Aubrey swatted his sword through the thorny brush that stood before him. A line was drawn through the briars and less than a second later the woods parted into two. 

Aubrey sheathed the sword at his side. He could see light dance utop his metal spaulders. He turned to face the group of soldiers behind him who held torches in their hands. 

They were equipped with light cloth armor, covered by a specially treated stab resistant leather. Most carried swords or axes at their sides, though a small few held crossbows, or enchanted fusils. 

Small lights peaked out from trees in the distance. Each a separate patrol of 20 elite soldiers led by a knight from the Golden Dragon Order.

They were the first phase of a scouting expedition to identify resources in the Valent Forest. The forest encompassed a large region in the east of the Empire. It was an uncharted region that had thus far resisted all attempts of conquest. 

Moving at night was far from ideal, but they were behind schedule already. From what little information existed about the interior of the forest, it was said that there was a  large clearing not far from their current location. This is where the expedition had planned to set up camp, and eventually construct a base. 

Aubrey turned his eyes off into the distance. One of the distant lights had disappeared. Though it was hard to tell if it had simply disappeared beyond the trees, or if something more sinister was at work. 

Aubrey turned his gaze back at the soldiers behind him. 

“Stop.” He exclaimed, drawing the sword once more from his sides. 

Without warning he struck down on one of the soldiers, splitting him in two from the head down to his groin. 

The other men looked at him in horror, but their eyes soon turned back to the man who had been killed. Before the remains of his body could hit the ground it shimmered slightly, before fading out like the smoke of a smothered fire. 

To the ground instead, fell two halves of a small woman with insect-like wings. Aubrey raised his sword again, spinning around and striking a small tree behind him. It was cut through the middle, as was the faerie who laid behind it. 

“We’re under attack.” Said Aubrey, as the soldiers steadied their weapons. 

He went to take a headcount of the men behind him, but was interrupted by a strong gust of wind that wrapped around the trees. Before the soldiers could react the torches were doused, and darkness enveloped the group. 

Aubrey closed his eyes. If he did not act fast the rest of his men would surely die. With the heightened senses of a knight he concentrated and scanned his surroundings for traces of mana. 

The sixth sense showed him four sources that he did not recognize, they surrounded his group. In the darkness he swung his blade, three. He dashed forward with a stab, two. He sent a flying slash to the right. Only one source remained. 

This source was different from the others. It was further away, the fact he could still feel it vividly meant it must be more powerful than the ones he had already dispatched. 

The leader? 

He thought to himself. 

Aubrey began to infuse his abundant mana into his sword. It began to glow with a brilliant golden hue. The surroundings were once more illuminated, and he turned his eyes back to the soldiers. 

He did not need to count heads to tell there were men missing, even at a cursory glance he could tell no more than a dozen or so remained. 

“Quickly.” He exclaimed. “Relight the torches.”

The soldiers did as instructed. 

“Prepare to retreat. There is another one watching, stronger than the rest. I will deal with it and meet back up with you.”

The soldiers nodded. Seemingly relieved to be given the order to retreat, but anxious about parting with the knight. 

“Go quickly, and don’t stop till you reach the forest’s edge.”

Torches once more illuminated the woods and the men began to retreat back along the path which they had come from. As the lights grew further away Aubrey began to charge towards the opposite direction. 

He deftly dodged between trees all whilst retaining the speed of his superhuman sprint. He focused on tracking the powerful source of mana. It was not difficult to find as the magic emitted was overpowering, and the signature remained stationary.

Soon Aubrey broke out from the woods and into a large clearing. Moonlight shone down on him and the once obscured stars were abundant in the sky. His eyes however focused towards the center of the clearing. 

There stood a woman, arms outstretched, who basked in the glow of the moon. She had an otherworldly beauty to her, a body that was both motherly and youthful. Her large bosom was supported by a dress made of red autumn leaves. It fell in front of her long slender legs, which showed through a slit on the side. 

Her hair was a shade of radiant silver that seemed to glow under the light of the moon. She had a face that could have put an Imperial princess to shame, but it was that same face that disturbed Aubrey deeply.

It was too beautiful, too perfect if such a thing could exist. It was clear that the woman standing before him was not human. 

“Greetings.” Said the woman in a sultry voice that seemed to echo out from all directions.

Aubrey tightened the grasp on his sword, but waited cautiously to engage. 

“How rude.” Said the woman, as she brushed her hair to the side. “Not only do you come into someone’s home uninvited, slaughter my children, but now you refuse to introduce yourself.”

“I am Titania, queen of-“ 

Her speech was cut off. In a dash faster than most eyes could track Aubrey plunged his blade through her neck, severing the woman’s head. But the strike offered no resistance, slashing through her neck felt no different than cutting through the air. 

The wind picked up and the woman’s head and body blew away as leaves into the air. Aubrey turned around only to see her standing behind him unharmed. 

“Tchht.” She scoffed. “How rude.”

Aubrey went to attack once more, but before he could make contact he was struck by an invisible force. The tall grass tore under the immense weight of the wind, and Aubrey was sent flying into a tree on the clearing’s edge. 

Crack!

The bark dented inwards and the tree shifted backwards, pulling roots from the ground beneath Aubrey. He managed to reinforce himself with mana, preventing serious injuries, but the power of the magic was not to be understated. 

To summon such a powerful wind, without warning or preparation was something even the greatest human wizards would not be capable of. Even Aubrey who could sense the movement of mana could not recognize the attack until he was already struck. 

This power. If I can’t deal with her here no one will survive. 

Aubrey pushed himself back onto his feet. He looked back out to the clearing, but no one was there. Within the time he had instinctively blinked to shield his eyes against the wind the woman had already disappeared. Trying to regain his focus he went to search for the overwhelming mana he had initially discovered. 

Behind him. 

Steadying his sword he threw out a diagonal slash, accelerating the blade with a spin as he went to turn around.

Klang!

His sword was stopped mid strike. The woman he now faced head on had caught it between two fingers. Aubrey took one hand off the hilt and threw a strike towards the woman with an armored gauntlet. The golden aura of his mana shined in the night, he imbued his body with as much strength as he could muster, but once more his attack was foiled. 

Wind wrapped around his arm, the force of it causing his hand to stand still before ever touching the woman. The miasma of warped air flowed around him, whipping against his ears. It was fluid as any other breeze, but to Aubrey it felt as solid as a stone wall. 

“It’s been awhile since I faced such an energetic human. So do you feel like speaking now, my cute little knight?”

“Kill me if you must.” Audrey replied. “But let the others leave, I will convince them not to return.”

“Hmmph.” Chuckled the woman with a smirk. “How will you do that if you are dead?”

“My death will send a clear message that the forest cannot be conquered.”

“A warning. It is not a bad idea.” She brought a head to the face of the frozen knight and stroked his cheek. “But you must still pay for the deaths of my beloved children.”

A white light radiant like the moon emanated from the tips of her fingers. It snaked its tendrils onto the knight's armor and dug into the areas between the plates of metal.

“So Aubrey.” She said.

The knight’s eyes shook at the mention of a name he had never given, but there was little else he could do. 

“Become my adorable daughter and tell your king why they should never return to this place.”