Surrounded

The low hum of the SUV's engine filled the otherwise silent vehicle as it sped down the open road, leading the convoy toward their destination outside Arcania's borders. The princess had made a decision that left the air inside the car thick with tension, she had insisted that Rayne ride with them. 

Commander Dion, hands firm on the wheel, kept his gaze on the road ahead, but his mind was elsewhere. He was a man of logic, a seasoned warrior who had served the royal family for years, and yet, he couldn't shake the unease creeping through his thoughts. 

'Why was the princess giving this stranger special treatment?'

It had been strange enough that she handpicked Rayne for the King's Guard despite his B-Class status, but now, having him ride with them instead of with the other guards? It felt... deliberate. 

In the passenger seat beside him, Emeney was silent, her fingers tapping lightly against her thigh. Ever so often, she flicked her gaze toward the rearview mirror, stealing glances at the man in the backseat. 

Rayne sat comfortably, his arm resting against the window, eyes half-lidded as if the entire trip was nothing but a mild inconvenience. He hadn't said a word since they left the capital. Emeney, however, was barely paying attention to the present. Her mind kept drifting back to the dream she had last night. 

A dream where she was in his arms. 

She didn't understand why she had dreamed of Rayne, why she had felt the warmth of his touch or why the way he had looked at her in the dream sent an unfamiliar heat through her. The memory of it was frustrating, yet she couldn't push it away. She stole another glance at him through the mirror. He was staring out the window, completely unbothered, as if he wasn't the reason her thoughts were tangled. 

The silence stretched on. 

Finally, Commander Dion spoke, his voice gruff. "It would've been better if you rode with the other guards," He said to Rayne, eyes still on the road. 

Rayne didn't even look at him. "Would it?" 

Dion's jaw clenched at the dismissive response. 

"You think you're special, don't you?" He muttered. 

Rayne smirked lazily, finally turning his gaze toward the Commander. 

"Enough" The princess cut in. Her voice was sharp, and the car fell into silence again. 

Commander Dion exhaled through his nose, gripping the steering wheel tighter. 

After what felt like an eternity, the vehicle finally slowed as they approached a secluded estate just outside the kingdom's borders. 

The King's spare house stood tall, a secure and private location used only for emergencies or covert operations. 

The Commander pulled the SUV to a stop, and the secondand third vehicle carrying the other guards halted behind them. The air felt different here, quieter, almost eerie. 

The commander immediately switched back into mission mode. 

"We're here" He said. "We'll hold at the house for now." 

The guards exited their vehicles swiftly, falling into place. Dion wasted no time. He turned to two of the men. 

"Scout the perimeter ahead. The site were they discovered the sightings. Report anything unusual." 

The guards nodded before taking off into the shadows of the surrounding terrain. 

The rest of them, including the princess and Rayne, made their way into the house to wait.

*** 

The air inside the king's spare house was heavy with quiet anticipation. Everyone had gathered in the living room, waiting for the scouts to return with their report. The fireplace crackled faintly in the background, casting flickering shadows across the room as Emeney, Rayne, Commander Dion, and the seven King's Guard reviewed their mission details. 

Rayne leaned back against the armrest of the couch, barely paying attention to the discussion. His fingers lazily traced patterns on the fabric while the others debated strategies and potential threats. 

Then, without warning, Commander Dion stood up and turned to face him. 

"You" Commander Dion said, his voice firm. "Come with me." 

Rayne arched a brow. "Come with you where?" 

"The training room" Dion answered, his sharp eyes locked onto Rayne's. "We're testing your combat skills." 

Rayne sighed, sitting up. "You could've just asked nicely." 

"I wasn't asking." 

Emeney was about to interject, but then she hesitated. 

Truthfully, she had been curious about Rayne's actual skill level. His aura was undeniably powerful, but if he had been hiding his strength, now was the time to see what he was truly capable of. 

She nodded instead. "Fine. Let's see what you've got, Rayne." 

Rayne exhaled through his nose and stood. "This should be fun." 

With that, the entire group moved toward the training hall. 

The training room was large, lined with reinforced walls and enchanted to withstand even the strongest of blows. A circular combat area sat at the center, where countless warriors had been tested before. 

The King's Guard spread out, forming a loose circle around the space. Emeney took her place beside them, her arms crossed as she watched. 

Rayne stepped into the middle, rolling his shoulders as he expected one of the guards to be sent against him. Instead, Dion unfastened his coat and stepped forward himself, taking everyone by surprise, including the princess. 

Rayne blinked. "Wait, you're my opponent?" 

"You seem surprised" Commander Dion said, standing tall. 

"Not surprised, just…." Rayne smirked "Curious if you're holding a grudge." 

The Commander didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, he stretched out his hand, and with a shimmer of light, a sleek, deadly longsword materialized in his grip. The magic pulsed around it, the blade humming with power. 

Rayne glanced at the princess, as if silently asking if she was really allowing this. Emeney only raised a brow. 

He sighed and summoned his own sword, a straight shiny silver blade that flickered into existence with a dark aura. He gave it a testing swing before gripping the hilt. The head of the hilt was carved like a dragon's head. 

Dion wasted no time. 

The moment Rayne raised his guard, the commander shot forward with terrifying speed. 

The first strike slammed against Rayne's blade, sending vibrations through his arm. He barely had time to adjust before Dion pivoted, landing a swift kick to his side that sent him stumbling. 

Rayne gritted his teeth. 'Fast'

He adjusted his stance, readying himself as Dion came again, their swords clashing with sparks of magic. But every strike Rayne blocked only led to another opening Dion exploited. 

Within moments, Rayne was forced back against the edge of the circle. 

Dion wasn't just fighting to test him, he was beating him. 

A sharp blow knocked Rayne's sword from his grip, and before he could react, a heavy fist slammed into his stomach, forcing the air from his lungs. He barely had time to recover before Dion struck his legs out from under him, sending him to the floor. 

Rayne groaned, rolling onto his back. "Okay…that was definitely personal." 

Dion pointed his sword at Rayne's throat. "I expected as much from a B-Class mage." 

A tense silence filled the training room as Rayne pushed himself up from the floor, rubbing his stomach where Dion's strike had landed moments ago. The commander stood tall, sword still pointed at him, his presence exuding an authority that left no room for doubt, he was leagues above Rayne in both skill and power. 

The King's Guard watched intently, some with amusement, others with curiosity. They had all expected this outcome, yet something about Rayne's calm expression after taking such a beating made them wary. 

Rayne exhaled, flexing his fingers. "Alright" He muttered, gripping his sword again. "Let's try that again." 

Commander Dion narrowed his eyes. 

Without warning, he lunged forward, his blade cutting through the air in a flash of silver. Rayne barely had time to parry, the impact rattling through his bones. The force of the strike sent him sliding back, but this time, he adjusted his footing quicker, retaliating with a swift counterattack. 

Dion deflected with ease. "Too slow." 

Rayne grinned. "Give me a second. I'm still waking up." 

The Commander didn't find it amusing. Instead, he thrust his palm forward, and suddenly, the air around them dropped in temperature. 

A blast of ice erupted from his hand, jagged shards shooting toward Rayne like a barrage of frozen spears. 

Rayne barely had time to react. He twisted his body, narrowly dodging the first wave, but one shard grazed his arm, cutting through his sleeve and leaving a thin trail of blood. He cursed under his breath, flipping backward to gain distance. 

Before he could steady himself, Dion followed up with a sharp gust of wind, powerful enough to lift Rayne off his feet and slam him into the far wall. The impact left a dent in the stone, dust and debris scattering across the floor. 

Rayne groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "Okay…so we're using magic now? Good to know" 

He stretched out his free hand, and shadows flickered to life at his fingertips, curling like black flames. 

With a sharp motion, he flicked his wrist, sending a dark wave of energy surging toward Dion. The commander stood firm, raising his sword, and with a single slash, dispelled the attack entirely, splitting the shadows apart like they were nothing. 

Rayne narrowed his eyes. 'That's annoying'.

Before he could cast another spell, Dion retaliated. This time, flames erupted from his palm, roaring to life as he hurled a stream of fire directly at Rayne. 

Rayne clicked his tongue and sidestepped, the flames licking at his shoulder as he narrowly avoided being set ablaze. 

Dion was relentless. He didn't let up for even a second. The moment Rayne dodged, he hurled another attack, this time, combining fire and wind magic, creating a small spinning inferno that spiraled toward him like a fiery cyclone. 

Rayne braced himself, raising both hands as the shadows around him thickened. The moment the blazing attack reached him, his darkness expanded outward, swallowing the flames whole. 

The entire room dimmed for a moment as if the light itself had been devoured. 

Commander Dion's eyes flickered with intrigue. 

Rayne exhaled, lowering his arms. "Not bad, old man." 

Commander Dion smirked. "You talk big for someone who's barely standing." 

Rayne was about to retort when Dion vanished. 

*Fast.* 

A split second later, Rayne's instincts screamed at him to move, but it was too late. Dion appeared behind him, his blade already swinging down. 

Rayne spun just in time to block, but the sheer force sent him skidding across the floor. Before he could recover, Dion raised his hand again, summoning a massive spike of ice that erupted from the ground beneath Rayne's feet. 

He barely managed to leap away, but Dion had already anticipated his movement. The commander flicked his wrist, sending another blast of wind magic that struck Rayne mid-air, knocking the breath from his lungs and slamming him onto the hard ground. 

This time, he didn't get back up immediately. 

He laid there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, before letting out a groan. "You know, Commander, there's a fine line between testing someone's skills and attempted murder." 

Dion walked up to him, looking down. "If this was a real fight, you'd be dead." 

Rayne exhaled sharply, closing his eyes. 

The room was silent. The guards exchanged glances, some muttering under their breath. 

The princess, watching from the sidelines, felt something stir inside her. She had expected more from Rayne, expected him to prove he was something beyond just a B-Class mage. But after watching him struggle against Dion, doubt crept into her mind. 

Was she wrong about him? 

Commander Dion took a step back, dismissing his magic. "As I said before…." He said, turning to the princess, "He's exactly what I expected from a B-Class mage. If he continues fighting at this level, he won't last long in the King's Guard." 

Rayne sat up, rubbing his neck. "Ouch. No need to be so blunt." 

Commander Dion dismissed his sword back into thin air. "We're done here." 

With that, the commander turned and left the training room, the other guards following suit. 

Emeney remained still for a moment, her thoughts racing. 

Rayne sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, that was humbling." 

He pushed himself up and dusted off his clothes before glancing at Emeney. 

She stared at him for a long moment before simply turning away and walking out. 

Rayne raised a brow, watching her go. The princess had her mind filled with thoughts. He was supposed to be stronger than that. It was disappointing. 

Though there was the fact that Commander Dion just wasn't like any other mage. He was an S-Class mage. One of the only two in Arcania. Commander Dion and the sick King. But even with that, she knew Commander Dion was going easy on him, not even attempting to use more than half his strength and power. It could be compared to the commander using the strength of an A-Class mage to fight him. Which meant Rayne wouldn't be able to best any of the King's guards. Though they knew just from him being a B-Class mage. Still, how disappointing.

***

The forest was unnervingly quiet as the mission party moved cautiously through the dense terrain. The moon hung high above them, casting pale silver light through the thick canopy. Shadows stretched unnaturally along the forest floor, twisting with every flicker of the torchlight carried by the King's Guard. 

Commander Dion, leading at the front, kept his hand close to the hilt of his sword, his sharp eyes scanning the darkness for movement. Beside him, Princess Emeney walked with regal poise, though the tension in her shoulders betrayed her unease. Behind them, Rayne moved silently, his gaze sweeping the trees, feeling the air around him shift with every step. 

The scouts had returned hours ago, reporting only five enemy mages in the area. It should have been a simple mission, eliminate the intruders and return to Arcania before dawn. But as they arrived at the designated site, the eerie silence weighed heavier. The wind was still. Not a single creature stirred. 

Something was wrong. 

Rayne felt it first. A sudden, deep pull in his gut, an instinct carved into him from years of survival. His entire body tensed. 

Commander Dion felt it next. His grip on his sword tightened as his sharp senses screamed at him. 

They had walked into a trap. But before either of them could voice their unease, a rustling in the trees. 

Then, all at once, dark figures emerged from the shadows. 

Swords conjured from pure darkness gleamed under the moonlight, and sinister smirks curled on their lips. They stepped forward, surrounding the mission party in a perfect circle. 

Not five. 

Twenty. 

The King's Guard instantly raised their weapons, forming a protective stance around Emeney, their expressions shifting from cautious to grim. Rayne's jaw clenched as he slowly exhaled, his mind already racing through possibilities. He could feel the sheer malice radiating from their attackers. 

The commander cursed under his breath. "They knew we were coming." 

Emeney's eyes widened slightly, but she masked her shock with a calm exterior. "This was a setup." 

One of the Dark Mages stepped forward, his jagged sword resting on his shoulder, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement. "Took you long enough to figure it out," He sneered. "We've been waiting." 

Rayne's fingers twitched. His entire body was ready to move, but he stayed still, watching. Waiting. 

Commander Dion stepped forward slightly, his expression unreadable. "Who sent you?" 

The Dark Mage chuckled darkly. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He lifted his sword, and the other nineteen Dark Mages followed in unison, raising their weapons and preparing to strike. 

The air shifted again. 

Rayne's heartbeat remained steady, but his senses were fully honed. He could feel it now, the magic lingering beneath their feet, beneath the soil. They weren't just surrounded. They were trapped. His eyes darted to Emeney. She hadn't noticed yet. 

Commander Dion had. 

Rayne's gaze met Dion's, and for the first time, there was an unspoken understanding between them. They were outnumbered. And the enemy had the upper hand. Then, without another word, The first Dark Mage lunged. And the battle began.