Wizards' Chronicles

Morning comes way too soon.

I wake to the sound of birds chirping outside the guild house window, mixed with the loud, insistent knocking on my door.

"Kira, get up! You're gonna make us late!" Tiara's voice calls from the other side.

"I'm coming!" I shout back, groaning as I scramble out of bed, trying to shake off the drowsiness. I throw on my gear haphazardly, my mind still foggy, but the mission briefing from the night before is clear enough. We're heading to investigate strange monster attacks on a village near the kingdom's border.

The real problem, though? I'll be spending the next few days with Charlotte breathing down my neck.

Great.

When I finally stumble to the front gate, Tiara, Ren, and Charlotte are already there, waiting for me. Charlotte, the perfectionist, has her arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently. She fixes me with a sharp glare as I approach.

"You're late," She says flatly.

"Yeah, sorry. Had to, uh, mentally prepare," I reply with a grin, but her expression doesn't budge.

"Whatever," She sighs. "Let's just get this over with."

Ren, ever the quiet one, leads the way, his usual stoic demeanor keeping us on task. As we venture deeper into the forest on the way to the village, the air grows heavy, and an eerie silence blankets the trees. The atmosphere shifts, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Something is definitely off.

By midday, we reach the village, and the sight that greets us is nothing short of chilling. Buildings lay in ruins, roofs caved in, and strange, deep claw marks mar the ground. A few villagers stand around, pale and shaking, their faces filled with terror.

"What the hell happened here?" I mutter, my gaze sweeping the devastation.

Ren's hand instinctively grips the hilt of his sword as his face hardens.

"Whatever's attacking this place, it's not just animals. Be on guard."

Charlotte steps forward, her sharp eyes scanning the ruins. There's a calculating look on her face, like she's already piecing together a puzzle that only she understands.

"We should split up and look for clues. Tiara, you and Kira take the east side. Ren and I will cover the west."

"Wait, I thought—"

"No arguing," Charlotte snaps. "Just do your job."

I swallow my words, knowing better than to argue with her when she's like this. Tiara, always the more calming presence, steps in beside me, her expression calm but serious. She pats my shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"Come on, let's go play detective."

We move through the ruined village, and I can't shake the knot of unease in my stomach. This whole place feels wrong. The deeper we go, the more unsettling the signs become, trees snapped in half, strange scorch marks on the ground, and that suffocating silence.

"Hey, Tiara, you ever seen anything like this?"

"Once. And that's what worries me."

Great. That's real reassuring. I puff out my chest, trying to act like I've got everything under control.

"I've got a plan."

Tiara raises an eyebrow, her sword resting casually on her shoulder. "Oh? What's the plan?"

"Mission. Exterminate. Finish."

"That's not a plan, Kira. That's just a list of words."

"Hey, it works, right? We find the monster, blast it with magic, and we're heroes. Simple."

"I'm really starting to see why Charlotte wants to roast you alive."

Despite the tension, Tiara's jab brings a brief smile to my face. We continue our search, the eerie silence only broken by the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. As we round a corner on the village's outskirts, something unnatural catches my eye, a large, jagged hole scorched into the earth, the edges blackened as though by intense heat.

"What the…?"

Before I can finish my thought, a low, rumbling growl cuts through the air. Tiara's hand immediately moves to her sword hilt, her eyes scanning the trees. My heart pounds in my chest, excitement surging through me.

I can't help myself.

Without thinking, I dash toward the source of the growl, my blood pumping with the thrill of battle.

"Kira!"

Tiara hisses behind me, but I'm already far enough to turn back.

The growling intensifies, and within seconds, I'm face-to-face with the creature.

It's massive, easily towering over me, with dark, matted fur and glowing red eyes. Its claws are like blades, and its guttural roar shakes the ground beneath my feet.

"Whoa, it's big."

I don't waste time. I send a wave of ice spikes shooting toward the creature. They slam into its side, and it howls in pain, but it barely flinches. The spikes shatter against its thick hide.

"Uh-oh."

The beast charges at me, moving faster than I expected. I barely throw up an ice barrier in time to block its claws. The force of the impact sends me skidding back, my barrier cracking under the pressure.

I push myself up, a grin spreading across my face despite the situation. This is what I live for. Another blast of ice shoots from my hands, freezing the ground beneath the creature. It slips, giving me an opening to launch more ice shards at its legs. But the creature roars again, dark energy swirling around it, and the shards melt before they can land a hit.

"Okay, new plan—"

Before I can finish, Tiara appears beside me, swords drawn and her face set in frustration.

"You charged in again, didn't you?"

I laugh, trying to brush it off. "Relax, it's almost beat!"

"Almost? It's tearing through your ice like it's nothing!"

I turn, my stomach sinking as I watch the creature shatter the ice cage I had conjured, cracks spreading like spiderwebs. Its roar grows louder, dark energy pulsing with every move.

"Alright, alright, I've got this!" I shout, pressing my hands to the ground, focusing all my magic. A large magic circle appears beneath the beast as I unleash a powerful spell.

"Ice Pierce!"

Sharp ice spikes shoot up from the ground, piercing through the creature's body. It lets out a bloodcurdling scream, dark energy swirling violently as it thrashes. For a moment, I think I've finally got it.

"That should do it," I say, wiping the sweat from my brow.

---

Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, Ren and Charlotte stand over the bodies of several beasts. The ground is scorched, the air heavy with the scent of blood and burnt fur. Ren wipes his sword clean, his expression unreadable, while Charlotte's sharp gaze sweeps the horizon.

"That's the last of them," Ren says, sheathing his sword.

Charlotte frowns, clearly unsettled.

"Something's not right. These beasts weren't acting on instinct. They were organized, almost like they had a purpose."

"Dark magic?" Ren asks.

"Possibly, but it feels… different." Charlotte kneels by one of the fallen creatures, her hand hovering over its body. "Something or someone is controlling them."

Ren glances around, eyes narrowing as he senses the same unseen presence lurking in the shadows. "We need to regroup with Kira and Tiara. If we're dealing with something bigger, we'll need all hands."

Charlotte stands, her expression hardening. "Agreed. And I bet Kira's already made a mess of things."

---

Back on my side of the village, Tiara examines the fallen beast, her fingers tracing strange, glowing runes etched into its fur.

"This isn't normal," She mutters, her brow furrowed. "These runes… this thing was being controlled."

"Controlled? By what?" I ask, trying to wrap my head around it.

"Dark magic," Tiara replies grimly. "And advanced dark magic at that."

Just great. Not only did I charge in like an idiot, but now we're dealing with something way more complicated than I anticipated.

"Well, I stopped it, right?" I grin, hoping to lighten the mood.

Tiara's expression doesn't soften. "We need to find Ren and Charlotte. If there are more creatures like this, we're in serious trouble."

---

We meet back up with Ren and Charlotte near the village chief's house, where the village chief, an elderly man with a deeply lined face, is speaking with Ren in low tones. He looks visibly shaken, his hands trembling slightly as he describes what's been happening.

Charlotte spots me and Tiara approaching, her eyes narrowing.

"What happened, Kira?"

She asks, her voice dripping with suspicion.

I shrug, grinning. "Handled it. One monster down. Easy."

Tiara rolls her eyes, stepping forward to give the real report.

"The creature was being controlled by dark magic. It wasn't just a random attack."

The village chief pales at the mention of dark magic, his voice trembling as he pleads with us.

"Please... save us from whatever's behind this. We've lost so much already."

I try to stay focused, but the smell of freshly baked bread and stewed meat wafts from the chief's table, and my stomach growls loudly. Without thinking, I grab a plate of food.

Charlotte's glare could burn holes through me, but Ren steps in before she can explode.

"Let him eat. We'll need our strength," Ren says.