Lorenzo removed the gloves and overcoat, which were now covered in Abel's blood, and with the flick of his finger produced a small fire.

He smelled the crisp scent of ash and the putrid aroma of boiling blood as the cloth disappeared from his sight, never to be seen again.

Now, Lorenzo turned to the town, where he would make his next move.

The murder had been successful.

He had managed to deceive Abel into thinking that he was actually a decent person.

Into believing in him, to the point of not so much as suspecting him, or checking for ill intent.

Abel was far stronger than Lorenzo, and Lorenzo would lose in a direct fight without a doubt.

However, this was only assuming Abel had a chance to fight back.

Anyone can be backstabbed.

No matter how strong someone is, if you get them to lower their guard then you can defeat them.

Lorenzo was merely making use of this tactic.

The fact that Abel was naive only helped him.

He needed Abel out of the way. His original plan was to hope that Abel would not spill the beans about his research to anyone, after convincing him that he was actually doing something just, but then this opportunity presented itself.

Lorenzo was completely disturbed and set back when he found out that the potential test subjects had been captured, but he quickly came to the conclusion that he could use this to his advantage.

He could use this monster as an excuse to get rid of Abel.

There would no longer be any chance of anyone finding out about what was really going on in his lab, so long as Abel was dead. It was as if heaven itself had sent this opportunity for him to blame the death on the monster.

It was ingenious. Lorenzo could not pass this chance up.

So right now, Lorenzo found himself running, working up a sweat to make it look like he had just seen something ghastly- something horrible.

He soon came to the training grounds, where the four companions of Abel were diligently working. On seeing him, they all gathered together, along with that old man, and prepared to greet him.

"It's.... it's terrible!! Have you all heard the news?"

"Lorenzo? Aren't you the one who was supposed to be teaching Abel?"

"Yes! That is me! But.... you boys.... something has happened!! Did you all not attend the meeting earlier held by Mrs. Fera? You have to come quickly!!"

The boys were filled with confusion on seeing Lorenzo looks as worried as he was.

"What's happened?", Logan asked suspiciously.

"Did you all seriously not hear the news about the monster!?"

"Monster?", Walter questioned. "What monster?"

"I.... I have to start from there? Goodness.... it's horrible! A monster has attacked the village! A horrifying humanoid spider! It attacked the orphanage on the outskirts and kidnapped 30 children!!!"

The boys looked at each other with shock and fear. Mr. Gherbalt had a serious look on his face as he furrowed his brows.

"But that's not the end of it!! When Abel heard this, he ran off on his own!! I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen! He said that he would take care of it himself!!! Please, come quickly to the mineshaft! He might be fighting that thing as we speak! We have to save him!"

The other boys quickly became serious after hearing this.

"Abel! I can't believe him....", Cody muttered.

"He would certainly do something reckless like that.... but I can't believe he was able to overcome his past and accept his own magic....", Logan commented.

"Let's go! We have to help him! What are you all waiting for!", Walter shouted, beckoning the others to head out.

"Please, follow me!", Lorenzo said, as the group rushed through the town.

However, the sight they came upon was a gruesome sight.

Near the entrance to the mineshaft, was a body.

A body which had been stabbed all the way through the chest, and was lying cold on the ground in a pool of blood.

It was of course the body of Abel.

Lorenzo rushed forward, putting his hands around the dead boy in an act.

"ABEL!!!! ABEL!!!! WAKE UP!!! CAN YOU HEAR ME!?!?!?"

Byron, Cody, and Logan all rushed forward as well.

"Abel!!"

"Abel!! Snap out of it!!"

"Abel!!"

Walter, stood frozen, unable to move- completely horrified at the sight of his dead friend.

"Who..... who did this? Who did this to Abel?"

Lorenzo faked some tears, wiping them from his face and biting his lip.

"Who else could it have been! It must have been the monster in there! I saw his picture! He uses weapons which are like long sharp lances, that could make a wound like this! The monster killed Abel!!!"

Walter fell to his knees, completely defeated. A set of tears began to drip down his unblinking eyes.

"Abel.... no.... Abel.... you didn't even live long enough to prove your father wrong..... you didn't even live long enough to show everyone that there was nothing wrong with being a magic user...."

Byron, Cody and Logan had been shaking Abel's body, but now they stood frozen upon seeing Abel's blank face.

There was not a shred of life within him.

Byron got up, his face filled with fury.

He walked over to the mineshaft, and raised his arm.

"AGH!!!!!!!!!!!"

He brought his fist down on the wood, breaking it in two.

He then started furiously pounding the rock walls of the mineshaft to the point where his own fist began to bleed as the flesh scraped off.

"WHY!!! WHY!!!! WHY!!!! He was the best out of all of us!!! Why did this have to happen to him!?!?!"

Cody and Logan merely stared with blank faces at Abel, and Walter pounded the ground in frustration.

"Why Abel? Why him!!!"

The old man merely stood back, watching this scene with sad eyes.

The boys had lost one of their important comrades.

There was nothing he could do nor say to help them.

He decided it was best to let them deal with this in their own ways.

"We..... we have to kill that thing.", Logan whispered, while holding up the head of Abel after turning the body around.

"We have to destroy the thing that did this. We can't let it get away with this."

Cody nodded blankly.

"Yeah... but first..."

A tear fell from his eye.

"We need to bury him."

Byron, who had cooled down a bit after smashing the wall furiously, walked over and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah...."

Lorenzo then raised his head and spoke to the group.

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"Boys. Don't be hasty. I.... I'm devastated from the loss of Abel as well, but you can't be hasty! You can't go after that monster on your own! It was powerful enough to kill Abel! You all probably didn't know this, but Abel became extremely strong after I trained him! Stronger than even myself! The monster who killed him is stronger than even him! It was because the monster was so strong that he took it upon himself to defeat that thing on his own, but he must have let his guard down at some point! You can't allow this to happen to yourselves! Be patient, and wait until tonight when all the people of the city will gather to exterminate this monster! If you go with the group, then there will be a much better chance of being able to work together to defeat the monster!"

Walter looked over to Lorenzo, and nodded.

"We.... we can't rush in blindly like Abel did. We have to make absolutely sure that thing dies today, no matter what. Even if it isn't by our hands."

The other boys nodded while biting their lips in remorse.

"Alright. We'll go prepare."

"Everyone will be meeting here at 7. Don't be late.", Lorenzo said with a squeak in his throat, as if he was legitimately struggling to hold in his bottled up emotions.

The boys picked up Abel's body, and brought it over to the town graveyard, before burying him.

In the Empire, burial happened immediately by the people who witnessed the death. The funeral would occur afterwards. This was to prevent the loved ones from having to see the maimed bodies of many who died gruesomely.

After burying him, Walter placed his hand on the small stone which they used to mark his grave, carving Abel's name into it with his sword.

"Abel.... we will definitely avenge you. We will definitely become the greatest mercenaries in the land, and we will show your father that your magic was nothing to be ashamed of.", he managed to squeeze out.

"But how can we do that without a magic user in our party?", Logan snapped.

"We... we'll find a way. Just as we always have."

The four walked away from the grave, sadly, and prepared for the upcoming battle.

----

When Abel was a younger child, he was raised by a loving mother and a caring father.

They were good parents, and raised him well.

Everything was peaceful.

But, this was before the rein of Percius had stabilized.

Percius IV was seen to be a radical Emperor at the time. Rather than the peaceful and wise Emperor that he was seen to be in the modern day, he was seen to be an idiot who was pushing his ideals, causing chaos.

Internal strife occurred due to his policies, and he was met with much resistance. He took control of three of the five legions at the time, and warred with the central military faction which had control over one of the legions. The remaining legion stayed neutral- the third legion, which was assigned eternally to the duty of watching the walls and preventing monster attacks.

It was an unspoken rule that, no matter what happened, the third legion was not to be moved from the wall.

It was their duty to defend humanity from the monsters, no matter what was gong on inside. If they were to be mobilized and used for human wars, that would be the same as inviting the monsters to attack.

The war between the factions was a bloody one, but it did not effect the people of Porta significantly as it happened close to the capital.

However, it was the policies which Percius was trying to implement which caused external effects.

Particularly, the institution of the mercenary system, and the legalization of the practices of magic.

Throughout the Empire, magic practice was considered to be a form of heresy.

The people who could not use magic feared those who could. Even if they swore not to use it, this was not enough to ensure their safety.

So, out of fear of these magic users, many witch hunts occurred.

These witch hunts were intensified when Percius was waging war to implement the legalization of magic.

"We have to destroy all witches and warlocks before magic becomes legal!!!!"

"We cannot allow the magicians to take over the Empire!!!"

"Percius is a fool! He doesn't realize that legalizing magic will only bite him in the back!!!!"

Percius, as an Emperor, was the subject of hatred and controversy.

However, Abel's parents who lived in the country town of Porta did not see much of this strife.

Until one day, when Abel was 5 years old.

A group of men arrived at his home, and started banging on the door one night.

Abel's father, wondering who it could be at this time of night, slipped on his slippers and made his way out of bed rubbing his eyes.

'Just what time do they think it is? Who could be banging on the door like that?'

Bang! bang! bang!

"Open up!!! This is the inspection team for the town of Porta! We've come to test the members of this household for magic!"

The mother, who was lying next to the father, quickly got up on hearing this.

"It's.... it's them.... the witch hunters.... I didn't expect them to come here....", she said with a frightened face while getting up to go wake their child.

"But we should be fine, right? None of us have any magical powers so we should be ok. Let's just let them test us and we should be fine.", the father said while fixing his robe.

"You... you don't know that.", the wife said while trembling.

"What do you mean I don't know that? Are you telling me that it's possible to have magical powers and not even know it?", he whispered.

"If you've never tried to use magic, you'll never know.... have you ever tried before? I certainly haven't...."

The father looked at the wife, eyes wide in surprise and shock on hearing this.

"Of course I would never try something as risky as performing magic! It would likely be a death sentence if anyone saw!"

"Then... we don't know. We don't know whether any of us hold magical powers. The same goes for Abel."

"Abel! We.... we have to hide him then! We can't let him get tested, no matter what! We... we should be fine, right? We can go get tested.... we won't have any magical powers.... but.... just in case, go hide Abel! Alright?"

"Alright."

The mother scrambled up to find the son, and woke him lightly.

"Abel. Shh... be quiet, son. I need you to do something for me real quick. Daddy wants to play hide and seek with you, so I need you to go and hide in the trap door over here. Ok? He'll never find you there! And if you win, he said he would get you anything you want tomorrow. Ok?"

Abel woke up, confused, but listened to what his mother asked of him, and smiled.

"Ok mama! I'll go and play hide and seek then!"

Abel walked over to the trapdoor, and opened it.

"I just have to hide in here?"

"And be sure not to make a peep! If daddy finds you, then he won't get you your reward! Ok?"

"Ok!"

Abel closed the trapdoor, and the mother pulled a rug over the floorboard to cover it.

She quickly rushed out to where the husband was ready to open the door. The men were furiously banging and screaming at this point.

"Oi!!! What's taking so long in there!!! I said we're here for an inspection!!!! If you take any longer then we will have to assume you're trying to avoid inspection, and we'll barge in!!!"

"Coming!!", the father shouted as he and the mother made their way to the door, and opened it to see a group of around 10 burly men with the faces of criminals.

"Finally! Now then, let us in. After a quick inspection, we'll perform the tests with these.", the man in the front said while holding what looked like a short metal cylinder, as they made their way into the house.

Abel's parents followed the men as they inspected every corner of the house.

"Is it just you two who live here?"

"Y-yes."

"Then why do you have two bedrooms?", the man asked while looking around.

"We.... we sleep in separate bedrooms. That's our personal life, which you all shouldn't be asking about.", the wife responded.

"I see.... I see.... then, you wouldn't mind if we took a look around to make sure you aren't hiding any children around here, right?"

"Of... of course not. Go ahead."

The men started looking around the house, checking every cupboard, nook and cranny.

"I wonder if there's anything under here?"

One man picked up a corner of the rug, lifting it up.

Abel's mother felt as if she had been dropped from the top of a building, her own heart overcome with a motherly terror unlike anything she had ever experienced.

Of course, they would be caught hiding Abel.

Even in the case that Abel was not a magic user, which was what the mother feared the most, they would likely assume that they were hiding the son for that exact reason.

If he was caught hiding, that they would immediately deem him guilty of having some sort of hidden magic without even testing him.

Abel's mother couldn't allow that to happen.

She didn't even understand herself what happened at this time, but her subconscious will as a mother kicked in at that moment.

She cast a silent spell.

[Illusion]

The man lifted the rug to reveal a set of floorboards underneath.

"Alright men. Nothing suspicious here. It seems they're clear, it's just these two. Let's get their tests done, and then we're good to go. I apologize for all the trouble, but we can't allow any magic users to be hiding in our society. I'm sure you all understand. What would you do if some magic user came into your home and attacked you and your wife?"

'What the hell is this guy saying as he barges into my home and inspects us?', Abel's father thought angrily.

The man then took out the stick.

However, there was something which Abel's mother didn't know about the magic detection test.

The sticks which the witch hunters used to tell whether someone could use magic were of low quality.

They could not tell whether there was internal mana within a person.

They could only detect mana which lingered- from the recent use of a spell.

Abel's mother was not even aware of it herself that she had used the spell. She was just as confused as her husband as to why it appeared as if no trap door was underneath the rug, but she thanked her lucky stars for whatever miracle had occurred.

However, it was then that the man held the two cylinders to the stomachs of the two.

The one in contact with the father remained as is. Nothing happened.

However, the one in contact with the mother began glowing a bright blue.

"We got one here!!! This woman is a witch!!!! Boys, take her out!!!!"

The men burst into action, unsheathing their weapons. Some of them held back the father, who's eyes were widened with surprise as he shouted and tried to force his way through.

"What are you trying to do to my wife!?!?!?! My wife isn't a magic user!!!! She's never used magic in her life!!!!!"

"Agh!!! Help me!!"

Three men held down the father, who was fighting so violently that he was lost in rage.

"Stop it!!! That woman is a witch!!! Don't resist!!!"

"NO!!!! GET THE FUCK OFF ME!!!!"

The father threw one man to the side, and two more jumped on him, restraining him.

"ENOUGH OF THIS, HERETIC!!! Or you will be killed as well!!", the leader shouted.

Three men surrounded the wife, and they all stuck their blades into her from three different angles simultaneously.

A loud shriek was followed by a thud and the sound of flowing liquid as the mother's corpse fell to the floor.

The men got off the father, who ran over to the wife, holding her in his arms.

The leader spat at the father as he held her.

"I don't think you knew about this, so I won't have you killed. But you should have been more careful at choosing who to marry."

The father shot a dirty glance at the man, but then looked back at his wife, who he held in his arms.

"No.... no... this.... why!?!?!? WHY!!!!!!"

The father put his head to the forehead of his wife, and sobbed.

"Those bastards... why.... why.... why did you have to have magic!? Why did you have to be a magic user!!! You never even used it once, and you didn't even know yourself!!! Why did you have to be a magic user!?!?!??!"

The father then recalled that his son was hiding away.

'My son.... they... he might be a magic user as well if he carries the same blood.... I have to.... I have to hide him. I have to make sure he never uses magic, and that nobody ever finds out.... I....'

The man looked back at his wife's face.

She still had a light pulse.

"I.... I'm sorry..... I didn't know....", she whispered.

"This! This isn't your fault!", the father shouted while holding her tightly, sobbing. "This... this isn't your fault.... this is the fault of the one who made it so that you were born with magic! It's their fault! I... I love you.... don't leave..."

"It's... cough.... too late... take care of Abel...."

With a spurt of blood coming from her mouth, the mother died in the fathers arms.

----

Abel's father made a resolution on that day.

To never let his son use magic.

This son, who eventually found out about his mothers death, and the reason for it, was devastated. He was scared of magic, and never wanted to touch it, as his mother was killed simply for having it.

But it was a new era. Percius had succeeded in legalizing magic practice.

Abel found in himself that he wanted to prove those witch hunters wrong.

He wanted to show his mother that her death was not meaningless.

That, even though people might hate magic users, that they were nothing to be afraid of.

It was because of this, that Abel was inspired by the words of Lorenzo, even though he was suspicious of his practices.

And it was because of this trust in Lorenzo, that Abel was killed.