Chapter 9: Invasion.

Alistor and Nao were training outside of their home, Nao was slowly learning how to harness her power, Alistor was thinking every night on how to improve her element, and researched all about the arcane magic, back at Alistor's realm, Arcane was one of the weaknesses of shadows, but through Alistors training, he was using an old technique to make Nao understand better of magic, and there he will teach Nao her first skill of magic.

Alistor and Nao was outside training and Alistor trained her in channeling Natural mana as her own, so that a supply of mana is needed for emergencies. Natural mana is harnessed when a Magic-user is drained out of mana, and can't use any elemental skills, once you open your mana source, you will channel it on your palms and concentrate so that you can use natural mana, but too much of channeling will hurt your body and damage your mana source so Alistor needed to be careful.

"C'mon Nao, just a bit more, and you'll be set on your first skill" Alistor said as he roams around Nao. Nao was opening her palms with two mana sources and was sucking natural energy from the Air.

"Almost there....." Nao said as she opens more of her palms and concentrated more mana into her palms, Nao suddenly stopped the channeling of mana and breathed heavily as she sat down the grass, and continued "Phew, natural mana is really hard to master..." as she breathed heavily.

"Well, natural mana is really hard but once you get used to the basics, you'll be finding it easy in the future" Micreal said as he hands a clean towel to Alistor and Nao.

"Yeah, so you need to practice natural mana once and a while, but that's enough for today." Alistor said as he wipes his face with a towel from sweat.

"What? I wanted to train more though, the faster I train the more closer I can protect you." Nao said as she smiles.

Alistor smiles as he said "Okay, if you want more training then, it's about time that you acquire a skill" as he said while his pointing finger lifts up.

"Really?! Alright!" Nao said as she excitedly jumps.

"But a you don't find the skill, the skill will find you, it's like you're a certain magnet that attracts certain things, for example when a black flame..." Alistor said as his palms open and a flame of black fire came out and continued "...I didn't really know how to harness a black flame when I was a child but when I woke up i the morning on a certain day, my hand was lit with black fire. I didn't really know how to control it but with the help of my friends, I was able to maintain it and kept it under control. Earlier I said magic has different kinds of approaches, then it might have a different approach on you too, so lets try it."

"Yes!" Nao said as she clenched her fist together.

"Alright then let's wait," Alistor said as he slowly walks towards the direction of the house.

"Wait what?" Nao said as she didn't know why he wanted to wait and continued "Wait for what?"

"Your skill, I told you, Skills is not that easy to acquire, but it will come to you eventually, now let's have some snacks inside" Alistor said as he opens the door of the house.

Sometime later, A loud explosion appeared out of nowhere, it was also nearby their house, Alistor, Micreal, and Nao quickly went outside to check it out, then they found large numbers of Mystical beasts, coming towards the capital boundaries, Aurora then goes to Alistor while hovering above their heads.

"Al, we have a problem, the cult we investigated, they are starting to attack, it seems you're little 'visit' didn't really scare them off" Aurora said as she was hovering in the air with her broom.

"I didn't really visit them, but I purposely led them here" Alistor said as he looks at the distance.

"What?! You purposely led them here?!" Aurora said as she was shocked.

[A Day Ago]

"Sir, the experiment is ready, we must move to the capital boundaries to take the capital for ourselves" Shire Blackwood said as she kneels down.

"Good, then lets go" The man said as he stands up.

The shadow that Alistor came to their secret lab, and made poured some strange liquid to the vials that was meant for humans to be mystical beasts, and one by one, it was changing colors, violet into Dark violet as it was infused with Alistors shadow essence, then the shadow disperses from sight, without anyone noticing.

[Present day]

"You led a full-scale invasion here?! You're gonna be held prisoner if someone finds out." Aurora said as she warned Alistor, but Alistor had a smile, she wondered why he smiled very creepily, but something tells her that he has a plan ready and was ready to carry that plan on, Aurora then remembered when she was a child, she saw a very similar smile also, she was in deep thought as she looked at Alistor.

"Nao, stay here, I'll take care of this, Micreal protect her okay?" Alistor said to Micreal.

"With my life sir." Micreal said as he lifts up his arms to his chest.

"What? I wanna fight too!" Nao said as she pouts.

"Remember your condition, when you're afraid, you'll revert back to your child self, that's why you need to stay here, where it safe." Alistor said as she holds the shoulder of Nao.

"Okay...." Nao said as she goes into the house with Micreal.

"Aurora, come with me." Alistor said as he looks at Aurora from above, then ran to the capital boundaries.

"Ok" Aurora nods in response, as she follows Alistor, she remembers someone similar to his back and shakes her head as she follows him run.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the capital border and the soldiers was a bit afraid because they saw many strong mystical beasts, and reinforcements were preparing.

"What's the status?" Aurora said with the captain of the Boundary soldiers.

"They didn't move an inch since you left, who did you get?" the Captain said.

"A friend." Aurora said as she looks at the distance.

"A friend?" the captain said and the other soldiers then shouted "A man just appeared!"

"What is that idiot doing he can't possibly beat it alone." Aurora said and goes down to get him.

Then there was Alistor walking slowly towards the mystical beasts, and he saw a person riding a mystical beast comes down from the back.

"Who are you?" Alistor said as he stopped walking towards them.

"I am Avon Steelhade! The king of the dead forest, I am planning to increase my backyard for more space" Avon said as he stands still.

"I can see that..." Alistor said and Aurora then touched his back,

"Why are you here?! go back! you can't possibly defeat them all with those mystical beasts" Aurora said as he saw Alistor grinning.

"Watch me" Alistor said and Aurora then was shocked by what he said.

The mystical beasts then blow up from the inside one by one and slowly dies, Aurora was shocked of what the noise was, and didn't know where it came from. The bodies then blow up like nothing and blood was spilling all over the grass, Avon was shocked to of what was causing this.

"What?! What did you do?!" Avon asked with an angry voice.

"Just a bit of an experiment..." Alistor said then the skeletons of the mystical beast then become black and was formed into shadow beasts that was under Alistors command, then Alistor open his palms and sucks all the mystical shadow beasts and sucks them all and turned into power, Aurora was in silence because of what she saw and the clouds became dark above Alistor's head and was circling, Avon then laughs.

"Now I see, you're a wizard, it seems that I underestimated the capital" Avon said as he readies his fists and then dashes towards Alistor with incredible speed and hits Alistor, Alistor was knocked towards the Capital boundery and was sitting unconscious.

"Alistor!" Aurora shouted as she goes to Alistor.

"Hahaha, that was the best you've got?" Avon laughs and it started to rain.

"Alistor? hey wake up....Don't die on me now!!" Aurora said as Alistor was still unconscious.

Avon was still laughing on how easy that was but Aurora saw Alistors hand fade and was on standing on the back of Aurora.

"Man, what a troublesome bunch..." Alistor said as he fixes his necktie.

"Huh?! how?" Avon said as he was shocked and continued "No one ever survived that punch, how?!"

Aurora then looks back and Alistor was in front of her and saw Alistor throws his blazer.

"How?" Aurora said as she was also shocked.

"Didn't I tell you? A shadow Always finds a way to trick his opponents" Alistor said as he smiles and slowly goes towards Avon.

[Chapter 9 End]