Well, this certainly isn’t how I thought it’d go. Liandra thought bitterly as a bright streak of flame flashed past her, exploding in a brilliant fan-shaped plume akin to a peacock’s spread tail.

Liandra’s face glowed a deep sunset ochre as the flames continued to blaze behind her, accentuating the deep violet of her eyes. Her brow creased slightly, taking notice of the still-burning flames.

Normally, when an offensive spell was cast, the resulting phenomena would immediately dissipate once its effects played out, returning to nothing more than the ambient mana that filled the air. 

The only situation in which a spell’s effects would continue to linger after playing their part would be if the caster was continuously supplying the spell with mana, much like Liandra’s own poison miasma magic.

Expecting something like a second and delayed burst of fire, Liandra quickly turned to face the still-burning flames, preemptively raising a magical barrier to defend herself if need be.

Unbeknownst to Liandra, the flames were nothing more than a diversion. And an obvious one at that.

“I have you now!” Her opponent’s voice cut across the air like a duelist’s well-timed strike, piercing her ears and filling Liandra with worry. Liandra whirled around as the beautifully flickering flames before her dissipated, their bright orange glow leaving her face as if to cast her in darkness.

Despite Liandra’s quick reactions, it was too late. A lance of brilliant light shot straight and true toward her. Like a ray of sunlight breaking the horizon at dawn, it covered the space between them at an alarming speed, piercing through Liandra’s haphazardly prepared barrier as if shattering the darkness that had abruptly befell her.

With supreme effort, Liandra managed to twist her body to the side at the last moment before the lance of light pierced her body, but only just. Her mouth opened in a soundless howl as a chunk of flesh was stripped from her hip, the wound immediately seared closed as a result of the intense heat of the light-woven spear.

It wasn’t Liandra’s fault for falling to what would’ve been considered an obvious diversion. Normally, she wouldn’t have even given a diversion of such caliber a second thought, but her opponent was Valencia Ignitia di Avesta, the legendary Tower Master of Valgern Tower.

For a mage of such caliber to make the mistake of accidentally oversupplying mana to a simple fire spell or employ such an elementary diversionary tactic was unthinkable to Liandra, and it was that very mentality which led to the current moment.

Liandra clutched her hip in pain, wincing as her fingers brushed against the cauterized wound. Despite the lack of blood, Liandra covered it with her hand. The mere touch of the passing wind caused the wound to ache unbearably, and it was deep enough that anything but the most advanced of healing magic would still leave a scar as a remnant of her folly.

She didn’t mind though. Such a scar would only serve as a testament to her skill for managing to fight the great Valencia on even ground and still survive.

“I was told that a rather talented young mage had breached my tower’s defenses and made a rather passionate speech to all of my mages just yesterday. I wonder now... Where did that talented young mage wander off to?” Valencia raised an eyebrow as she regarded Liandra with a smirk.

What an obvious taunt... Liandra grit her teeth, refusing to lash out at Valencia. She wouldn’t fall for such an obvious trap again. Despite her urge to fire a burst of spells at the Tower Master, Liandra knew that conserving her mana right now would be the best option thanks to her wound.

“That’s right. Children like you should show some restraint to their elders.”

“...Restraint? You’re one to talk... Shouldn’t you be the one showing some restraint if I’m nothing more than a child?” Liandra shot back. In truth, she was just buying time as she applied healing magic to her wound as discreetly as possible. 

Of course, she didn’t think that she’d be able to conceal the fact that she was using magic from someone as skilled as Valencia, but if the Tower Master noticed, she didn’t comment on it.

“Oh my! Was that too much for you to handle? My apologies. My mages spoke so highly of you, I thought you’d be able to handle something like a little scratch.”

Liandra’s left eye twitched in annoyance. In the first place, if she hadn’t managed to avoid the lance of light at the last second, it would have pierced her navel and completely destroyed the foundation of her mana core, reducing her years of training into nothing.

It wouldn’t have been a lethal wound provided she had access to healing magic afterward, but it would certainly destroy everything she’d worked for.

“...Enough with the posturing. What the hell do you want from me?”

“What makes you think I want anything from you, who is merely a child?”

“Seeing as we’re still talking, it’s obvious that there’s something you want from me. Earlier, you were attacking me with such brazen arrogance. If you were going to kill me, wouldn’t now be the perfect time for you to attack?”

There was a moment of silence before Valencia’s deep crimson lips curled into a smile, like a blood red rose bearing its thorns.

“How perceptive of you. Very well then, child. What I want from you is simple: join me. Valgern Tower is always in search of talent. The mere fact that you managed to avoid my attack at the last moment is proof that your destiny lies with me.” 

In other words, Valencia wouldn’t hesitate to fire off another one of those attacks if need be. She extended a hand toward Liandra, her sanguine smile never faltering.

At that very moment, it felt as if time had slowed down for Liandra, like someone had poured viscous honey over her body and mind, dulling her senses and causing her movements to become sluggish.

In truth, Liandra had sided with Ryuuko because she was the first one to actually acknowledge her abilities and treat her as an equal despite their past misgivings. Sure, the Black Constellation had taught her magic, given her a place to stay, and a library of her own. But they had never really needed her nor acknowledged her capabilities.

Her only duty toward the now-destroyed organization was to act as a faithful guard dog for their library. In exchange, she would be allowed to make her home there and peruse the shelves as she saw fit. In other words, she had essentially been told to stay put and not make any trouble.

Not only did Ryuuko grant her freedom, but she had also been the first to truly entrust Liandra to an important task. And unsupervised, at that.

Yet, Liandra’s greatest desire was just as simple as Valencia’s request. Liandra wanted her abilities to be acknowledged, and she wanted an opportunity to grow her magical prowess.

Valencia’s offer was nothing short of perfect to her. There was really nothing for Liandra to lose, and she only stood to gain from accepting the Tower Master’s offer. Fame and prestige as a mage of Valgern Tower, as well as a place to study and research her still-growing magical capabilities. That could all be hers in a second if she chose to take the proffered hand before her.

That was why...

“...I refuse.” Liandra spoke after what seemed like an eternity. There was no hiding the conflict in her voice, but in the end, she had made her choice. 

Despite the hesitation, there was also conviction in the lyre-like sound of her words, and the duality contained in the brevity of her two words only served to punctuate Liandra’s refusal with maturity and strength.

 Valencia stood unmoving at first, surprise evident in her face. Never before had she faced rejection before, especially not from an opponent who seemingly understood that they were outmatched.

Ah... This girl... Valencia retracted her hand, but her smile only widened. I want her.

“Very well then, child. You leave me no choice.” Valencia floated into the sky, generating a multitude of spheres composed of various elements that whirled around her with frightening speed. “You reject your destiny. As unwise as that may be, I shall give you a single chance.”

Liandra looked up, squinting as the sunlight shone into her violet eyes. She hadn’t finished healing her wound completely, but it was enough such that it only produced a dull ache whenever she moved her hip.

“Prove to me that you have the strength to cast off the chains of fate, child!”

Liandra grit her teeth, gathering mana into her hands from her surroundings, like a knight tugging on the reins of their horse.

You’re gonna owe me big time, Ryuuko...