Ray

“I have to say, I don’t consider myself particularly lucky, but this is an unexpected stroke of luck. To run into you here, in the wild, with your head bobbing around like it's on some kind of drug.

Tell me, did you get bitten by some insect? A surprise one? Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. But you can rest assured, I could have killed you anyway. I realized that I’d been lazy. And stupid. I was a noble, not a silly commoner. Now look at me! Tier 9, a new shield, and going to kill you in a few minutes. I even got a few element strengthening potions just cause.” Corriss said.

Ray had to admit, he sounded different from before. A little more insane for one. But he was wrong about one thing, Ray wasn’t impaired. Just overwhelmed. The sight was…a bit much. But it also told him that Corriss was going to attack soon. And what direction the attack was going to take.

Ray could literally see the yellow fire mana coalesce, and he could send blue glitter there to ambush it. Corris attacked, a spiral of fire heading towards Ray, a spiral that found itself strangled by a sudden influx of water.

But the spiral wasn’t done, the yellow mana began surrounding and neutralizing the blue glitter, little by little. Ray poured more, trying to keep the battle even. The only reason it was working was because the yellow mana kept fighting itself every few seconds.

The spiral was not its natural position, no, the mana wanted to be free. But Corris was a control maniac that wouldn’t let it. The revelation did little for Ray’s case, the fire was too strong as an element.

Glitter couldn’t stand in a direct confrontation with the Fire. The Fire was too strong. Corriss was right, had he caught Ray before the Trial thing he would have killed Ray. As it was, Ray was barely holding on.

What could he do? Hmm, Air? No, it would only help the fire. Fire couldn’t fight fire, and Earth would fall down. Wood would just burn…but it could consume the fire. And produce more, that would not be controlled by Corriss. Ray conjured green glitter, extending the branches of the nearest tree.

The branches caught fire, the fire spreading to the trees, and further into the forest. A forest fires. Corriss’ fire must be extra special to cause such a thing so fast. But it helped Ray. Corriss was in a place with more vegetation, and would have more problems.

Ray returned fire, strangling the rest of the spiral, and pelting the shield with rocks. The attack had no effect, whatever shield Corriss was sporting today, it was not easy to break. Ray took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing in focus. The tip of his wand glowed yellow as a drill-like structure of yellow glitter attacked the shield.

The point glowed yellow, a sole point of fire in a brown shield. The shield was hurting, though not enough to break. Ray concentrated his attention, relying on the forest fire to protect him. A mistake. The first sign was the smoke in his lungs that broke his concentration. The second was the heat on his skin. The last was the dozen snake-like constructs of fire surrounding him.

“Did you think I was as useless as before?” Corriss shouted from within the shield, his voice shrill. “I am now in possession of a mutated element! A mutated element, you hear me! The Fire of freedom burns with me. And that means that your little trip with the fire Ray, it just backfired on you.”

The snakes struck at once, all twelve heading for Ray. Ray panicked, his vision telling him that an ocean of yellow mana was heading towards him, ready to engulf him. The blue glitter he conjured was swallowed. The Earth swallowed. The Fire neutralized. Ray was helpless.

What could he do? What would save him? Wood would make things worse. Earth, Fire and Water were useless. Air, what could Air do? The only thing Air did was feed it…feed it. Fire wanted to eat. Air was food. Ray did not have time to think more, he acted.

The tip of his wand glowed violet, violet glitter headed out, making a trail of air away from him, towards the sky. The tactic worked, to a point. The violet glitter headed up, the yellow mana chasing it. But it did not work completely.

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Yellow mana turned back, heading for Ray, and then turned back towards the air again. Corriss was trying to exert control, but was losing the fight. At least for now. Fire of freedom. Corris had no idea how to use it, did it. The yellow mana eating itself, the fire making loopy loops.

Corriss was consuming more mana than him, Ray was sure of it. In fact, he would be surprised if it wasn’t several times what Ray was spending. The only thing Ray had to do was preserve through this, and Corriss would fall. As long as he survived.

The violet glitter parade ended as Corriss finally wrested control of his mana back. Ray sent air horizontally, trying to replicate it, but it only diverted it for a few seconds before it came back. The snakes combined as Ray prepared to defend himself. A dozen layers of Earth appeared, ready to defend Ray.

The yellow mana collapsed on itself, wasting itself to turn into a spiral-like structure. But it formed. Ray could not see Corriss through the shield that covered him, but he was sure the boy was exhausted. The only way Ray survived was if he was.

The spiral struck, the shield crumbled, and healed, strangling the fire. The battle continued, Ray desperately putting out the fire, the fire advancing. Earth plates fell through the fire, taking out a huge portion, water spontaneously took out portions of the snake.

Air ran feral, drawing fire everywhere but where it was supposed to go. Ray tried his best to waste time. The technique was succeeding. The advanced. Not stopped, no, Ray did not have the power to do that. But it slowed. And that was what he needed. The fire had broken through seven of the shield when an Earth plate struck a section that did not recover.

Ray saw his chance. A legion of blue glitter left his wand, countering the fire, and it worked. The fire was extinguished, though the forest still burned around him. Corris just didn’t have the mana to control it anymore.

Ray turned towards him, checking his mana meter.

343/12,400

The mana was minimal, but it would have to be enough. The shield was a problem, it might give Corriss the time he needed to recover. Ray attacked, feeling the shield out. The brown mana would move wherever his attack came, reinforcing the area. But how many areas could it possibly reinforce?

Ray struck, dispersing yellow glitter throughout its surface, and then combusting it all at once. The shield tried to compensate, sending mana here and there to get it safe, but it couldn’t. And then it glitched.

The shield began breaking in places, holes phantamising as its mana system failed. A loud blast and a scream later, Corriss came into view, wearing a burnt vest that was currently ash. But that was little compared to the giant twelve-inch hole in his chest. Corriss did not even have time to react before blood poured out of his body, marking his death.

A cry of pain split the sky, the cry of a man grieving. Ray felt the temperature lower explosively. The forest fire quited to nothing. A splatter of snow began falling as the weather changed. And then there was a bright flash of fire that extinguished the snow.

“I honestly cannot say how disappointed I am in the Academy. The rules clearly state that no one is to blame for any deaths caused in the hunt. Not to mention, Corriss was the one who attacked my son. I don’t remember you stopping that.” Aunty Ariana's voice sounded out, her meaning clear. Mage Erkland must have attacked him, or at least tried to. Aunty Ariana must have put a stop to it.

But that was not what most occupied Ray’s mind. The Trial thing, it had saved his life. But it was also convenient, very convenient. A bit too convenient, in fact. Now, who did he know that knew enough about the Fae to mimic a Trial, know exactly what it was going to do, and be powerful enough to do it right under the noses of the city's nobility?

A certain came to mind. Ray thought back to what Norman had said. The first time they’d talked, he’d said he was not supposed to talk to Ray. The outburst, what do you mean you’re blind? Well, what were the chances that he’d been talking about this new vision Ray had? The System had mentioned a Fae spirit, could Norman be one? What was Norman?

A weight emerged on Ray’s head as he looked up at the furry nose. ‘Ray, how did I come here?’. But Ray’s mind was not on the message, it was on the fact that Norman didn’t have any mana surrounding him.

The trees had some, the air some, Corriss’ dead body had some. But not Norman. The white fur glistened in the sun, settling in Ray's red hair. But not a speck of mana. The black eyes that stared down at Ray suddenly felt far more threatening.

Just what was Norman? And what exactly did this old cat want with him?