Aiden pressed his back against the crumbling stone wall and peered out from behind a part of the collapsed roof.

A group of bulky, armed men marched through the debris-littered landscape.

The self-proclaimed king was using a lot of men to scour the countryside, looking for signs of magic as well as “shady individuals” threatening the current government.

Fortunately, they passed without pause. Rogues, soldiers, cats, and dogs had scoured ruined homes many times, so no clues remained in plain sight.

Yet Aiden hesitated; he knew his only chance lay before him, so he refused to move until it was safe. And he didn't want any trouble either.

One of them stopped and cocked his head as if listening for something.

Aiden held his breath as a chill swept over him, the silence punctuated only by the beating of his heart that echoed in his ears like bells from the tallest tower in Iridia.

Finally, the muscleman lumbered after his comrades again and Aiden’s pulse started to calm down.

Aiden breathed a sigh of relief, convinced that he had evaded the prying eyes and ears of his pursuers.

He emerged from his hiding place and ventured towards a crumbling ruin at the village’s edge.

The remnants of once vibrant terracotta walls now bore the gruesome stains of dried blood, evoking a chilling sense of dread that weighed upon his heart.

He swallowed hard as stepping through the threshold, recalling the last time he was here and pushing away any weaker thoughts that tried to enter his mind.

Brushing away some of the debris revealed a colorful patterned carpet. Looked almost grotesque in this ruin. He thanked himself that he had glued its edges to the floor long ago.

That was probably why no one had found the hatch, too. He struggled with it a bit before it loosened.

As the voices drew nearer, he realized he had nowhere to hide. Aiden scrambled for a plan, ready to use his poor word illusion skills instead.

All his concentration flowed into one thought: to form a continuous web around himself. Its soft shimmer delighted him as nothing had in a long time.

He wasn’t very good at word illusioning, but it was definitely a result that might save his ass.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

The group of likely travelers heading to Sentara didn’t look dangerous. However, these days have already brought too many nasty surprises, so...

Keep it up, Aiden. Cheer for himself.

The entwined lattice of cobwebs gently frays at the seams, akin to a delicate dance of gossamer threads unwinding.

He closed his eyes, mentally weaving it again.

Grass, bushes, herbs, rocks, dust, the breeze... the breeze did not take place.

Without its movement, the picture looked artificial.

So he changed tactics and worked with static objects instead: dirt, a broken bottle, stones, and charred wood.

The group was approaching. They were almost upon him. He hoped none of them could sense the flowing magic.

Otherwise, he was dead.

Very dead.

Two women and a man began to search the ruins. When they found nothing, they moved on - all except for one woman who stopped just beyond Aiden’s webs and seemed to sense something unusual.

All his muscles ached as she looked around before finally turning her gaze to him. The woman reached out her hand to feel the surrounding air as if trying to understand what was happening.

His mind screamed at her to move away, while he concentrated all his energy on holding up the now-thinning web of protection.

It was tight.

He tried for a moment to tear out a piece of rock nearby with his gaze.

Nothing happened. He hadn’t chipped off a single piece.

Moreover, because of a lack of concentration, a gap began to emerge at the center of the net again. The woman stood quietly. Her gaze slowly made its way to him. She looked as if she was trying to take in every detail through her eyes, mouth, nose, and ears.

He couldn't help but notice the warm, golden-brown hue of her eyes.

Lost in the moment, he momentarily forgot to focus his attention. The world around him transformed into a chaotic fusion of unrelated words and visuals.

Apple, cat, jar, peacock feather, knife.

What! Seriously? Now he thinks of crap like that? He shooed the words away before they transformed into an image.

The woman with beautiful eyes wrapped herself more tightly in her cloak and turned to the others.

Something fell out of her pocket.

"There’s nothing here, Lantera." A young man spoke up in the direction of the woman near Aiden.

“Ok. So let’s move; At least, grab those few logs on the right. We’d better hurry. Don’t want to be caught by a night patrol. Besides, everyone’s already waiting for us at the Full Pot.” said Lantera, urging the group.

Melog went for those logs. He didn’t really want to drag them all the way to Sentara with him, but he knew they’d come in handy.

The shorter woman, her gaze sharp and intense, brandished her dagger at Lantera with irritation. “Quiet, Lanty.”

Lantera chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Relax and put your dagger away. No one’s around to hear us.”

The dagger-wielding woman scanned the surroundings one last time before easing up. All of them were aware of the reason behind her annoyance, and it didn’t astonish Lantera in the least.

To Aiden, their departure felt like an eternity.

When they finally left, he released the magical web, allowing it to dissipate into the air.