The prey is dead.

The atmosphere is tense. Today is the day they will be putting everything they have read into action. After breakfast, Roshan went to one of the private chambers in Onju Martial Academy. He had learnt almost a hundred spells and magic in the past three days. So, he began practicing them in the chamber.

The first thing he was going to do is to balance the energy in the air. He walked to the center of the room and stood there with his eyes closed as he tried remembering the ancient words in the guideline book.

With a deep breath, he raised his hands, palms facing upwards. He began to chant the words of the incantation.

For the first time, the tingle of energy coursing through his veins was palpable.

As he mumbled the incantations, Roshan visualized the threads of energy crisscrossing the air, like invisible fibers waiting to be woven into harmony.

He followed the hand movements written in the book, using them to guide the energy.

The air around him began to shift, responding to his words and actions. And the balanced energy was palpable.

Confidence swelled within him. This was it – the moment he would master the art of balancing the energy.

It was a mixed feeling of happiness and surprise until the air around him suddenly seemed to start electrifying. The breeze transformed into a whirlwind, lifting him off the ground. His eyes snapped open as he felt his feet in the air.

"What is happening to me? Did I make a mistake?" He questioned himself, confusingly.

Next, his neck tightened. It was as if an invisible hand was strangling him, he struggled to breath but it got worse.

The energy around him pulsed wildly, overwhelming his senses. His vision blurred, and his strength began to seep away. He felt tired and weak from within.

"He…lp," were the last words he said before his body crumpled to the ground.

Others had already gathered at the training ground. Lucas came out as usual with a few onju martial academy trainers to witness what will happen today.

Of course, Roshan is the first person he will call to come out and practice the spells he had learnt. That boy needs to be eliminated quickly. Lucas thought and smiled devilishly.

He sat on a chair before them and swept the place with his eyes. Surprisingly, he didn't see his prey there. He got peeved upon that.

"Where is Roshan?" He queried.

It was then the others realized Roshan wasn't there with them.

"I said, Where is Roshan?" Lucas questioned again, with a louder voice this time. Judging by the look on the trainees faces, it seems they are unaware of his whereabouts.

"Go to the chamber and find him for me now." Lucas ordered one of them.

"How dare he not come out the day he is supposed to die?" Lucas mumbled and hissed loudly.

Soon, the man that went in came back and reported to Luacs that he didn't see Roshan.

"Who does he think he is? How dare he absent himself from today's practice? Guards!!!" Lucas yelled and six hefty men came before him.

"Find him for me now!!!" Lucas ordered and the men went ahead to find Roshan.

It was over twenty minutes, and the place was now becoming noisy. The men from earlier came back without Roshan.

They went ahead to report to Lucas and this made Lucas lost his cool.

Just then, something came to his mind. What if he had already died somewhere while practicing the spells and magic. Without anyone knowing, Lucas smiled for a split-second while thinking about Roshan's death.

Concurrently, the same girl that always ask question raised up her hands, and Lucas gave her permission to speak.

"What if he practiced the spells in the wrong way and ... .something bad has happened to him?" The girl spoke with voiced laced with fear.

"Does it mean a demon has sucked all his energy?" Another one asked, making everyone there tremble in fear.

People began saying different things that came to their mind. Lucas dismissed the training and they all started looking for Roshan's body. They all believe that he is missing because a demon took him.

Hours passed, Roshan hasn't been found still. By then, the news has spread beyond the academy. People in the capital and market now know about it.

Lucas sent one of his trusted men to the prime minister's place to inform him about what was happening.

Evening came. By then all of them believe he is dead, especially the trainees. They all got scared and stopped practicing.

Lucas was happy and curious at the same time. A part of him tells him Roshan is dead. However, he is curious to see his dead body in order to confirm that he is dead.

Something stuck his mind, what if he went to practice alone in one of the private chambers? Moreover, they haven't searched the private chamber, he might be there.

Immediately, Lucas ordered everyone to go to the private chambers and start searching them. This time around, Lucas joined them to search for him, while hoping he is dead in his mind.

Just then, he saw a faint light spill from an adjacent room, illuminating a figure on the floor. Hurriedly, he approached the room and walked inside. The moment he entered the room, he was standing over Roshan's dead body.

Lucas chest heaved as he struggled to contain his emotions. He bent down to check if he was breathing to confirm he was really dead. The moment he confirmed he wasn't breathing again, he let out a laughter but quickly covered his mouth with his hands when he heard footsteps.

Quickly, he composed himself and acted like he wasn't happy.

"Roshan!!!" He yelled loudly at the brink of tears, and others rushed in upon hearing Lucas scream.

Fear and sadness griped them, and they bursted into tears the moment they came in and met Roshan's lifeless body on the floor.