Dravengard Pass — West Sector
The night was colder than I expected. Lights flickered along the streets, and the wind carried sounds that might have been gossip… or warnings.
Raven's voice was low. "We check the west sector — just me and you."
I nodded. The air tasted metallic — or maybe that was just the anxiety. My Sixth Sense was alert to the currents of intention around me. Something was stirring. Not overt danger, but subtle… deliberate.
"West wall," I said, scanning the rooftops. "There's a pattern — patrols change every forty-five minutes. Their magic wards are weak at the edge, and something's hiding near the second tower."
The town slept — or pretended to.
---
We reached the west sector. The wall stretched up and out of sight, old stone marked with scars from weather and time. A faint glow pulsed behind a cluster of crates. I froze, eyes narrowing. My Omniscient was ready. Someone was channeling magic here — carefully.
"Right there," I whispered, pointing. Raven crouched beside me. The air smelled — not of lightning, but of concentrated magical discharge.
"Cloaked," he muttered. "And someone's masking it. Faint wards — cheap, but enough to confuse normal eyes."
I smiled faintly.
Maybe staying in this town was a bad decision… but the Sky Dogs were exhausted.
A shadow detached from the crates — slow, deliberate. The cloak's wearer carried a small wand, almost hidden beneath the folds. A second figure emerged behind him, moving in rhythm, silent but synchronized. They weren't guards. They were spies — magical operatives.
"Raven," I muttered quietly. "They're sending something through the runes."
He nodded, eyes scanning. "Intercept, or ignore?"
"Intercept," I said. "If they transmit, we'll never know the source."
My Sixth Sense twitched as I felt their intent — focus, fear, confidence.
---
I moved first. Not a sound, not a movement — though in truth, the place I stood before now became empty, and teleportation was the culprit. I was behind the first figure before he even realized that someone new, someone unknown stood beside him. My hand gripped his wrist.
The man froze, eyes widening beneath the hood. "What—"
"Careful," I said softly. "Not paying attention can be… painful."
Raven moved simultaneously, katana flashing in a silent arc. The second operative barely had time to react. Sparks danced from their wand as I twisted the first spy's arm, forcing him to drop it.
He was mage so I thought I can overpower me and I was correct.
The wards faltered. Magic tumbled into the air like sparks from a broken engine. The figure stumbled, and Raven struck swiftly, disarming him completely.
I teleported to a safer position as the second spy aimed a quick spell at us. Fire licked the wall where I had been seconds before. They didn't see me move. No one can — except a powerhouse.
Raven muttered, eyes sharp. "You think they'll have more?"
"I don't see anyone," I said, scanning. "But if the disruptions can be felt then they must be in panic."
My Omniscient caught the faint trace of sigils etched into the crates — runic circles, small but potent. Whoever sent these spells was skilled, but inexperienced at improvisation.
The second figure tried again, weaving motionless patterns with his hands. Runes tore through the air, but I teleported sideways in perfect rhythm. He cursed under his breath and stumbled into a pile of barrels.
Rune could be used to make devices but rune magic is also used by some, though a little less common. Instead of words they use hands. This magic however is a little less powerful so magician combine it with sigils. Sigils resonates and increase power. But normal magician who don't use runes can't use sigil to increase their spell's power.
Raven didn't hesitate. His katana slashed the straps holding the barrels. The crates toppled, spilling runes and small vials onto the cobblestones. Smoke curled faintly from broken wards.
I crouched, examining one of the sigils that hadn't burned. Foreign. Not any local magic I'd seen in this town. My mind raced. Not common thieves. Not even amateurs. Someone wanted intelligence from here — or control.
These sigils however were not to increase rune magic but for different purpose.
The first operative groaned, struggling to his knees. I met his gaze. "You're coming with us," I said. His head lolled faintly, acknowledging he had no choice.
"Raven, tie him up. Keep him quiet," I added. "Don't hurt him unnecessarily."
He grunted, sheathing his katana, and set to work. Meanwhile, the second operative had vanished into the shadows — clever, but too panicked to leave without leaving a trace. My Sixth Sense tracked him faintly, fading toward the alleyway. Well he can't avoid Omniscient too, so I want it he can't escape.
But this way of working... it's too organized.
---
We moved with measured steps, the spy between us. The alleys of Dravengard Pass were narrower than expected, and the night air smelled of rain.
Lucas and Emma had joined us, summoned silently. Emilia appeared soon after. Brock lingered behind.
Then Brock said, "Sir, why mingle in unnecessary drama?"
I sighed. "If something goes wrong, flying tourists become the perfect scapegoat."
I turned to Raven. "Keep him quiet. Don't let him scream. He has information — someone's funding this magic."
Lucas crouched, staff tapping lightly against the cobbles. "I can sense faint residue. Direction?"
"West-north," I said. "He was stationed near the second tower. He was doing something. If you'd been here earlier, things would've been easier — but then again we just went to observe. It looks like someone outside is coordinating."
Raven's black eyes narrowed. "Then we need to know who. Do we chase the runner?"
I shook my head. "Not yet. Let the panic settle. We have the first one — that's enough for now. The second will lead us to their hideout or somewhere important. And if he doesn't… why even capture him?"
---
Brock muttered dryly, "Usually these places are chaos. But tonight… tense, yet orderly."
"Maybe peace before a storm," I said softly. "The kind of peace that can snap any moment."
My Sixth Sense twitched. Someone else was nearby — watching us. Not hostile yet, but curious.
"Should we deal with them?" Emilia asked.
"Not yet," I replied. "Let them think the first operative was the only issue. Otherwise, they'll kill the second and cut off our link."
Raven nodded.
I handed the tied spy to Raven. "We learn what we can. If we can't learn more — kill him."
He nodded, setting the man aside. "And the other?"
I frowned. "He'll be back in time. Borders always have too many problems. We just postponed the inevitable."
Lucas smirked. "Some time ago you were so cautious."
I shrugged. "Well, there were people ready to kill me. Even now there are — but now they can't."
Raven didn't comment, just watched the horizon. I could feel his mind working. We'd disrupted something bigger than Dravengard Pass. Someone was orchestrating things quietly, and this town was just a single node.
The spy we captured muttered faintly, words of foreign magic spilling through half-understood phrases. My Omniscient caught the meaning — names, locations, coded signals. Enough to know something was moving in the shadows.
I leaned back against the wall of the inn, sipping water. Quiet looked like peace — but I knew better.
The peace was just a thin cloth hiding enough chaos to swallow Dravengard whole.
And as we watched the streets wake, I knew — we haven't yet solved the problem .
---
I might need to use Apocalypse. Maybe I should explain it completely.
As you know, it creates Force.
Now, this Force interacts with both tangible and intangible things.
For example, many spells of space magic are intangible — but Apocalypse can act on them too.
You might have wondered why I don't absorb Nature Mana in advance.
Well, before that, let me explain in simple terms.
Think of Apocalypse as a spring.
Let's say its length is 10 cm.
It has a little Nature Mana absorbed at that length, and when I completely use all of its Mana, it produces enough Force to kill an average SS-Rank.
A strong SS-Rank can't be defeated, but their strongest attack can be completely stopped.
When that happens, its length becomes 9 cm.
Now you know what that means — when a spring is compressed, it tries to regain its original length.
Without me doing anything, Apocalypse absorbs Nature Mana to regain its 10 cm length.
To use powerful attacks, I need to consciously put in Nature Mana. It increases the length of the spring — though it's just an analogy, meaning I don't feel any physical pressure when doing it.
Just like a spring exerts more force the more it's stretched, Apocalypse gives more Force the more Nature Mana it stores.
I can release all of that Force at once, or in small pulses.
For example, I could absorb Mana for 5 minutes and release it twice.
When I release it all, it regains its 10 cm length.
If completely empty, it's at 9 cm — and it will absorb Nature Mana until it returns to 10 cm.
Now comes the question:
Why don't I absorb Nature Mana for, say, 30 minutes and keep it stored?
I mean, who knows when I might need it?
Here's the reason.
If I absorb Nature Mana for 30 minutes and then sleep or become unconscious, Apocalypse tries to return to its original 10 cm length.
To do that, it releases all stored Force at once — in all directions.
The destruction from that release would wipe out an entire city… maybe more.
That's why I can't handle Powerhouses easily.
I have the offense ready for them — but what I lack is time.