Unrivaled blessed affinity

Sorin quietly trailed the group that had stumbled upon him, recognizing that his plans had taken a slight detour.

Originally, his intention had been to return to the location where the instructor had gathered all the students before dispatching them into the forest in groups.

However, he had unfortunately met up with a recon team that was scouting out for surving students whilst also hunting down the Dark Arcanists.

Sorin decided to follow them, just to make his previous act more believable. It didn't make sense for a 'frightened' young boy like himself, to be willingly wandering inside the forest alone, especially after witnessing the dangers inside the forest.

Sorin had walked quietly alongside the group for a few hours. The sound of their footsteps echoing throughout the forest as a tense atmosphere enveloped the group.

The man with the scar, who appeared more rugged and informal than the others, eventually decided to break the silence.

"Hey, kid," he grumbled, his tone gruff but not unkind. "You've been through some tough shit, haven't you?"

Sorin, maintaining his persona as a frightened and introverted boy, nodded slowly. His mind raced, considering how he should answer.

This man seemed different from the others. He had an air of someone who'd face danger and hardship head on, possibly a lone wolf or a mercenary who had seen his fair share of battles.

Sorin decided to keep his responses simple and honest.

"Yes, sir," Sorin replied timidly. "It was.. really scary out there."

The man nodded, his scarred face showing signs of understanding. "Yeah, life can be a real bitch sometimes. But you know what? You're here now, and that counts for something."

Sorin couldn't help but feel a bit intrigued. This man, despite his rough exterior, seemed to have a sense of empathy born from his own struggles.

"I feel so pathetic. I don't even know if any other companions of mine are still alive...after what happened," Sorin admitted quietly, his gaze dropping to the forest floor as he recalled the chaos of the attack.

The man's expression softened, and he lightly slapped Sorin on the back, a gesture that 'surprised' the young Arcanist. 

"Shit happens, kid. Trust me, I've seen my share of it. But right now, you're part of our group, and we're gonna look out for you. We'll get you back out safely."

Sorin managed a small, appreciative smile. "Thank you, sir. I don't know what I would've done if your group didn't discover me."

The man lightly laughed before he spoke, "No worries, kid."

The man with the scar seemed to have eased the tension with his small talk as the rest of the group began lightly chatting to one another.

-

As the group ventured deeper into the forest, Alice's keen senses picked up on the presence of Dark Arcanists lurking nearby.

"Arcanists ahead."

In her usual monotone voice, she issued a concise warning to the group, her simple words enough to cause all the group to become extremely silent and vigilant.

Immediately, the group went on high alert, their eyes scanning the shadows for any signs of danger.

The forest was alive with tension, and it wasn't long before their unease was justified. Emerging from the cover of the trees, a group of nine Dark Arcanists appeared, their malevolent intent palpable.

Two of them wore crimson robes, marking them as Tier 2 Arcanists. The remaining seven, with a malevolent expression on their faces, were likely high or peak Tier 1 Arcanists.

Alice, the silver-haired beauty, stepped forward to confront the enemy she deemed the strongest from her senses.

With a wave of her hand, she conjured a small wisp of fire that danced around her fingertips.

Her opponent, sensing the vast output of energy being consumed from the surroundings, harnessed his Umbral Cube, summoning a myriad of shadowy tendrils that were launched towards Alice's direction.

In a dazzling display of power, Alice unleashed a Tier 2 fire spell. 

The wisp of flames that danced around her hand had moved gracefully towards the attack her enemy had sent out.

The two spells collided as the dark tendrils completely overpowered the wisp of fire that Alice had conjured.

However, after only a short moment, the wisp of fire that had been consumed suddenly bursted into a raging inferno burning and devouring everything within it's vicinity.

The Dark Arcanist's eyes widened in shock, his disbelief evident on his face. He couldn't fathom how Alice knew a spell of that calibre.

"Impossible! How can you cast a Tier 2 prime spell?" He exclaimed in a voice tinged with fear and astonishment.

Alice didn't pay attention to the man's words.

Alice's spell had completely destroyed her opponent's attack despite the enemy being a stage higher than her.

The raging flames that devoured the Dark tendrils didn't seem to weaken, burning even more ferociously towards the Dark Arcanist.

The Dark Arcanist, shocked by the sheer difference in power, quickly tried raising quick defences with his shadow magic as a wall of darkness formed in front of him.

However, the wall didn't stop the blazing flames. The flames had quickly destroyed the wall as it engulfed the Dark Arcanists.

The Dark Arcanist swiftly activated his magic instrument, conjuring a dense sphere of swirling wind that enveloped him. This protective barrier granted him a second chance at life.

However, he was too late to react and suffered terrible burns to his body. His magic instrument had shattered from one use however, he didn't have the luxury to complain.

The Dark Arcanist quickly retaliated, not wanting Alice to cast more of her spells that would completely incinerate him.

The Dark Arcanist used his Umbral Cube to cast forth shadows that writhed like living serpents, seeking to ensnare Alice.

In response, she summoned flames that danced and swirled, a blazing maelstrom of crimson and gold. The spell she used this time was from her Mana Cube which made it more destructive.

Though, it wasn't as destructive and powerful as her previous spell.

Once more, their spells clashed with a violent collision that wreaked havoc on the surrounding terrain. The once-lively and vibrant forest that surrounded the two had been reduced to devastation, with trees either obliterated or reduced to nothing but dust.

Undeterred, her opponent countered with Shadow Veil, a spell that created a shroud of darkness around him. The dark mist concealed his movements, making it challenging for Alice to target him accurately. 

But she was no ordinary Arcanist. Her senses were terrifying, and her control over fire even more so.

With a snap of her fingers imbued with fire mana, Alice ignited the air around her, creating a wave of heat that surrounded the area. The shadows recoiled, revealing her opponent's location.

She followed up with Inferno Cyclone, a spell that summoned a whirling vortex of flames. As the surrounding mana condensed into a burning cyclone, it was launched at the Arcanist leaving behind a trail of fire and destruction.

The Dark Arcanist conjured a shield out of shadow energy, blocking her spell easily.

But Alice wasn't finished. She wove the flames into a phoenix-like form, launching another spell from her Mana Cube, Phoenix Dive. The fiery beast shot forward, its body crashing into the shield, causing it to shatter in an explosion of shadows and embers.

The scorching flames had completely overpowered the Dark Arcanist. It enveloped the Dark Arcanist once again, travelling throughout his body.

The organs inside his body had quickly started to melt while the flames slowly devoured every part of his body. After a moment of unbearable pain that felt like an eternity, what was left of the Dark Arcanist was simply ash.

Meanwhile, the man with the scar, a seasoned Earth Arcanist at intermediate Tier 2, engaged the initiate Tier 2 Dark Arcanist. The ground trembled beneath his command as he summoned stone chains to immobilise his foe.

Beside him, the woman with brown hair and green eyes, an Initiate Tier 2 wind Arcanist, had used her sharp blades of wind to cut the enemy down. Together, their elemental forces overwhelmed the enemy, rendering him powerless.

The rest of the group faced the remaining Dark Arcanists, engaging them in fierce combat. Spells of various elements clashed.

The Dark Arcanists proved formidable opponents, but the group fought valiantly, using their teamwork and experience to gain the upper hand.

Sorin definitely wouldn't engage in this battle. He wasn't suicidal.

He had found a concealed spot from which he could observe the battle. His keen eyes watching the chaos unfold, observing all the different spells.

He remained hidden, waiting for the battle to finish. He had confidence their group would win as they had Alice on their side, another important individual within the story.

The forest resounded with the clash of spells and the cries of combatants, as the group faced off against the Dark Arcanists.