Within this world, there are multiple races, Humans, Elves, Halflings, Dwarves, Orcs, etc… Enough races to thoroughly populate this planet in which they all live.

 

Since as far back as the Dark Ages, there has always been a demand for each of these races to show resilience, to have strength in order to thrive, and not just survive, within the harsh conditions of everyday life. Be it monsters or even another race, the conflict they would be subjected to was not just another fight or confrontation, most of the time it was a battle for survival for most races.

 

Of course, some races excelled in combat and others did not. Some races rose to prominence because of their combat prowess, and other races… simply died out.
Such was the survival of the fittest.

 

However, there can be said to be one race that was an exception. This race was not one which lived in fear during the Dark Ages… No, they can be described as the ones which bestowed fear upon others, they were never the ones which felt helplessness. They were the ones holding the blades to their enemies necks, never contesting with their sharp edges in a one-sided battle.

 

Just uttering their name was no different from cursing the very ground on which you stood.

 

As time moved on, the tyranny of this race did not show signs of ceasing. It was during this time that multiple races, Humans, Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, began to scheme against this race which was known to be the root cause of this fear and travesty across their lands. They steeled their hearts and summoned their courage by forming an alliance. The goal was to bring about an end to this race. To the last child, to kill them all.

Back then, they thought they were successful. The combined armies of Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs, were more than enough to thoroughly crush their most feared enemy. To the last building of their villages, they were utterly devasted. There was nothing left of them, and to this day, there has never been another enemy that was as hated and feared as that race.   

 

That race was known to be the humanoid descendants of Dragons. While their ancestors are the kings of the skies. They were at one point the tyrants of the land. They were known as the Dragonkin. A race which cannot be said to be anything more than a legend these days.

 

Unbeknownst to the common man, this race is far from being completely gone.  

~~~~

11:00 PM, Wednesday Night, Red Veil City:

Within an empty, silent warehouse, the figure of a man clad in a black robe was alone. The robe which he was wearing completely covered his body, not a single inch of skin could be seen. As the man was seated, he was also not moving, he was as still as a statue. He was just sitting there in silence… Perhaps this man was asleep?

 

BANG!!

Suddenly, a loud sound echoed throughout the massive room. It was the sound of a door being kicked open. Shortly afterward, footsteps could be heard in the distance. The sound tickled the ears of the man as he slowly raised his head.

 

Yet, he remained still, as if he was glued to his chair. He just listened intently.

 

Eventually, the footsteps became clearer as they drew closer. The sound became more distinct. They were heavy footsteps, perhaps belonging to a massive Orc or perhaps some type of crossbreed?

 

Tak... Tak... Tak...

 

Eventually… The footsteps stopped. The man remained unmoving. The moonlight which once covered him was no longer there. He was now in the shadow of this visitor.

 

*Growl*

 

The owner of the steps released a low growl that reverberated off the walls of the massive warehouse. It was a sound that could even make the thickest of skin crawl.

 

Yet again, the man remained still… The visitor then decided to take this opportunity…

 

CHWAK!!

 

It was a swift strike. Blood sprayed all over the floor in the pattern of a fan around the chair. The sound of a body slamming against the cement floor also followed closely behind this sudden strike. Once the body hit the floor it began to form a pool of even more blood.

 

Within the visitor’s hands was a human head. As he looked at it closely, he clicked his tongue. His golden eyes flickered and he threw the head onto the floor.

 

“Coward!” His deep voice thundered, “Mirror! Reveal yourself!”

 

A moment of silence went by after the visitor made his demand…

 

In response to his words, a black-colored smoke began to emit itself from the floor a few meters away from this visitor. After it fully masked the area around it, the grotesque voice of a what is presumed to be a man could be heard.

 

“Blood Wing… Did Enyo send you?” The owner of this voice was no longer covered in a black robe, his disfigured face, rotting skin, and black eyes were on full display.

 

He had given his robe to a certain security guard who was making rounds in the warehouse some minutes before… and now that guard was turned into mincemeat by a certain Dragonkin. In a sense, the security guard was used for Mirror’s own security. So he did perform his task in a very roundabout way.

 

Blood Wing released another growl while focusing all of his senses onto the man before him.

“I’ve been tasked with eliminating you. I intend to complete my objective.” He then shifted into a combat stance, the cement floor beneath him cracked ever so slightly. “Make peace with your gods, you shall be meeting them soon.” His golden eyes showed clear signs of hostility.

 

Mirror looked at this Dragonkin with a calm expression, he did not hate this Dragonkin. He was not petty, he understood that this man was simply following his orders. Of course, anyone can admire one who is dedicated to a cause, but should one admire another who is dedicated to surrendering their own life for that cause? He did not think so...

 

“I do not know what Enyo has told you, nor do I understand why she has tasked you with killing me. Just know this, I have no intention of harming you or anyone else within the organization. I beg for you to take this opportunity to retreat.” He began emitting a portion of his mana into his Gift ever so slightly as he scanned Blood Wing’s figure with his blacked out eyes.

Should this Dragonkin refuse to leave, which he most likely will, he was not intending on just saying a quick prayer and letting his life be taken. He still has one more matter to take care of before his infection takes his life.

 

Blood Wing’s lips slightly curled. His fangs which lined his mouth were revealed ever so slightly.
“Asking for me to retreat… Heh… You really know how to hurt a guy.”

 

BOOM!!

Blood Wing made the first move, by channeling mana into his legs, he propelled himself towards his target at breakneck speed.

 

Mirror reacted almost immediately to Blood Wing’s sudden attack, he utilized his Gift and without moving a muscle caused the ground beneath his feet to shoot up towards the ceiling.

 

BANG!!!

 

Blood Wing’s fist collided into the pillar of cement, causing pieces of it to scatter all over the floor. Of course, he remained unhurt from this simple diversion.

 

He sidestepped away from the pillar and tried to locate Mirror who had propelled himself upwards. He frowned deeply when he saw that man bringing the pillar back down to the ground ever so slowly.

 

“Since you do not intend on leaving me be… I suppose I have no choice then.”

The reason this man is known as ‘Mirror’ should be quite obvious.

 

He had completely copied Blood Wing’s appearance. His skin was no longer broken and grotesque, it was now covered with pristine, grey colored scales. His height had increased as well, matching Blood Wings. His eyes which were completely black were now given new color. His pupils were now split horizontally, giving off a domineering, golden hue as if they were twin suns.

 

Blood Wing was thoroughly enraged now, “You… Now, you are just making this personal!!!”

 

To have had his appearance stolen by this fiend who was intending on betraying the order which he served so dearly, or so he believed, was even worse than losing his life. He was now intent on making this man suffer!

 

He charged forward and raised his fist which was loaded with enough mana to rip an average man’s body apart in a single blow.

 

WOOSH!

 

His blow went right past and cut through the air, his golden colored mana was left crackling on his fist.

 

He immediately did a quick 180, trying to keep his opponent in his sight, but it was extremely difficult as this certain opponent worked with smoke and mirrors.

 

Mirror was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Reveal yourself!!!” Blood Wing’s voice thundered once more… His eyes scanning his surroundings intently...

 

He then felt a gaze on his back and did an immediate 180, once again.

 

All the while...

 

‘He fell for it…’ Mirror thought to himself as he then quickly delivered a powerful blow to the back of Blood Wing’s head.

 

“Gah!” Blood Wing released a pained sound as he was launched across the floor.

 

Mirror gave chase to the stumbling Blood Wing, and before he was able to deliver another blow, Bood Wing was back on his feet in a crouched down position, and with how quickly Dragonkin can manipulate their mana… He should have seen this coming.

 

CRACK!!

 

A rut was left on the floor where Blood Wing was crouched down, he launched himself forward like an arrow from a bow and met Mirror’s charge head-on.

 

The two forces collided, but Blood Wing took the victory in this contest of strength.

 

He tackled Mirror and took him to the floor, where he proceeded to thoroughly deliver blow after blow.

 

BOM! DAM! BAM!

 

In an attempt to finish this, he raised both fists together and was ready to deliver a massive blow. He then swiftly brought them down and attempted to crush Mirror’s skull!

 

But he was too anxious to be thinking of ending it so soon like this.

 

Mirror rotated his upper body, which was no longer completely pinned down, just before the devastating blow could land on him; it was only able to leave a massive crack in the cement that was previously covered by Mirror’s head.

 

DOOM!

 

Mirror then attempted to capitalize on this brief opening.

 

He delivered a swift strike with his elbow to Blood Wing’s jaw, disorientating him. He then followed up with a few quick jabs at Blood Wing’s body and then quickly shoved his opponent's body off of his.

 

When the two then came back to their feet, they were no more than 5 meters away from one another.

 

Mirror wiped away the blood that was running from his nose and mouth, that ground-pounding he had gone through was not pleasant by any means. It should also serve as a testament to the Dragonkin’s strength, being able to damage such thick flesh is not an easy feat.

 

Perhaps the only reason he was not completely taken by Blood Wing in that previous moment is that he is most likely used to bashing in human skulls, not Dragonkin...

 

Blood Wing stood still while facing this opponent of his. He was berating himself for being foolish and at the same time running through some strategies in his head, he then came to a brief conclusion. He focused on the area around him and did not feel anything out of the ordinary… He was beginning to feel a bit worried.

 

His current opponent excels in manipulating the mind. Thankfully, because of his genetics, Dragon’s are not exactly the easiest of minds to break. So he should not be worried about dealing with such unpleasantries.

Therefore...

 

‘He must be stalling… He won’t be able to beat me like this, and he knows that he can’t. If he intends on going down this road, I will just wear him down...’

 

He began to suspect that there might be an ace of some sort hidden up Mirror’s sleeve. He cannot afford to be reckless and go all out just yet.

 

He has the advantage at this point, he shouldn’t just throw it away.

 

While Blood Wing was being hesitant in keeping his pace up, Mirror was using this time to heal his wounds and pour even more power into his Gift. In truth, he did have an ace up his sleeve… A very powerful ace, but he cannot afford to be using it just yet, he used it yesterday and now he must recover from its effects.

 

He needs to save it for a special someone.

Besides, as things currently stand, he is essentially just using the minimal amount of magic power right now, if he is currently not strong enough to fully take on Blood Wing, he just needs to direct more mana into his Gift to get more power, and that is exactly what he is going to do.

 

‘Alright then,’ Since Blood Wing was hesitant, Mirror decided on taking the lead.

 

He charged forward towards his target with a partial strategy in mind. Blood Wing readied himself for some sort of magic-based attack, but to his surprise, he was not bombarded with magic, only fists.

 

It was a quick right hook, one which Blood Wing easily parried and followed up by landing a blow of his own onto Mirror’s body, but it did not hinder Mirror all that much.

 

He ignored the blow to his body and back-handed Blood Wing with the hand that was parried.

 

The blow appeared to have come out of nowhere and caused Blood Wing to stumble backward. It was the opening Mirror was looking for.

He attempted to execute the strategy which he worked on from the beginning of his charge. He had been super-charging his left hand with quite the considerable chunk of mana. He pulled back his arm and delivered the blow, his fist left a trail of black mist as it rocketed towards Blood Wing.

 

BOOOM!!!

 

As the blow landed, it was as if a sledgehammer had been used on a glass plate.

 

He felt like he crushed quite a few bones with that blow as Blood Wing was flung across the warehouse, into a supporting pillar.

 

After it happened, Mirror’s entire left arm went numb. It was quite the bold move, forcing such a load onto a specific body part is quite reckless and dangerous; but since it worked, he had the opportunity to recover by redirecting his flow of magic power, so that he won’t harm himself… or so he thought.

 

“GAHH!!!” Blood Wing yelled as he threw the debris that landed onto him out of the way and stormed forth like a freight train. His golden eyes had now turned completely blood red. This was a sign… and not exactly a very welcome sign at this particular moment.

 

‘Shit!’ Mirror cursed himself as he glanced at his arm and looked back at the advancing Blood Wing.

 

He was not even given a chance at redirecting his mana before Blood Wing just suddenly came back. Things were beginning to look bleak. Not only had he used a large chunk of mana, but he also did not even achieve the result of incapacitating Blood Wing.

 

If this fight were to go on like this, he will have to continue without the use of his left arm for now… Even so, he cannot afford to drag it out. If he does not redirect that flow of mana soon, he could lose his arm.

 

Nevertheless, he simply began planning on executing some evasive maneuvers in order to avoid this raging Dragonkin. His life is far more valuable than a limb.

 

Blood Wing’s body was covered in a reddish aura. That last attack must have triggered quite the reaction, as his body was now overcharging itself.

 

‘Aha!... This could actually be in my favor,’ Mirror thought to himself.

 

Perhaps it’s not all bad news… He could use Blood Wing’s lack of rationality against him at this point.

 

As Blood Wing was storming towards him, Mirror activated his Gift. As he did so, he caused the ground underneath his feet to begin changing. Almost like it was like a diminishing tide.

 

‘This should be enough…’ He thought to himself as he smiled while taking steps backward. As he did so, he glanced back down to his left arm… Because of the load, he was currently causing it to bear, the veins went black as if it was ink flowing through them instead of blood.

 

Of course, he could not focus on that now, he had to take care of Blood Wing.

 

Every step he took was like a massive leap as it added several meters in distance between him and Blood Wing. It was a simple use of his Gift, but all the while taxing in terms of mana. Frankly, it should help him win this battle if it continues like this. Because as things stand, Blood Wing is simply a time bomb, as soon as he loses all his magic power, he will be nothing more than a puppet ready to have its strings cut.

 

… But as things stand for Mirror, if he wishes to maintain a limb, he should hope that Blood Wing runs out of his mana fairly quickly.

 

Mirror was contemplating as he led this raging bull in circles. His Victory was beginning to become more certain with every passing moment, but so was the certainty of losing a limb.

~~~~

7:45 AM, Thursday Morning, Red Veil City:

*Cassie,*

 

‘Hmm?’ Cassie faintly replied as her face was buried in her pillows.

 

*You must wake up.*

 

‘.... Snore~....’ Cassie fell back asleep as she was not exactly anxious to get up.

 

*... Cassie,* Stevie continued calling out to her, however.

 

‘...Hmm?’ She replied faintly once again.

 

*You must wake up…*

 

“*Groan~* … No! ... My stomach hurts~.“ She complained in a childish manner before trying to fall back asleep.

 

*Unfortunately, you did eat far too much last night; going against my advice as per usual... Regardless, there is some medicine in the cabinet downstairs which can assist in relieving you of this discomfort. I shall show you where it is, but for now, it would be for the best if you wake up.*

 

“Ten more minutes Stevie…” Cassie said as she turned back over, threw her covers over her body and began to fall asleep again.

 

Unfortunately for her, Stevie was having none of that.

 

*Very well, I have no other choice, but to go all out... Just this once…*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* !!!*

 

Cassie shook violently as she could not handle the sneak attack of the mental alarm clock!

 

She fell out of her bed, and onto the floor. Her eyes were wide open in shock as she demanded Stevie cease this inhumane treatment

 

‘STEVIE!!! STOP!!! ... please?’

 

*Ah, good morning Cassie. Glad to see you awake. I hope you slept well. Now, best you freshen up. Also, I do believe Alexa messaged you... about 30 minutes ago.*

 

‘*Sigh* … I see,’ Cassie was still trying to get that ringing noise out of her ears as she slowly pulled herself off the floor. ‘How can you be so cruel and cheery at the same time?’

 

*Human emotions do not apply to me, though I have been making an effort to develop my sarcasm sensors, per your suggestion.*

 

Cassie shook her head at the statement while she grabbed her phone and unlocked it. Naturally, she had a lot of notifications, but she only focused on the messages. Sure enough, Alexa was the only one who had sent her a text message.

 

‘How about that... she finally replied.‘

 

[I received the notes, thank you. Please send me a picture of what you need enchanted.]

 

‘... Is that it? She is more social in person, huh?’

 

*I believe she is asking for a photo of the sword.*

 

‘Well no shit Stevie, I can read!’

 

*Excuse me, I took your questioning gaze too seriously then. I thought you were incapable of understanding her words… By the way, how are you liking my sarcastic remarks, Cassie? Are they satisfactory?*

 

‘...What? I understood the message completely!! How should I know if your… sensor... things are working, I can’t tell!’

 

*Hmm, very well, I shall continue to work on them for the time being... For now, you should send Alexa a photo of the sword.*

 

‘Yeah yeah, I know.’ Cassie responded in a sarcastic tone as she walked over to her closet and pulled out a black case that was stuffed way in the back, hiding behind some clothes.

 

She popped open the locks and pulled the top of the case up, revealing a fairly eye-catching short-sword sheathe. It was a top class short sword, a gift from one of her teachers from the Academy. It was also quite the expensive Gift, not that it matters.

 

The blade could be considered to fairly short, as it is a little under 20 inches in length from end to end. The thickness of the blade is also quite on the smaller side; around half an inch. It also weighs practically nothing at just 3 pounds. Making it extremely easy to execute swift strikes.

 

Cassie unsheathed the blade and placed it on her desk. She made sure it was lit up nicely, then took a picture of it.

 

After sending the photo, she then put the sword away.

 

*Cassie, I monitored some interesting activity last night. Would you like to hear about it?*

 

‘Oh?’ Cassie tilted her head to the side, ‘Yeah, sure.’

~~~~

7:51 AM, Thursday Morning, Red Veil City:

 

Alexa was seated at a desk in her rather large room. Currently, she is in the middle of ‘creating’ her own notes from the ones she received from Cassie.

 

She was quite amazed, but also thankful. The notes were thorough, precise, and just very well organized. Alexa often figured Cassie was just another carefree simpleton who got lucky with a good Gift, she was not expecting her to also be honor student material for theory. The two just did not mix well in her mind. Then again, due to her carefree personality, she was willing to share her notes. All she has to do is just enchant something for this girl and their accord would be complete. That is why she is most thankful towards Cassie for being so easy to work with.

 

*Vrrtt*

Alexa put her pen down, took off her round-edge reading glasses and grabbed her phone. She had been expecting a text for about 30 minutes now.

 

Her lip twitched, almost forming a smile as she saw the name of the sender... She had never really sent more than a single text message to someone before. So this could technically count as her texting, to a degree.

 

[Here you go.]

 

That’s all the text read and there was an attachment with it. She clicked on the picture and then her body froze. Her eyes appeared to have gotten slightly bigger as she stared.

 

Elven Steel… Under or about 20 inches. Beautiful craftsmanship, clean, well kept. A top-tier weapon in every aspect...

 

“She...“ Alexa’s mouth was hanging open slightly at the sight of this beautiful sword.

 

“Is she crazy?!” She finally voiced her thoughts, ‘She wants me to enchant that?! I would-... I do not-’

 

Her mind was in a flurry, she finally decided to just call her and scold her for being so damn stupid!

 

She held the phone up against her ear, but as soon as she heard that the line was actually ringing, she snapped out of her stupor.

 

‘No!’ She then cut the call. ‘What if she gets angry? She gave me her notes, she could get me expelled… right? Finals week is coming up, I can’t afford to take a hit like that.’ Her father’s words penetrated her brain once more at the thought of getting expelled.

 

‘He would hate me even more…’ She frowned and put her phone down, all she needs to do is just try her best at enchanting such a masterpiece… Even if she is not completely confident in pulling it off.

 

“... I can do it.” She told her self as she confidently picked her phone back up and sent a reply.

 

[After school, Magelite Cafe, We will meet up there.]

 

 

 

 

*Author's Note*

 

Well, based on my little survey I took in the comment section of the last chapter, and from the advice of friends, I shall be going back to weekly releases with longer chapters. 

Also, this is quite the milestone for me, as we have just hit 2.8k views and over 600 reads. All I can say is thank you, and all I can do is try my best to make this the greatest story I can write. Thank you all for the amazing support.

Once more, I have to apologize if you saw/read any spelling errors or grammar mistakes during this chapter. I don't have an editor and it comes down to me in order to make sure a chapter is 100% fit. Please call me out on any and all mistakes. I will do my best to correct them.

See you all in the next chapter, have a good day/evening/night!