Damn it. The goal is so close that I can almost touch it. Yet even as the place they were holding Mark was only a few meters away, it seems almost impossible to reach as I see another group of mages patrolling around its perimeter as if the Kaizer himself is staying there as if he needed any protection. As I mull on what we should do next Alora arrived from her scouting the area.

"No good. The building is being patrolled by multiple guards. They also don't patrol on their own, always going in a group of four or more. I could take them down, but with their number, I wouldn't be able to do it before they raise alarm." She reported. Something seems to be bothering her as she constantly fidgets and on more than one occasion, clutches her chest.

"Are you ok? If you're tired we could rest while we try to find a way we could go in and out of that building without getting caught." I reached for her shoulder and offered her a drink.

She gently pushed away from the drink and slowly moved away. "Don't worry. I am fine. Let's focus on the task at hand." She answered.

"I don—" before I could finish what I want to say, Ortho put up his hand, signaling for my silence.

Looking at him, I saw him shaking his head disapprovingly. "The elf is right. Mark's waiting. Let's go and get 'im back. Anyway, why does this place looks tighter than a virgin's ass?"

We all sighed at his crass language, but it just shows his nervousness.

"From what I heard from the guard's conversation, a thief has infiltrated the building and stole something," Alora stated.

"An intruder other than ourselves? Was it the lad?" Ortho asked.

"That is highly unlikely. The last time we saw him, he was on the far side of the area. To get here before us, he would need not only to circle the square but also to avoid all people roaming inside the camp. I don't think he could do that without a talented scout to lead the way." Kurt chimed in.

"Not to mention breaking a building and not rescue Mark before running away. I know the lad have only been with us for a short time, but I don't see 'im bein a person who leaves a friend, or in his case, acquaintance behind." Ortho added.

"If not him? Then who?" I asked.

Suddenly, Alora brushed started to move forward. "Who or why is not important. We need to save Mark and get out of here as soon as possible." With a smooth action, she nocks 4 arrows in her bow and prepares to shoot the guards.

I guess if there is no way in. We need to make one. "Okay. All of you get ready. As soon as Alora lets lose her arrows, we will rush in. May the Gods watch over us all." With a short and silent prayer for the Gods' blessings, I ready my weapon and shield while the others do the same.

We then saw a group of four people exit the building in a hurry. As soon as they were out of sight, Alora let her arrows fly on the other guards who were left behind. Even before it lands I rush in and roared. "Let's go!"

***

"You fools really are useless!" I yelled in anger at my four subordinates. "How could you let that bitch's lapdog get in here? Not only did she stole the Void rich gauntlet from me, but she also ratted me out to my bastard Master!"

Corbin, Marlon, April, and May are kneeling in front of me. These buffoons, not only did they failed to capture The One, but they also got the only thing of value in that wretched camp stolen. I don't know why that witch Rebeccah dared to steal from me, that lazy bum probably didn't even lift a finger when they went out to capture The One and just fled at the first sign of trouble. I heard that Master gave her a final warning from her failure.

Now that I think about it, she gave the Master something that he covets, she is now back to his good graces.

Damn that woman! Is this her intent all along? To cozy up to that old coot? More than that, how did she know I have the gloves in my possession? So many questions that need answer… Whatever. She may do what she likes for now, but even if it takes days, weeks, months, or years, I will have my revenge! I thought as I lash my whip at May, who was supposed to be the one on guard today.

"Kya!" She yelped as my whip licked her skin, leaving a gash on her back.

"Did I permit you to make a sound?" I whispered in her ear, seeing her shake her head, I continued. "No?" Then I gave her another lashing "You trash! You can't even follow a simple order!"

Seeing May, all bloodied up and sprawled on the floor, that was when I felt my anger slowly lessen. There is no good help these days. If I only got my hands on that scout before Rebeccah had her crummy hands on her. I was so busy studying the Void energy in that gloves that I have lost my chance to bid against her for the former servant of the musclehead Durga.

I don't even know how she got in here. This chamber has been warded against teleportation and would make invisibility and most stealth magic useless. It should have been impossible to get even a foot inside the door without getting detected by these fools, with them scatter around the building so that their Energy sense will cover the whole area. Being able to enter and exit a building guarded by four Senior Mages unseen, and with all the countermeasure I put, this cannot be done without great skill.

I gnash my teeth at the thought of that bitch being lucky in having such a useful subordinate. I would have already had her killed if only killing a fellow member is not prohibited by the higher-ups.

It was a measure they put to prevent fellow members from killing each other, for the most member of the Organization are from prominent families and backgrounds which often have grudges against each other.

Although undermining each other is not prohibited.

"Don't heal her until I tell you so," I ordered the others as May was still groaning on the floor. I then proceeded to walk towards the basement to check on my prisoner.

This man, Mark, is a person that I am sure I can use. Not only did he show great skill in magic as he has shown by his creative if not inspired way of utilizing both Air and Fire magic, but his battle sense was also sharp as not only was he able to stand his ground against both May and April while saving up his power, but I can also feel him keeping an eye on me. Biding his time to seek an opening to strike. Unfortunately for him even if he did find an opening, I could easily squash him like a bug. But what I need from him the most is not his battle prowess.

"Wake up." I splash him with a cup of water.

The chained up man groaned as he slowly opens his eyes. Not even bothering to look at me, the man whispered weakly. "Kill me."

"Hush now. If only you let me in, all of this will end." I whispered to him softly. Multiple times had I tried to dominate him, to manipulate his mind, and make him loyal to me. But with my level of Mind magic is not enough to breach his defenses even when he is weakened by this much. This man, he must've some experience in fighting against Mind Mages to have such Mental defense.

"Kill me." He whispered repeatedly.

I need to find a way, a weakness to exploit. I only need a second of weakness so that I can finally breach his defense. "Do you really wish to die? What about your dream of discovering the nature of magic? If you die now, how will it become a reality?" He gazed upon me for the first time today. His eyes are full of fire. "Why do we need to fight each other? We both have the same goals. Together, we will discover everything that Magic can offer."

"We both may seek knowledge, but that is where our similarity ends." He tried to spit but nothing comes out. I stopped giving him anything to drink or eat since yesterday. Starving and dehydrated, he forced himself to speak. "I know your kind. You seek knowledge for power. You don't care who you need to crush or the innocents' thread upon, as long as you get the power that you seek. I, on the other hand, seek knowledge so that I can share it with others that it may raise the standard of living of even the most common of people. You and I are nothing alike."

"What a naïve way of thinking." Seeing him frown upon hearing my reply. "You may believe what you want to believe, but we are more alike than you think. You say that you seek knowledge to help the common people, not to put them in harms' way. But know that knowledge, even the noblest, can be corrupted. Take for example fire. The fire was discovered to cook food, provide warmth, and even defend against a wild animal. But for all the good that it does, it can also be used to burn houses and even people. You are a fool if you think that what you discovered and will discover, will never be used to oppress the very people you want to protect."

I can see in his face that he is conflicted as his facial expression changes every second, from doubtful, to denial, and other multitudes of expression. Good. Just a little more push and you will be mine.

"Accept it. Sugarcoat it however you like. But in the end, you and I are no different. So instead of fighting, how about we help each other? With your brilliant mind and my endless resources, there is nothing that--" I was suddenly startled with what I felt. A surge of energy just like the one from the gauntlet. "What is happening?" I asked aloud. Did the Elder already absorb the Void energy within the gauntlet? No, this energy. It is not coming from his chamber. This is coming from "The dining hall!" I yelled aloud. There must be something or someone who is emitting this energy. But, there is only one other than the elder who should have Void energy. Could it be? I quickly ran out of the basement and straight to my room. I activated the mirror of Viewing to Scry on the dining hall. Once my mana flowed into the Mirror, an image showing the Dining hall appeared, and I was shocked by what I see.

"How can he be here?" I asked aloud as I watch The One running around the hall, all the while is being chased by a couple of novices while surrounded by at least 15 more. How could he be here? There is no way he could've passed the illusion wall to infiltrate the camp without alerting the Wall Guards. Unless. Rebeccah.

"That bitch!" I shouted again before running out of the room. "April, quickly heal that trash over there and as soon as she gets up, go and run towards the Dining Hall. The One is here. Go and capture him. Alive. No need to remind you of what will happen if you fail me again." Once I finished giving my order, I quickly ran down to the basement to grab something important. A jeweled necklace covered by a rune carved gold plate. Before I went back to the first floor after getting the locket, I spoke with the prisoner. "It seems your Void-touched friend is here. All that work you did to keep him from me, and he just falls back to my lap. Funny how things work doesn't it?" I said to him mockingly before continuing. "Don't worry. Once you're mine, we will both study him. Expose his secret, and once we do. The power of the Void will be mine." I laughed before going up the stairs.

As soon as I reach the first floor, the only mark that was left by the fools is the bloodstain on the floor. Good. At least they move quickly under the threat of death. As I walk towards my room to Scry on what is happening in the Dining Hall, I heard a thudding sound as if a sack of grain was dropped on the floor. Not even a few seconds after that, the door was flung open and I instinctively cast Gust to block the projectiles that are coming at me at high speed.

Swatting the projectiles in the air, I roared at the intruders. "Who dares intrude in my domain?"

"I dare ye bitch! Give us back Mark!" A dwarf yelled before shooting a blast of mana from his cursed magic item.

With a thought, I cast Earth Spike and the floor jutted out to block the incoming blast. With another thought, I made the Earth Spike explode creating multitudes of shards that I sent flying towards them.

"Shield Wall!" The knight roared as he jumped in front of the party. His shield glowed and erected a wall made of mana which blocked all of the incoming shards.

As soon as the Earth Shards was spent, the bald Monk and the Elf quickly jumped from behind the Knight and rushed towards me. With a thought, I cast Gust once more to push back the two, then shot wind blades towards them.

"Ha!" "Hyup!" Both the monk and the Elf shouted as the monk blocked the Wind Blade with his Aura covered arms, only inflicting a shallow cut on him, while the Elf just simply cut it with her own dagger.

"Cretins! Did Rebeccah send you to end me? That bitch! I will skin her alive once I am through with you trash!" I roared. That Rebeccah. When did she start this plot against her? What is her aim? Blasting the Monk and the Elf with Earth Shards, they quickly retreated behind a post, which was quickly shredded into smithereens. They then quickly ran around the room to dodge the continuous barrage of Earth.

As I was pushing back the two, my Wind Armor was handling anything the dwarf can dish but still, I keep an eye out on him in case he uses the max power of that rifle of his. Even the Wind Armor wouldn't be able to redirect it, much less block the attack. Glancing at the dwarf who is now standing near the stairs leading to the basement, I noticed that someone was missing.

What? Where's the knight?

I was slammed to the ground as a strong impact struck the Wind Armor.

"This blasted wind! I could've killed her if it wasn't for this blasted wind!" The knight yelled as he was about to deliver another strike with his now glowing sword. But before his attack could land, I summoned all the Mana I could and blasted the Knight through the ceiling, up to the roof of the three-story building, and then fell back on the second floor with a thud.

"You worm! Do you dare attack me with your filthy hand? Know your place!" I declared as I get to my feet and collapsed the ceiling above the monk's head before raising spikes in the floor pointing at him so he can't jump forward. Then even without looking, I can feel the Elf's energy soar as I was forced to dive to fly in the air to dodge her attack.

"You!" The Elf roared. Her face contorted in anger. "You will pay for what you did!" just after the words left her mouth, a large amount of mana started to gather around the Elf.

How could she have this much mana? Does it dwarf even my own? If she has this much power, why didn't she use it when we first fought? Unless. She is not an elf ranger who is an adventurer. She is an Elf Ranger. One of the guardians of the Elven Forest. But how? I should have more power than an Elf Ranger. Unless. My mind races as her Mana continues to grow. This can't be. That amount of power. It is almost as powerful as that woman…

I must escape. I thought when the guards that I ordered to patrol around my house finally showed themselves. "All of you! Stop that woman! Attack her!" I ordered. The guards hesitated for a moment but quickly followed my order. I then started to fly towards the exit.

"You're not going nowhere, you wench!" I hear the Elf roar behind me.

I glanced back to see what was happening and I was in shock as tendrils of thick roots sprung from the ground, grabbing the guards and squeezing them. The guards struggle to get free as their innards starting to be squeezed upwards, to their mouth, till at last, their struggle ends with a snap. Their bones crushed and with it, their life.

This is barbaric! How could someone be so cruel! I must get out of here!

I flew with all my might towards the door when layers of roots sprung up. I quickly used Wind Blades to cut through the roots that are blocking my way but it was no use. As soon as I cut the roots, more quickly took their place. She must've infused these roots with so much mana that a normal Wind Blade, which was powerful enough to cut through a tree-like it was made of butter, was only able to cut one or two roots before disappearing. I then threw a barrage of wind blade, in hopes that I cut break free of this nightmare. But the roots sprung quicker than I could cast the blades.

"It is useless to struggle." A cold voice from behind can be heard. Glancing back, I can see the Elf slowly walking towards me "You humans. You are never satisfied with what you have. The Gods have blessed you with Mana so that you can use it to improve your lives. But what did you do? You crave for more. For what? To feel good of yourselves? So that you can stand above others?" She is surrounded with an emerald color aura, a color that is supposed to be peaceful, but with it raging about, it looks terrifying. "What's worse is that the power that you are pursuing, that you crave, will not only endanger you. It will endanger us all! But you don't care if the world will be in peril. Just so that you could increase your precious little strength. I won't let you! I will end it! Here! And Now!" She roared as she gathers her mana in her hand.

I am going to die! No! I don't want to! I have more to achieve! I am destined for so much more! I clutched the necklace in my neck.

I gather my own mana, not to fight against hers, but to try and summon the strongest Wind Blade that I could to cut through the roots blocking my way. As I feel her about to release her attack, her energy suddenly dropped. I don't know what happened, and I will not stay here to find out! I then cast the strongest Wind Blade I can and it easily cut through the roots, as if the energy within them vanished.

I threw a glance on the elf behind me and saw her on her knees, clutching her chest, and panting. Huh? What happened? She's down. Should I attack her? Or should I take this chance to escape? And after a quick decision, I chose to flee. That Elf, she is no doubt a high ranking Elven Ranger. If she's here, then other Rangers are no doubt in the area. That means they are going to raid the camp at any moment. If they do, I don't want to be anywhere near here. Damn Master and the Organization. I will not throw my life away for them. Besides. I don't need them anymore. I have all I need right here. I clutched the necklace hanging on my neck.

I must fly somewhere safe. Then I need to break the seal the Organization put in me. After that, the ultimate power will be in my hand. Then for humiliating me, I will pay that bitch elf tenfold!