll get out of there.”

“I promise.” Victor nodded.

“However,” Taiyo said. “Distracting them is only one part, you’re not powerful enough to defeat them all by yourself.”

Those words were true, but they stung. Just a bit.

Victor frowned, putting his hand to his chin.

“You’re not wrong,” Victor said. “That Sun Fox is a magical beast capable of absorbing massive amounts of Sun Energy. That’s why Garyu could not defeat it. It simply absorbed his attacks.”

Taiyo made a hmm sound in her throat.

“Absorption…” she said. “Would there not be a limit to how much it can absorb?”

Victor’s eyes widened, and he grabbed Taiyo’s arm in excitement.

“That’s it!” he said. “We just have to overload the Sun Fox. Once it can’t absorb any more Sun Energy, its own organs should fail!”

“R–right.” Taiyo’s cheeks turned red as she looked at her arm in his hand.

Victor hurriedly let go.

Taiyo coughed, putting her hand to her mouth.

“But there’s practically no Sun Energy left,” she said. “And where are we going to find a mage powerful enough to control such a massive amount of Sun Energy? Not even Garyu’s was enough.”

Victor furrowed his brows, then released them in contemplation.

“Garyu’s mistake was refining his sun energy into a super concentrated ball,” Victor said. “What we need is a large quantity of Sun Energy that will overwhelm the creature…”

This time Taiyo’s eyes widened.

“You mean…”

Victor nodded.

“I do.”

Taiyo shook her head, her shoulder slumping.

“I can’t do it,” she said. “My father is the one who casts that spell. I don’t have the magical power necessary or the level of skill.”

“You have the skill!” Victor said. He looked straight into Taiyo’s eyes. As he spoke, her lips parted slightly. “You’re the most talented sun mage I’ve ever seen, Taiyo. Nobody has ever reached your level at such a young age. Your control over magical energy is way better than any Rank 1 Sun Mage. Better than even Garyu.”

Taiyo gulped as she heard this, and her eyes stared back into his own. Victor could feel his heart rate increase slightly.

But Taiyo shook her head.

“Even if I have control,” she said. “I’m not powerful enough to command that much sun energy.”

Victor held his chin out high, and he smiled at her.

“Then we just have to strengthen you.”

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Scene 2

Victor frowned as he stared at the Eleven Sun Mages in front of him. Several of them were unconscious, a side effect of magic drawback. Their families stood beside them, various expressions of concern and fear for their lovers plastered across their faces, and the dimly lit temple room gave a disquieting feeling.

“Victor…” Khang said, his chest heaving up and down as he lay on a prayer mat. Sweat trickled down his forehead. “Where’s… Garyu?”

“He’s dead,” Victor said.

Nearby, Victor heard a sound come from Kamal’s throat, which he hurriedly suppressed.

“I see…” Khang’s chin lowered, and his eyes turned downwards.

“What happened?” Victor asked.

“The spell Garyu cast,” Khang said. “It ripped all the Sun Energy out of our bodies, giving us magic drawback.”

Victor scowled as he heard this. Blood enchants were not supposed to be this deadly for the ones providing the magical energy. Whatever spell Garyu used, he had clearly altered it.

That explained his stupid levels of power.

Victor clicked his tongue. He was going to perform a second blood enchantment, one directed towards Taiyo. Using the eleven mages, he could have linked their magical energy together, giving Taiyo the power she needed.

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“What do we do now?” Taiyo stood beside Victor and pinched his sleeve.

“Victor, why have you returned?” Kamal asked. “Has the threat been vanquished?”

“Far from it.” Victor shook his head, and he explained the events that occurred. He told Kamal about Garyu’s death, and their current predicament.

Kamal sighed as he heard what happened to Garyu.

“That son of mine remained a fool to the end.”

Kamal clasped his two shaking hands, offering a silent prayer.

Taiyo closed her eyes and prayed alongside him.

Victor stood beside them.

“So…” Kamal opened his eyes. “You want to cast the embrace of heat, is that correct?”

Victor nodded. “That magic sun has the energy to overwhelm the Sun Fox. However, without the mages the plan might not work,”

“Embrace of heat along with a blood enchant….” Kamal frowned and put his hand to his chin.

Victor hung his head downwards. Without the mages, what would they do?

“This is still doable,” Kamal said.

“What?” Victor’s eyebrows raised. “But how?”

“A foreigner like you wouldn’t understand.” Kamal shook his head and turned to Taiyo.

This old codger was still calling him a foreigner?

“Taiyo,” Kamal said. “You’ve studied the spell for 'embrace of heat' your whole life?”

“I’ve studied the sun god’s scriptures,” Taiyo said. “Under father’s tutelage, I’ve not studied the spell itself–”

Taiyo’s words stopped in her throat.

“Girl,” Kamal said. “The Scriptures are the spell.”

Victor’s eyes darted between the two of them in confusion.

Kamal sighed as he stared at him.

“You’re not a mage,” Kamal said. “So you may not be aware of this. But every spell has fundamental principles that it is based on. Understanding the principles is a journey that each mage has to undergo before they can advance to the next stage.”

“Okay…” Victor said, not quite following.

“Taiyo,” Kamal said. “What is the fundamental principle behind Embrace of heat?”

“A linking spell…” Taiyo said.

Victor yelped.

“You mean that every villager here knows the spell?”

“Damn right they do!” Kamal said. “What kind of devotee doesn’t know their own scripture?”

Victor’s eyes widened. If this was true, every citizen had knowledge of the Embrace of heat.

They didn’t have only eleven sources of magical energy.

They had nearly forty.

“Taiyo,” Victor said. “This will work!”

“...” Taiyo gripped her hands together.

“Taiyo?” Victor said.

“Can I really do it?” Taiyo asked.

“Apologies for interrupting.” A lady walked over to them. She had tear stains near her eyes, and she was holding onto a piece of cloth that she clutched close to her chest. It was the boy who Victor couldn’t save’s mother.

“I overheard everything,” she said. “Taiyo, you are the blood of the high priest, with Garyu gone. You are the strongest and highest command in this village. Whatever your will is the will of Yiho himself.”

“I–” Taiyo said.

“Please,” she said. Every single villager approached them. Thirty-seven faces gathered around them at the behest of Kamal. They all stared at Victor and Taiyo. Different faces, different expressions, different ages. But they all had one singular look in their eyes.

She knelt on one knee, bowing her head towards Taiyo. “Avenge our fallen, sun priestess. Save us,”

Every villager knelt down, and they repeated.

“Avenge our fallen, save us.”

Taiyo gulped, and Victor put a hand on her back, giving her a little push.

She looked back at him, and he gave her a smile and a nod. Taiyo pushed her chest out, taking a deep breath. She addressed the villagers kneeling before her.

“With this responsibility gifted to me by God, Yiho,” she said. “I vow to bring the sun down to earth, and vanquish this darkness that looms over our village.”

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Scene 3

Villagers ran back and forth within the temple room. Several of them carried prayer mats, each of them layering them down inside the room. Taiyo and Victor stood in the commotion. She stood beside him, clutching her hands to her chest.

“Be careful,” Taiyo said to him. “I won’t forgive you if you get hurt.”

“I better not get hurt then!” Victor laughed loudly.

Taiyo stared unblinkingly at Victor’s face. Those same piercing eyes. There was no golden light in them at present, but they seemed to shine, regardless. Those eyes could pierce his soul, uncover his darkest secrets.

And currently, that was the last thing Victor wanted.

He looked to the side, averting his gaze from Taiyo slightly.

“I’ll be fine,” he said. “You’ve got your part to play. I’ve got mine. We’ll each do our bit.”

Taiyo’s eyes narrowed. And the tone of her voice changed slightly.

“Victor,” she said sternly. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?–”

“High priestess!” someone shouted. “The spell is about to begin!”

Taiyo gave one last look at Victor.

“Take care of yourself,” she said.

“I will.” Victor nodded.

Taiyo turned away. Her curly black hair swayed as she walked. Victor let out a sigh, and his shoulders dropped slightly.

I’m sorry, Taiyo. He thought. I might not be able to keep my promise.

The Villagers organised themselves neatly into rows of 8. Victor noticed there was one person distinctly missing.

“Where’s Yuuki?” Victor asked.

“Right behind you,” a voice said behind him. Victor turned around to see Yuuki standing there.

“Aren’t you joining them?” Victor asked.

“I’ve not learned the scriptures like they have,” Yuuki said. “I can’t help with the spell.”

“I see,” Victor said. “Keep watch then, Yuuki. You’ll be the only one who can remain mobile.”

Yuuki nodded. “Got it.”

Victor watched Taiyo from the back of the room. She sat atop the stage in the temple room, before the statue of Yiho.

“God of light and sun,” she chanted.

“God of light and sun,” the kneeling villagers followed.

Taiyo opened her hand, and threads of golden light spun within her palm. Each thread extended out, touching each of the villagers, forming a connection of light between her and the villagers.

“Gather the power through which you’ve blessed this land,” she said.

“Gather the power through which you’ve blessed this land,” they repeated.

Threads of light emanated out from each villager. Like lotus flowers beginning to bloom, the threads extended outwards from each connection, attaching itself to the world around them.

“Bind us with your divine chains.”

“Bind us with your divine chains.”

The threads of light grew, multiplying in size. Forming cords and links between each villager. They went from threads to strings, and from strings to ropes. Each one flowing back to Taiyo. The Temple room filled with light, and Taiyo’s body gained a golden hue as she sat atop the stage.

Victor sucked in a quick breath as he watched her. Garyu’s blood enchant gave off a sense of violence and doom. How did hers look so different?

A bloodthirsty howl echoed in the distance. It rang deep in Victor’s ears, and he chewed the inside of his cheek.

The Beast king was coming.

Taiyo and the villagers continued to chant, completely unaffected by the howl.

Are they that immersed in the prayer? Victor thought.

Taiyo opened her eyes, and they shone, radiating a golden light.

“Let the sun descend upon us!” she spoke. Each word seemed to reverberate through the room.

“Let the sun descend upon us!” the villagers called.

Sun Energy swirled in front of Taiyo. It gathered, forming a tiny ball. The threads extended further and brighter. The magic energy grew to the size of her body. Victor could feel the heat coming off the magic sun, making him sweat.

The roof above them cracked, and with a howl that sent shivers down Victor's spine, dust flew everywhere as the night sky revealed itself above them. The walls of the temple came crashing down, and vibrations travelled through the area, unsteadying the platform beneath them. Throughout all of this, the villagers and Taiyo didn’t move an inch. Each of them paying no heed to the surrounding destruction.

Two giant, and menacing purple eyes shone down from the rooftop. He looked upwards and smiled in a cold sweat.

“So you’ve finally come!” Victor shouted.

A maw dripping with blood stared at him. Victor noticed a hand hanging outside of Garyu’s mouth. He looked hurriedly at Taiyo, and the size of the sun had grown to double the height of a man, but it was not enough.

Victor grabbed a nearby rock that fell from the rubble. Adrenaline pumped through his body, and he twisted his body, rotating his arm backwards.

“Sorry to steal your food, mate,” Victor said. “But that body will come in handy!”

Victor tossed the rock, hitting the creature square in the nose. It howled in pain, dropping the body within its mouth. Blood and sinew dropped to the floor, and the corpse was missing a head.

“Garyu…” Victor thought.

Golden light came off the body, the golden threads crept towards the body, funnelling the magic into the magic sun. Its size increased.

I’m not a fan of extracting magic out of blood, Victor thought. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

The beast king’s nostrils flared. And Victor yelled at it, dashing out of the room. It howled, chasing after him,

“This is where my part begins!”