Ken Logheart

‘Necromancy...’ I watched grimly as more undead creatures spawned from the ground. They radiated so much mana around them that it would put a C-Rank adventurer to shame.

Necromancy was infamous dark magic, well known for its twisted ways. First, practitioners would find a target and kill them, trapping their souls in never-ending torment, turning them wicked and filled with rage towards all life.

It was expected for a Lich to have that kind of magic.

I had never seen a Lich until now, but I heard stories that described how powerful they were in terms of magical capabilities. One could potentially turn a kingdom to ruin if they so desired.

And that creature is what we are facing now.

I looked at my sister, who was already depleted of mana and unable to move. Her face was contorted with pain, and seeing that made my heart twist in knots. I moved my shaky legs and took a step forward. I swallowed the fear and hesitation down my throat.

While my mana pool was not in prime condition, it was still refilled, though only mostly half, not full.

I couldn't keep drinking more of this potion each time I would go empty of mana. Despite its great use, it was widely known for its side effects. One of those side effects could lead to a mana outburst, which would leave the user’s core cracked and crippled. It was only created to be used only when necessary and not every day. Cores are, after all, the most delicate part of the human soul.

I looked behind me and noticed that the skeletons and golems suddenly stopped moving. They were still staring at me.

I narrowed my eyes at them but decided to pay no heed to them. They seemed to have received an order if they were to stop that suddenly.

With each step I took, my hesitation and fear started crumbling down. Flashes of memories came down to me.

The times when my sister and I would play outside. When I would cry because of a broken toy and would rejoice to have my sister fix it for me. The times when my sister was at my side at all times when I was being bullied even though it almost ruined her reputation in the Academy.

I gritted my teeth, and my eyes showed a bright glint of determination.

I need to save her. I need to save my big sister.

For all the times she has saved me, it will be my turn to save her now.

I raised my staff and began an incantation.

“Winter of the above-”

Above the Lich, circular structures formed.

“Fall!”

On the circular structures, multiple ice types of arrows fell down from them.

The Lich was widely aware of the attack and blocked it seamlessly without any effort.

‘That shield...’

From what I could guess, it was a spell called Deflect, widely used among arcane users. It was an annoying type of spell to deal with, especially if the user was very adept at it, making it nearly impossible to crack.

It was powerful, no doubt. But my sister managed to break it, which only proves that it's durable but not unbreakable. It just requires a strong mana-based attack to crack it. I was careful not to overuse my mana. It would be bad if I ran out.

The Lich's attention was now firmly on me.

I wasted no time and began firing everything I got.

“Glacier spears!”

Several ice spikes appeared at my side, and I shot them toward the Lich and the undead creatures beside him. Few of them hit the undead creatures, but none of them scratched the Lich.

He raised his staff at me, and a bright glow ensued.

I widened my eyes and quickly incanted a protection spell to block the attack.

Boom!

My spell managed to block off the attack completely. I remained unscathed, but the mana to create it was by no means little.

“Good reflexes,” he praised before raising his hand, and some of the gooey substance from below rose up into the air and formed into tiny spears. “Allow me to return the favor from earlier.”

It was similar to the spell I used.

“Glacier spears!” I shouted as another set of ice spikes appeared beside me. Without saying a word, we threw them at each other 

Ice met dark as several spears collided head-on. Some cracked at first contact, while some managed to pierce through the other. I dodged most of them, but some managed to leave a scratch on me, mainly on my face.

I hissed at the pain.

“Ice tomb!”

A large block of ice formed and appeared above the Lich. My staff was pointed at it. At the same time, I lowered my staff, and the block of ice fell onto him.

The Lich responded by using ‘Deflect’ to block the attack successfully. He raised his hand in the air. The undead soldiers that were behind him, immobile for the fight, moved. All their attention was now on me. Then with a point of his finger, they all ran in my direction.

“Hail of the ever storm,” I muttered. "Frost nova"

A burst of freezing energy surrounded me and passed through the undead, stopping them all mid-track as their feet began to freeze. Slowly, the freeze began to invade other parts of their bodies.

“Break!”

The frozen parts of their bodies broke, leaving them to shatter into pieces. Their body disappeared into a dark mist.

“Impressive,” The Lich said and just raised his hands again, which let out more undead. Feeling the one I killed was just all for nothing. “But you have to do better.”

The ‘Frost Nova’ spell almost took half of my remaining mana. I felt like he knew that and was just playing with me. It seemed that he wanted an interesting fight.

I was about to raise my staff again, but...

“Ken, just go!” My sister cried out, her voice filled with pain but also concern.

I looked at her, still not processing what she said.

“Sis?”

“Leave me! “

What is she saying?!

“No! How can you say that?”

Is she out of her mind?! Is the Lich controlling her? I swear if he-

“I-” Before she could speak again, her throat was held as she levitated from the ground.

My expression turned to horror. “Sis!” I shouted then quickly snapped my attention to the Lich.

“Let go of my sister, You freak!” I demanded with a look that could kill.

He merely gave what looked like a smirk and proceeded to throw my sister against the wall.

That snapped me.

“Ice barrage!”

Several blocks of ice appeared above him. Before I could give him time to react, I dropped them down at a rapid speed, almost crushing him instantly. As much as I wanted to attack him for harming my sister like that, being hot-headed in this situation would likely get me killed.

I had to remain composed and think not with my emotions but with my hands. I took a deep breath and muttered under it.

“Ever winter shone through the peak, Wall of preservation shall never know defeat - Glacier wall!” I shouted and swung my staff. Ice spurted from the ground and spread horizontally in a line. The ice rose high to the ceiling, leaving the area in half, the wall in the middle.

The spell used up almost all the remaining mana within me. I let out a painful grunt as I gripped my chest. My vision became hazy as my mind almost went blank. But I pulled myself together before I took a fall. This wall will give me enough time to heal her.

She was unconscious with blood dripping off her body. That sight almost made my heart tear into pieces. My big sister, whom I depend on and look up to, was in such a state. Even when we were gravely injured before, she wasn’t the kind of person to just sacrifice herself like that. Or I assumed she was.

My expression contorted with various emotions. I then shook my head and focused on the matter at hand. I knelt down and checked her pulse to see that she was alive. Since I was low on mana, I didn't have enough energy to incant a Heal Spell.

Thankfully, I was prepared for this type of situation.

Grabbing something out of my bag, I quickly took out the healing potion. It could be used in two ways depending on the situation.

Internally and Externally.

Since my sister was unconscious, I had no choice but to use it externally. I proceeded to put each drop on her wounds. The wounds slowly began to close, and the blood on them began to disappear when the droplets made contact.

“Hang on, sis. We’ll get out of here.” Even if she couldn't hear it, I couldn't help but assure her.

Looking at the wall I made, it had no visible cracks whatsoever.

Is the Lich just standing there?

Is my wall really that sturdy?

I couldn't help but feel something was off here.

It would be nearly impossible for him to let us go. But seeing he won't attack, I decided to let it be. There was no point in fighting the Lich. Whatever attack we hit on it would have no effect with that shield of his.

I took a deep breath.

I scribbled something on her body that was a marking for the spell I was about to use; I also carved my hand as well.

With that set, I began muttering an incantation.

Teleportation.

A type of Arcane Magic.

Even though I had an elemental core, it wasn't impossible to enchant any type of Arcane magic. However, the difficulty in learning was astounding. Most would just quit in a day of learning. I suffered days, weeks, and months just to fully grasp one spell of arcane. Some who have a natural arcane core just learn it in a day or just in a week.

I chose to learn "Teleportation V1". There were many variations of teleportation, and the further the version, the better and more advanced it was. The one I learned was the original teleportation method, which is the easiest to learn if you have an elemental core, but it is the opposite for arcane users. This version of teleportation magic required a huge sum of time just to fully activate the spell. Unlike its advanced variations, which only needed a few seconds or so, this requires total concentration. If it breaks, you have to start again.

Even with my eyes closed, it wasn’t darkness that clouded my vision. Rather an imagery, the place which I wanted to be teleported to. In order to make the teleportation work, one had to imagine the place so perfectly or mostly match the description of the mind. This would result in a waypath to form. The waypath would be needed to fully connect the place to make the teleportation work. Before we went into the mountain, I planted a waypoint near the entrance just in case something were to happen, we would make it out safely without having to go back. When the two waypoints are fully in sync, it will be activated, letting my sister and me be teleported out of here.

As the image in my mind began to finalize through my mind, I felt like there was a pull of reality as I went in deeper. The incantation was nearly at its final stage. All I needed to do was—

My eyes forcibly opened as my concentration suddenly broke, making me let out a sharp intake of breath. It was painful.

“You think using such a spell would work while I am around, but I admire your boldness. It’s not every day you would see an elemental core user using another type of magic unrelated to their own,” The Lich’s voice echoed through the area.

I turned my head and saw the wall of ice that hadn't a single scratch on it broke into bits, no, to dust. Revealing the Lich with an army of undead behind him.

‘Shit.’

Before I could react, my sister's body went past me. I tried to stand up and pull her body, but I was stopped as my hands and feet were tangled. I looked down below me to notice a gooey substance stretched out, forming a vine coiled around both my legs and arms.

I let out a painful grunt as I felt something within me was just taken.

‘What the— This drains life force?’

That worried me. My body began to weaken more than it already was.

“Now, boy, you knew something about you and your sister that you haven't revealed. I doubt she knew too,” he took a single step and continued. “I’ll give you this chance. If you answer me truthfully with no hint of deceit, I will spare your sister. And if you show even a tiny bit of it, she will die, and you will see her suffer.”

He gestured his hand, and dark spots appeared on my sister's forearm and continued to spread until it almost covered her whole arm. Even though she was unconscious, I knew she was in pain.

“I—” Before I could have a chance to speak, he intervened.

“Tell me, boy, what god granted you both divinity?”

My words were held back down my throat as I stared at him.

He knows about it.

While I was in conflict with myself, I saw that the darkness was beginning to spread faster on my sister.

“Wait! I’ll tell you. Just please don’t,” I pleaded, as a single tear dropped onto my face.

He did what I pleaded and patiently waited for my answer.

“It's… It's…” I stammered before finally saying it completely without any hindrances. “It's Aerionna, the goddess of heroes.”

Hello! Sorry for not updating. This was supposed to be published few days back but here it is. I feel like I didn't excute this chapter very well, espicially the fight part which this chapter is focus on. I tried my best on it, but I still have much to learn.