The Beginning.

The Next Day...

It was a beautiful weekend morning, with the sun shining brightly and birds chirping happily outside my window. I woke up feeling refreshed and eager to spend the day practicing my magic spells. I had been studying light magic for several months now, and I was determined to master it.

As I got out of bed, stretched my arms and legs, and made my way to the bookshelf where I kept my spellbook, I heard a loud knock on the door.

"SORA!" The voice belonged to my friend Leo, and it sounded urgent.

I walked over to the door and opened it to find Leo standing outside, panting and sweating as if he had just run a marathon.

"Why are you here so early on a Saturday, Leo?" I asked, puzzled.

"I asked everyone to come meet up at the park so that we could show off our spells," he said between breaths. "I was wondering if you wanted to come."

I hesitated for a moment. I had been looking forward to spending the day practicing my magic, but showing off my skills to my friends sounded like fun too.

"All right, I'll come with you," I said finally. "But you guys have already seen all my spells."

"We just want to see what you've learned since the last time we met up," Leo said, grinning from ear to ear.

I quickly got dressed and packed my spellbook, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness as I followed Leo to the local park where everyone was waiting for us.

"Thanks for coming out, guys," I said, feeling grateful to have such supportive friends. "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go," Myra said quietly. Myra was always the quiet one in our group, and I sometimes wondered what went on in her head.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before holding out her hand and whispering, "Venom Pierce."

I watched in amazement as small, sharp pellets appeared in her palm and shot out at a nearby tree, causing it to decay and fall to the ground.

"That's all for now," Myra said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Me next!" Enzo said, jumping up and down with excitement.

"All right, Enzo, let's see what you've learned," I said, curious to see what he had been practicing.

"Gem Beam!" Enzo shouted, and a beam of light appeared on top of his head before shooting out and incinerating another tree in a matter of seconds.

I couldn't help but be impressed. Enzo had come a long way since we first started practicing magic together.

"I guess it's my turn," Rayne said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I can't wait to see what you've been working on," I said, smiling at Rayne.

"Authority Enchantment," Rayne said, and I felt a sudden wave of confusion wash over me.

The next thing I knew, my pants had been pulled down, and I was standing in front of my friends in my underwear, feeling mortified.

"What the hell, Rayne?" I said, my face turning red with anger.

Rayne just shrugged, looking unapologetic. "I controlled your mind. It's a neat trick, don't you think?"

I felt a surge of anger and frustration rising within me. I had always suspected that Rayne had a mean streak, but I didn't expect her to use her powers to humiliate me in front of our friends.

Before I could say anything else, a strange figure emerged from the nearby forest, walking towards us with an air of menace.

"What do we have going on here?" he said, his voice low and menacing.

"Who are you supposed to be?" I asked, my eyes narrowing as I assessed the stranger in front of me. He was tall and menacing, with a dark aura that seemed to emanate from his very being.

"That's a good question boy," he replied, his voice low and dangerous. "You could say that I'm about to be your worst nightmare." As he spoke, he made a sudden move towards me, striking me in the gut with a force that nearly doubled me over.

Pain lanced through my body, and for a moment, I thought that he had pierced a hole through my chest. But I refused to give up without a fight. I gripped onto the nearby trees, my fingers digging into the bark as I used them like a grappling hook to fling myself forward.

With a surge of energy, I infused my fist with mana and tried to punch him. But he was too fast, blocking my attack with ease and flashing me a taunting smile.

"You interest me boy," he said, grabbing my shirt and lifting me into the air. Panic flooded through me as I looked around for help, but everyone else was on the ground, knocked out cold.

"What did you do to them?!" I demanded, struggling against his grip.

"Don't worry boy," he replied, his finger pressed to his lips in a shushing gesture. "I just knocked them out."

As I looked up at him, my heart pounding in my chest, I saw Remi stirring on the ground, trying to get back up. I knew I had to distract the stranger if we had any hope of fighting back.

"What do you want with us?" I asked, trying to keep him talking.

"That is a secret," he replied with a smirk, holding me aloft with one hand.

But just then, Remi struck. Her threads wrapped around the stranger's neck, causing him to drop me. In that split second, I infused my fist with mana once more and landed a powerful blow to the man's gut.

But he was far from defeated. Two shadowy hands emerged from his back, gripping both Remi and me in a vice-like hold. I could feel the dark energy pulsing through them, and I had no idea how he was able to cast spells without incantations.

"I've had enough of your games," he growled, smashing both of us into the ground with bone-crunching force. Darkness enveloped me, and I knew no more.

When I came to three hours later, my head throbbing and my body aching, I saw that everyone else was still out cold. Fear gripped me as I realized just how outmatched we were.

"That guy, he's dangerous," I said to Leo as he stirred beside me.

"No shit Sora," he replied, his voice heavy with sleep. "He knocked out all of us without breaking a sweat, obviously he's dangerous."

"But the scariest part is that he doesn't need to chant spells," I added, my mind still reeling from the encounter.

Leo's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?! HE CAN USE MAGIC WITHOUT CHANTING?!"

I nodded grimly. "It's a whole new level of skill."

As we worked to rouse the others, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled deep in my gut. Who was this man, and what did he want with us? I knew that we were in for a rough ride, but I was determined to do whatever it took to protect my friends and uncover the truth.