A few moments ago…

  “Davi’s in trouble?” Olivia bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. “Damn it. I knew I should have dragged him along.”

  “What are we all standing around here for?” Ken demanded. “Let’s hurry up and leave.”

  Father gave her a pointed stare. “Young lady, we are just about to do that. Stay calm.”

  Shortly after the spell Laerton placed on Davi went off, the members of Phoenix Flight who had gathered at the Shining Sentinels' base all met up at the pond where Olivia and Bruno had been. The members present were Pock, Laerton, Ken, Pretty Face, Tori, Bruno, Father, and, of course, Olivia.

  Eight of them in total. Two captains, two vice captains, a title knight, and three squires. This was the team that was about to go save Davi Hawker.

  “Laer,” Father turned to the Captain of Phoenix Flight. “Are you sure your two squires should come along?”

  “We’re going to go save Davi!” Olivia and Ken both announced, the two of them looking determined.

  Laerton shrugged. “You’re bringing yours, right?”

  “Bruno is special.” Father patted Bruno on the head, the ice mage giving a sheepish smile. “He can handle himself. Can you say the same about your two squires?”

  Laerton glanced at Olivia and Ken. She just needed one look to see the light that was in their eyes. “Yeah.” She stared back at Father. “They can handle themselves. Now quit stalling. We need to go save Davi.”

  “Sorry.” Pock winced. “I’ve never been to Daisy.” He shook his head and gritted his teeth. “I can’t teleport us there.”

  Pretty Face snorted. “Don’t worry, we wouldn’t have used your teleportation anyway-”

  “Can we hurry this up!” Ken yelled.

  Father gave her another look before finally nodding. “Tori.”

  Tori stepped forward and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked glorious. In some cases, even more so than Father. She wore her silver armor, which was so advanced it looked like it might be from the future, sporting dozens of power lines across it that hummed with mana. Her hair was tied back into a bun, and in her hands, she gripped her lance.

  The Lance of Victory was about to do something amazing.

  Laerton watched, for even she couldn’t tear her eyes away from what was about to happen. She knew what was coming, yet she had never seen it in action before.

  “Can she use her Light magic to teleport us to the battlefield?” Pock questioned.

  “Not exactly.” Pretty Face shook her head. “Tori doesn’t have a Light spell that can teleport us.”

  “Seriously? So then what is she doing?” Pock questioned.

  “Getting ready to teleport us, of course.”

  “What? But you just said she can’t?”

  “No.” Pretty Face giggled, and her wings flapped as she gave a wink. “I said she doesn’t have a Light spell that can teleport us. I didn’t say she doesn’t have any spells that can.”

  “Oh.” Olivia nodded. “I get it. Her Knight Gear? I heard that Knight Gear allows mages to use another type of magic, also!”

  Pretty Face shook her head. “Knight Gear doesn’t work like a Core Mask. Core Masks give a Mage a second type of magic they can use, and they’re limited to whoever they’re copying. Despite these limits, it is still far more versatile than Knight Gear. This is because Knight Gear does give a mage more spells from a type of magic they don’t have, but it is limited to only one spell.”

  “Just one?” Ken seemed a little surprised. She always pictured Knight Gear as being something that could give a mage a brand new way of fighting, like a Core Mask could, but it seemed a lot weaker.

  “That spell is usually powerful and is either a Ril or, in rare cases, a Vow level.” Pretty Face clarified. “But the piece of equipment can still only cast just that spell. In Tori’s case, her lance has psychic magic placed into it, and it allows her to cast the spell known as Ril Psychic Hold. This spell allows her to pick objects up and move them through telekinesis. That is the only spell she can use with her lance.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a teleport spell either.” Pock pointed out.

  “Because it isn’t.” Pretty Face said cheerfully.

  “Then how does it help us?” Ken began to fume. “Make it make sense!”

  “Just watch.” Father shushed her. “Tori is about to break the laws of magic.”

  The speed of light is something that cannot be surpassed through physics. Nothing in the universe should be able to move faster than light, and nothing in the universe should be able to reach those speeds, save for particles that make up the reality that is known.

  This is simply science.

  And yet does science matter?

  Magic does not care about how physics or matter works. Magic does not obey the same laws that everything else must. It is still not entirely proven what mana is, but whatever it truly is, wherever it truly came from, it is a miracle energy that defies the reality in which it resides. It is something that makes the impossible become possible.

  Some very rare mages are able to create portals, bending space and time, in order to arrive at a place that can be miles away. The generation of this portal is instant, and therefore, teleportation would be a process in which the speed of light is surpassed.

  When it comes to light, the strongest form of magic happens to be light magic. They say that Haru used Light magic, and a few mages were blessed with this same type of magic.

  However, despite being called ‘Light’ magic, Light magic is not simply light. As it was just said, magic has long since surpassed physics and concepts such as light, and so Light magic is actually the materialization and perfection of the energy known as mana. It can also be referred to as True Magic.

  Light magic surpasses light, moving faster than that which should be the God of speed. Light magic also bypasses the laws of the universe. Reality means nothing before this source of energy. It is no wonder that many people view Light magic as the pinnacle, as the Legendary Knight Haru was said to use her Light in order to recode and rebuild the universe around her.

  If the entire planet were to be compared to code in a program, then a master of Light magic is the programmer.

  Sadly, there hasn’t been a person who was able to achieve the feats of Light magic that Haru was able to. In fact, out of all of Haru’s descendants, only a single one even managed to take the first needed step to using Light magic in the way Haru had.

  Tori took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She slowly blocked out all noise and allowed the world around her to cease its existence. Only she remained. Only she existed.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Her mana began to gently form around her, as well as her armor, coating her head to toe in a golden glow of sunlight. Her hand’s grip grew tighter around her lance, and she lifted it to the sky. Then she used her spell.

  “Row Light Program. Core Shift.” Suddenly, that glorious golden glow around her crackled and erupted, twisting into a harsh flame. Tori’s eyes opened, and her golden flame grew in intensity. Then she did something no other mage could do. “Vil Fire Step!”

  Olivia’s breath hitched as she watched the display. For a moment, she was reminded of why she once had a crush on Tori. She had heard rumors about the woman being able to do Light-Fire magic similar to a Core Mask, but those rumors had been wrong. She was using fire magic itself.

  This wasn’t through Knight Gear, and it wasn’t done through a cheap trick like Core Mask. Tori Helios was the only person in the world who possessed both Light and Fire magic. This was because, out of everyone who held the blood of Haru, she alone had somehow managed to take the first step needed to reprogram reality.

  Tori Helios was the one who programmed her own Core!

  The fire grew, crackling and hot. Ken also looked surprised, seeing how refined the magic was. The fire twisted over the group, forming a massive ball of pure heat, yet it didn’t burn any of them. A moment later, the fire faded, and Olivia felt herself beginning to fall.

  She wasn’t the only one; everyone was falling. As Tori had teleported them above Daisy, smack dab in the middle of the air, they began to fall toward the ruined city below.

  Pock quickly cast a spell and fired a long, zipper-like thread that wrapped around Olivia and Ken, keeping them safe. Pretty Face began to fly, and she grabbed onto Bruno. That left just Tori, Father, and Laerton, all three of whom didn’t seem to care that they were falling. Laerton glared down at Bloom, who stood before Davi, about to bring his sword down, and she used a spell, firing off a thin thread that wrapped around his arm and tore it off.

  While this happened, Pretty Face also caught Pock, the woman easily holding him, her own Squire, and both Ken and Olivia. Wind swirled around them all as she used a spell and created a platform of solid air, which started to fly away from Daisy.

  “Where are we going?” Olivia demanded, glaring at Pretty Face. “Davi is down there.”

  Pretty Face just giggled. “Sweetie, you’d die if you got involved in that fight. Besides, I sense two other powerful sources of mana. One is as strong as a captain, and the other is nearly as strong as a vice captain.”

  “Really?” Ken looked worried. “These guys are that strong?”

  “If you think that’s bad, you should see the ones we’re leaving behind.” Pretty Face’s smile almost faltered, but she forced it back on and shook her head. “Pock, you’re a vice captain, right? You and I are going to deal with these two over here, got it?”

  “Sure thing.” Pock nodded and cracked his knuckles. “You can count on me!”

  “I sure hope so,” Pretty Face muttered. “Otherwise we’re all dead.”

  As Pretty Face escorted the Squires outside of Daisy and headed in the direction of the Lord of Threads and Inyuan, Laerton, Father, and Tori all landed on the ground next to Davi. Tori instantly dropped to her knees and placed her hands on Davi’s head.

  “Ril Fire Flow!” She announced, sounding very desperate. The fire poured off of her hands and flowed over Davi’s injuries. “You'd better heal! Ril Light Mend!” Suddenly, a wave of white light seeped out of her hands, joining the fire.

  Davi blinked as he felt his body heal up. The flesh on his hand grew back, the broken bones mended, and the hole in his stomach and even his damaged organs all started to rapidly repair. In an instant, he was fully healed, for that was the power of two back-to-back Ril spells. He didn’t just get fully healed up either; he felt fine. Better than fine. This was some of the best healing he had ever gotten, and he was fully refreshed, save for the mana he lost. Physically, he was back in peak condition.

  Tori breathed heavily and was now sweating. Even for a vice captain, two Ril-level spells was tiring work. She forced herself to stand and caught her breath. She managed to regain her second wind and gripped Davi by the shoulders. "Are you okay? Do you need more healing? Should I give you mouth-to-mouth? I am now going to give you mouth-to-mouth-"

  "I'm fine." Davi snapped.

  "Are you sure! You could be dying! It is very important that I give you mouth-to-mouth-"

  "I said I'm fine!"

  Tori coughed into her fist and recollected herself. “Good, good, you’re all healed up now. Excellent. Stay behind me, and I’ll keep you safe.”

  Davi scotted away when he saw the hungry look in her eyes and the way drool dripped down her chin. “I don’t feel very safe…”

  “Tori.” Father’s voice made the pervert jump, and she turned around.

  “Y-Yes, sir?”

  “Get that boy out of here as well as the unconscious one.” Father didn’t look at her. His attention was fully focused on Adam.

  “Unconscious one?” That was when Tori noticed Sieg, lying several meters away, thankfully not near the ominous-looking white-haired man. “Oh. Him.”

  “Take them and get out of here,” Father instructed. “Head to where Pretty Face is and back her up.”

  Tori nodded, then licked her lips. “Well, you heard him!” Davi’s face somehow grew more blank as he was forcefully picked up and thrown over Tori’s shoulder. She held him like a sack of potatoes and patted his ass. “I have to get you out of here. Captain’s orders—can’t disobey!”

  “...I kind of wish that flower guy killed me now…”

  Tori ungracefully grabbed Sieg by the ankle. She didn’t even bother to pick him up or heal him and instead started to run away as fast as she could, taking Davi and his brother with her.

  This left just three people behind on the battlefield. Father and Laerton were both in their Knight armor, and both had their swords out. Father’s shield was also glowing, and his eyes pierced forward, his smile gone. In fact, the only one who was still smiling was Adam.

  The strange man had his longsword drawn and stared both captains down. He seemed unbothered. Not even concerned, and why would he be? The main character always makes it to the end of the story.

  Right?

  “Father,” Laerton spoke quietly.

  “Yeah.” Father gave a faint nod. “I feel it also. This is…”

  When they had arrived, there were several sources of mana that concerned him. The first was the one who stood before Davi. The second was a pair of mana signatures he sensed that were outside of the town. One in front of Davi and one of the pairs outside of the town were both on the level of a captain. The second member of the pair he sensed seemed to be on the level of a vice captain.

  That alone wasn’t good, as it meant that the group that had attacked his kingdom had members on the same level as the captains or vice captains, which was unheard of already, but it got even worse when he laid eyes on the last figure.

  The man in the robes. The man with white hair. The man holding his sword. This guy’s mana was beyond a captain. It was closer to being on the same level as the king. Not quite as intense or as powerful, but that same awful alien feeling. As if whatever this guy was, it was something that didn’t belong in this world.

  This guy was a threat.

  “So,” Adam called out. “Are we going to do this or what?”

  “Who are you?” Father called back.

  “Does that matter?”

  “I’d like to know who I’m about to kill.”

  “Cute,” Adam snickered. “Very well. You can call me Adam.”

  “Adam?” Father said the name with a bit of disgust. “How shameful. Don’t you know the stories? Adam is the one who started it all. The first human. For you to have the name of such an amazing being is sacrilegious.”

  Adam hummed. “Of course, I know the stories of the first human. I named myself after him on purpose, you know.”

  Laerton let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank Haru; for a moment I thought you were about to claim that you were the Adam.”

  Adam laughed. “No, of course I’m not the first human. That man died long ago, and besides, he and I have different clan names. That said… Don’t you know? There is another famous being named Adam.” His lips curved up.

  “Adamaska,” Father whispered the name as if it were sacred. “Adamaska is the second son of Haru, the great Pilgrim who discovered all the Cores. He was, of course, named after Adam, the first human. Once again, you’re starting to piss me off. Do you seriously expect me to believe that you are Adamaska?”

  Once more, Adam laughed. “Alright, alright. You got me. I am not that Adam either. Adamaska and the first Adam are long dead, but still, Adam is a common name, and there have been plenty of people who held it throughout history. I guess I was just named after one of them, or maybe I’m lying, and I really am the first man. Or perhaps even Adamaska. You never know. I could even be Haru herself.”

  Father growled and almost charged toward Adam, but Laerton stopped him at the last second. “One thing is for sure.” She spoke in a sharp tone and raised her sword. “You’re a liar. I doubt anything you say is true.”

  “And why would you say something so hurtful?” Adam raised an eyebrow, and his smile grew. He seemed strangely happy as he stared back at Laerton.

  Laerton smirked. “I have some neat traits. Mainly instinct. It’s going off. See, it happens to be good at seeing through bullshit, and your body is telling me that your very being is full of shit.” She spat. “I can count at least ten different illusions that are covering your form. The way you look isn’t right. You’re hiding your true appearance and masking it behind dozens of different spells. I have my doubts about whether you’re even a human or not. Most likely, you’re some mutant who is ashamed of how he looks.”

  Adam shook his head, and his smile became almost wistful. “Same as always.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” Adam gently started to walk forward toward the two captains, who both instantly went on guard. “Well, come on. We wasted this chapter with nothing but talking. Let’s fight already.”

  And with that, the battle truly started.

  Meanwhile, back over with Tori, she made it near the gate and was about to run out when Sieg started to groan. His eyes snapped open weakly, and he tried to move, but he couldn’t. “T-That man,” Sieg muttered quietly.

  “Sieg!” Davi called down to his brother. “Are you okay?” He was still being carried by Tori, the woman not putting him down as she dragged Sieg through mud.

  Sieg didn’t seem to mind, though, his thoughts elsewhere. “I’ve seen that man before.”

  Slowly, a troubling memory returned to him. One in which a man named Adam Hawker spoke with Titania Midsummer.

  Adam Hawker was around since the very start.