Emperor Allister and Duke Alexander were running while Ivan guided them. As they searched for Count Viktor, Ivan suddenly appeared, saying that Anastasia had nearly been shot by an arrow, if not for Callista, who pushed her out of the way and was shot in her stead.

He quickly commanded the platoon accompanying them to search the entire Academy and Capital for intruders.

"Anastasia!"

He shouted her name when he saw her teary eyes and Callista's head resting on her lap, with Ignis by her side. "What happened?" he asked, assessing the situation.

"She took the arrow meant for me, and... and I don't think she's going to be okay," Anastasia said helplessly, her voice trembling.

"It will be okay, darling," Allister consoled her before turning to Callista, who was in critical condition. Her skin was turning black, starting from her fingertips. Her blood was pitch-black, and her lips had taken on a shade of purple. She looked worse than a rotting corpse.

'How did it come to this?' Allister thought.

[A Few Minutes Ago]

"The bastard ran away?" Allister raised an eyebrow before scoffing. "Does he really think he can escape?"

"Don't say that, brother. You know idiots think differently from us," Alexander replied, patting his brother's shoulder. The soldier who had come to report felt his dignity withering under their casual insults.

"That's not exactly appropriate to say in front of others, Your Highness," Darren muttered after overhearing their conversation.

Darren was one of the Emperor's Secretaries, he has two and Darren is in charge of paperwork and management throughout departments.

"Your Highness!" Ivan suddenly appeared out of nowhere, startling the group.

"Ivan, why do you look like you've been through hell?" Allister asked, unsure how to process Ivan's disheveled appearance.

"A-Anastasia... was targeted... but Callista... got shot in her place!" Ivan explained with great difficulty.

---

[Present]

"Is this dark magic?" Duke Alexander asked, analyzing the arrow.

"It seems so," Emperor Allister nodded grimly.

"What do you mean? Will she be okay?" Anastasia asked, her voice full of worry. Both men hesitated.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Sweetheart, listen to me, okay?" Emperor Allister began softly, placing a reassuring hand on her arm. Anastasia glanced between her father and uncle, noticing their hesitant expressions.

"The arrow that hit Callista is slowly draining the magic from her body. No—it's already stealing her life force," Allister explained. Anastasia was horrified.

"What?" she sobbed. "But she'll be okay, right?"

Duke Alexander stepped forward. "She will. But first, we need to remove the arrow."

He reached out and carefully extracted the arrow from Callista's chest. She groaned in pain as he did so. The arrow was coated in a black, shadowy aura, which Duke Alexander immediately burned away in his palm before casting a protective spell over her wound.

"It's a miracle she's even alive with that thing in her body. But I can't do much more than this," he admitted.

"Can't we do anything else to help her?" Anastasia cried.

"We can," Allister said firmly. "Brazen can help."

He turned to Ivan. "Teleport them to the Tower of Lucis," he commanded. Ivan nodded without hesitation.

"We'll stay here to help Denovan chase the one who shot her," Allister added, and Duke Alexander agreed.

"Hurry, Ivan," Anastasia urged, her voice shaking as Ignis gently lifted Callista. A yellow magic circle formed beneath their feet, and their vision was momentarily consumed by light.

---

The Tower of Lucis is the magic tower of Mages, it's in charge of magic management throughout the Empire and is heavily influential in the academic field.

The Grandmage is oblivious to anything that was happening outside the Tower of Lucis, Brazen was reading through magical tomes in his study when the door burst open.

"Jacob, how many times have I told you to knock?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jacob is one of the young magicians who graduated early in the Academy, he is the only apprentice taken in by the Grand Mage to assist the future Grandmage that will take Brazen's place on the future.

Brazen had a lot of time in the world and often ignored his Grandmage work and focused on his research, his long ebony hair is tied back as his red eyes pierced through the book he was reading.

The poor apprentice is panting, obviously he was running up the stairs of the Tower of Lucis that could kill anyone.

"May I speak to you for a moment, Master?" Jacob panted, his face was filled with sweat and he was leaning forward on his knees tiredly.

"That depends." Brazen swiftly closed the book, putting it down on the desk and moved the chair to face him properly.

He lifted his feet up on the desk, leaning back on the chair as he smirked at Jacob "Have you finished the things I have tasked you to? I don't think you've been taking care of the research I've given you"

This made Jacob sweat profusely, looking away guiltily but then remembered why he was here in the first place. He was willing to apologize to a person like Brazen this time.

"I'm sorry, Master," Jacob apologized, panting for breath. "But the Young Master is here with the Princess and the Young Duke! One of his companions is critically injured!"

Brazen immediately stood up, the smirk in his face disappearing when he heard his words.

---

When he reached the main hall, he saw Ignis carrying an unconscious girl with Ivan and Anastasia following behind.

Brazen carefully assessed the situation and no matter how much he thinks, he couldn't get the gist of it.

"Ivan, what happened?" he asked, noting the nervous expression on his son's face.

"Father, you have to help her," Ivan pleaded.

Brazen was momentarily stunned by the desperation in his son's voice. He turned his gaze to the girl in Ignis's arms and immediately noticed something unusual.

"Calm down, everyone. She won’t die," Brazen declared. He gestured for Jacob to take the girl.

"Please, Sir Brazen, help her!" Anastasia cried.

"I'll do my best," he assured her, motioning for Jacob. "Take her to the room." Jacob obeyed without hesitation.

---

The magic on the arrow was called Leech—a dark spell known to drain the magic and life force from its victim. Brazen carefully examined Callista’s condition as he removed the remnants of the curse.

"Master, it’s almost impossible to save her now. The magic is spreading too quickly," Jacob said.

"Silence," Brazen snapped.

"But it’s not spreading randomly. It’s as if it doesn’t want to leave her body," Brazen mused aloud.

"Then how do we heal her?" Jacob asked, frowning.

"We need to transfer holy magic to neutralize it," Brazen replied.

"But doesn’t that mean she—?" Jacob began.

"Enough questions. Focus on the spell," Brazen cut him off.

As Brazen delved deeper into the magic within Callista, he noticed something strange: a red string connected to her soul.

"A red string?" he murmured. Following it, he discovered its connection to Ignis. His eyes widened in realization.

"Call the Young Duke," he ordered.

---

When Ignis arrived, he was immediately directed to Callista’s side.

"What’s going on? Why did you call me?" Ignis asked, confused.

Brazen explained, "There’s a thread connecting her soul to yours. Her survival depends on you. If you get hurt, so will she."

Ignis stared at him in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

"This situation is similar to the werewolves’ tales of soulmates," Jacob interjected.

"Are you familiar with it?" Brazen asks so Ignis slowly nodded with furrowed brows "The main idea of it, yes."

Ignis eyes didn't look at them, they focused on Callista's figure on the bed and couldn't help but feel a sense of irritation.

Ignis knelt beside Callista’s bed. "What should I do?" he asked firmly.

"Hold her hand while we transfer holy magic. It will stabilize her condition," Brazen instructed. Ignis obeyed without hesitation, clasping Callista’s hand tightly.