All eyes were on Cyil. No one made a move. They didn’t even bother with the dead body on the ground, but choose to scrutinize the almost naked boy who now exuded a different aura that made him seem like a vicious beast incarnate. Everyone thought, “was this really the same boy from just moments ago?”

No one knew what to make of the situation, then Cyil shouted, “Brother Valter, fight with me!” This shout broke the silence and everyone began making their moves.

Cyil superimposed his palms, one on top of the other, and aimed at the remaining rank 3 warrior.

Spiraling Water Sphere!

Immediately, a spherical ball of water coalesced on Cyil’s palms, but unlike before when it was just a blob of floating water, this water began to spin at a rapid pace. The spin became stronger and faster until the water sphere became almond shaped. As soon as the almond shape formed, Cyil grunted and the almond shaped water shot out.

The rank 3 warrior was prepared this time and when Cyil raised his arms up the man dodged to the side, narrowly evading the Spiraling Water Sphere Cyil had unleashed.

Sweat dripped down the man’s forehead as he stared at Cyil. The man cursed his forsaken luck and knew that it was too late to beg for forgiveness-- not after the little play that had been put on. He charged towards Cyil, quickly closing the small gap between them.

The man shouted to the 3 teenage boys who were frozen in place: “kill these two little bastards otherwise we’re all dead!”

The man didn’t have his weapon with him so he simply punched out towards Cyil’s forehead.

Cyil heaved in short sharp breaths as he ducked from the man’s first strike. He had modified his innate spell to make it more useful, but each time he used it a huge toll would wrack his physical body and elemental energy reserve.

Cyil could only use the spell 3 more times before he ran dry. Accordingly, the power of the spell had a direct correlation with its cost. The spell Cyil had used was similar to the rank 4 level 8 water spell: Liquid Piercing Arrow. Despite this, Cyil didn’t know the true strength of what he had came up with because he had nothing to compare it with...

After Cyil returned with Florens to the Soaring Wolf’s headquarters, Cyil began to diligently train his physical body with the methods Florens and the other members of Soaring Wolf suggested. Cyil was engrossed in learning, but he didn’t neglect his meditation time and mage training. Cyil meditated all throughout the night, not sleeping for an iota of time and when he had an idea he would sneak off in the night to train his magic. Cyil’s goal was to increase his combat strength.

Cyil knew that his arsenal for attacking was sorely lacking so he went to work on testing the limits of the only spells he knew. Cyil familiarize himself with the spells (Water Ball, Water Shield, and Soothing Water) and once he could actually cast each one proficiently, he found that water ball had next to nothing in attack power. It would at the most drench the target. Cyil tried multiple ways to make the ball of water fly faster but nothing worked. Cyil recalled from Mahoj’s memories that Water Ball could suffocate an individual if it was forced on as a helmet. Cyil didn’t really like the idea and thought it was too slow so he kept on trying new things.

Cyil quickly went through Water Ball and Water Shield, not to mention Soothing Water which he wouldn’t want to use on an enemy. Cyil then turned to his innate spell, pinning all his hopes on it. Cyil knew that an innate spell would grow and change along with the growth of its user; he also knew that it was the a spell that could be casted almost instantaneously and with minimal cost of elemental energy.

Water Sphere was like a lifelong friend that Cyil had known for three lifetimes, thus Cyil felt extremely familiar with the spell. Cyil found that although Water Sphere and Water Ball were basically identical, Water Sphere felt intrinsically more profound.

Cyil had discovered Spiraling Water Sphere by accident while he was meditating. The space particles he summoned to quicken up his absorption speed had been suddenly disturbed which caused the surrounding elemental particles to swirl around in chaos. Cyil didn’t know what anomaly caused the disturbance in space and it hadn’t happened again since then, but that spark of insight was what allowed him to come up with the idea of having the Water Sphere spin before being thrown out.

Cyil only took three nights to create this new spell. He forcefully rerouted the predetermined natural flow of elemental energy in his elemental body so that it would condense the water of the Water Sphere, cause rotation, and shoot out. The most difficult part of this process was causing the Water Sphere to spin. Cyil kept trying to alter the flow of elemental energy according to a feeling he had and after only a few dozen tries, he was actually successful.

Cyil didn’t know that his soul strength was a major factor in helping him develop this new spell. Right, Spiraling Water Sphere was a new spell that had never been seen before in Nakrul. The flow elemental energy through the various channels only needed to be tweaked in a few places, but these small changes, when factoring in the abundant variables, made it so that it would be a miracle for someone to use this spell without knowing the correct flow of elemental energy.

Of course, Cyil had not really modified the Water Sphere as a whole, but rather used a majority of the Water Sphere’s channels to cast Spiraling Water Sphere; also, because Water Sphere is his innate spell and its channels were used as a base, Spiraling Water Sphere can be casted almost instantaneously, too.

Innate spells and elemental bodies are closely linked with one another. The channels or passageways that an innate spell takes are the most developed and central; thus, elemental energy will flow faster through these channels, allowing for quicker casting. Regular spells will use different channels and this will cause a slower casting time, more elemental energy output, and more concentration.

Cyil used the major channels of his elemental body in creating Spiraling Water Sphere so it was like he had an additional innate spell.

…

*rumble*

A small indent marked its presence in the ground as the ranked 3 warrior man removed his foot. The man glared at the panting Cyil whose complexion was whiter than a ghoul.

Cyil had dodged his attack yet again! The man had attacked Cyil out of rage and fright, but after continuously missing his attacks, he began to worry and even had thoughts of retreating. He could always return with back-up and take out Cyil and the whole of Soaring Wolf.

The man couldn’t help but to glance at his partner who had long ago returned to the elements.

As Cyil raised his arms up to aim at the man for the fourth time, the man quickly back stepped to create distance then yelled, “Fuck it! Consider yourself lucky for now bastard.”

The man slowly backed away and Cyil couldn’t help but worry. Cyil could only use one more Spiraling Water Sphere and he would be spent afterwards, but he didn’t want to man to escape. If the man decided to run, then Cyil knew he wouldn’t be able to catch him.

“You’re leaving behind your friends? You’re a spineless coward!” Valter yelled out from the side as he tangled with the ordinary looking boy. The other three teenage boys were out of commision as they laid on the ground, not moving.

“Ha! They’re expendable!” The man laughed and was just about to turn and flee when he saw Cyil fall face first down onto the ground.

The man stopped, raising his eyebrows, then a sinister grin crept up his cheeks. “I guess you’re not lucky after all!”

The man confidently strode up to the unmoving Cyil, not in a hurry.

“No!” Valter noticed it when Cyil fainted and cursed at the poor timing. Had the man left a bit sooner or Cyil held out a bit longer then the man would have been gone.

“You dare to be distracted?!” The ordinary looking boy took this opportunity to kick Valter in the gut, but Valter still managed to partially block the blow.

Valter then returned a kick of his own, stabbing into the ribcage of the boy. The boy grabbed onto Valter’s leg and smashed his elbow down towards the side of Valter’s kneecap.

Valter jumped on his remaining leg and kicked the ordinary boy’s neck, but his momentum was too weak and with weight so the boy’s attack continued on.

With a hard thump, the knee and elbow, two of a human’s most dangerous body parts, collided.

The ordinary boy’s elbow cracked, but Valter’s knee was only badly bruised. Valter had managed to shift his captured leg so that his bent knee was facing upwards.

Yelling in surprised pain, the boy let go of Valter’s leg, and this was when Valter grabbed onto the nape of the ordinary boy’s neck with his two intertwined hands, thrusting upwards with his injured knee. The knee chopped up and connected with the bottom of the boy’s jaw, immediately rendering him unconscious.

While Valter and the ordinary boy finished fighting, the man was now standing over Cyil.

“I have never killed a mage before, but you will do just fine.” Lording over Cyil the man, then stomped down onto Cyil’s head, intent on squashing it like a pumpkin.

Water Shield!

A layer of water, viscous and jelly-like, covered the back of Cyil’s head. The boot slammed down but its progression was impeded by the Water Shield, allowing Cyil enough time to turn face-up.

Spiraling Water Sphere!

The man’s eyes widened and he strained to pull out his foot from the Water Shield, but was yet again delayed for a fraction of a second.

The Spiraling Water Sphere blasted through the man’s chest, crushing through flesh, bones, and all. A gaping hole opened up right in the man’s chest.

Heaving, the man dabbed the hole in his chest. A look of disbelief and denial flashed in the man’s eyes. He didn’t die right away, but slowly and painfully; his consciousness slowly fading and his life flashing before his eyes, the man finally died after taking three steps towards Cyil.