"So, you haven’t seen her ever since?"
"We haven’t," one of the girls responded, her brow furrowed with worry. "We’ve tried everything to reach her, but to no avail. I even tried speaking with her siblings, but they didn’t say anything, and it’s making us worried."
Karl ran a hand roughly through his hair. His usual bright smile absent, and it was all replaced with worry.
"Oh, okay. Tell if you get any information on her."
The girls nodded in approval. Their faces still bore anxiety, but they soon went their separate ways. Karl watched them go with a knot forming in his stomach.
He sighed, then decided to check their usual spot one last ti.
The Academy had just resud the day before, and the buzz of the break had quickly dissipated, replaced by a focused thrill of activity.
Most students were in their respective dorms, either poring over their books, training, or cultivating. The upcoming session promised to be hectic, leaving little ti for idle strolling.
Karl eventually reached the hidden garden, where he and Serena usually t, but it remained the sa.
She was absent, just like the previous day. He sighed again, this ti heavier, and turned to leave.
But as he did, he t a figure before him, a smug expression plastered across a face frad by white hair.
The figure regarded him with an unsettling confidence, effectively blocking his path.
Karl recognized him instantly: Fabian, Serena’s brother. A glimr of hope caught within him.
’Perhaps he might want to tell sothing about Serena,’ he thought, as relief washed over him.
His thoughts, however, were abruptly cut short by Fabian’s question. "Where’s Adrian?"
Karl was montarily at a loss for words. It was a long-established fact that Adrian was missing, or perhaps, gone—without a trace for months. Karl couldn’t fathom why Fabian would ask such a question now.
Before Karl could even formulate a response, Fabian continued:
"Well, just to let you know. He’s a pri suspect for being a traitor. And if you’re looking for Serena, like the real Serena, then he must be the one responsible. Who knows what you are even."
Karl’s mind reeled. He didn’t understand anything Fabian was blurting out.
"What is this about?" he demanded with confusion and growing alarm. "What do you an by the real Serena? What happened to her?"
Fabian rely shrugged, a dismissive gesture that further infuriated Karl.
"I’ve said all I can say. I just ca to confirm that you weren’t a part of them, and I’ve done that, so my job here is done."
He began to turn, intending to leave.
But Karl was quicker. His hand shot out, grabbing Fabian firmly by the shoulder.
"You did not answer my questions," he stated, each word delivered with a simring anger that belied his usual calm.
His grip on Fabian’s shoulder tightened, causing Fabian to flinch and his face darkened into a scowl.
A mumble of a chant escaped his lips, and a blazing ball of fire, crackling with heat, shot directly towards Karl’s face.
The fireball, re seconds from impact, flared with destructive intent.
But just as it seed inevitable, Karl moved.
With a powerful leap, he surged upwards, effortlessly vaulting over the incoming projectile.
He didn’t plan on landing on the ground imdiately. Instead, as he arced through the air, he stretched his legs, aiming to lock them around Fabian’s neck and execute a swift, disarming flip.
But Fabian was no static target. In a blinding flash of lightning, he vanished from his spot, reappearing just as Karl landed.
Before Karl could fully adjust, Fabian launched another quick chant. Flas erupted around his hands, and with lightning speed, he delivered a scorching punch squarely to Karl’s face.
CLANG!
The sound was like tal striking tal, a jarring impact that reverberated through the air. "Filthy knight," Fabian spat.
Yet, Karl remained unmoving. His face, where the punch had landed was slightly singed. But that was it. He hadn’t even taken a single step backward.
He simply stared straight down at Fabian with unblinking eyes.
Fabian, montarily stunned by Karl’s resilience, quickly recovered. Seeing that Karl was still standing, he muttered another chant, unleashing a second fireball, significantly larger and more volatile than the first, directly at him.
Karl didn’t budge from his spot, and for a split second, it appeared as though the fiery projectile would connect.
But then, with an almost imperceptible, fluid motion, he drew his spear from his back.
He spun it deftly, yet with imnse force, redirecting the hurtling fireball.
His movent was so blindingly fast that Fabian saw nothing but a shimr before his own spell ca hurtling back, crashing directly into his torso.
"Argh!" Fabian scread, the pain tearing through him as he was flung backward, skidding over a ter across the ground.
Karl walked closer, his boots crunching softly on the fallen leaves.
He stopped just a few paces from the writhing Fabian, a slow, terrifying grin spreading across his face.
It wasn’t his usual friendly, humorous expression; this was a predatory baring of teeth, a chilling promise of retribution.
His voice dropped, slow and deliberate. "I won’t ask again. Tell everything that happened."
***
The sheer force of Karl’s presence, coupled with the searing pain from his own deflected fireball, broke Fabian.
In the next few minutes, a torrent of information spilled from him. He recounted the discovery of the text on Serena’s back and the accusations of treason.
He detailed the escalating tensions, and how King Theron had used the incident as a pretext for the ongoing war against the Elves.
When Fabian finally reached the part about Serena being detained in the Royal Palace, Karl froze. A cold dread seeped into his bones, eclipsing all other emotions.
He got every piece of information he needed, leaving Fabian to his own devices, groaning on the ground.
Karl knew he would face punishnt for this confrontation when news of their fight inevitably spread, but that was the least of his worries. Serena was in danger, and nothing else mattered.
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