“Aw, you were more stable this time.” Marie said, standing in front of me in a long dress that put the sun to shame.

“It’s just… not working!” I huffed in frustration, dropping the sword and falling onto my back with my arms and legs spread.

Marie and I went outside of the city to help me with mana control. Telling me how I should think of it as my own arm and not to let everything flow at once. However, everytime I grip the sword it’s like all my mana is being sucked into an abyss. Seeping next of all my energy.

I could hear Marie walking over the grass towards me. She leaned down with her hand and put a green leaf into my mouth.

“Bitter.” I said, making an audible smacking noise with my lips. “Is there any other way to make these taste… decent?”

Marie outstretched her hand to help me up. “There’s no other way around it.” she giggled.

Cuteeeeeeee.

I stood back up and swallowed the rest of the herbs in her hand.

SIgh, “Can’t be helped I guess. Though, the effects are amazing. My fatigue seems to have vanished.” I pepped, rotating my arm in a circle awkwardly.

Why did I do that, I want to die. Knock me back out. Darkness can take over!

Marie laughed with her hand to her mouth and eyes closed. I can feel my energy rising.

I took one long inhale and reach back down to my sword. Without hesitation, I swiftly gripped it with two hands and felt an extreme amount of energy being exerted from underneath me. I fixed my footing on the ground and held my stance.

“Remember!” Marie yelled over the wind, “Think of the sword as an extension!”

Like an extension, like an extension.

The air flickered off for a split moment. My eyes widened and I grew smile. However, it was only just that, a second. After that the extreme amount of pressure exerted once more and I felt all my mana exhausted.

I dropped the sword and fell onto my knees, then onto my stomach. Taking deep breaths of the grass under my nose. I turned my head to the side and could see Marie walking towards me. She crouched down, hugging her knees before putting my herbs into my mouth.

“Shall we stop here?” she asked, patting my head.

“No…” I grunted, staggering back up. “Let us keep going.”

***

“The highness is entering.” announced one of the robed figures from before, except now he was wearing a white robe with an emerald crown logo on both sleeves and the chest with green stars surrounding it.

The king flew in swiftly down the carpeted path and turned towards us to float down to his seat. Show off.

I stood in the great hall filled with the mages from before. We lined up along the sides. Vintra standing beside me along with the other officers. Henry stood across with the one other general and second advisor of the king.

The well-built general with short white hair walked onto the carpet and to the middle to face the king. He bowed his head and put a hand over his chest.

“General Lightfeather, you may begin your report.” the king gestured with his hand.

I looked to Vintra to see her eyes on the back of the general.

Vintra Lightfeather…. General Lightfeather. Siblings?

The general lifted his palm up and a giant circle projected up into the air. A scene of some sort of battlegrounds with a portal. Weird creatures from small to big flowing out from the portal hovering over the river. Spells were being blasted into their army but more and more kept seeping through.

Are those…. All demons?!

“The attacks on our border has been getting unstable, we are only barely managing for now.” the general said, showing different angles of the battlefield along with the close combat mages making contact with the demons.

“But that is not all, is it?” The king asked like he knew there was a dreaded answer awaiting.

The general cleared his throat and waved his hand in the air, switching the scene upon a village that has been desecrated.

“Demons have managed to stray from the battlefield and have begun to attack the nearby villages. This town shown was the first victim of this.”

The scenes portrayed were of men, women, and even children laying dead on the ground. Their homes on fire along with some in complete rubbles entirely. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth as I stared at the body of a poor kid missing a few limbs.

Demons…

“Truly unfortunate… and what became of the demons?” The king asked.

“They are on a path towards the next villages.” the general stated, waving his hand again to show the layout of the surrounding villages. “The demons have started moving towards these five villages.

Five names were circled on the map. Two close to each other on the top right, one on the bottom left, one top left, and one far into the outskirts separated from the rest.

“Our numbers are already stretched, and these villages are still in the low realm. I believe we should station our mages in the middle realm, here in Klyne.” He continued.

They are just going to leave the other villages behind?! This isn’t right.

“Very well, we will go with y—“ the king started to say, stopping mid-sentence.

He turned over towards me with a smile.

“Alice, I have heard you have been training diligently the past few days. Would you be able to assist us?”

I stuttered, looking back and forth from the king and the images being shown in the projection. I could feel the stares on me in the room with the glare from Henry being the most apparent.

I glanced up to Vintra, just as expressionless as ever.

Staring at the king, I nodded my head.

I can do it… I can save them.