Elle stood in the back of the tree line as snow and ice swirled, causing a whirlwind fueled by her magic. Her mana grew frenzied and ferocious as she continually fed it to the golems. Dark hair whipped around her face, but her eyes remained glued forward.

A surge of power hit her front troupes, taking down five golems at once. She sneered. She knew the Magic Knights would put up a fight, but she didn't expect this much power. Which mage could contend with her army? Her reinforced golems worked with the land, used the environment to their advantage— even a Captain would have considerable difficulty taking down so many.

Another series of slashes cut through the center of her onslaught, heading straight for her. She took a few steps back. Whoever it was, they were a threat she couldn't handle face-to-face. Reeling, she sent a command for the golems to pull in and take out the mage, but found she had lost too many to form an appropriate buffer.

How could that be? If this mage was approaching her, then why were the front lines still faltering? Oh, no. Two powerful mages, and their abilities were far above anything she expected.

Elle glanced over her shoulder towards the direction of the cabin where Albina was still incased in snow. Frozen semi-solid, but alive. Though Elle despised the beautiful blonde girl, she wasn't a murderer. Her snow magic could trap Albina, but it was the mana of the mountain that kept her alive in the suspended state.

It seeped in from the strong magic region and, if a mage learned to attune themselves to the mountain, would bend to the witch or wizard's will. The mountain's mana could provide any variety of support, regardless of who called upon it. Even though neither Elle nor Albina wielded healing magic, the mana of the mountain would heal them both since Elle wished it.

That's what no one in the village knew, what no one bothered to learn. The mountain spoke its own language, and if one learned it, they'd gain a powerful ally. But no one wanted to listen to the frigid, craggy peaks anymore. They wanted sunshine and summer, they wanted to appease those who would tear down the mountain's natural beauty.

Now, Elle gathered all the mana available to her from the surroundings as she not only felt her golems' crashing into tree trunks, but heard the grunts of the mage who cut through them. So, it was the scruffy Captain of the Black Bulls. She should have known he was just as powerful as he appeared.

His eyes bore into hers, then widened as he realized who she was, no doubt piecing together the family resemblance. She set her jaw and began to raise her hand to command the snow and ice, preparing to fight, since he clearly wasn't in the mood to talk.

"Elle!"

Her jaw dropped, eyes ripping away from Yami's as she searched for the owner of the voice.

"Elle! Listen to me, it doesn't have to be this way."

...Liam? Her brother?

Panting, he emerged from the white mist the battle had kicked up, his onyx hair clinging to his head in clumped icicles. No, he can't be a part of this.

She didn't want him to be caught in a wayward attack, or to be blamed for being her accomplice. Liam had done too much for her, had always been there... her older brother deserved none of the backlash she would receive from this ploy.

Yami spun to put himself between Liam and Elle, grabbing the boy by the collar of his shirt.

"Don't touch him!" Elle screeched.

At the same time Liam yelped, then became a ragdoll in Yami's grip. "It's okay, she's my sister," he said. "I need to be the one to talk to her."

Yami's chiseled face showed no expression or emotion. Then he pointed his katana at Elle. "You've put your family— you entire village in danger. Why should I trust you to talk with him? Won't you hurt him, too?"

"No." A strangled cry left her lips.

"Elle," Liam pleaded. "Stop."

She couldn't stand to see her brother be manhandled like that. Not by some self-important Captain, even if he was the outcast of the Capital. He was still sent here, sent to "fix" what wasn't broken.

With the flick of her finger, a massive golem leaped toward Yami from behind. He didn't even loosen his grip on Liam as his sword flashed and split the golem in half. An aura of dark mana erupted from him, and Elle took another staggered step back.

"I'll give you Albina! Take her and leave! Leave the village to me!"