Years passed; Hyoga had not merely grown up, he had transformed into a red mage's apprentice. While Emily and Lola busied themselves with daily chores in the village, Hyoga would go to the "Temple of Lost Runes" deep within the forest with Valerius. This was a half-ruined stone structure covered in vines, considered cursed by the villagers. But for Valerius, it was the perfect training ground; the temple's thick stones and the dense mana surrounding it concealed Hyoga's uncontrolled bursts of power.
Hyoga was now used to waking up in the middle of the night and sneaking out. On the temple's rune-carved floor, under the moonlight, Valerius taught him both how to wield a sword and how to rein in those two opposing currents within him. After the training, he would secretly slip back into his bed.
When Hyoga opened his eyes, he awoke to a new day. The villagers were already up and about, immersed in their daily routines; the sound of axes chopping wood, the smell of fresh bread rising from the bakeries, and the joyful screams of children filled the air. Over the past six years, Hyoga had tremendously improved his skill in reading the spellbook. He could now decipher letters and words easily, constantly asking Naomi to teach him more at every opportunity.
By day, he listened to Naomi's lessons with rapt attention; by night, he deepened his knowledge by studying the book given by Valerius, the former 14th Division Leader of the Red Mage Order.
That morning, as Hyoga was finishing his chores, Naomi approached him. "Hey Hyoga! The village kids are going fishing at the stream today. Do you want to come?"
Hyoga actually would have preferred to get lost in the mysterious pages of the spellbook. "I... I think I'd better stay home, Naomi," he muttered.
Hearing this, Naomi crossed her arms over her chest, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You know you owe me a few favors, Hyoga." Remembering how much he had pestered her for lessons, Hyoga admitted Naomi was right. "Alright, I'm coming; but we need to ask for permission first."
They went to Emily and Lola together. "Aunt Emily, can I go fishing with Naomi?" Hyoga asked. At the same time, Naomi turned to her mother: "Yes Mom, Hyoga and I want to catch fresh fish from the river for you."
Emily looked at Lola with slight concern. However, Archmage Lola knelt with a warm smile and placed her hands on both children's heads. "Alright kids, but please be careful. I have a strange feeling today. Don't separate from each other, okay?"
Naomi nodded eagerly. "Okay, Mom!" Although Emily still looked tense, she turned to Hyoga: "Sweetheart, please be very careful." Hyoga smiled and agreed. They took the dusty fishing rods from Lola's old shed and set off joyfully. The outside world was drawing them toward the mysterious call of Lola's premonition.
When they reached the riverbank, the sound of the cool, roaring water echoed in the forest. Naomi began preparing her fishing rod like a master angler; for her, fishing wasn't just a chore, but a peaceful hobby. She giggled at Hyoga's clumsy attempts. "Hey Hyoga, do you need help?"
Struggling with knotted fishing lines, Hyoga handed the rod to her, albeit reluctantly. As Naomi tied the hook, she started explaining with great seriousness: "Look, watch closely. I'm only going to show you this once." After a detailed lesson, both fell silent and began watching the surface of the water.
As time flowed by like the river, a glimmer among the reeds caught Hyoga's eye. The light was different from an ordinary reflection; it was more inviting, more enchanting. Succumbing to his curiosity, Hyoga slowly stood up and approached the glimmer. Hidden in the mud lay an elegant necklace; a gold-plated ring engraved with runes in a foreign language was threaded through its center.
Naomi called out from afar: "Hey Hyoga, is everything alright?"
Hyoga was mesmerized by the mystery of the inscriptions. "Nothing, I'm fine! It was just the sun hitting the water," he replied. If he showed it to Naomi, he knew she would either take the necklace or want to examine it. Instead, he secretly slipped the necklace around his neck and hid it under his clothes.
Hours passed, and the other children had filled their buckets and returned to the village long ago. Suddenly, Hyoga frowned, looking in the direction of the current. "Naomi! This part of the stream is downstream from them!"
Naomi looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"The river passes by them first," Hyoga said worriedly. "Meaning the fish get caught on their hooks before reaching us."
Naomi smiled with a wise demeanor. "Ah, little Hyoga... Fishing is entirely a matter of luck. You must be patient; the current isn't everything."
Though unconvinced, Hyoga kept waiting. But right at that moment, the day turned into a nightmare.
Naomi suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream. When Hyoga turned to her, he froze in horror; the river, which had been azure blue moments ago, had now turned a dark, clotted crimson: the color of blood. Naomi's face turned ashen white. "This stream... This stream runs right through our village," she whispered.
Both children looked toward the village at the same time. Naomi started running like crazy without even grabbing her fishing rod. Feeling the sudden, heavy coldness of the metal necklace against his chest, Hyoga bolted after her, fleeing the horror of the blackened river.
They ran until their lungs burned; rising flames had painted the sky an ominous crimson. As they approached the village, what they heard wasn't the usual laughter of children, but the clash of steel and ear-splitting screams. Deep within Hyoga's mind, an old memory filled with smoke and snow flashed, but he quickly pushed the painful image aside.
When they reached the village square, they were met with utter devastation. Foreign soldiers in black armor were setting houses on fire and putting innocent villagers to the sword. The scene in the square was not just one of destruction, but also the stage for an incredible display of power.
Valerius stood in the middle of the square, his armor gleaming.
"What business do insects like you have in this village?" Valerius roared. As his voice echoed through the square, he stomped hard on the ground. "Earth: Tier 2... Pillar of Wrath!"
As Hyoga and Naomi watched in terror, the ground Valerius stepped on began to rise with a massive rumble. The colossal mass of stone and earth bursting from the ground carried Valerius to the top of a ten-meter-high tower in seconds. Like a king sitting on his throne, Valerius looked down at the trembling soldiers shooting arrows at him.
Panting under a barrier, Lola shouted: "Valerius! You can't hold them all off at once!"
Valerius let out a condescending laugh. "Oh Lola, how tragic it is that you try to stop these losers with that weak barrier of yours. Watch and see how a real mage fights."
He merely flicked his hand downward. "Earth: Tier 3... Devouring Swamp!"
In an instant, the entire ground around the tower turned into a squelchy, pitch-black sludge. Before the black-armored soldiers could even realize what was happening, they sank up to their knees in the earth. Valerius looked down at them and smiled. "Your armors are too heavy, aren't they? The earth loves you, boys, it can't wait to swallow you whole."
Even as the soldiers' commander shouted and tried to lunge forward, Valerius wagged a finger at him. "Shh... Silence when the adults are speaking." Rock spears he conjured from the top of the tower rained down around the soldiers, trapping them. Valerius's arrogance and the way he practically played with his enemy sent chills even down Archmage Lola's spine.
Amidst this chaos, Valerius locked eyes with Hyoga, who was frozen below. "Are you still here, boy? I'll handle this trash, you go home."
Hyoga grabbed Naomi's hand. While Valerius humiliated his enemies above like a cat playing with mice, the children kept running toward their own home to reach Emily.
"Mom! Aunt Emily!" Naomi wailed, her legs trembling.
Just then, a burst of purple light erupted from Lola's cabin at the edge of the village. Archmage Lola had conjured a massive ancient rune barrier protecting the house and its surroundings. Emily was there too; holding an old sword, she was using the last of her strength to repel a soldier pushing against the barrier.
"They're here..." Emily muttered as soon as she saw the children. Her face was covered in soot and sweat. "I thought they wouldn't find you, thank God!"
Hovering in the air and sweating profusely to keep the barrier intact, Lola called out to them: "The barrier won't hold much longer! Emily, take them through the back way into the forest. You must reach that old temple Valerius mentioned!"
"I can't leave you here, Mom!" Naomi cried out, lunging toward her.
Lola cast one last tender look at her daughter. "I am an Archmage, sweetie. It is my duty to protect these people. Now go!"
Right at that moment, a massive crack formed in the barrier. The commander of the enemy unit delivered the final blow with a mace forged with dark magic. Lola fell to the ground with an agonized scream. Emily grabbed Hyoga and Naomi by their arms and pulled them back. The old gold pouch at Emily's waist was now empty; she had spent the very last of her royal savings to feed the children through the winter. Now they had neither money nor a roof over their heads.
"Hyoga, look at me!" Emily said, shaking the boy's shoulders. "You need to be strong now. Do not let go of Naomi's hand. Run, and whatever you do, don't look back! No matter what you hear, don't stop!"
Emily pulled a worn but sturdy dagger from her waist and pressed it into Hyoga's hand. "Take this... Protect yourselves. I will find you, Hyoga, I swear. Now run!"
Hyoga felt the necklace he had found suddenly grow hot enough to burn his chest. He couldn't understand why Emily was leaving him in this hell. However, Naomi's sobs snapped him back to reality. Leaving behind his only home, the fallen Lola, and Emily standing with her sword drawn, he began to run toward the dark depths of the forest.
That day, young Hyoga lost his aunt and the only order he had known in his life. He didn't have a single gold coin in his pocket; just a rusted dagger in his hand and a mysteriously burning necklace around his neck.