The black Raven’s

[Astrid's POV]

I knelt beside the half-buried psychic core, brushing aside the loose stones with careful fingers. The core was cracked, pulsing with faint, unstable energy—flickering like a dying heartbeat.

"Darius," I called, keeping my eyes locked on the faint glow, "scan the surrounding area. Look for debris—anything that feels... off."

He nodded, already pulling up his holographic interface. With a swipe, he released a swarm of mini-drones. They zipped out in every direction, mapping the terrain with soft hums.

I returned my focus to the core. Its instability was growing with each second, the flickers coming faster, harsher. "It's getting worse," I muttered. "But... the pressure of being buried is what's keeping it from detonating."

A chill ran down my spine as I imagined the outcome.

"If it explodes," I whispered, "it'll level a good portion of this continent. Worse, the psychic energy will throw the planet's magnetic field out of balance. It could cause a chain reaction—tectonic shifts, storms, gravitational anomalies..."

In other words, it was best to leave it untouched.

Darius' voice broke my concentration. "Astrid, over here."

I stood quickly and jogged over to him. He held up a twisted, charred piece of metal, its edges gleaming faintly.

"Drone picked this up," he explained, projecting the analysis onto my HUD. "Same alloy used in the Imperial Empire's ships. And look at this—"

He zoomed in. "The hull was struck down by a high-intensity beam of light. There's residual magic in the air, faint but unmistakable."

I frowned. "Magic?".

Before he could respond, a crushing wave of killing intent slammed into us.

"MOVE!"

I shoved Darius hard as a beam of light scorched the ground we were standing on. The shockwave knocked dust into the air. A second blast followed, then a third, raining down like divine judgment.

We sprinted, our bodies moving on instinct. Light beams sizzled past us as we dove behind a massive slab of rock. The sky above was ablaze with threads of golden energy.

I gritted my teeth. Wondering who just attack us.

I was about to send a psychic flare to alert the others —until a cold voice echoed through the chaos.

"Don't bother."

We both looked up. A man floated in the sky, descending slowly, his black top and dark trousers fluttering in the breeze. His brown hair was tousled, but his gaze was calm. Cold.

"I've sealed this entire area with a barrier," he said. "Even if you scream with your mind, your friends won't hear it."

I stepped out cautiously. "Who are you?"

He placed a hand under his chin, as if pondering something trivial.

"You don't recognize me?" His brow lifted ever so slightly.

I deactivated my helmet. "Should I?"

He sighed. "To think the Inquisition sent children as bait…"

"Bait?" I narrowed my eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"The fact that you don't know me proves it." His voice held no arrogance—just truth. "You were meant to draw us out."

I blinked. Us...?

"I'm Johan," he said. "A member of the Black Ravens."

My heart froze.

The Black Ravens—a rogue mage faction from the Holy Empire. No one knew their true goals, only that they sowed chaos between both Empires. They were wanted everywhere... and feared by everyone.

Johan must've seen the realization dawn on my face.

"Now do you understand?" he said softly. "You were never meant to complete this mission. The Inquisition set you up—probably promised you glory or recognition in return. Monsters, the lot of them."

The reward… I remembered now. A chance to be noticed by one of the legions. That was the bait.

Johan began rolling up his sleeves. "The first group we encountered was prepared. You... you don't even know what you walked into. I'll make your death quick."

My twin sabers snapped into my hands, psychic cores igniting with golden light. My hair flowed around me as power surged through my veins. Darius unsheathed his spear beside me.

Johan gave a faint nod. "Cute. But futile."

Then he vanished.

No sound. No blur. Just—gone.

I didn't even see the movement.

Suddenly, Darius was choking, suspended in the air—Johan's hand wrapped around his throat.

What the hell—how did he move that fast?

I cloaked myself in psychic energy and launched forward with a roar. I aimed a Sunstreak Slash right at his chest—he vanished again. When he reappeared, he was atop a rocky spire, still holding Darius.

"The light..." I whispered. "You're teleporting."

He nodded. "You're catching on."

"No…" My stomach twisted. "You're a light mage."

His silence confirmed it.

Light mages were rare—dangerously rare. They bent photons, moved at speed of light, struck harder than steel.

Johan raised his right hand. A sphere of light began forming.

"LIGHT CREATION MAGIC: Radiant Zero."

The sphere swelled, engulfing Darius completely.

"DARIUS!" I screamed, surging forward.

But it was too late.

His body was consumed in an instant—disintegrated into glowing dust. No scream. No trace.

Only silence.

Rage boiled inside me, turning grief into fire. I roared and launched forward again, blades flashing.

---

Johan flicked his hand.

"LIGHT CREATION MAGIC":"Sagitta Lucis."

Arrows of light rained toward me. I twisted midair, slicing them down with Prismatic Edge, their explosion lighting up the sky. I landed and vanished in a burst of speed, reappearing behind him.

"Phantom Sun Blades!"

Illusory blades struck from all directions, but Johan activated"LIGHT CREATION MAGIC": "Scutum Photonis", a shimmering dome of light absorbing every blow.

He retaliated.

"LIGHT CREATION MAGIC":"Velox Lumen."

His body blurred, striking with rapid punches. I barely managed to dodge using Gravity-Defying Light Step, leaping skyward.

I spun and slashed down with Sunstreak Slash, golden arcs raining toward him like burning meteors.

He smirked—not with pride, but as if observing a failed experiment.

"LIGHT CREATION MAGIC":"Ensis Fulgurans."

A blade of pure light materialized in his hand. He slashed upward and shattered my attack with ease.

I launched forward again. This time I feinted, vanishing and reappearing to his left.

"The Sundering Nova!"

A burst of concentrated psychic energy detonated in close range. The explosion shook the canyon.

But Johan stood unharmed.

"You have technique," he said. "But not enough."

He raised both hands.

"LIGHT CREATION MAGIC":"Pluvia Stellaris."

The sky turned white as a thousand light-lances fell like a meteor storm. I dove, rolled, twisted—my blades spinning, deflecting what I could.

But I was too slow.

A blast hit my side, throwing me across the field. I slammed into a boulder and dropped to my knees, coughing blood.

Then I felt a tug.

Johan had me by the hair.

I struggled, but his grip was iron.

"Don't worry," he said softly. "Your remaining friends will soon share the same fate as the dead one". I've sent my comrades to deal with them."

He began dragging me by the hair, each step echoing with finality.

And all I could feel was helpless rage.

---

[Johan's POV]

Her resistance had finally stopped.

I looked down at the girl—bloodied, breathing shallow, eyes burning with fury.

They always had that look. Defiance, disbelief. Hope clinging to nothing.

But it never lasted.

I kept walking, dragging her toward the colony.

The others would finish the rest.