Stung by his wife’s glare, Da'off rose from his embarrassed slump and resumed his solemn composure, continuing his spellwork.

  “I saw your new apprentice, Da'off. He’s remarkable—slew a powerful magical beast with a single blow,” Siri remarked while tending his herb beds, recalling the young man named Glenn.

  “Then you’ve already met? He’s a good child—one who will no doubt become a fine friend to you,” Da'off replied with sincere approval.

  Meiko added, “His potential is immeasurable. The day will come when the two of you will need one another.”

  “We exchanged names. He struck me as quite friendly,” Siri said, thinking back.

  “Come to my magic cottage later. The children adore you, and it’ll give you a chance to deepen your impression of Glenn,” Da'off suggested.

  “All right, I’d be glad to,” Siri agreed warmly.

  They had only just finished speaking when Da'off, still erecting the barrier overhead, caught a thread of anomaly in the gray sky. He cast a perception spell—and instantly saw the truth.

  “Wind sprites! By the heavens—I should have expected this! Damn it!” Da'off’s face blanched.

  Wind sprites—dangerous creatures that travel only by riding the wind. They seize any chance to hunt the frail beings of the land, humans included. Many slumbered within the Abyssfall Gorge; no matter how often Da'off culled them, fresh swarms always migrated in.

  And in a tempest like this, it was the perfect hour for their predatory revelry.

  Meiko’s expression hardened. She shouted for Siri to flee into the magic cottage, then raced with Da'off straight toward the rising vortex of sprites.

  Some had already succeeded in their hunt, clutching livestock—and several humans.

  Meanwhile, in yesterday’s enchantment laboratory, Glenn was working through the many conceptual designs in his mind. The theories were promising, but with his current skill, the difficulty was formidable.

  Still, discouragement was foreign to him; surrender was simply not in his nature.

  Just as he failed once more and pondered his next experiment, a strange sound reached his ears—like the collective cry of some unknown, communal species.

  Curious, he went to the window and peered outside.

  There, swept by the gale, were long-bodied creatures with wasp-like heads and many limbs, shrieking through the storm.

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  What in the world…? Glenn frowned. They were anything but pleasant to behold—ferocious in every line.

  He was about to turn back to his work when he noticed several flying low, carrying animals—and people.

  That could not be ignored. And he had been sitting long enough; a little movement would do him good.

  He opened the window and leapt straight out, plunging toward the sprites bearing captives.

  He noted Da'off and Meiko launching their rescue from above but had no time to greet them—saving lives took precedence.

  Fortunately, the sprites’ instincts drove them to return their prey alive to their nests, so most captives were unharmed.

  The first sprite Glenn sighted clutched a thin, terrified woman who struggled helplessly.

  Glenn kicked off the earth—his body shot forward like a fired cannonball. He slammed into the sprite before it could react; its grip loosened and the woman fell shrieking—only for Glenn to catch her midair.

  Holding her close, he arced downward into the forest.

  Even after landing safely, the woman clung to him in panic, her grip around his neck so fierce it felt as though she meant to strangle him.

  He had no time to soothe her. Every heartbeat mattered.

  He pried her off, chopped down nearby trees, and quickly stacked them into a makeshift shelter before placing her inside.

  In the next instant, he vanished again.

  The sprite he had struck was enraged, shrieking as it regained flight, determined to tear the human who dared attack it into shreds.

  It soon spotted Glenn weaving through the woods, a person held in each hand.

  It dove with a screech—but in the instant it lunged, its vision blurred, and its body fell apart into several neat segments.

  To Glenn, it was nothing more than eliminating a minor nuisance.

  More sprites flooded the sky, pouring from a distant mountainside.

  But Glenn felt no worry—Da'off had already cast a high-tier spell, sealing the entire gorge.

  Glenn handled rescues within the valley; Meiko intercepted those who had flown out to hunt.

  Magic truly was marvelous… Glenn envied it deeply. With such sweeping abilities, he would never again fear an army of demons. His own devastating Flame Fang had power and range, but nothing like Da'off’s effortless, all-encompassing reach.

  Soon he had saved everyone. Thankfully, they had intercepted the crisis early—otherwise he would still be running.

  He looked toward the sky and shouted, “Teacher! It’s all handled!”

  Da'off glanced down and nodded. Lightning crackled around him; his staff fired a beam of light into the gorge-spanning barrier. The barrier blazed with radiant arcs, preparing to annihilate every sprite in the sky.

  But at that moment, a second beam struck the barrier—and the arcs dimmed.

  Da'off’s light dissipated. He turned, furious and bewildered.

  From the source of the second beam rose an elderly nobleman with long, wavy hair, wielding a jewel-studded staff.

  “Morogen?! What do you think you’re doing?!” Da'off roared.

  The man did not answer. He poured all his focus into the spell.

  The barrier thickened, becoming almost solid. Spiraling sigils blossomed across its surface in dense profusion.

  A colossal suction force erupted across the gorge. The sprites could not resist; one by one they were dragged into the spiraling symbols.

  The pull seemed to target only the sprites—trees and beasts remained untouched.

  Yet Glenn—and anyone who had been touched by the sprites—were affected as well.

  Glenn could resist. Ordinary people could not; they were torn away in an instant, vanishing into the barrier.

  Glenn dared not grab anyone—at that force, he might rip their arms off.

  But he also understood what lay within that barrier: a pocket of space. And those drawn into it were unlikely to die.

  He had learned enough magic over the past days to make that judgment.”