The Hidden World

“You can teleport?” Yuki asked as she caught up to Kilik. The rest of the team stayed back a few steps.

“Yes. I was taught how to long ago by a dragon who has since moved on,” Kilik replied. “Quiet though. I need to gather our escaping targets. Here should do.”

He stood on a patch of grass that was clear of any obstacles. Staring at the ground, his eyes seemed to track unseen objects or people. Then he reached out and curled his fingers as if pulling on strings. 

“Come here,” he whispered. 

Mana surrounded him and pierced the ground, burrowing toward their targets. Yuki watched, not quite sure what Kilik’s plan was or what type of magic he was even using. 

With a jerk of his arm, Kilik yanked back on those imaginary strings he held. A few yards in front of him and Yuki, the air began to shimmer as mana filled it. Then circles opened up that revealed empty nothingness within them and three bodies were pulled through them. 

The three people tumbled out and stood up with looks of confusion. When their eyes locked onto Kilik who was standing there with mana radiating out from him, they assumed combat stances.

Yuki’s eyes narrowed as she recognized one of them. It was the old man from before, the wind elementalist who she lost to in that treasury. The other two, she wasn’t familiar with. One was an elven woman who wielded a sword and had short black hair that went down to her jawline. The other was a tall elven man with a slender profile. He too held a sword in his hand.

‘All three are sword wielders,’ Yuki thought. ‘Or maybe these are their emergency weapons?’

“Hello,” Kilik greeted, giving them a practiced smile. “It’s so nice to see you all in the flesh. I’ve been wanting to meet you for quite some time now.”

“Who are you?” the tall elf asked, his voice cold. 

“That is none of your concern,” Kilik replied. “I’m sure it will become clear enough though after some time.”

“How did you take us up here?” the woman said with a frown. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

“There is very little that can be said to be impossible, child,” Kilik said. “Teleporting you three isn’t one of those things. Maybe you shouldn’t be leaving personal objects lying around in your offices.”

“I remember you,” the old man said. His eyes were on Yuki. “You escaped from the Fiddler. Impressive. Inferno.”

The slender elf glanced over at the old man.

“They’re here to eliminate,” he said. “We can’t talk.”

“No, no, Whirlwind. We have time,” the elf named Inferno said. “They’re not going anywhere and we aren’t either. I just want to get to know these people. So. Young lady. Why are you here?”

‘He identified me as the leader,’ Yuki thought. ‘Interesting.’

“I’m here to destroy you,” she said. “There’s not much else to it. The goals of your group are not something that I can simply let go.”

“Is there a reason for that?” the man asked. “We simply want to help our homeland. They’ve lost their sense of direction. Progress has been replaced with pleasure. Corruption has spread. Greed as well. Why are you against that?”

“I couldn’t care less about what you want to do about that,” Yuki replied flatly. “If you want to fix that, then feel free. But it’s the other part of your plans. You want to eradicate demons. That is something I simply cannot let happen.”

“I see,” the man frowned. “Then that’s different. Most people I’ve spoken to have a problem with the former, talking about how we wouldn’t be any better or that we would eventually turn into what we fight against.”

“Look. I don’t want to talk right now,” Yuki sighed. “You won’t change my mind. And you won’t catch me by surprise. So let’s cut the charade and get to the point. I’m here to kill you and your two friends there. I know your plans. I know your game.”

She snapped her fingers and a staff materialized in her palm. Twirling it around, she slammed the butt of it on the ground and swept her leg back, preparing to fight. 

The woman and the old man held their own blades up in response, but the tall elf didn’t react at all. He gave Yuki a look of curiosity, his eyes probing her as she felt him analyzing every inch of her. 

“There’s something more here,” Inferno said quietly. “More than just a feeling of righteousness. You’re angry. We’ve hurt you in some way.”

Yuki almost laughed. Hurt was certainly a word that could describe what she went through, but it would be like calling a lake a puddle. 

“You want vengeance,” the man continued. “Against us. Tell me. What do you want vengeance for?”

“It’s nothing complicated,” Yuki growled. “You and your people are just responsible for the deaths of nearly everyone I’ve ever called family. Now I’m here to repay what you have done.”

[Yuki. The barrier. You need to erect it first. Leave them to us for a moment,] Akira said to her. 

‘No. You can do the barrier,’ she replied. ‘I will handle them myself.’

She transmitted the spell to Akira before shutting the link between them. No distractions.

Gathering her mana, she summoned rock spikes from the ground underneath the feet of the three Shikaku leaders, testing their reactions. They dodged them with ease. The man in the middle quieted and at last raised his sword. 

“I guess that’s it for the chat,” he sighed. “At least the guards are here now.”

Yuki said nothing and sprang forward, clenching her left hand to activate the brace she wore. The brace responded and tendrils sprouted out from it, soon covering her body in a layer of metal. A helmet formed over her head as she reached the three elves. 

Behind her, she heard the sounds of footsteps pounding the grass and metal clinking against one another. The guards the man spoke of were here. They were probably the leftovers from the fight underground. She ignored them. The others would handle them.

She targeted the old man first, the memories of the night in the treasury vivid in her mind. Lashing out with her metal staff, a loud clang echoed through the field as Whirlwind deflected the blow. Without any hesitation, she reversed her strike, aiming with the bottom of her staff. 

The tall elf intervened, blocking the attack with his own sword. Yuki’s eyes flickered towards him behind her helmet. It seemed that this would be a two on one battle. The woman seemed occupied. 

As Yuki spun back to ready herself, she spied the woman fending off Kilik who attacked without much urgence. He didn’t even wield a weapon. Kilik was more interested in leading the woman away from Yuki’s battle. He seemed to remember Yuki’s request.

Once she was set, she sprang towards her two enemies who met her with swords. She twirled her staff about, the metal rod nearly invisible at times as she struck out. The two elves deflected her blows as they were pushed back every so slightly with her every move. None of the three seemed interested in using their magic.

Then the two began to go on the offensive. Their feet pivoted and together, they halted Yuki’s staff with a full block. She pulled back and began the familiar dance of battle that she had perfected in the Coliseum.

Compared to those demons she fought there, the two elves seemed almost like mere students. Their movements were precise and practiced, but they lacked the speed and ingenuity that Yuki dealt with day after day. But she held back herself, happy to let the two elves tire themselves. 

The first to realise the difference in skill was Inferno. He halted his strikes a few seconds later and frowned. Whirlwind paused as well, but it seemed more like a response to the other stopping.

“You are quite skilled,” the man commented. “No wonder you had such confidence. We cannot beat you in physical combat. You could tell, couldn’t you.”

Yuki didn’t bother to reply and struck out at them. They evaded the attack and put space between them and her. Then a barrier was erected, stopping her from pressing forward. 

“Whirlwind, we need change tactics here,” Inferno said. “You know what to do.”

“Of course,” Whirlwind replied.

Mana built up within the two as they spoke, swirling around them. A greyish green wrapped around Whirlwind as a deep blue surrounded Inferno. Their eyes began to glow as magic circles expanded at their feet. Then they spoke a spell, the words of which Yuki recognized. It was a spell that Firestorm used in his battle. They were declaring a domain.

The mana that built up within them exploded out and engulfed the field. The winds began to whip up into a storm, howling as it pried at the grass. The sky dimmed for a moment as dust was picked up by the winds. 

After them, flames rose into the sky. They were a deep blue and felt hotter than the sun on a summer afternoon. They heated up the armor that Yuki wore, heating up the inside like an over. It only lasted a moment though before the armor’s cooling function activated. 

Looking at the two men, they were surrounded by their elements, their bodies covered in magic armor. Then something clicked in Yuki’s mind.

‘Blue flames. Sword. That’s him.’