"Sir Fang!" Lucian yelled, surprised when someone suddenly attacked the wizard. He caught him in his arms and supported him so he wouldn't fall when he was staggering.
Lucian heard him click his tongue, "Tch, this is why I told you to go back!" Fang said, moving away from the third prince.
"They attacked you, not me!"
"What, do you think I'm the only one they'll hurt? Are you stupid?" Fang said and pushed Lucian when another attack landed near the prince's spot.
The tree was set on fire at the moment Lucian was pushed, "See that, kid?" Fang asked with a raised brow and crossed arms.
Lucian slightly opened his mouth in awe. They were seriously being attacked right now but Fang was calm. He even had an expression written on his face that he should always listen to him because he is always right.
The fire got even bigger and spread throughout the area that they were in, “Sir Fang! Do something!”
“Stop shouting, can’t you chill?” Fang said as his eyes wandered around the forest that was rapidly catching fire, “Humans freeze easily in Lumneve, just use this moment to keep yourself warm, kid.”
Lucian couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not because the wizard was still standing calmly, he took a deep breath, he was about to burn by the heat of the flames and the heating stone was still in effect, “Sir Fang! We’re going to die and you are going to do nothing?”
“Oh, I won’t die.”
“Why?”
“Because I am great.”
Lucian spent his life surviving, pretending, and being calm. It was the first time he was annoyed to the point that he cannot hide it from his face. It seems that the famous top wizard was nothing but a narcissistic dog!
“Well, I am not great, Master.” Lucian responded in a sarcastic tone.
Fang squinted, “I can see that.”
The wizard was planning to tease him more but since he liked that the prince called him master, he was in the mood to help him. He grabbed Lucian’s waist and he jumped away. He sped up to get away from the other magic users with the prince beside him, or should he say--in his other hand.
“It hurts, Sir Fang!” Lucian complained as the wizard was treating him like some kind of light bag that people could carry in one hand. But the pressure of his hand was hurting his stomach so he couldn’t help but complain.
“Hmm? I liked ‘master’ more.”
What a narcissist! “Master, could you carry me in another way besides your hand on my–
Lucian couldn’t continue his words when Fang suddenly put him on his shoulder, “There you go, kid.”
The prince was stunned. There were no more words he could say. First, he was carried like a bag, now he’s a sack?
After a while, Lucian didn’t even notice that he was already put down on the ground because he was busy cursing the wizard. “They’re gone?”
“They lost us. Those fools couldn’t even catch up halfway.”
“Why didn’t you just use your powers, since you are so ‘great’, Master?”
Fang could tell that there was sarcasm in his tone, but he just ignored it. He smirked and crossed his arms, “Why should I waste my powers on them?”
Lucian stared at him. He suddenly felt there was something wrong with the wizard, “Whatever you say, Master.”
The wizard said that as an excuse, but the truth is, he suddenly cannot use his powers. It was strange, he thought. As someone so powerful, it was impossible that a single hit from a mere lowly wizard would render him unable to use his powers. Normally, an attack like that wouldn't even hurt more than a bite of an ant, he wouldn't be affected by such a weak one.
However, the attack that hit him from behind when he was distracted by the prince seemed to have sealed his powers inside. He could still use some magic whenever he tried to gather energy, but it was slow because of the seal. If he uses it for nothing then he will only waste the power he gathered. Who in the world was that one mage capable of sealing one's power?
That was also why he stayed still earlier despite the area being eaten up in flames, he was trying to gather energy in that short amount of time so they could get away. He let out a sigh. He let himself be distracted and concerned by the kid; it only put him at a disadvantage in return. If the world found out that he has gone weak, then he and the elixir will be in danger.
It was no worry for him if normal people were greedy to get the elixir since staying in Lumneve will make them frozen, but he can’t say the same for wizards who have access to heating stones. He glanced at the third prince, ‘How troublesome.’ he thought.
Fang and Lucian’s eyes met and the prince's gaze lowered. The wizard looked in the direction of his eyes and found that he was looking at his body, “Why are you staring at my body?” he asked.
He was trying to tease him but the prince tilted his head and looked at him innocently, “Aren’t you cold?”
“What?” So that’s what he was thinking of while staring, he thought.
“You are in Lumneve but you are practically half-naked in your robe…”
The wizard let out a snort and he shrugged, “I am immune to the cold.”
Convinced, Lucian nodded, “Ohh, right. You are a snow dog.”
What a way to hit someone who thinks so greatly of himself, “I am a wolf, watch your words before I throw you away.”
“Yes, master.”
Lucian looked around and there were still no signs of people. “Did they freeze already?” he muttered. He was suddenly anxious, the people who attacked must have also been after the elixir. He still hasn’t gotten a drop of it, but seeing that the wizard was helping him, he might have a chance.
“They wouldn’t freeze, it looked like they had a lot of heat stones,” Fang said, hearing the prince’s whisper.
Lucian’s brow furrowed, 'Not everyone could have those stones.'
As if Fang could read his thoughts, he chimed in. “It was imperial wizards.”
The third prince’s face darkened when he heard that it was imperial wizards. Wizards that work for the imperial family and reside in the magic tower. Did they hear it from the elders? Were there spies when they were in a meeting? He wasn’t sure.
There’s only one thing he knows.
“They’re not only after the elixir, they’re after my head,” the third prince whispered.
The brows of the high wizard rose up. The words he heard him whisper caught his interest, “Someone from the imperial family is trying to kill you? You, who is also an imperial?”
Lucian grimaced, “That is kind of a normal thing now…”
Lucian suddenly froze when something caught his attention.
A portal?
It was the portal that Fang created earlier when he wanted to get him to leave and go back. But why was it in a place near them? He was sure that they were already far from that place.
“Master??”
“Hm?”
“Did we return to the same place we were before?”
“No, what are you talking about?”
Lucian pointed at the portal not far from where they were at. Even the great wizard was perplexed by the sight of the familiar portal. How could that happen?
The two of them walked toward it to get a closer look. It was really the portal that Fang made!
“But how..?” Lucian thought. When he returned his gaze to the wizard, he suddenly saw another wizard behind him, “Master, watch out!”
But something felt weird, was the time slow? Why is it still behind him?
When he looked around, all of them were frozen in place, unable to move. Even his master whom he found noisy and narcissistic wasn’t talking, let alone blinking.
No way.
“Time…stopped?” he said as he stared at Fang in incredulity.
He put his hand on the wizard, “Master?” He called but received no answer. His eyes widened when he noticed that the hand he put on the wizard looked like it was slightly glowing. He looked and realized that his whole body was the same, what on earth happened?
But instead of the frozen wizard answering, he felt a hand on his shoulder as well. Lucian turned around and saw Fang in the same condition!
“Master?! Then what about–”
He looked back at the other Fang but it still wasn’t moving, when he returned his gaze to the wizard, he also saw that his body was also frozen. “How come there are two of us?” he asked Fang.
The wizard also seemed perplexed but from what he had gathered, Lucian was right, the time had stopped. “For some reason, what happened earlier was going to be repeated. But before it could even repeat, time already stopped.”
Fang stared at the wizard who was about to hit him, if this continued I could have the chance to avoid it. Then my powers could not have been sealed. But it looked impossible to continue since up until now time was still frozen.
“We are souls that are out of our bodies, but I do not know why it is only us that are aware. The others didn’t seem to have their souls out of them.”
“Right. Only we could see, move, and touch each other.”
Lucian suddenly felt cold despite being only a spirit. He went to his body that was near the portal and touched it. The skin was cold as well, was the heat stone’s effect wearing off?
Fang glanced at the portal, “This is the only thing that moves, for now. But we do not know what will happen if we go through it at a time stop. It’s dangerous so…”
He couldn’t finish his words when he saw that the portal was about to eat up the prince from getting too near, “Kid!”
“Ahhh! Master!”
Fang came to get him in a hurry but the moment he grabbed his hands, the force was so strong that it also pulled him in.
The only thing that the wizard remembered was that the portal will go to the place he named.
'To where you came from'
