Void Spawn

Soul advanced toward him. The Topple, with fear and desperation, stumbled backward, his eyes darting around frantically for any means of escape. But there was no escape from Soul's grasp.

Without saying anything, Soul extended his hand, his fingers curling in a menacing gesture. The Topple let out a cry as he felt his own blood respond to Soul's command. From the cut on his cheek, crimson tendrils began to snake their way out, forming an orb that hovered above him.

"You... you can't do this! Stop!" The Topple's voice trembled with terror as he pleaded for mercy, his words oozing with the desperation of a man who knew his end was near. "H-he is a blood magic user! Guards! Kill him!"

He drew more blood from him, the orb above them growing stronger with each crimson droplet that joined its swirling mass.

Soul took an aggressive stance, his entire being focused solely on The Topple, with hands trembling with the power he was channeling.

The Topple, desperate to escape his inevitable fate, attempted to cover his wound with shaking hands, but to no avail, his blood kept leaking. He made a feeble attempt to dash toward Soul. However, his efforts were futile. He stumbled, collapsing to the ground after just a single step.

'What a nuisance…'

Soul closed his palms and The Topple burst apart. Blood sprayed from his mouth, eyes, and nose, painting the cobblestones and the nearby buildings with a gruesome splatter. His body contorted in agony, his expression twisted in silent torment. The Topple's eyes were torn from their sockets, flew out with terrifying force into the distance, crashing into one of the guards standing nearby.

"Good gods," one of the guards exclaimed, his voice shaking with fear and disbelief as he took a step back, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword. "A blood mage."

"Sirenar have mercy," another guard whispered, his eyes wide with horror as he looked around nervously.

"Blood mage killed The Topple!" yelled a man from the crowd, his voice breaking with panic. "He killed him!"

"A real blood mage?" a woman's voice quivered with fear. "Oh, gods!"

As more guards rushed to the scene, their armor clanking loudly with each hurried step, the panic intensified. Citizens pressed closer together, their eyes going back and forth between the blood mage and the guards running in.

"Stay where you are!" a commanding voice barked. "Blood mage! Void spawn!"

"He just saved us!" Ruby said, her fists clenched in frustration. "Stop!"

"Get back, citizen!" a guard yelled, stepping forward to block her path. "Blood mage! Remove your mask."

But Nia wasn't about to stand idly by. "Stop!" she shouted. "He single-handedly killed The fucking Topple in seconds. If his intentions were –"

Before she could finish her plea, the guard in heavy armor took a step further, murmurs in the crowd fell silent.

"Kill the blood mage!"

With no other options left, the orb of blood hovering above him entered his body through his eyes. He didn't want trouble but if they were to attack him, he would have no choice but to defend himself.

Dark branches, coated in dripping black goo, emerged from the ground and ensnared the guards, wrapping tightly around their legs, immobilizing them completely.

"What is this!" the heavy armor guard asked. "Damn it!"

"It's void magic." one of them said, trying to slash the branches with his sword. "It's real! They draw power from the Void itself!"

"I-I'm sure he isn't looking for any trouble." Ruby said with a calm tone. "He saved us."

"Don't be stupid, Ruby!" Lore grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back. "He is a blood magic user! He should be killed – or caged!"

Soul quietly listened in silence as Lore spoke. Ruby's heartbroken gaze shifted between him and Lore. She knew how much he was hurting and she knew she had to defend himself to the end no matter what. However, it was clear to her that the crowd and the guards were too consumed by fear to see the logic in Soul's actions.

She gritted her teeth, her mouth opened up to speak, but the words never escaped her lips. Instead, she just let her short hair to fall into her eyes.

The guard with the heavy armor conjured a firebolt spell, aiming it directly at Soul. With a quick movement, Soul opened a cut across his palm. As the firebolt flew toward him, he swung his hand, the one he had just cut, allowing a single splash of blood to mix with the firebolt. Instantly, the firebolt dissipated into wisps of smoke, neutralized by the combined power of blood and magic.

"Foul beast!" The guard roared. "I'll kill you and save this city!"

"Save the city?" Nia asked. "He literally just killed The Topple!"

"Shut up! Kill this blood mage! Anyone who can use spells, attack him!"

"No!" Nia's response was immediate. "Let's just talk inst –"

"Attack! Attack!" The fervor in his voice spurred others into action, their fear overriding any semblance of rational thought.

"We should help them." Lore agreed with the guard. "Or the blood mage will counterattack."

"No!" Nia said to her friend. "Are you crazy? Why would we try to harm the man who just saved us?"

"Don't be like that, Nia. He is a blood mage. Void spawn, as they say."

"I don't care what they say. You can't just –"

"Have it your way."

Lore stepped forward, her silhouette outlined by the flickering flames as fireballs materialized at shoulder level. She positioned one leg behind her and struck the fireballs with her dagger. The fiery orbs, now redirected by her, surged forward, hurtling toward Soul with immense force.

As the fireballs came toward him, Soul sprang into action. He dodged the first, deflected the second with his dagger, and narrowly evaded the third.

"Stop!" Ruby yelled. "Please, stop, Lore!"

"Why would I? Why are both of you just standing there instead of helping me!"

"Just… stop."

"No!"

The same branches rose from the ground, ensnaring Lore in a grip of stillness. Desperately trying to break free, she glanced down and realized the truth: the branches didn't originate from the ground. Instead, she saw small rifts, barely noticeable, from which the branches emerged, reaching upward like tendrils of darkness. A chilling realization washed over her as she remembered reading about similar phenomena in one of her books – an obvious sign of the Void's influence.

"He's creating rifts to the Void! He can reach to the other side!" Lore exclaimed, her voice filled with alarm as she made the startling revelation. "And you're asking me why I attacked him, Ruby?"

"Guards!" The heavy-armored man's command rang out, his voice firm and authoritative. "Attack this beast! Dead or alive!"

"Yes, sir," came the response from the guards.

"Yes."

"Yes, sir!"

'I guess I'll just kill them.'

"He won't harm anyone!" Ruby said as if she read Soul's mind. "He won't."

"Hmm…"

An arrow zipped past Lore. With a deft maneuver, Soul narrowly evaded the projectile at the last moment. Suddenly, a thunderous roar filled the air – a Lindworm's unmistakable cry.

From the crowd Esvor, Yuki, Tamiko, and Gale ran to the scene, their weapons drawn as they approached.

"Blood mage," sneered Esvor. "I won't let you escape."