Sebastian scolded himself for not seeing it sooner.

They had been right under his nose the entire time. Lurking in the crowd like shadows. How had he not seen their Shade robes amongst the townspeople's leather and linen garbs? They couldn't look more out of place.

Then again, he hadn't been scouring the crowd for any possible threats. That was the job of Jorgen, the Eldai, and Naidini's guards. Besides, he was too busy panicking over the duel.

However, his nerves had quickly dissipated upon seeing the gulf in class between the chieftain and her would-be usurper. The battle had been approaching its end when the flare went off in the crowd.

Sebastian should've known something was up then.

It wasn't until the chieftain froze before she was about to end the battle that he knew something was askew. However, he was grateful his instincts took over when they did. Had they not, Naidini might have been dead on that canvas and Nuri would've been the new leader of House Oseda.

Unfortunately, his actions had caused a stampede in the city square.

And now a bunch of Shades were chasing him.

Today is not a good day.

Jorgen and the Eldai lagged behind to battle the magicians lingering in the courtyard. Meanwhile, Chieftain Naidini, Imogen, Ajax, Remy, and Siren were all a few paces ahead of Sebastian as they ran for the forest. Their ragged breaths and pounding footsteps filled his ears as he fled the dark magicians behind him. He heard them shooting off spells and curses. Bolts of magic zipped past his head. One narrowly missed him; on its way past, it nicked his ear.

Shit.

He felt the warm blood trickling down his neck. A searing pain engulfed his ear, but he simply bit down on his cheek and sped up.

The woods surrounding Vashara had been quiet and still. Tranquil even. Sweet flowers filled their air with their intoxicating aromas, which were being carried by the warm gusts of air flitting through the trees. Every now and then, a small animal would dart across the forest floor or a flock of birds would traverse above the canopies of leaves above.

It was no place for a battle.

Sebastian's shoes pounded against the dirt. His heart threatened to explode in his chest. Up ahead, he spotted Naidini—who had shifted into a cheetah. He arched an eyebrow at her, as she should've only been able to transform into a tiger.

It must've been one of the abilities granted to her via her Eldenarian Artifact.

The woman—now a cheetah—sped away from the group, quickly fading from view. The goal was to protect her, and so far, none of the Shades were anywhere near her.

But the Shades wouldn't pass up the chance to murder a few of their enemies.

Shouts from the magicians chasing him echoed around the forestry. As much as Sebastian wanted to stop and battle them, he knew it wasn't a good idea. Jorgen and the rest of the Eldai were still in the city, leaving the group relatively defenseless against the dark casters.

Sebastian and Ajax were the only ones skilled in combat and defensive magic. Remy was useless when it came to anything not involving charms and deceit magic. Siren was most effective when surrounded by water.

As for Imogen, she was nowhere near the level required to fight a Shade head-on.

Running was their only option.

"Keep your heads down!" Sebastian warned over the yells echoing around them. As if on cue, a streak of crimson struck a tree inches just away from his skull. A small, smoldering hole bored itself in the wood.

The Shades were gaining on them.

Cursing loudly, he covered his head with one hand and held the other behind. A cobalt stunning spell shot from his palm and into the chest of the nearest magician. With a fading Wilhelm scream, their body was launched backward into the rough grasp of a tree's branches.

Two more Shades replaced them, never even breaking a stride.

Great.

Sebastian urged himself, and his friends, to move faster. They couldn't afford to get caught. Not by them. Not now.

Naidini had disappeared from his view, much to his relief. Her amulet was safe—for now. And she knew the forest better than any of them. If he or the others died, someone could carry on the mission of defeating the Order of the Black Lotus in their place.

He scowled at the thought as he dodged a neon green spell.

No one was dying except for the Shades on his tail.

At least, he hoped he wouldn't be dying. His legs were starting to burn, and his ear hadn't stopped bleeding. Sooner or later, he was going to have to stop. But if he did that, he would be forced to take on his assailants.

It didn't take a genius to tell him he was outnumbered. He was sure he could take out three before things got hard. It was a risk. A big one. With how things had been going recently, he wasn't sure he wanted to take it.

He couldn't run forever, though. He would tire before the Shades did, and when that happened, he feared he wouldn't have enough left in the tank to hold them off.

Looking forward, he noticed Ajax was the nearest person to him. He called his name and he immediately skidded to a stop. The ginger skidded to a stop. The two boys locked eyes for a split-second before nodding at each other.

"I already know what you're thinking." Ajax's green eyes were full of belief and strength. He was ready. He was always ready. Holding his hand out, he summoned his vayrir—the two-headed war axe he called Ironbjorn. Gripping the handle with both hands, he turned and faced the oncoming wave of Shades. "Let's do this."

Sebastian couldn't help but grin as called upon his weapon. "Spoken like a true Brynjir."

Ahead of them, Remy, Imogen, and Siren had stopped running as well. They jogged over to the rest of the group. Dread seeped into their expressions.

"Do we really have to do this?" Remy asked.

"It's either this or dying," Imogen replied. She unsheathed her sword and flipped it in her hand. "And I'll be damned if I go down running."

Siren smiled at the girl. With a simple incantation and flick of her wrist, a silver trident materialized in her grip. The three-pronged spear sparkled with the sunlight glinting off its surface. "What she said."

Remy's shoulders slumped as he sighed. He was the only one without a weapon vayrir. That meant they had to protect him.

Under Ajax's instruction, the five magicians pressed their backs together and formed a tight circle as they awaited the Shades. Footstep after footstep, the dark magicians grew closer and closer. Leaves and twigs crunched under boots as they weaved through the trees.

Sebastian drew a deep breath.

"Everyone stay close," Ajax ordered as he looked towards where the Shades were going to emerge from. "Don't break formation and stay strong. If you follow those rules, we may just make it out of this alive."

Everyone nodded and fell silent.

All the sound vanished from the forest as if it was preparing for the impending battle within itself. Even the breeze had seemed to stop. The trees were deathly still, not a branch swaying and not a single leaf falling.

The Shades had all shadowjumped from his view. He felt the air grow colder as he awaited their return. A single leaf fell from a tree in front of him.

Gulping, Sebastian raised his casting hand.

Plumes of black smoke appeared in a larger circle around him and his group. The Shades emerged from their shadowy clouds, their silver masks shining with the sunlight streaking through the canopies above.

Yelling, Sebastian launched two blasts of dark magic from his palm at two different targets before raising a shield charm to block a blasting spell.

Next to him, Imogen waved her sword at an encroaching magician. Ajax took a bold step forward and clocked a Shade in the head with the hilt of his axe. They crumpled to the ground like an empty soda can.

Ajax was holding his own, as he usually did. He had just clocked a Shade in the head with the hilt of his vayrir, causing them to crumple to the ground like a recycled can.

Remy and Siren worked in tandem as they sent bolts of light and water gleaned from the damp plants at their enemies.

They were doing a decent job of holding off the Shades. However, there were still too many of them. Sooner or later, someone would break formation, or a Shade would slip through their defenses.

A cry cut through the air.

Sebastian spun around. Imogen had hit the ground with her hand pressed against her shoulder. The skin near her collarbone was red and raised. A Shade stood over her with their palm pointed at her head.

Before they could finish the Ordinaire off, Sebastian tackled them to the ground. He never gave them the chance to get up.

"Massacris!"

The crimson curse hit their sternum like a knife to the heart. Their mask fell from their face once they hit the ground, revealing their dead eyes. Two more Shades stepped forward, but Sebastian was seeing red now. He made quick work of them before kneeling beside Imogen.

Examining her shoulder for a quick second, he noticed part of her shirt had been eroded by whatever spell hit her. A burgundy glow lingered around the affected area. Sebastian pursed his lips. She had been tagged by a dark spell.

He wasn't sure which one, but whatever it was had been enough to knock her out.

I have to get her out of here.

Looking up, he saw that his friends had begun to break their formation in efforts to pick up the increased workload Sebastian and Imogen had created for them. Ajax was barreling through people, hitting some with his axe and blasting others with knockback and stunning spells. Remy and Siren were still casting simultaneously, but it was clear to see they were running out of vitalae.

Placing a hand on Imogen's shoulder, he shadowjumped them both over to a tree away from the battle. He gave himself a curt nod before transporting over to Ajax, who was dealing with another pair of Shades. After helping him fight two magicians who had cornered him, he grabbed the tall ginger's shoulder.

"You have to get Siren, Remy, and Imogen out of here."

Ajax arched an eyebrow at him. "Not happening. I'm not leaving you here, Sebastian."

"I'll be right behind you."

Ajax paused, likely considering his words. Behind him, leaves and twigs crunched beneath someone's shoes. Without turning around, Ajax swung his axe's blade into the gut of a creeping Shade.

"I'm not leaving you behind."

"I can take care of myself."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. We don't have time for this.

Ajax shook his head and began moving away reluctantly. "You better come back."

"I will."

With that, Ajax took off running for where Sebastian left Imogen. After hoisting her from the ground, he ran in the direction Chieftain Naidini had gone in. Remy and Siren followed behind him.

Taking a deep breath, Sebastian assessed his situation. There were about four remaining Shades from the original who began chasing after them. The ones on the floor were either dead or unconscious.

He was going to need them all to stay that way.

Conjuring a purple shield charm with his left arm and preparing to cast with his right, he prepared to take on the last of the Shades.

It was four to one. Sebastian knew his odds. But he also knew his father well enough to know he wouldn't have sent his best fighters out for a fight like this. The magicians making up this squad were most likely new recruits or low-level Shades.

He would be able to take them.

Because he was no ordinary magician. One of the only perks of being born to Thorian Thauvin was the extensive training in casting, martial arts, and battle strategy he received in his youth. The raw power he inherited from his royal bloodline was another plus. Taking on these amateurs should've been a cakewalk for someone with his skillset and power level.

But these weren't normal circumstances. His vitalae had taken a hit and he wasn't sure how many heavy spells he had left in him.

Rolling his neck, he scanned the silver masks of those surrounding him.

Let's keep it simple then.

The Shades converged. Sebastian snapped into action.

Dipping his shoulder underneath of a shock of blue energy, he delivered a swift punch to the stomach of a magician. They stumbled backward, doubling over. Sebastian wasted no time driving his dagger into their back.

Once that Shade was down, two more stepped forward.

Both threw a punch at Sebastian, who dodged one but wasn't able to evade the other. A fist connected with his chin and sent him toppling over like a demolished tower.

"Oh man," he muttered from the ground. As his head swam and his vision swayed, he swore he spotted stars in front of him. Reaching up to touch his lip, he felt a wetness coming from the side of his mouth. His mind went blank as he rose to his feet.

"Now you've done it," he slurred.

The remaining Shades exchanged confused glances before focusing their attention on Sebastian. They then chuckled at him. Through their laughs, Sebastian detected the fear in their laughs. It was clear neither of them wanted to strike first.

If he was them, he would've been scared too.

The corners of his lips upturned into a devilish smirk.

Shadows pooled around his feet and, in an instant, he appeared behind the dark magicians. Sweeping the legs out from one of them as they turned around, he pressed his hand to their chest once they hit the ground and uttered a killing spell.

Their head hit the dirt, just as lifeless as the rocks beside it.

The two others retaliated with a flurry of bright spells. Sebastian grunted, his body straining as he fought to maintain his cracking shield charm—but the shield was splintering quickly.

In a flash of purple, the shield burst into tiny speckles of light just in time for an orange blasting spell to send Sebastian soaring across the woods. His surprised yell echoed throughout the trees before he hit the grass, which wasn't as soft as it looked. Spitting up dirt mixed with blood, and ignoring the pain climbing up his bones, he slowly got back to his feet.

Lifting his hands, blood dripping from his mouth and down his sharp chin, he cockily encouraged the last three Shades to come at him.

"You just gonna stand there like idiots or are you gonna come kill me?" he taunted.

Cracking their knuckles, they took a menacing step towards him.

Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't get any closer.

An iron spear wrapped in green cloth ripped through the sternum of a Shade before stabbing the ground. Their lifeless body hung on the weapon like a ragdoll.

Their partner whipped around in surprise but instantly met the same fate. Their body hung limply on another spear, their arms hanging as if they were being pulled upward into the sky.

Except, they weren't. Their soul was going straight down into Nordor with the rest of them.

Sebastian released a sigh of relief as he watched the Eldai running towards him. A concerned Jorgen led the pack.

"Happy to see us, Seb?!" Seth twirled a javelin in his hands before sticking it into the ground. "Like my throwing, eh? You'll never see a better javelin thrower than me. Ya' know, I coulda' gone to the Olympics if I weren't a magician."

Sebastian couldn't help but smile as he walked up to them. "You crazy son of a—"

Jorgen cut him short by grabbing his shoulder. "You alright?"

Nodding curtly, he erased his smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. " Though, the aching in his body begged to differ. "Took you long enough to get here."

Jorgen scoffed before asking, "Where's Naidini?"

Of course.

"Not sure. She managed to escape if that's what you're asking. The others went after her."

Grumbling under his breath, Jorgen ran his large hand through his thick dreadlocks. "Alright, alright." Turning to his men, he beckoned them forward. "This way."

With that, Sebastian followed behind the small group of Eldai as they made their way through the forest in search of the rest of their friends.