The explosion rocked the battlefield, momentarily silencing the sounds of battle. Smoke and debris filled the air, obscuring the view of the combatants. The High Elven defenders, who had been focused on their individual battles, were left momentarily stunned by the unexpected turn of events.

Aurelius, who was laying on the ground, a couple meters away from the explosion, let out a slow groan. Slowly opening his eyes, his vision swam and Aurelius let out another groan. Fortunately, he hadn’t taken the brunt of the blast, and after a minute or so, he was able to slowly stand up. 

Looking around the battlefield, Aurelius saw a scene before him that surprised him. He had expected the Dark Elves to retreat after the fall of their Chosen, but if anything, it seemed as if their attack had intensified. 

No, that’s not entirely true.

Aurelius did notice that some of the more ‘sane’ Dark Elves were hurriedly retreating. It was the lifeless ones Aurelius had seen earlier, the ones who were no better than walking corpses, that were continuing the attack.  

However, despite the increased intensity by the Dark Elves, it seemed as if the High Elves were the ones gaining ground. In fact, they had even managed to form a perimeter around where Aurelius and the Dark Elven Chosen had fallen. Aurelius hadn’t realized that the fight had fallen behind High Elven lines, but he was grateful for the protection the High Elves afforded him. Likely without it, one of the Dark Elves could have easily killed him while he was lying on his ground in his weakened state. 

Speaking of weakness, Aurelius looked at his status screen looking at his health pool. He winced. 56 points remaining. 56 points before he was gone. 

Thanking his luck attribute once again, Aurelius closed his status screen, looking around the battlefield once more. He noticed the headmaster running towards him, a smile appearing on his face. Aurelius was going to greet the man, but then a thought formed in his mind: he had something to make sure of.

Walking towards the body of the Dark Elven Chosen, Aurelius pulled another sword out of his spatial storage. It took a bit in his injured state, but he eventually stood over the Chosen, looking down at its impressive figure. 

Well, once an impressive figure. Looking at the Dark Elven Chosen now, Aurelius couldn’t help but cringe. The Dark Armor of the Chosen was shattered, pieces of it scattered all over the place. Similarly, the Chosen’s body was also scattered, with pieces of its arms and legs littering the explosion.

Despite the fact that Aurelius had just fought the Chosen, and despite the fact that his hate for Dark Elves was literally in his blood, Aurelius couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the Chosen, who was now nothing but a head and a torso. This was an ugly way to go. 

To Aurelius’ surprise, however, a scattered gasp came out of the throat of the deformed figure, and its one remaining eye fluttered open. Seeing Aurelius standing over it, the eye looked desperate and hopeless.

“Wait,” the figure gurgled out, trying its best to shift its body as if it was trying to protect itself. 

Coughing and blood trickled out of the mouth before it spoke up again. “Y-you have to un-understand. I-I never wanted any of thi-”

Aurelius cut the figure’s speech off before it could finish, sending an mana-infused Arcane Blade directly through the throat of the figure. He was not about to listen to this creature monologue. 

The figure's desperate plea was silenced as Aurelius withdrew his blade from its throat. The dark energy flickering in the Chosen's eye faded, leaving it lifeless once again. Aurelius sighed heavily, a mix of emotions swirling within him.

With a strained effort, Aurelius managed to maintain his composure and turned around, trying to hide his reaction. But as he took a few steps away from the fallen Chosen, his body couldn't it any longer. His stomach churned, and a wave of nausea washed over him.

His body convulsed, and he doubled over as his vomit violently spilled out onto the ground. The retching continued, wave after wave, leaving him weak and trembling. Each heave felt like a release of the pent-up fear, revulsion, and regret that had been building inside him.

Feeling a gentle hand on his back, Aurelius realized that the headmaster had followed him. The headmaster's presence was comforting, and it helped Aurelius gather himself.

"I'm... sorry," Aurelius managed to utter between gasps. "I didn't expect... that."

The headmaster's voice was understanding. "It's alright, Aurelius. What you just faced was not easy. Even the strongest warriors can be shaken by the horrors of war. It's only natural to feel this way."

"We should keep moving towards the wall," the headmaster said gently. “You need to rest and heal, no teenager should have gone through what you just did.”

Aurelius nodded, although a small part of him wanted to continue fighting. “Yeah, I agree. But, first, I want you to capture one of the Dark Elves for me.”

The headmaster nodded slowly, as if trying to process the reason why. “That should be easy enough, we would have planned to anyway.”

“No,” Aurelius began, taking a deep breath. He turned around to face the High Elven front line and the battlefield. “I don’t want you to catch me one of the insane or half-undead ones,” Aurelius said, motioning towards a group of Dark Elves still viciously attacking the High Elves. 

“I want you to catch me one of the alive ones,” Aurelius said, pointing towards one of the Dark Elves that was running away from the fight. 

The headmaster’s eyes seemed to light up with understanding. “I see. Yes, I can do that for you.”

Aurelius came to have a quick thought that almost made him chuckle aloud. 

Who would have thought, me giving the headmaster of Lothern Academy orders, and him actually agreeing. Oh how the world has turned upside down.

That was Aurelius’ final thought as his body finally succumbed to fatigue, his frame slumping and his vision fading to black.

===

***

===

Aurelius woke up abruptly, startled by a pair of eyes locked onto his own. His first instinct was to teleport away, but as he surveyed his surroundings, a sense of calm washed over him. Leaning against the city wall, a skilled life mage was diligently channeling his healing powers, workinging to restore Aurelius to full health.

"Whew..." the life mage exclaimed, rising and wiping his brow. "That really drained me. You were in a terrible state back there; it took as much time and mana as it would to heal five ordinary individuals combined. Promise me you'll never repeat whatever you did."

With a firm and unwavering tone, the life mage turned away, heading toward another patient.

Aurelius slowly got up, feeling out the mobility of his body. To his relief, the magic of the life-mage lived up to the hype, and he felt in nearly his prime form. Looking at his status screen, he saw that he was 50 points shy of fully replenishing his health. With a satisfied smile, he closed his status screen and looked around, his smile falling instantly.

The once-pristine battlefield was now a scene of carnage and destruction. The ground was littered with broken weapons, shattered armor, and the lifeless bodies of fallen warriors from both sides. The air was heavy with the scent of blood and smoke, a grim reminder of the fierce battle that had raged here.

Aurelius walked through the aftermath, his footsteps echoing in his ears. He felt a mixture of emotions - relief that the battle was over and sorrow for the lives lost.

Aurelius wasn’t sure how long he was out, but it seemed that now the battle had ended. High Elven defenders were treating the wounded and others were burying the dead. As Aurelius continued to look around he could see the occasional mound of corpses preparing to be buried. He would have to get an official casualty report, but Aurelius already knew that the number would be frightening to hear.

As Aurelius continued to move through the battlefield, he spotted the headmaster conversing with a group of High Elven commanders. The headmaster caught sight of Aurelius and excused himself from the conversation, walking over to him.

"I'm glad to see you're up and moving," the headmaster said, his tone genuinely relieved. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better, thanks to the life mage's healing," Aurelius replied, his voice still carrying a hint of exhaustion. "I... I can't believe what happened out there. The Dark Elven Chosen, the battle, everything."

The headmaster nodded solemnly. "It was a hard-fought battle, and you faced a formidable opponent. But your actions played a crucial role in turning the tide. You should be proud of what you accomplished."

Aurelius nodded, appreciating the headmaster's words. "I just wish we could have prevented so much loss."

"We do what we can," the headmaster said, his expression a mix of determination and weariness. “But for now, I have a captive to introduce to you.”

Aurelius nodded, following the headmaster’s direction. The headmaster moved through the battlefield, heading towards a camp of tents laid out on one side. 

Stopping in front of a particular tent, with a guard standing on the outside, the headmaster signaled for Aurelius to follow him inside. As they entered the tent, Aurelius noticed a Dark Elf seated on the ground, his hands bound by magical restraints. Aurelius examined the restraints with a keen eye, recognizing them as the dreaded mana-binding variety he had read about. These runes-infused restraints were designed to render even the most skilled magic users powerless, cutting off their connection to mana.

Aurelius fixed his gaze on the captive, a determined glint in his eyes. With a subtle nod to the headmaster, he conveyed his appreciation. This was precisely the type of captive Aurelius had been looking for.