"Listen up, everyone! You have been assigned an urgent mission—a mission that, if completed, will earn you a star," the ssenger announced, his voice both clear and commanding.
'A mission worth twenty points?! I'm in,' Grey thought, his eyes widening with anticipation.
The ssenger continued, his tone somber yet urgent,
"This mission is extrely dangerous. Normally, such tasks fall to the second years, but for reasons unknown, the captain has chosen you. There has been a portal break in a nearby village."
"Po… po… portal break?!" Raze stuttered in fright, his voice trembling as uncertainty gripped him.
'Portal break? The sa occurrence that rocked Kiten and even the elven town? How does a portal break even work?'
Grey pondered, his mind racing with questions.
"Yes! A portal break, and the more ti you spend there, the more lives are lost," the ssenger explained, his eyes scanning the room for understanding. "This is a Level 2 portal break, aning the beasts pouring out are of Level 3 and 4."
"Well, that shouldn't be an issue then," Scarlet declared, pumping her fist with renewed determination.
"You all aren't completely clear on what a portal break entails, are you?" the ssenger asked, letting a brief pause underscore the gravity of the situation.
"The coordinates have been sent to your holographic displays. Your task is to go there, save as many lives as possible, and eliminate all the beasts. Good luck."
With that, the ssenger swiftly exited the room. As if on cue, the holographic display shifted, projecting the precise location before them.
"What are you waiting for? You heard him!" Instructor Clark urged.
"Right," Grey replied, his tone resolute as he led his team out the door.
Outside, the crisp air mingled with the scent of adventure as Grey summoned his giant wind bird, a majestic creature with shimring feathers. Soon they were soaring over the landscape, heading for the troubled village.
"A portal break, huh? I wonder how many beasts we'll face," Vanica mused, her eyes fixed on the sprawling vista below.
"Probably twenty, max," Arthur shrugged with a mix of casual confidence and curiosity.
"I don't think it'll be just twenty—maybe fifty at most," Raze added, his tone edged with anxiety.
"Whatever the number, we can handle it," Scarlet insisted with unwavering resolve.
"You all still haven't truly grasped the aning of a portal break, have you?" Grey asked with a sly smile.
"Listen carefully: don't unleash your full power right away. Save a little strength for the battles ahead."
"Tch! You're making a mountain out of a molehill," Greg scoffed. "I'm sure it's going to be fine."
"Whatever," Grey replied, his voice calm as the giant bird circled overhead. Below, the village erged into view: buildings lay in ruins, thick smoke billowed from shattered windows, and the sound of loud bangs mixed with chilling screams filled the air.
As they drew closer, an even more horrifying sight t their eyes. Hundreds of monstrous beasts—thick, pitch-black creatures with bat-like features yet four tis larger than normal—sward the area.
Their razor-sharp wings sliced through the air as they moved with deadly precision, and their fangs glistened ominously in the diffused daylight.
Scarlet's eyes widened, and she gasped, "Fif… no! Hundreds of beasts?! How?"
"Let's go," Grey commanded as the giant bird began a graceful yet rapid descent toward the village.
"Go where?" Raze interjected, panic creeping into his voice. "Can't you see what we're facing? Hundreds of them! How do we handle that?"
"I agree with Raze," Vorden muttered, his voice laced with desperation.
"My magic is practically useless against those swarming bat-like fiends." He gestured toward the chaotic scene below, where the creatures darted in and out of smoky alleys.
The beasts were nightmarish. Their skin was a deep, impenetrable black that absorbed light.
Their wings, edged like razor blades, sliced through the air with a nacing hum, and one particularly grueso creature was seen clinging to a civilian's neck—
its fangs draining the victim's life-force so efficiently that the person's vibrant color faded into the pallor of old age before collapsing with a heavy thud.
"Those things are practically demons," Jay observed in a hushed yet horrified tone.
"Are you all scared?" Grey called over the din, his voice steady as he guided his wind bird to hover just a few ters above the ground, keeping them out of imdiate danger from the creatures below.
"Tch! Why should we be scared?" Scarlet retorted, swallowing a lump of fear as she steadied herself.
"Haven't you all faced beasts before?" Grey pressed, his eyes dark with determination.
"Well, yes, but never in a swarm like this. They suck the life out of their victims," Gordon replied, his voice low and grim.
"What's the difference?" Grey challenged passionately. "Beasts are ant to kill—but tell , do you really want to run away and abandon these weak individuals? They have no magic to defend themselves!"
"I'm not going to sacrifice myself for cripples," Greg retorted sharply, his voice biting.
"Fine, if that's how you feel, you can leave," Grey said, pointing down to a horrifying scene: a vicious bat was actively tearing a young girl apart. His eyes blazed with fury. "But once you leave, then they're all finished."
That statent stilled the defiant murmurs around him. 'Not that I even care,'
Grey thought, 'but I need to complete this mission and earn that star. I can't do it alone, even with my four affinities. I need their help.'
"Fine! Whatever," Scarlet finally agreed with a determined nod.
"Yeah, yeah! Let's just get this over with," Greg grumbled.
"Let's go in with a bang," Raze said, clenching his fists as he briefly touched Scarlet's shoulder to rge their magic.
"I have an idea," Grey announced, his voice cutting through the tension like the sharp wind.
As the giant bird descended rapidly toward the village, the air around it thickened with the force of descending wind, causing even Grey's hair to ripple in the gust.
"Wind magic! Sky Cutter!" he roared. In a flash, a massive, crescent-shaped slash—spanning nearly seven ters—materialized from his outstretched hand.
With astonishing speed, it hurtled downward, cleaving through a swarm of beasts and reducing around twenty of them to nothing but splintered, disintegrated remains in a single strike.
The rest of his teammates watched in stunned silence, their mouths agape as they absorbed the full impact of Grey's power—a mont of dazzling brilliance amid chaos.
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