Aspiration to the Heavens: Becoming the Supreme Mage Vol 2- Descent of Darkness

Episode 74: Drawing Forth One's Strength

*An*

I was certain that it was Sarah's voice I had heard.

It didn't take me long to find her. She stopped running as soon as she noticed there was someone following her and spun around and pointed her rapier at me. She formed a flower in front of her and narrowed her eyes at me. "An!"

I put up my hands. "Stop. I mean well!"

"Huh?"

"We already have a blue-green marble anyways." I pulled out the blue-green jewel that Sloane had given me.

She lowered her head and ran past me. "Beware of him."

"What? Who are you..." Fireballs came flying at us before I could finish my question.

I protected myself with a psychic barrier and pulled out the ivory sword I had strapped on my back. Someone moved around the forest with amazing speed.

Sarah suddenly ran past me again. She stopped, eyes wide. "Did you teleport? No...he caught us in his illusion."

"Yes," Eien's voice rung throughout the forest. Nine tails came flying out of the trees and hit Sarah's water flower. The flowers burst into clouds of vapor. Several tails pulled Sarah up from the ground.

"Let go of me!" Sarah yelled as she tried to slice the tails off but it was useless.

I gathered energy around my swung and swung it toward the sky but the illusion remained.

"Don't get in my way," Eien's voice echoed. Tails grabbed and pulled me to the ground. The red haired prince walked past me. As he did, I saw what appeared to be bandages on his chest.

Was he still injured? Yet... he was moving around with relative ease.

"You have the same marble as hers so you're useless, well for now. I'll lure your teammates out with you."

I snickered. "Good luck with that. Two of them think of me as an obstacle."

"Then at least the one that cares for you will come."

Sarah tried to cast as many water flowers as she could but none manifested. Eien pelted her with white tails that came out of the trees. She fell to her knees yet clung to her rapier. "I won't s-surren-nder!"

The second prince of Kyuu Hyaku smiled as he watched his illusionary tails do all the work. "I admire your persistence, but it won't save you."

I had to save her. A burning feeling starting in my back spread throughout my body. Chains appeared around my arms, legs, and sword. The chains then shattered, allowing me to slice through the tails with ease.

I warped in front of Sarah.

"Run," I said. "I'll hold him off."

Eien summoned his wand and transformed it into its bow form. He raised it at Sarah as she backed away.

A water flower shielded her. "No, I won't run," she said as she stood up. "I won't back down."

"Don't be stupid, you don't stand a chance-" I touched my mouth. Those same words I had heard be used on me through my life. "N-never mind, just be careful."

"You're not even from the same country, yet you dare protect her? I know, you love her, don't you?"

Sarah's flowers sent water flying everywhere.

Eien backed away as the illusionary tails vanished revealing several water flowers around Sarah.

Sarah's face was bright red. "He doesn't like me like that, nor do I like him."