Lucian knelt in the shadows, blood on his blade, body still.
He had control — for now.
But it shattered in a heartbeat.
At the front, the loud-mouthed merchant was dragged forward, still defiant, still yelling:
"You touch me, the Hollow Fangs will—"
Shhk.
The leader didn't hesitate.
A single, clean slice across the throat.
The merchant dropped like a sack of meat.
The ground drank his blood. The silence afterward was total.
Fear crashed through the convoy like a second wave.
Lucian's grip tightened on his sword.
Still crouched. Still hidden behind the wagon.
But he knew what came next.
"Order them to hand everything over. Or start killing."
It was a rhythm. A pattern. He'd seen it before - well, read about it. This was how bandits broke people.
Terror. Submission. Blood. Obedience.
If he waited too long… the rest would start dying.
He didn't have time.
Lucian's mind raced. Strategy, not strength.
Isolate. Divide. Disrupt.
The guards were still near the loot pile. The bandits were spread out, forming a wall. Coordination tight.
He couldn't just charge in.
How do I split them?
How do I pull their eyes away without dragging the innocent into the slaughter?
The woods. The tree line. If someone ran—
But no. They wouldn't chase.
Not unless they believed the runner was dangerous.
A child running? They'd ignore him. Go for the kneeling merchants instead.
Lucian exhaled.
Then he made his choice.
Make yourself a threat.
Force their hand.
Flash. Fire. Fear.
Slowly, he broke from the kneeling merchants and the caravan, to the tree lines...right in range of the bandits. Erza gasped, full of tension, "W - What are you doing?!"
Ignoring her, he reached down. Mana gathered under his skin, rising sharp and hot. Runes flared into existence, settling into a trianglar formation.
He whispered.
"Ignis."
A snap of bright blue flame burst in his palm — controlled, bright, floating. A flicker at first—then a blaze.
Azure light bloomed over the wagon.
The nearest bandit turned. Eyes wide.
"Mage!"
Everyone turned.
Lucian didn't wait.
He sprinted,hood thrown back, flame in hand, cloak whipping behind him.
He looked like a wildfire wrapped in a boy's skin.
The entire front line snapped toward him.
"THERE!"
"Mage—get him!"
"He's casting!"
Five bandits broke formation. Full sprint.
Lucian turned. Bolted for the woods.
His heart pounded. His legs burned.
But inside?
He smiled.
Hook baited.
Wolves leashed.
Now it was three against one.
And that's exactly what he wanted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucian moved like wind through leaves.
He didn't know the terrain.
Didn't matter.
Sensory Drift whispered everything — tree roots, shifting wind, heartbeat behind bark. It wasn't just a forest anymore.
It was his forest.
The five who chased him?
Overconfident.
They pushed deeper, torches held high, blades drawn. Cocky. Loud.
Lucian crouched behind a thick trunk. Cloak wrapped tight. Breathing shallow.
They moved in a fan-shaped formation. Smart spacing — not smart enough.
"Keep your eyes sharp! He can't be far"
They spread out.
Lucian hid just parallel to where a bandit was coming through.
Laying low, he raised his hand and whispered:
"[Lumin] - Glow."
Three soft lights floated up between branches — ghostly, cold.
The bandit looked up. Eyes narrowing...and completely passing by Lucian.
"What in the—?"
Too late.
Lucian blurred forward — mana surged into his calves, a blue flicker at his boots.
One hand covered the mouth.
The sword plunged upward through the ribs. Fast. Clean.
Blood poured. A clean assassination.
He eased the body down. Silent.
Already scanning for the next.
Ahead,two bandits turned.
"Where'd Bundor go?"
Crouching in the shadows, Lucian raised his left hand.
Raw Mana Bolt.
No chant. Just a twist of his wrist — fired into the bush.
Boom.
"There!"
Both peeled toward the sound.
Lucian circled behind again, like a silhouette of death.
One dropped to a knee, scanning the bush while another stood behind, alert. Not alert enough.
Lucian crept behind him.
Mana gathered in his palm — fast, focused.
He raised his hand...and
Pressed it to the man's neck.
CRACK.
Mana Bolt exploded at point-blank. Bone shattered. Spine split.
The bandit dropped dead instantly, twitching.
"What the—?!" the other spun.
Lucian didn't wait.
He was already moving.
A curved blade came flying.
Lucian sidestepped. Parried with his sword.
Twist. Jab — gut punch laced with force. The bandit staggered.
Lucian pivoted — kicked the man's torch into his face. Flame burst across skin as the bandit screamed.
Lucian grabbed his collar.
Two quick stabs to the ribs. Deep. Final.
The fourth came charging.
Lucian's storm grey eyes flared with will, intensity and pure mana.
[Flamma]
Flames whipped from the torch — into the bandit's eyes.
The man screamed, blinded. A dead man already.
Lucian dashed in.
Blade across the throat. Red ribbon. Silence.
One left.
The last bandit saw it all. Traces of fear could be vividly seen on his face.
That was no ordinary mage...that was a predator, they were just prey.
He ran.
Smart.
Lucian exhaled. Mana flared at his fingers.
The last man was far — 30 feet. A basic mana bolt wouldn't land.
He moved his hand mid-run.
Three runes sketched into air.
His voice low, commanding. The essence of the runes shaped the mana.
"Twist. Force. Impact."
A glowing sigil flared in his palm. Mana spiraled into a refined bolt — bullet-shaped, spinning.
He raised his hand.
"Mana Bolt Reinforced: Tier One."
The bolt whistled through the trees at terrifying speed— curved mid-air — and drilled through the runner's nape.
A wet crack.
The man collapsed mid-sprint, twitching once before going still.
Lucian stood alone.
Breathing hard.
Mana-steam curling from his fingers.
Sword dripping.
The woods were silent again.
Five torches. Five corpses.
He wiped his blade on a leaf. The fatigue hit him — but he stayed standing.
Still breathing.
Still ready.
In the far distance — a flicker.
The caravan fires.
It was all but over.
He wanted to rest...but not now. Not yet.
Time to return to the caravan as the fire they never saw coming.