Several Hours Earlier…

"I need you to do me a favor, Erwin..."

Erwin looked at Brenin with a mix of surprise and skepticism. For days, the two hadn't spoken. In fact, Brenin seemed to go out of his way to avoid him.

And now this idiot – Erwin thought – wanted a favor?

He was tempted to tell him off, spewing the harshest words that came to mind. But as he observed Brenin’s unusual expression, he saw something in his eyes. He seemed the same - the usual boring Brenin - yet, there was something off.

Because of this, and only this, Erwin grudgingly decided to hear him out.

"What do you want?"

Brenin, expecting hostility, was caught off guard by the response. He had braced himself to leave without an answer, but now that things were unfolding this way…

"Erwin, would you..." Brenin began, then fell silent.

His aim was to seek Erwin’s help without involving the professors. But given their strained relationship since the clash between Triton and Gygas, Brenin felt he had no right to endanger Erwin, despite not knowing exactly what lay ahead.

After a few moments of silence, Brenin revised his request.

"Listen, Erwin, if I don't return by 12:03, call Leonard immediately."

[Why would he...]

Erwin pondered the reason for such a request; Brenin’s expression and the feeling he had... it was certain something was wrong. Yet Brenin’s blank look didn’t help to decipher if something serious was about to happen.

"Are you in trouble?" Erwin asked, curiosity mounting with each second.

Brenin took a few seconds before replying;

"No, I'm not in trouble," Brenin denied, although he was unsure what would happen next.

He wanted to resolve this situation himself because it was he who had unwittingly taken those cursed pills. He wanted to do it without anyone's help. But in case things went south...

"Tonight, I'll be training particularly hard. If I'm not back by twelve oh five, call Leonard. I might have gotten hurt."

"Is that all?" Erwin asked skeptically, unsure whether to believe Brenin.

"Yes, that's all."

Brenin's plan was based on probabilities; he was sure that the encounter with hadn't been random. He thought that if he went to the gym at the same time – midnight – he might meet the mysterious boy with purple hair.

If the mysterious boy didn’t show, Brenin would return within three minutes. But if he did show and things went wrong... well, he believed that if the mysterious boy was as strong as he seemed, he could hold out for maybe five minutes...

If Erwin was quick, he might save him. But if Erwin was slow...

[Well, there's no turning back now...] Brenin thought, gripping his sword tightly.

"Alright, I'm off. I'm counting on you," Brenin said decisively, leaving the room without another word.

"Counting on me?" Erwin muttered, surprised by those words. Not just that, but also by Brenin speaking more than usual...

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Shortly before midnight...

Erwin couldn’t sleep. Brenin's vague words had left him with a bad feeling.

At first, he thought Brenin was really training and, as usual, overdoing it to the point of exhaustion, which was why he wanted Leonard’s help.

But the more he thought about it, the more it seemed forced, even for him, who wasn’t the sharpest of the boys.

So, he stayed awake until midnight, pondering those words, worried for Brenin. The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that Brenin had gotten into some kind of trouble he didn't want to admit.

"Damn it, I hope I’m wrong."

Frustrated, Erwin jumped out of bed; he slipped on his slippers and rushed out of his room. He wasn’t sure what his mind was trying to tell him, but if Brenin was hurt, or worse, he needed to bring Leonard.

Breaking one of the school rules, he used his mana outside the training hall, drastically increasing his speed to reach the teachers' dormitory; a beautiful mansion equipped with everything they needed, including accommodations for their families.

After a minute, Erwin arrived at the gate but found it locked; unlike the boys' and girls' dormitories, the mansion had no custodians or doorbells, so as not to disturb the teachers at night.

[In that case...]

Erwin didn’t panic. He decided to climb the tall fence surrounding the mansion.

The gates were several meters high, but Erwin knew that with the right amount of force in his legs, he could jump over it easily.

He focused his mana in his legs, ready to make a huge leap. But as he was about to jump, something stopped him.

"W-What?"

Erwin tried to move, but his body was frozen, as if he had turned into a statue.

It didn’t make any sense – he thought. He used all his strength, but he only managed to move a millimeter. It took him a moment to realize this wasn't a normal situation; it was mana.

"...Damn it!"

Erwin nervously looked around; left and right, but saw no one nearby. Which meant that perhaps the one who immobilized him was...

"Are you looking for me?"

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

Chills. That was the first sensation Erwin felt before hearing the cold voice behind him.

It was a sinister, dark feeling. One he had experienced before – but not as intense – against Rudolf.

[I-I'm in danger!]

Erwin's senses went into overdrive; he needed to get out of there, fast.

"RRRUARGH!"

With a scream of fear and an inhuman effort, Erwin regained control of his body, immediately moving away from the person behind him with a powerful sideways leap.

It was an enormous effort, but Erwin did it. He managed to move! And finally, he could see who was behind him.

When he saw the mysterious figure, Erwin was surprised to find that it was Professor Durmuss.

"Professor Durmuss...?" Erwin stammered nervously, looking the man up and down. If there was anyone he truly despised, it was Durmuss. He couldn’t forget how Durmuss had dismissed him as trash during his entrance test and had walked out in the middle of it.

[Of all people… this bastard] Erwin thought, annoyed not only by the lost time but also by the sinister presence.

"...You. You're the boy from the test? What are you doing here?" Durmuss asked, eyeing Erwin thoughtfully.

But Erwin had no time to waste. Several minutes must have passed, and right now, the only person he wanted to talk to was Professor Leonard.

"Professor, I don't have time for—"

"I asked you a question. What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, the pressure around them intensified drastically; while the professor seemed fine, Erwin felt completely crushed. The air became oppressive and extremely dense, making it difficult to even breathe.

[It's similar... similar to... Ron...] Erwin thought, realizing that the pressure was due to Durmuss' mana and, judging by its strength, Durmuss must have been on a level similar to Ron. And for Erwin, that was almost a surprise, considering he viewed Ron as "unbeatable."

"Not going to answer?" Durmuss pressed coldly, ignoring the fact that Erwin was struggling to speak because of the mana – "You know, I know many ways to make you talk. But none of them are pleasant. So—"

"I NEED TO SPEAK WITH PROFESSOR LEONARD! MY FRIEND IS IN DANGER!"

A shout pierced the night sky. It was all Erwin could say before he was again short of breath.

Durmuss looked at him intently. He was a man who didn’t trust easily, especially those he disliked or didn’t know. Initially, he doubted Erwin’s words, thinking he said that only to save himself.

But the more he looked at him, the more he felt that the statement wasn’t false and that he might have simply made a mistake.

"..."

Durmuss decided not to torment the boy further, suddenly releasing his mana. Erwin immediately felt relieved, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion, gasping for air.

"You need to save a friend?" Durmuss asked, observing Erwin closely.

"Huff... Huff... Huff... Y-Yes. At least I think..." Erwin replied, panting, trying to recover as quickly as possible – "I think he’s in trouble... and I need Leonard... to come with me... Huff..."

They were vague and strange words to believe – Durmuss thought, hesitant.

However, listening to the boy's heartbeat, he sensed no tension. And hearing his voice, though tired, he detected no hesitation in his words. For this reason, Durmuss decided to trust him.

"Leonard isn't here..."

"W-What?" Erwin asked, surprised.

"He's not here; he's a doctor," the professor reiterated – "He has a personal room in the infirmary for cases like this. Didn’t you know?"

Erwin checked his watch; it was already five past midnight. By the time he reached Leonard, convinced him to follow, and got to the gym, more minutes would have passed. He wasn’t sure if Brenin had returned to his room, nor if the boy was in danger. Everything was based on his small paranoia.

But if his worries turned out to be real, he couldn’t waste another second.

With difficulty, he got up, ready to run to the other side of the campus; but before he could sprint, Durmuss placed his hand on Erwin, stopping him again.

"Boy," Durmuss said, suddenly enveloped in a dense, sinister violet energy – "It's my fault for wasting your time. Let me help you."

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Brenin's POV

I found myself face-to-face with two "monsters," much stronger than they appeared. If I had any chance of escaping that purple-haired bastard before, those chances plummeted with the arrival of the new beast.

The newcomer's strength shocked me. I wondered if he was an Aura user, given the devastating impact of his blow.

His weapon, each time I looked at it, sent chills down my spine, and the pain in my body seemed to intensify.

[Is this... my end?] I thought nervously, glancing around for an escape route. [No, not yet. I still have too much to do before I die...]

I took a few deep breaths, trying to find strength and courage. I didn't have a weapon, further reducing my survival odds. However, I wasn't going down without a fight.

Gathering all my strength, I enhanced my body to the maximum with mana and the wind element. A chilly, grayish breeze enveloped me, making my body extremely light, increasing my agility and speed.

Despite this, I still couldn't use spells, which was a problem.

"Come on! Bring it on, bastards!"

"Are you sure you want to face us?" asked the purple-haired bastard, now wearing the same mask as the beast. "If you let us kill you without resisting, I promise your death will be—"

"Shut the hell up, you talk too much," I interrupted, tired of his words.

For a moment, silence reigned. I couldn't see their facial expressions, but their pupils, filled with veins, clearly indicated their fury.

"X, can I kill him?" the hulking man asked, gripping his iron mace.

"No, B. I'll handle this bastard. He's a wind manipulator, so you'd struggle to hit him with brute force alone. Leave him to me..." X hissed menacingly, spinning his scythes at a frightening speed.

[Good... You were the one I wanted to fight...] I thought. Facing B was too dangerous; I was almost convinced he was an Aura user, and it would have been suicidal to confront him unarmed. X seemed weaker in brute strength, and I preferred facing him over that mass of muscles.

X stepped forward, while I prepared for the imminent clash. To my surprise, we stood still, observing each other for a few seconds, with tension mounting for me.

Then, finally, X spoke.

"Before we start… let me warn you, boy," he began, as his mana started to materialize, increasing the pressure in the room. "I know what you're thinking, idiot. You want to fight me because you're afraid of B, right? Well, let me tell you this: I may not be as strong as my companion B... but I'm much more dangerous..."

Those words, spoken with a cold tone and a steady gaze, made me realize X wasn't lying. I immediately understood what he meant by "dangerous" when he activated his ability.

Gradually, his body began to fade into nothingness, disappearing entirely before my astonished eyes.

[A-Arcane Magic?!]

I thought for a few seconds, then had no doubts: that was definitely Arcane Magic, the worst possible news. Arcane magics were rare and unpredictable, making their users extremely dangerous.

I looked around, trying to sense his mana, but felt nothing. Not even his presence.

[N-No... I can't feel his mana... or his presence!] I noted in panic. Then, while trying to figure out what to do...

*SLASH*

One of his scythes cut my right side, causing me to bleed profusely.

"A... Argh!"

In pain and fear, I tried to hit him, throwing punches blindly, slicing only through air.

"Not so cocky anymore, are you?"

I heard his voice behind me. I quickly turned thanks to the wind element boost, trying to hit him with a spinning kick. But he was nowhere to be seen, and I stumbled, falling clumsily to the ground.

"Ahahahah!" X burst into a hearty laugh. "You're funny, you should see yourself!"

Nervously, I got up, but as soon as I stood up...

*SLASH*

Another cut, this time across the tendons of my ankle.

"Urgh... Uargh!" I screamed, crouching down in pain.

"Don't scream like a little girl!"

This time he didn't cut me, but delivered a violent kick under my chin, lifting me off the ground and crashing me down. My neck ached and I lost a few teeth; if I hadn't strengthened my body with mana, that blow would have broken my neck.

I was terrified. I felt death approaching, but I didn't want to give up. I took a few breaths and, despite the pain, got up, trying to analyze the situation.

"Uh? You got up again? Do you really want to die in agony?" X asked, surprised to see me standing.

[Don't listen to him... focus!]

I closed my eyes, trying to find concentration. I couldn't see him, sense him, or hear him, except when he spoke by his own will...

*SLASH*

With a vertical cut, he slashed my back. The pain was worse, but I held back from screaming.

"Oh, you want to act tough? Let's see how long you last!" X exclaimed.

But I heard something else: a step.

i Waited in silence. I had started to understood his ability and how it worked, but i wasn't enterely sure. So I waited, waited, and waited, until...

*SLASH*

This time he made a perpendicular cut to the previous one on my back, forming a bloody "X". The pain was unimaginable, but I had figured out "the trick".

"Hey, this isn't fun! If you want to stand still, then I'll kill you this time..."

[Well... at this point, I might as well take a risk...]

I stabilized my mana, making it circulate around me at an extremely low level, so as not to arouse suspicion. I waited and waited, until after a few seconds...

[...I GOT YOU!]