The touch of that strange finger still echoed through Enrico's nerves as he took one step back, then two, before running with everything he had. The icy terror scratched at the back of his neck like an invisible blade, and he only stopped when he was certain he had managed to gain some distance.
'Did she disappear...?'
But, the instant he dared to stop and catch his breath, a soft and amused voice sounded behind him.
"You run well, boy."
Sitting casually on a rock a few meters away, the Nartheis watched him as if nothing had happened.
'How? How did she move without making a sound, without a presence, without... anything?'
Enrico wasn't just fighting that abomination. The Mana Zone itself was already making his movements difficult, and the pain caused by the concentration of corrupted mana continued spreading throughout his body. The necklace burned against his chest as it tried to contain the effects of that place.
'She's just playing with me. Then maybe I have a chance. Calm down. I had a plan for this. I just need to go forward and find the Shadow Mage of Circle 9.'
Enrico looked at her. A light and wicked smile curved her lips beneath the cross-shaped mask. Her black hair, half of it completely white, floated slowly, while her eyes, hidden behind the mask, seemed to be searching for something.
A moment later, she disappeared without leaving a trace.
[She disappeared again. The only thing I can do is detect her when she's within five meters. Good luck.]
"Great... now you decide to help?"
Enrico muttered as he conjured his magic.
'Fireball.'
[Right.]
A flaming sphere appeared in his hand and was launched forcefully in the direction indicated by the system. The instant it exploded against the wall, the Nartheis had already disappeared.
'No—'
Caught off guard, Enrico felt a kick strike his ribs.
"Gahh!"
The creature appeared beside him as if she had simply materialized out of nowhere and struck him again without using her full strength. Even so, the impact was enough to send him crashing against the rocks and make him spit blood.
"I'm curious to see how far someone with such trash potential can go. Show me."
She spoke in an amused tone as she disappeared again.
Enrico gritted his teeth.
'If I make a single mistake, I'm dead. Fire Fist.'
Flames surrounded his arms.
'Fire Kick.'
Enrico launched a fire fist from a distance, making the flames leave his hand to serve as a distraction, and immediately accelerated forward, using the fire on his feet as propulsion.
'She'll follow me, but if I turn here...'
He spun sharply, dodging between the stalactites. However, when he looked ahead, she was already there, sitting on a rock as if she had been waiting for him in that exact spot.
"You're predictable, boy."
Enrico took a deep breath and tried to stay focused.
"Okay, so you want to play?"
He raised his hand, and a fireball appeared before him.
'Split Fireball.'
The sphere split into eight small orbs that spread around the Nartheis. Enrico took advantage of the explosion and smoke to hide, rolling through a small gap while trying to disappear from her sight.
'Fire Eyes.'
He had trained that magic repeatedly since Tolen's death. His vision immediately improved, allowing him to see the magical particles scattered through the air. Even so, the Nartheis's aura remained completely absent.
'Nothing. No presence.'
Enrico gritted his teeth.
"Fire Bow... Arrow."
A flaming weapon appeared in his hands. He pulled the string and aimed in the direction where he believed she was.
'Even if it's useless, I have to try.'
Enrico fired.
The arrow tore through the air at high speed, but, at the last instant, the Nartheis appeared in front of it and caught it with only two fingers.
"That was good. It almost scratched my nail."
She continued speaking in that same amused tone as she released the arrow. The flames dissipated and fell to the ground like small embers.
Enrico ran. He ran like he had never run before. He attacked, ran again, burned rocks to create distractions, and used fireballs against the walls to produce false bangs. He hid behind pillars, went up, went down, and tried every strategy he could think of. For a while, it even seemed like it was working.
'Damn... so this is a Ranvil Rank.'
[She's... five meters behind you. Three. One. Damn, too fast.]
She struck him again, this time in the back. Enrico fell hard, and the impact nearly cracked the necklace. Blood gushed from his mouth, and his vision became blurry, but he still managed to get back up. He was cornered, and the only possible exit was exactly where she was.
Enrico used the rest of his mana to ignite the flames on his feet again. With his body already in ruins, he jumped and tried to pass over her.
But the Nartheis grabbed him by the leg while he was still in the air and brutally threw him back to the ground. Enrico crashed through several rocks during the fall and coughed up blood. This time, he couldn't get back up.
'Is this the end...?'
Enrico closed his eyes as his consciousness began to disappear.
'I hate this... I have to become stronger.'
The Nartheis approached and stood over him, observing his injured body. After a few seconds, she spoke:
"You... really have the worst potential I've ever seen. Even among the weak mages and knights. But..."
She knelt beside him and lightly touched his chest, exactly where the necklace was still burning with a faint light, trying to repair what had been destroyed.
"That's good for me. The worse someone's potential is, the easier it will be to turn them into my servant."
The Nartheis observed the boy with some curiosity, even as she said that.
'I wonder who he was talking to in his mind? Well, it doesn't matter. Whoever it is, they won't be able to see any of this. I was lucky to find someone around here.'
The Nartheis remained silent for a few seconds, as if listening to something. Then she stood up and simply began walking away without hurry, as if all of that had been nothing more than a stroll.
Name: ???????? – Rank: Ranvil
'I'm going to die in the battle with that mage, so I need a trump card.'
She continued walking away until she reached the surface. As soon as she left the area covered by the mist, she spotted a mage surrounded by shadows, with his arms positioned behind his body. He was destroying all the creatures she had spent years creating.
'Well, even if it is after I die, it will take an entire year for me to awaken inside that boy's heart.'
She stretched, preparing to kill herself and prevent her core from falling into that mage's hands.
"All right, my children, run. Mommy will buy you some time, and wait for me, because I will return in a year."
She began walking forward while the remaining creatures started fleeing.
"Have you finally come to die, creature?"
The mage spoke arrogantly as he watched her approach.
"Yes and no."
Suddenly, her body began to change and fall apart. Everything around them was consumed by darkness, completely covering the mage. The next second, an explosion occurred, causing a boom that was muffled by the shadows themselves.
When the darkness disappeared, the mage emerged from it with one of his hands burned.
"What a cunning woman... trying to take me down with her."
His face showed some irritation. Meanwhile, inside the cave, with Enrico still unconscious, something was happening in a place that no one could see.
Inside his heart, in a region that remained completely hidden, a small dark point appeared.