Lukas had made it to the scene of the explosion in record time. He was surprised at the efficiency of the new spell he had created alongside Merla, Tailwind.

[Tailwind. 2nd order magic. Generates a powerful but gentle gust of wind behind the caster or their target to increase their forward momentum. It is not powerful enough to redirect forceful or heavy projectiles.

Lasts for 10 minutes, but can be ended prematurely via caster’s will.]

When he first saw the description he was quite skeptical at its worth and use, but apparently, Merla was quite a creative individual.

During the week he crafted other spells as well, but they were mostly defensive or offensive in their functionality rather than pure utility. Of course, their uses could be more diverse if he thought about them more.

The system also made sure to hammer in that he was still a weak person in its evaluations.

Name: Eliott Hearthrom

Title: ---

Tier: Source Core- Apprentice (Peak)

Innate Source: [Chronicler of Epochs]

[[Spells]]:

(First Order- Prestidigitation, Source Bolt, Coat of Fire, Bubble, Mage Hand, Shocking Touch)

(Second Order- Conflagration, Healing Glow, Earthen Walls, Tailwind)

(Source- Enlightenment, Spectator's Presence)

Evaluation: Great magical talent and comprehension! A body that can be blown away by a breeze.

[Shocking Touch. 1st order magic. Electricity surrounds the hand of the caster. When touching another person or object, it has a chance to stun the target or leave a lasting static aftershock behind. Potency can be modified.]

[Earthen Walls. 2nd order magic. Thick walls of stone and dirt rise up around the caster, providing the caster a shield 180 degrees in front of them. They are of moderate durability and with a bit more control, can be manipulated to move along the ground around the caster.]

This self-introspection lasted for a few seconds before his gaze landed over the mess of people that were spread out in the middle of the Makers’ District.

A handful of guards had their weapons out and pointed at a familiar figure.

------

“You have caused damages to the city of Phyranhol! Put down your weapons or we won’t hesitate to show you the might of the city guard!” A resolute voice shouted at them.

“To think this dilapidated town in the mountains holds so many secrets that even the Underworld couldn’t handle.”

Thearessa adjusted her maddened look and stared back at the guards surrounding her. She briefly glanced at the building she accidentally destroyed during her unexpected surprise and fury.

Her eyes felt hot from the first-time experience of whatever that was. She also felt some exhaustion sap away some of her strength as well, which confused and interested her, but now wasn’t the time to do research.

Even though it was an accident on her part, the moment she decided to leave her life of solitude, she had to keep up appearances in public. The Hermit of the Northern Sea to be stopped by mere city guards in the middle of nowhere, it would be a stain on her reputation.

If others in the Underworld heard of that happening, they might get curious about her strength and make some moves.

“Follow us for questioning ma’am. We need to identify if you were connected with the incident that happened somewhat recently.” The guard’s tone was a bit more forceful.

“And what’ll happen if I don’t follow you?” Thearessa looked back at the guard with some disdain.

“I’m surprised you don’t know who you’re talking to. Have people already forgotten my name and status throughout the world?”

She slowly stepped towards the guard who questioned her. Her eyes slowly gained a glow of faint blue.

------

As Lukas watched at the scene with curiosity, he noticed that some of the onlookers were silently and quickly leaving. He managed to catch a few whispers from those that were near him.

“Doesn’t she look like that person from the wanted posters a few years ago?”

“Who?”

“Yeah, that bloody scholar from decades ago. I heard that there was a bloodbath when she decided to leave the service of the kingdoms, but they refused her.”

“Is that true?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m not staying to find out.”

“W- wait for me!”

Thearessa seems to have quite the history. One that wasn’t mentioned in her [Champions] summary.

Whether or not this was a good or bad thing was still up on the table.

He was relieved the source of the incident wasn’t because of Merla.

Though Thearessa being here meant that the other two champions might not be far off. If her moniker was correct, she would have had to travel quite a distance and nonstop to get here within this time frame.

Her resources and connections should run deep just from analyzing this feat alone, not to mention her supposed criminal past.

Before his mind started to wander again, he noticed that she stared right at him. The glow in her eyes started to become faint as a smile crept onto her face.

“To think you might be the reason I came here!” She clapped her hands and moved past the guard who protested her actions.

“I suggest you stop this instant ma’am!”

Before everyone’s eyes, the guard who spoke suddenly fell to the floor. Foam formed at his mouth and his eyes were rolled back. Some onlookers screamed and immediately fled the scene. The other guards raised their weapons up once more.

Lukas felt a chill run down his spine. This woman was crazy. Maybe the system made a mistake when choosing her as one of the three champions.

[Host, please do not question the system! The chosen are unique talents in the world, their potential will stimulate the growth of the world’s Fate.]

He scoffed inwardly and readied himself nonetheless, several spells coming to mind that could easily help maneuver him out of a sticky situation. The [Champions] tab opened and her information came up in his mind.

Know thy enemy was the saying right?

Name: Thearessa Hart

Title: ---

Tier: Source Opening- Apprentice

Innate Source: [Soul of the Occulus]

[[Spells]]:

(Second Order- Source Blast)

(Source- Guiding Sight)

Evaluation: Strong in body and mind, allowing for more potent spells. Has incredible development potential in various fields.

Source was still new in this world but in the hands of more mature individuals who have had their fair share of worldly experiences. Even a simple first-order spell could be used to kill.

Unlucky for him it seemed, she seemed to have a second-order spell. He quickly assumed it was due to the fluctuation in Source earlier.

They both maintained eye contact as Thearessa walked towards Lukas, the grin on her face never faltered.

She stopped a few feet before him.

“My sight glows gold when I stared in your direction. So tell me, what do you know about Source?” Each word was slowly said before she emphasized Source.

Lukas, before all of this, had never felt the feeling of the true danger before, he had always assumed the chilling feeling of being marked as prey was just some cliché written into the books he had read in the past.

It all proved to be right at that moment; the chill down the spine, increased heart rate, and the hair-raising sense of danger were clear marks that it wasn’t all garbage talk in front of this woman.

Source suddenly covered him like a shield. It crackled as something touched its boundaries and blew it away.

He saw Thearessa get thrown backward, knocking into the guards that had gathered behind her. A strike!

Sweat dripped down from his forehead. Source was a living entity… but he didn’t know how living it was till now. His Source seemed to protect him on his own at the cost of his energy, but at the moment the price seemed perfectly reasonable.

His life was perfectly intact.

Lukas immediately cast Earthen Walls around himself. Four solid pieces of earth rose from the ground and surrounded him. He peeked through the gaps between the walls and silently threw together some ideas for a more helpful spell.

Thearessa slowly got up from where she collapsed, not caring for the guards she had to step on and over. Her eyes narrowed at the weird earthen construct that wasn’t there before.

She imagined energy in her eyes again, but this time she thought of the searing heat she felt when she saw the rubble of the building that had a mark of the Underworld on one of the remaining posts.

Once the heat felt too strong, she released it towards the rocky construct.

The energy collided with the rocks and an explosion rocked the square. Debris flew everywhere, onlookers who stayed too long ran away with fear as stone and dirt pelted them.

Lukas’ walls had collapsed, but he didn’t seem to be behind them. Water stained the broken walls and the ground behind it.

She looked around, warily but also surprised at the damage she cause. Thearessa felt the fatigue settling in as the energy she had was sapped away from that blast.

Her eyes focused on the sudden wetness that appeared from where the kid once stood. Source?

“You looking for me?” A voice called out to her right.

There stood the young man whom she tried to test before, unscathed but slightly muddy. His hands seemed to be alive as streaks of… was that lightning?!

Lukas made his move once he saw the disbelief in her eyes, his Tailwind still aiding his movement. Albeit, it was starting to strain his Source reserves as he cast spells one after another.

He dashed before Thearessa, his hand covered with the electricity from Shocking Touch.

“I’m sorry.” His hand connected with her shoulder and she flew a few feet back before her body convulsed for a bit before it settled with some smoke.

He felt bad, but at the same time, she was the one who attacked first.

The plaza was empty now, the only bodies that remained were the unconscious guards and Thearessa herself. Lukas shook his head and grabbed onto her body before he cast Spectator’s Cloak.

For the onlookers who watched from afar, he merely disappeared.

First the burning man, now a crazy lady that shot things out of her eyes and what looked to be a young man who just vanished in front of their eyes.

That day, Phyranhol had a slew of families and people leave the town in fear for their safety and sanity.