The Masked Man

I rush into my room and quickly strip naked, then I hurriedly begin writing a noer on my clothes. The noer would prevent my clothes from burning up when I used my Uua. Normally my Laen robes had the same function but I couldn't put them on right now. As I did that, I also activated the noer Luoi had told me to use whenever I needed him.

Charlotte and Trevor are my friends, but they aren't Laen. Currently, I am not sure if any of the Laen I know will be willing to help me out with saving them, after all, I'm not on a mission or anything like that, which is why I make up my mind to depend on Luoi alone. Besides, after the Rankings, I have gained some level of confidence in my strength. Something that is trying but failing to kill Charlotte and Trevor is something I should be able to handle.

Just as I finish enchanting and putting my clothes back on, a portal opens next to me and a deer walks out of it. Luoi.

"What's the problem?" He asks as he surveys the surroundings. I quickly explain Charlotte's call and the fact that they might be in danger. The deer's eyes narrow and for a moment it says nothing. "Alright. Should we merge?"

I nod, trying not to seem too eager. A moment later he leaves the deer and enters me. I suppress the urge to shudder. The feeling of him merging with me is as unpleasant as ever but it's easier to bear now.

Almost immediately I can sense the changes his presence brings. I take a deep breath as his thoughts and mine mix. Then following his instructions I open my window and leap out. Then I take off, running towards where Charlotte had told me they were. As I run I am met with a dilemma, to use Glide or not. It is no mystery that the Laen are opposed to normal people finding out about magic and if I use Glide here, out in the open, I wouldn't be able to hide it.

While most magical things were invisible to the naked eye, Uua, due to its destructive nature, can be seen even with the naked eye. If I were to use it there would be no way to hide it.

"Use it," Luoi says, "I'll tell you if there's anyone nearby."

I don't need to hear anything more. The cold wind begins rushing past my face as my speed picks up, and the world around me slowly blurs as I race toward my destination, weaving between buildings according to the instructions of Luoi.

The South Side of the city is, to put things nicely, a slum. Full of abandoned and unsafe buildings, and being the farthest neighborhood from the police station, it was quickly taken over by criminals and other unsavory types in its early days. However, despite the many illegal activities going on in South Side, most people just ignored it, police included. That's because South Side is quiet. Not physically quiet, but its residents know how to stay out of the limelight. There are no big murder cases, no massive criminal ring, or anything of the sort. That isn't to say those things don't exist, they do, but they are kept on the down low. For instance, if you are murdered there, you can forget about them ever catching your murderers, or your body ever being discovered.

As I run I don't forget to think. Where exactly in South Side can they be? She didn't mention it but if I fail to figure it out their lives could be in danger. Should I call back? But what if they're hiding and doing so gives away their position? Since she called me she should have thought about putting her phone on silent, right?

While I am lost in thought, Luoi interrupts me. "There are three people ahead of us." I am about to dash into the cover of nearby buildings when he continues. "They're all magicians."

They're the ones. I instinctively know this. I'm about to rush toward them when a thought pops into my head. Where is everyone? For some time now Luoi had not warned me about any humans, so where did everyone go?

"They're in the buildings, so feel free to use your magic," Luoi answers my thoughts.

"What if someone looks out and sees us?"

"I know this part of the city, Don't worry about that."

I don't argue, instead, I turn on second sight and look around. Most of the buildings around me are rundown with all possible openings tightly shut; doors closed, blinds drawn, and windows tightly shut. Unlike my neighborhood where countless Fasurus are hanging about, there are relatively few Fasurus here. With Luoi here, I feel confident enough to dismiss the Fasurus and focus on something else. The three auras moving toward me.

I hear a loud boom and the ground vibrates beneath my feet, this is immediately followed by a female shout which is quickly cut short. Hearing this, I toss my fear away and dash toward the auras. Charlotte and Trevor quickly appear in my sight and behind them is a man chasing after them angrily, I can't see his face clearly though.

Trevor is the first to spot me. He is running ahead of Charlotte and clutched tightly in his right hand is a black suitcase, the type usually held by mob bosses in movies. Behind him is Charlotte whose eyes are mostly fixed backward on the man chasing them. The moment Trevor sees me he turns back and half shouts something to Charlotte, who finally faces forward. At the same time, the man chasing them also notices me. He quickly lowers his head to hide his face with his arms and when next he reveals his face there is a mask on it.

The man chasing them stops chasing after them and points his hand toward us. Charlotte lets out a small cry of alarm on seeing this, turning around to fully face the man she activates her Arcane Projector and a flimsy-looking barrier appears in front of her. Alarmed by her actions, I mimic her by summoning Hilla's Barrier in front of me.

My action proves to be the right one when a second later, with a loud boom, something shoots out from the hand of the man. It slams into my barrier with unbelievable force, almost shattering it on impact. Just as I believe I am safe it explodes. The explosion is not one of force or fire, but one of sound, or more accurately vibration. Either way, the sound pierces my ears producing some sort of tingling and high-pitched ringing as it does so.

The world around me begins to twist and turn like a drunken sailor as I am hit with a wave of dizziness and nausea. I drop my barrier as I clutch my stomach, fighting the sudden urge to puke even as the world tries its best to throw me off balance and all the while the ringing in my ears do not stop. Eyes watering I drop to my knees.

Luoi acts, taking hold of my Uua and using it to create a barrier in my ears that stops the incessant ringing. At the same time, he reminds me. "Circulate your Uua."

I obey and without the influence of the ringing, immediately feel relieved as nausea all but disappears and the world finally rights itself. What the hell was that? I can't help but wonder. But, my thoughts are immediately put on hold as I notice the mask in front of me and the man behind it. His arms are raised to deliver a devastating strike, and jutting out from above his wrist is a long green blade made of energy.

Wanting nothing more than to put some space between us, I release an omnidirectional burst of telekinesis, not caring about how much power it consumes. The man is blasted away from me, and at the same time I hear a cry behind me. I look back to see Charlotte being flung away from me. My frantic attempt at defense had affected her, but now isn't the time to apologize. I turn back to the threat at hand.

The masked man had landed on all four and is currently staying still, his masked face trained on me. Finally having some breathing room, I begin to recall some disturbing things. Unlike Trevor and Charlotte, he doesn't seem to have an Arcane Projector, yet he didn't speak a word when using his spells. This could currently only mean one thing. He is an Ascendant.

Remembering the ambush on the Laen a few weeks ago I can't help but fear a bit. Ascendants are clearly not to be messed with, yet Trevor and Charlotte had managed to provoke one to the extent that he wants to kill them. Is it too late to back out of this fight?

Charlotte walks out to my side and I warn her off. "Leave."

"No."

I don't say anything else. Now is not the time for an argument. The threat in front of me deserves my undivided attention.

At that moment, a Fasuru climbs out of the back of the Ascendant.