Chapter 3: The Flames of Invasion

Klein Alaric Storm took in the carnage before him, his grey eyes betraying no emotion. The town of Stormguard was under attack, but something about this battle didn't sit right with him. Pirates weren't supposed to have formal knights—let alone a formal wizard.

The wizard, clad in crimson robes, noticed him immediately. His lips curled into a sneer.

"Another noble brat come to die?" he mocked, raising his hand. A spiraling inferno erupted from his palm, a wave of fire that stretched ten meters long, searing everything in its path.

Before Klein could act, another voice joined the battlefield.

"Enough."

Cedric moved forward, his silvered hair gleaming under the burning light. With a swift motion, he stomped the ground, and immediately, a wall made from earth rose from beneath the docks, forming a barrier that deflected the flames. The wall made of earth remained untouched, the fire dissipating harmlessly.

The fire wizard's smirk faltered. "An earth mage? Interesting."

Cedric said nothing. Instead, with a flick of his wrist, iron spikes erupted from the docks, shooting toward the enemy knights surrounding Claude. Three of them were impaled instantly, their armor useless against the sheer force of Cedric's magic.

Claude, seeing his opportunity, surged forward with lightning speed, cutting down the remaining knights with his aura-infused blade. Lightning clashed against steel, the sheer force of his strikes sending sparks flying with every clash. One enemy knight barely had time to raise his shield before Claude's sword, coated in crackling blue arcs, split the steel in two. The man was thrown backward several meters, his charred body lifeless before it even hit the ground.

Meanwhile, Klein advanced toward the fire wizard, his presence exuding the confidence of a predator that had found its prey. The pirate wizard snarled and retaliated, summoning a fiery lance and hurling it at him. The lance, burning at an intensity that warped the air around it, shot forward with lethal speed, carving a molten path into the dock. The planks hissed and burst into embers where it passed.

Klein responded in kind—his fingers traced an arc through the air, and from the ground rose a shield of water that hardened into ice. The lance struck with explosive force, sending steam hissing into the sky as it shattered into fragments.

"Who are you people?" Klein asked, his tone sharp. "Since when did pirates start fielding knights and wizards?"

The fire mage chuckled darkly. "Wouldn't you like to know? Not all of us are mindless cutthroats. Some of us follow a greater cause."

A greater cause? Klein's mind raced. Were these men hired by a rival noble? Or was there an underground faction trying to destabilize the region? He had spent years studying politics in his past life, and this attack had all the markings of something bigger than a simple raid.

The wizard raised both hands, and the air twisted with scorching heat. He chanted in an ancient tongue, and a massive ball of fire roared to life, its diameter stretching five meters wide. It surged toward Klein, consuming everything in its path. The very air seemed to boil.

Klein didn't move. Instead, he extended his hand and clenched his fist. The sea responded to his call.

A towering wave rose from the harbor, a wall of water ten meters high. It crashed forward, meeting the firestorm head-on. The impact sent an explosion of steam into the sky, blanketing the battlefield in a thick mist.

Visibility dropped to nothing.

But Klein could still feel his opponent's presence.

Seeing Klein's feat of manipulating the sea, the fire wizards expression turned pale. He assessed his situation and found out that he was no match for a peak level water wizard near the sea.

After coming to the realization that he was no match, the fire wizard decisively chose to escape.

Through the fog, the fire mage tried to flee, but Klein immediately noticed this. Rather, as a water mage, the foggy terrain did not hinder his perception at all. In a blink, he closed the distance and swung his arm. A whip of water lashed out, wrapping around the wizard's legs and yanking him off his feet. He crashed onto the wooden docks a dozen meters away, coughing blood.

Klein narrowed the distance between them and stood over his opponent, his hand raised, summoning a water spear nearly three meters long. The tip glowed with condensed mana, sharp enough to pierce steel. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying.

The pirate wizard barely had time to react before the spear struck him square in the chest, sending him flying backward with bone-crushing force. He landed several meters away, his body twitching as he coughed up blood.

Silence fell over the battlefield. The pirates, seeing their strongest warriors defeated, hesitated. Then, as the knights rallied behind Klein, Claude, and Cedric, fear took hold, and the pirates broke into a panicked retreat, scrambling back toward their ships.

Klein exhaled. The battle was won. But it was not over.

How could he let those pirates invade him and be scath free. He ordered the knights to suppress the pirates while he cast his gaze towards his heavily wounded opponent.

He strode toward the downed wizard, his expression unreadable. The fire mage was still alive—barely. His breaths were ragged, and his body was broken, but there was still a glint of defiance in his eyes.

Klein crouched beside him. "Who sent you here?"

The wizard coughed, blood trickling from his lips. "You think... I'll tell you?" he rasped, chuckling weakly.

Klein's gaze darkened. He summoned a thin blade of water, letting it hover dangerously close to the man's throat. "You don't have a choice."

The fire mage groaned, his body shuddering. Then, after a long pause, he seemed to break. "Alright… I'll tell you," he whispered. "But first… come closer."

Klein narrowed his eyes but leaned in slightly, prepared for any tricks.

In that instant, the wizard's fingers twitched. A last burst of flame ignited in his palm, and with his final strength, he thrust his burning hand toward Klein's face.

But Klein was faster.

A sharp arc of water flashed, and the fire wizard's head rolled onto the ground.

Klein wiped a stray drop of blood from his cheek. "A shame."

Cedric approached, glancing at the corpse. "He was never going to talk."

Klein nodded, his expression unreadable. "No. But now we know one thing for certain."

Claude stepped forward, sheathing his blade. "And what's that?"

Klein turned his gaze toward the pirates retreating into the horizon. His grey eyes glowed faintly under the moonlight.

"Stormguard wasn't their real target. They were testing something. Someone sent them here... to gauge our strength."

The wind howled across the ruined docks. In the distance, the sea remained calm, but Klein knew that another storm was already brewing.

This attack was no mere raid.

And greater storms were yet to come.