The Morning After
Hiro opened his eyes.
The basement was bathed in stripes of sunlight seeping through cracks in the shutters. Katsu was slumped over the map, his cheek stuck to the parchment, soft snores escaping his mouth.
"Where's Garret?" Hiro asked, stretching.
Katsu jerked upright, the map peeling off his face with a loud smack.
"Off to get a hangover cure…" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "We got up about an hour and a half ago, tried to get to work..."
He glanced helplessly at the map, now stained with fresh markings and ale.
"As you can see, didn’t go too well."
Hiro smirked.
"Alright, get some more sleep. I’ll go clear my head."
Katsu nodded, yawned—and crashed back onto the table. His snoring resumed instantly.
---
Return to the Cabin
Hiro teleported back to his cabin. Brewed coffee. Drank it while staring at the snowy peaks outside.
When he returned to the guild’s basement, both Katsu and Garret were gone.
---
Stroll Through Arcanum
The city was waking.
Bright sun. White clouds. The bustle of the market.
Hiro wandered through the streets, observing the buildings:
Taverns with signs shaped like dragons and cauldrons.
Alchemy shops, strange vessels steaming behind dusty windows.
A massive library, with tall columns topped by stone sages.
He didn’t go inside. Instead, he sat near a fountain overlooking—
---
The Magic Academy
Majestic. Impenetrable.
Tall towers with blue spires. Walls etched with glowing runes. The only entrance — a bridge guarded by massive, sealed gates.
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“I wonder what it looks like inside…”
---
That Look
A chill ran down his right shoulder—someone was watching.
He turned his head slowly.
A girl.
Bright red eyes.
Academy uniform: navy suit, red tie, crimson shoes.
Long, pale blonde hair.
Their eyes met.
She immediately looked away, flustered, unsure where to run.
A friend rushed to her side, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into the crowd.
Hiro frowned.
"Why was she staring at me like that?" he whispered. "Am I that good-looking?"
A smile tugged at his lips.
---
Return
The sun crept toward the horizon.
Hiro stood and began walking back to the guild.
---
Scene: “Eliana’s Abduction”
Guild basement. Sunset.
The table was buried beneath maps, empty mugs, and ink stains. Katsu tapped nervously on the wood, muttering:
"Our only lead… What do we do if we don’t even know where they’re taking the victims?"
Hiro, arms crossed, asked:
"Who are the kidnappers?"
Garret scowled.
"Showed up recently. Robbers, slavers—doesn’t matter. They take people. Anyone."
"What lead do we have?" Hiro asked.
Garret pointed at the map.
"Someone saw them vanish into an alley around here."
Hiro raised an eyebrow.
"That’s it?"
Katsu sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Yup..."
"Then why bother? Just wait for more info," Hiro shrugged.
---
The Door Bursts Open
The door slammed open.
A man burst in—someone Garret knew. He was sweating, panting, as if he’d sprinted without stopping.
"They… They took… Students from the Academy!" he gasped. "Girls… and boys!"
Katsu jumped up, energized.
"Now that’s something!"
But the man wasn’t finished. He clutched his chest, forcing out the final words:
"One of the girls… Eliana… your daughter…"
Silence.
Garret froze. His face twisted — fury, terror, disbelief.
"WHAT?!" His roar shook the walls.
The man, barely breathing, added:
"At the plaza… near the Academy…"
---
Hiro Doesn’t Wait
Hiro was already moving.
First burst — he vanished from behind the table, reappearing at the staircase.
Second burst — gone from the basement entirely.
All that remained:
Garret, clutching the table so hard the wood cracked.
Katsu, reaching for his sword on the wall.
---
Scene: “Leap Over the Walls”
Arcanum City. Evening.
Hiro tore through the streets, leaving only a gust of wind in his wake. Bystanders flinched as a cold current passed through, too fast to see what caused it.
The Magic Academy loomed ahead—massive walls, locked gates, unscalable towers.
Hiro halted before them.
“Breaking through will cause a scene. Better to go over.”
He stepped back, crouched, tensed his legs—then launched upward.
---
The Jump
A shockwave blasted dust outward in every direction.
Hiro soared, reaching halfway up the wall—about twenty-five stories high.
But gravity pulled him down.
That’s when he stepped into the air.
As if pushing off an invisible platform, he stuck to the wall, boots clinging to stone. He sprinted straight up, hands behind him, his coat fluttering like wings.
Top of the wall.
Hiro launched himself and twisted midair—crashing down into the plaza below in a runner’s stance. Fingers touched the ground. Dust spiraled upward from the impact.
Silence.
Then—noise.
"How did he get in?!"
"Who is that?!"
"He’s not from the Academy!"
"What is he doing?!"
"How’s he gonna get out?!"
Hiro ignored the voices. His eyes scanned for a trace.
And there it was—a crimson mana trail, leading back toward the gate.
“So that’s what her mana looks like…”
Nothing else to do here.
---
The Escape
He turned. Leapt again.
The guards didn’t even draw their weapons in time.
Wind. Shadow. Gone.
---
Beyond the City
Arcanum outskirts.
Katsu and Garret were questioning a merchant, waving their arms in frustration.
Hiro shot past them without slowing down:
"FOLLOW ME!"
Katsu took off immediately.
Garret, still shouting in the merchant’s face, turned and bellowed:
"WAIT FOR ME, DAMMIT!"
He ran after them, cursing under his breath.
---
Scene: “Blood Trail in the Night”
Forest road. Night.
The three dashed down a stone path, then veered into the woods, smashing through branches. Even at 40 km/h, Katsu and Garret barely kept up with Hiro, who launched himself into the air again and again, leaving only dust behind.
"Gods, he moves like a demon!" Garret wheezed, spitting blood from his split lip.
Hiro bounded from trunk to trunk, leaping fifteen meters at a time. Each time he landed, he paused—his glowing pink eyes scanning the darkness, following the crimson mana trail that led to a cliff.
---
At the Damn Gate
The cliff rose suddenly—huge and dark blue, with a crack in its side about two meters tall and one and a half wide.
"There!" Hiro landed by the entrance, not even leaving footprints in the dust.
Katsu and Garret stumbled in behind, gasping for air.
"You… bloody… athlete…" Katsu coughed violently.
Screams echoed from the cave.
Then—rushing footsteps.
Five bandits burst out, unaware of what awaited.
"Where IS SHE?!" Garret slammed his sword into the dirt, the blade stopping just inches from the neck of the closest one, pinning him down.
The bandit shrieked—not from pain, but from panic. His eyes darted toward the cave.
"I-inside… they're all inside… with… with the Scar of Power..."
Deathly pale, Katsu and Garret turned to Hiro.
He was already staring into the cave.
"HIRO, WAIT!" they shouted in unison.
Too late.
Hiro had already vanished into the dark.
