Flower of Darkness (1)

"I'll be nearby." The demon lord responded. "I'll keep my word—no one will be able to reach you. Demon I maybe, but we do not lie, unlike you humans."

Iris remained confused and could only curse inwardly. Disappointment passed over her face, but she was not surprised. She should have known that this demon lord neither cared whether she lived or not.

What was she supposed to do then? Did the demon lord bring her here in the middle of the battlefield to scare the hell out of her? If he did, then Lord Kieran was surely doing a great job!

Suddenly, she felt his warmth leaving her. A swishing sound could be heard and Iris turned her head only to see the demon lord hovering over her with a huge black bat-like wings on his back. If Iris ever had doubts that this man was a demon, it was gone now.

His hair that was as white as fresh-fallen snow whipped behind his magnificent form. He was beautiful and unnerving to look at because of his domineering presence. Lord Kieran flew higher for a moment to get a good look at the Night Critters that were fast approaching.

With the moon being blocked by the thick gray clouds above the sky, it was harder to see the positions their enemies were taking. This wasn't as many as the last swarm of Night Critters they encountered when they made their way to Calaren Town yesterday, and he wouldn't be able to use his Mystic Eyes to find an opening to annihilate the High Night Critter in a crowd of mindless ones.

His black steed slowed down as if it was keeping up with its master's pace. Its nostrils flared with impatience as it tossed its mane restlessly. The steed then pulled into a stop, grunted and pawed at the dirt as it waited for Lord Kieran's command.

The demon lord went closer to them, a silver magical bow emerging from his other hand. It was compact and recurve. He handed it over to Iris, who was caught off guard by the weight of the said weapon. Iris had never seen nor held a bow like this before.

The bow was silvery blue up close, with two bright red orbs on both ends. The upper and lower limbs had the same intricate design and the grip that fit perfectly in her left hand. It was comparatively smaller and shorter than the bow she left back at home.

"Use it and kill the leader of the next swarm. It's a magical bow, so your magic should be enough to utilize it." Lord Kieran said before swishing his sword midair, sending an invisible wave towards the Night Critters that were drawing closer to them, killing them upon impact.

"But the arrows…"

What's the use of having a bow if she didn't have any arrows to use? Would it magically shoot arrows on their own? However, it was wishful thinking on her part because the demon lord's next words made Iris wonder what Lord Kieran's motive was for dragging her here.

"You can create one yourself using your magic." Lord Kieran cut off her words. "It gives you the advantage to draw as many arrows as you need."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

Iris was fuming mad now. How can this darkling expect that she could pull off such an impossible feat? Lord Kieran spoke as if she was able to use her magic at will and kill a High Night Critter while riding his steed.

She knew how to use a bow and arrow, but horseback archery was extremely difficult to do even for an experienced archer like her. It had taken her years to master her bow, and she doubted that she would be able to hit the High Night Critter with accuracy.

Archery was challenging enough. She couldn't imagine trying to shoot targets while controlling a horse galloping at high speed. Unlike normal archery, Iris heard that horseback archers shoot instinctively or without sights for aiming.

They don't use sights and rely on a combination of muscle memory and hand-eye coordination. They were also adept in subconsciously calculating the distance between them and their target. It was quite the contrast of what she was accustomed to, because in the woods, in a single blink of an eye, she could lose the prey she was stalking.

Lord Kieran scowled as he looked at her as if she was a clueless child. For maguses in Asnar, using magic was like a second nature to them, but he forgot that this magus in front of him didn't have any idea how to use the mana in her body.

"Projection magic." He said nonchalantly. "You know what an arrow looks like and feels like, right?" When Iris nodded in response, he continued.

"Then draw your bow and imagine that you are holding an arrow. Your mana would manifest it according to your will."

Was it really that easy? Iris wondered. If she wasn't worried about being caught in Dravial, Iris would have learned how to use her magic and take advantage of it. As she looked at the man, waiting for her to make a decision, she wondered if Lord Kieran was trying to teach her how to use her magic properly.

"We don't have much time, human." The demon lord reminded her, gesturing to the next wave of Night Critters that were about to reach them.

"Reinforcements are here. You only have one task. Leave the rest to us." The demon lord added and Iris only then realized that Aiden had already caught up with them, leading his troop to protect Lord Kieran and Iris by obstructing the other Night Critters.

Saying those words, Lord Kieran left her with his steed and led the way. Iris could only clench her jaw as she held on the reins of the horse that immediately galloped, seeing its master ahead of them.