An abyss laid out in front of the heavily armored Knights. The eternally dark abyss continuously swallowed each person as they walked through its gate. Behind the armored Knights stood a young boy with a quivering grin on his face. Inside of the young boy’s eyes should be the remnants of fear, but instead there laid a sincere glee.

 

“This way, Lord Viran.” The Knight called out to his master as they walked further into the forest.

 

In order to fully reconstruct the estate wall Viran’s group needed access to the limestone mine that lay near the forest, except excursions of monsters had stopped basically any chance of mining any of it safely.

 

Walking into the forest were many Knights all armed with an assortment of weapons and armors. Many of the Knights there donned the heavy metal plated armor that covered practically their entire body while others preferred the lighter leather armor with little metal plating.

 

“Do you remember what the Elder described the monsters?” Viran asked, his hand laying firmly onto the handle of his sword. The young boy adorned little armor despite his high class and that was mainly due to the fact that his size was too small for any of the armor they had brought with them. The assortment of servants and squires that followed along were ready to hand make armor for their Lord, yet Viran declined.

 

Using high class leather for a simple expedition only for the size to be too small in a matter of months was ludicrous to Viran. There was also the fact that this expedition would prove no problem for the amount of bodyguards Viran had at his disposal.

 

“Yes, my lord. All the Elder said was that the monsters here were grotesque versions of rats, and much larger as well.” The Knight spat on the ground as he reaffirmed his grip on the sword.

 

“If they’re rats, why are we searching the forest?” Viran murmured to himself as he gazed at his surroundings. The trees that laid lofty high above his head swayed silently as the breath pushed them further, their shadows created a darkness in the forest that could only be considered petrifying to the average child. Within the green tufts of grass that laid on the forest floor there were small flowers of varying colors, yet even then those colors were dimmed in the deep darkness that surrounded the entire forest around them. From Viran’s knowledge, inexperienced and shallow as it was, he always thought rats would congregate in places like mine shafts.

 

In the bushes, only a small distance away from Viran, the bushes justled against each other and shook wildly. As the many Knights turned their swords towards the single rat that wobbled out of the bush, its low voice screeched in anger. It’s size was large and was similar in size to a pig and with skin just as pink. It’s hair coalesced in spots showing a murky color of dirt and blood mixed together. It’s hair was shaggy and swayed downward with its greasy strands of hair sticking closely together. It’s eyes were wide with small green pupils in the middle, little slits in their eyes similar to a cat was their form of a pupil it seemed. It’s head was shaped in the form of a triangle with its dark red lips and gums that repeatedly gnashed together as it screeched in a disgusting tone that was akin to the sound of a violin string scraping against itself, only for it to snap a second later.

 

With a single leap the Knight behind Viran launches himself towards the rat and with a single swipe of his sword downward the rats head flies through the air, its single large fang that sat out of its mouth still dripped with blood as it fell onto the ground.

 

“Whoo. That’s gross, anyone know what this thing is?” The Knight held his breath as the stench that came from the rat carried itself onto the wind and spread itself across the forest. Practically every creature that inhabited the forest now would smell the carcass of the dead rat.

 

Without hesitation another Knight armed with a polearm took out a large booklet and began to swipe through the pages periodically. His hands never wavered for a moment through the entire time.

 

“I don’t see any similarities… This rat isn’t in the book.” The Knight clicked his tongue before closing the book with a single hand.

 

Viran stared at the red colored book up until it was put away into the rucksack that sat atop of the Knight’s back, something that the Knight could tell clearly.

 

“What book is that?” Viran asked in a surprised tone.

 

“It’s a book detailing the monsters that are known to inhabit the South of the Empire.” The Knight said plainly. “Books like these are distributed and researched by the Magisterium. They’re an organization made by the Emperor to research things like these, but their main goal is to establish order within the Empire for magic related crimes.”

 

Viran heaved a small sigh in reflection. He truly knew nothing about the Empire, moments like these really did well to dampen the boy’s confidence.

 

“So is the magisterium strong or what?” Viran asked further as the group began to walk further through the forest.

 

“It’s hard to say, truthfully. In the Empire there is a branch for every region whether it be South or West, and then there is the main headquarters of the Magisterium that serve the Emperor directly. It’s just that the Magisterium itself is largely incohesive with other branches. The other Eminent Houses are able to plant their own people within these branches, making them more loyal to the House they serve than the Emperor.” The Knight said before having his head smacked from behind.

 

“Don’t say shit like that! Stuff like that could ruin your future, idiot.” The senior Knight quickly scolded the Knight for talking so brashly. Though it was unlikely any of the others would report him, it certainly wasn’t impossible. Speaking such words could easily ruin their future.

 

The idle ramblings between the group only served to dampen their wariness as they practically paraded themselves through the forest. Along the way stray giant rats would constantly strike and they were dealt with in a swift manner, their weakness only caused a false sense of confidence between the Knights. Viran excitedly was brought along into the conversation, the longer they spoke to one another the closer they seemed to get with their young Lord that they brought.

 

“Fools.” Ry’s mocking tone only served to create an ominous feeling within Viran, an ominous feeling that was ignored by Viran.

Crawling on all fours the rat peaked through the bushes and saw the shambling of metal feet that glimmered fiercely in the patches of sun that was able to pierce through the trees above. The rat's eyes burned from the rays of light that would bounce off of the metal, it was unlike the darkness in the forest the rat was accustomed to. With a screech the rat prepared to jump out of the bush straight at the light. Its hind legs stopped suddenly as another rat jumped straight at the blinding light with a fury comparable to the rat’s own- only for its brain to splatter against the ground and the rat. The gleam of the long metal object in front of the rat infuriated it even more, the blinding light urged the rat to jump straight at it. As the rat got closer the metal object never moved, and so the rat jumped directly onto the blade making it fall completely to the ground. With its mandible the rat’s jaw bit down onto the blade and underneath the force its glory was crushed underneath the rat.

 

Just as the sword is crushed in its entirety, the rat finds his head spinning in the air. It’s body is still connected solely to the sword underneath it. It’s eyes quivered at the sight it saw as it’s head fell to the ground once more.

 

Within the forest, a tidal wave of scurrying creatures moved towards the light it hated so much. Their movements created a great commotion within the forest, yet that only served to call its own brethren to their location.

 

A horde was approaching the Knights within the forest, a horde unimaginably large proportions.

“Shhh?” The Knight standing at the front hushed so suddenly causing the conversations to dim completely. “Do you hear that?”

 

The Knights quickly stopped their movements and stretched their senses out trying to hear something. The Knights began to wildly blink their eyes in confusion to the sounds that they heard.

 

"Wait… There's a dust cloud?" A Knight said in confusion as he pointed backwards toward Viran.

 

Sure enough once Viran turns around he is able to clearly see the dust cloud that began to form behind them. Ever since earlier the noises had been thundering throughout the forest, Viran simply just thought it was normal.

 

"Ry what is that over there?" Viran asked the Spirit that dwelt in his mind. Seeing the confusion and slight panic on his companions’ faces caused a flurry mess of anxiety to flare up within Viran.

 

The Spirit’s smooth and calm voice spoke within an instant in a harsh, admonishing tone.

 

"I'm simply a passenger. Figure it out yourself."

 

Viran nodded to himself silently. Seeing the dust cloud gather towards them as time went on made the boy thicken his skin to ask once more.

 

"If you don't tell me what's happening I might die you know?"

 

"Yes. I am merely a passenger and the only way you'll become an expert is through living and experiencing things like these.”

 

"If you die here, that's simply all your resolve was worth."

 

That somehow resonated with Viran. If there was anything that Viran knew that was completely a fact, it was that in the future he would experience many hurdles in his path. To escape to a new world, to cast away the shackles his Father had bound him to so long ago, all of that will need considerable resolve. All Viran could do was sigh, and prepare himself.

 

"Sense Severance. Space Perspective." He quietly murmured to himself as his sword rested limply in his hand.

 

Viran's senses dulled within a second's notice as a new feeling began to overtake him. Black and white lines highlighted his surroundings and instantly Viran could ‘see’ the gargantuan rat horde that thundered its way through the forest. The rats were a considerable distance away and Viran had to push the spell to its absolute limits, even then the downsides were apparent for the spell despite its amazing strength. For a spell that allows a person to even spot an ant across the entirety of a forest, there must be an equal backlash. For Viran the most apparent issue with the spell was its gigantic mana cost and concentration needed. By the spell’s design Viran would be able to ‘see’ things at distances far away and he is able to do this without the need for any of his normal senses. This, however, made the differentiating of objects difficult due to the lack of curved lines and colors. Viran was lucky that he was able to compare the normal dead rat on the road to the alive ones, making him aware of the horde’s presence in quick speed. The most glaring problem as well was the dulling of his normal senses, making the use of this spell in battle still considerably risky. Each dulled sense whether it be sight, smell, or touch deteriorated Viran’s combat potential, only in extreme cases should Viran use this spell and in quick haste as well. 

 

The saddest thing about the spell was how Viran was essentially lost with its growth. With Rufus as a teacher Viran was able to have a sense of direction to take the spell, but now with no spell manual and no teacher Viran was at a loss. With a spell this complicated it isn’t likely the boy would be able to pull off another miracle like Resilient Hold. Not even mentioning the weeks it took to create Resilient Hold, having a powerful growth within Sense Severance could likely take months or even years.

 

Spellcrafting requires a multitude of variables to keep in check, and miracles don’t happen every day.

 

"Those rats are able to crush metal with their teeth…" Viran muttered in shock as sweat began to pour down his face. The amount of rats was that frightening of a sight for him.

 

Seeing Viran standing idly by, the Knights only looked on in confusion. They could tell Viran was casting a spell due to the haywire mana near the boy, they were just unable to decipher anything from the spell. It was plain to see that Sir Leonard’s experience and their own were vastly different in this regard.

 

"My Lord?" The Knight at front called out to Viran.

 

"... Hundreds of giant rats." Viran murmured to himself before yelling out. "Those are giant rats in a horde! Hundreds!”

 

The sudden exclamation only aroused muffled laughter from some and looks of confusion from others.

 

“Lord Viran I don’t mean to doubt you…” The Knight trailed off at a loss for words. He was unsure how to communicate the fact he does not believe the kid at all.

 

Seeing this a Knight scoffs in an unsightly way and steps forward.

 

“Look, Lord Viran, there’s simply no way that you could have seen rats!”

 

As soon as those words were spoken another rose up in retaliation.

 

“Watch your tone! He is still the Lo-” The Knight spoke in a fury until being fervently cut off. With a solid grip on his shoulder, the Knight that had always stood at the front briskly shook his head.

 

“Don’t stand up for him.” His voice stung the Knight just as hard as the grip on his shoulder. “He may be the Lord but I’ve been thinking… We don’t need to be on edge around him, do we?”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“What I mean is that if no one reports a problem, then there is no problem.” The Knight’s gaze shifts towards Viran, and suddenly his voice creeps into a darker tone. “Of course, I’m sure the young Lord here is magnanimous enough as to not do anything rash.”

 

“I mean just think about it, with a home that doesn’t support you- you’re going to need to be on better terms with your bodyguards. Right?”

 

Nods of approval and realization arise between the Knights within a second, and by that reaction Viran quickly withheld the rant that was about to erupt from him. The words the Knight spoke were infuriating for the young boy, but they still made sense. Viran had little to no backing from home and his safety was completely reliant on these ‘stalwart’ Knights.

 

They may not be able to hurt or kill Viran, but they could certainly make his life a living hell.

 

Thinking it all over, Viran felt he had no choice but to accept the status quo as is now. The boy wasn’t keen on the harsh disrespect shown, but living through this now will create more opportunities for him in the future. With the threat of destruction from the rats or from the Knights themselves, Viran pushed down his pride and accepted easily.

 

“Very well. Just… Don’t go too far.” Viran said quietly and with an affirming nod.

 

“Feeble child.” The soft chuckle from Ry almost caused a vein to pop on Viran’s face.

 

The Knights looked towards each other with smiles lining their faces all together.

 

“Well thank you, Lord Viran. I am glad we can come to such an agreement.”

 

The Knight’s soft speech was suddenly drowned out by the thunderous sound from all sides. The dust cloud was still too far away to hear such a loud noise. The Knights jumped and Viran quickly spurred his mana into the spell once more.

 

Whether it was due to simple negligence or not, Viran had still made a grave mistake.

 

Hundreds of rats encompassed in multiple hordes around the poorly prepared Knights, urged and ready to strike.