19 >Chapter 18<
Far away in the distance, a person was sitting on a thick tree branch. The person's features couldn't be seen as their whole body is covered by a long black cloak. Even their face was invisible to all but the gentle breeze. Only their glowing light green eyes could be seen under their hood.
The person was currently watching something very interesting. They were just looking around because they felt a magic fruit somewhere in this area, but yesterday, its presence just suddenly disappeared. The person thought that a monster must've already eaten it and because of that, their mood wasn't the best.
But the mood quickly changed when they saw five small silhouettes fighting against a Wind Serpent in the near distance. Their curiosity was peaked and they decided to watch from the sidelines.
They saw as the boys dodged all of the serpent's attacks. The person then saw the serpent charge a big attack and they couldn't help but feel excited about what was going to happen. They then saw the male silhouettes creating their attacks, sending them against the compressed hot wind blades and then dodging.
The persons green eyes flashed with mysterious light and saw something unbelievable.
"What? They only just unlocked their own magic element?" The person was astonished. "And they all unlocked it at the same time?" They eyed the boys suspiciously.
They never expected something like this to happen. If the fight were to be described in other words, it would be like baby fighting against an adult. The five people who just learnt how to control magic particles were already fighting a Wind serpent.
The person then saw the boys create their own attack and they couldn't help but laugh out loud. They laughed even more when they saw the attack pierce the serpent's head.
"Hahahahaha... This is insane, incredible, unbelievable, Hahahaha~."
Laughing like a madman, the person saw the five silhouettes falling unconscious. Only then did they stop laughing.
Observing the boys lying on the ground, the person muttered under their breath.
"Hmm…"
The person arrived next to the five unconscious boys. They approached them and then took off their hood, revealing a man's handsome face. His dark skin made a fine contrast to his long silver-white hair, which were tied into a ponytail. He also had sharp pointy ears.
The person then went to pick up the group of five boys, when suddenly a tendril of darkness struck him in the finger.
The man then stared at the group with wide eyes.
"Puh… Hahaahahahahah~"
He then started laughing again, but this time, it wasn't only amusement but also ecstasy. He continued laughing like this for almost a minute before he stopped.
"Amazing, absolutely amazing, I've never seen humans as interesting as this. I should report this to the headmaster and bring them with me." The man said to himself, still trembling from all the laughter and happiness with a crazed smile on his face.
He then flicked his finger at the dark tendril and completely destroyed it. He then proceeded to pick up the boys. It looked quite comical, seeing a man carrying five others under his arms like sacks of potatoes.
But when he touched the boys, the man noticed something and his expression turned grim.
"Oh…?"
He then closed his eyes and soon a cracking sound resounded in the surroundings. A cracked symbol of an eye appeared on the boys' foreheads before it flickered and disappeared.
The man then lightly propelled himself with his feet. The next moment, all that could be seen was a flash with the man reappearing hundred meters away from their original spot.
The man, however, stopped in the next moment as if he forgot something.
"Ah, I almost forgot..."
He then appeared next to the corpse of the Wind Serpent that was just laying half in the water and half on the dry land.
The man let go of the boys and let them fall on the ground. Approaching the serpent, he opened up his palm and the red gem that was stuck in the middle of its forehead was forcibly torn out.
Some blood splashed at the surroundings but the man was left clean. It was as if the blood avoided him.
The orb was then carefully laid onto his palm. He grabbed it with the tips of his fingers… and bit into it. When he finished eating the whole orb, a crimson aura began to surround him. If the boys were conscious right now, they would feel an overbearing pressure and bloodlust radiating from the man. In the next moment, the aura disappeared as if it didn't appear there in the first place.
The man licked his bloody fingers clean and then picked up the boys again.
But this time, he didn't pick them up with his body but they just started floating in the air as the man lightly bounced off the ground…
After an hour of this "running" they arrived at a very dense and misty forest. Though the mist was getting denser the further they got in, it looked like it didn't bother the silver-haired man in the slightest.
The man arrived in front of a tree. This tree was different from the others, however. It was no exaggeration to say that this was the biggest tree in this whole forest. Moreover, there was a big hole at the base of this tree. It was decorated with some marble walls and a gravel road.
At both sides of this entrance were two men in silver plates of armor. They also had dark skin and pointed ears. The only difference between the man and the supposed guards would be their hair color.
The two guards noticed the approaching figure and readied their weapons. But, once they got to know the identity of the man, they immediately lowered their weapons and slightly bowed their heads.
"Sir Caedis, welcome back."
They then noticed the five unconscious boys floating behind him and couldn't help but ask.
"And… these are…?"
"Hm," The man surnamed Caedis nodded and then explained. "I found these five humans and thought they were pretty interesting."
The guards' eyes sparkled a little when they heard the man's word. It was, after all, pretty rare for him to find someone interesting.
They quickly regained their composure and opened the steel gate. After it fully opened, both of them said at the same time.
"Welcome back, sir."
