Chapter 105: Fireflies

Chapter 105: Fireflies

When night fell, Earl stood on the city wall again, gazing at the Starlight on the opposite shore. She still couldn’t figure out how the Great Wizard, as the Northlanders called him, had wiped the Night from her body without her noticing. If a child could do that, what about the one who trained him? If only I could become that power ful, I would give anything.

Just then, a child of about fourteen or fifteen bounded up the wall. “Auntie Earl, I’m here.”

Earl smiled at the child. “Peter, help me check the situation over there. Be careful.”

“Okay!” As he spoke, countless tiny points of light began to glow all over Peter’s body. They then burst apart, turning into a sky full of fireflies. They swirled and danced around Earl before a few of them broke off and flew towards the opposite shore.

As soon as the few fireflies approached the North Fort Bridge, they became scattered. She heard Peter’s slightly surprised voice say, “I can’t sense them anymore.” After flying a few more meters by inertia, the fireflies followed their biological instinct and flew back one by one.

What was there? Earl searched carefully but found nothing. Now, the Night had betrayed her; it was no longer on her side. Her surroundings felt so unfamiliar, as if a giant beast was lurking, slowly devouring everything.

Peter had already undone his transformation and returned to his human form. He nervously grabbed Earl’s hand. “The place is filled with mist-like Mana, very thin. It’s blended with the surroundings.”

Peter had discovered the secret. It was like in a thin fog; the area for a few meters, even tens of meters around you seemed unaffected, but as the distance increased, the effect gradually strengthened. The far distance gradually became unclear, invisible.

Earl suddenly realized that the Starlight might just be a deliberate decoy shown by that Great Wizard. When people thought they were safe, they were already in his grasp. He was probably eroding this city in the same way, quickly, without anyone noticing. He had already started acting against this city. Then she shuddered. Did that Wizard know about her actions just now? Was her surroundings already filled with Mana she couldn’t detect? How could this be?

Peter felt Auntie Earl’s palm becoming damp and slippery, and her grip on his hand grew tighter.

…

Bran looked up at the wall of Northland City, countless points of Starlight swirling in his eyes. He had indeed noticed Earl’s actions when the unusual Mana Fluctuation appeared in that area. It was like yesterday when she jumped down from the city wall; that momentary tremor of Mana was like a flash of light before his eyes.

He was used to staying in a familiar Mana environment, which was why he had created such a large cart. He had reforged the weapons of everyone around him simply because having these Mana-emitting items scattered around made him feel secure. And through the web formed by these connected items, he could understand the situation around him at any time. This habit of constantly altering his surroundings had become his instinct.

Earl had overestimated him; his Mana had not yet infiltrated Northland City. The naturally dispersing mist had only just covered the North Fort Bridge.

Bran shifted his gaze to the opposite shore. Several Wizards stood not far from the bridgehead, pointing and gesturing. Among them were Dragon Riders and people from the Delegation. They were huddled together now, arguing about something.

A bunch of trouble! Then Bran felt hunger. Abilities could be stripped away, and they were also very delicious food. And his ever-growing power urgently needed these things. Ever since absorbing and devouring those captured Starlight Mana, he had become addicted. But his reason remained; he wouldn’t lay a hand on his own family. As for those in front of him… Bran ran his tongue over his teeth, savoring the memory of the Dragon Rider Wizard’s flavor.

Danny looked at Bran, feeling he was somewhat unfamiliar at this moment. It was the first time she had seen Bran like this, faintly revealing a bloodthirsty side. The Starlight in his eyes fell like meteors, chaotic and sliding down. One after another, they dropped towards the depths of his eyes until his eyes were left completely black.

The Wizards observing this area suddenly felt the entire Northlanders’ Camp darken. Not a single trace of Mana leaked out anymore. Even the Mana within their own bodies felt as if it was being sucked out. An inexplicable panic rose from their hearts, and they instinctively retreated into the distance.

“Bran!” Danny snapped in a low voice, instinctively opening her arms.

The low shout startled Bran awake. The blackness in his eyes receded, and Starlight reappeared. He gave Danny a stretched-out smile and obediently went into her embrace.

…

Sophie woke from her panic and shameful anger. She began to recall every detail. She had been brought before that child, the kid who hid himself in the shadows of his hood. A coward, someone hiding his face, not even telling his name.

Then she realized: the other side had been the one asking questions the whole time; she had just been obediently answering them. She had gone in full of bluster but instantly lost all her courage before him.

Great Wizard? Sophie snorted coldly. What did that mean? A title she had never heard before. The Northlanders respectfully called him Great Wizard; from beginning to end, she hadn’t heard anyone call him by his actual name. But this very person gave her a sense of familiarity.

Familiar? She kept sketching this image in her mind, sketching everything around him. When she sketched the figure of a black cat sitting within his silhouette, she knew where her sense of familiarity came from. The target was right in front of her…

…

While Sophie was spurred on by finding her target, the Dragon Rider Camp seemed enveloped by a certain gloom. Hall and Grew sat on the ground, neither in the mood to talk now. Grew had just voiced his doubts. That Dragon Rider Wizard who lost his ability had been right next to him during Bran’s strike. Grew vaguely felt something being pulled out of his companion’s body. It wasn’t destruction; it was more like devouring. What emanated from Bran in that instant was the feeling of a predator facing prey: hunger, food, anything but anger.

If this was really true, their group of Wizards would be in great danger. Hall couldn’t help but recall Bran’s actions towards the Caravan Wizards. What had finally happened to those Wizards?

But what could they do even knowing the danger? They were not just doing this for themselves, but for all the Wizards on the Azure Wave Archipelago, for the entire clan. Even though they hadn’t expected the journey to carry such high risks, would they back down?

Hall and Grew sat in silence. They would not relay this news to the other Dragon Riders. They would observe carefully, record in detail. To gain something, some sacrifice was always necessary, wasn’t it?

…

While the people by the Everspring Riverbank schemed against, hid things from, and deceived each other, at the Kingdom’s border far from this tiny piece of land—Blackstone City—a large Delegation appeared.

Several Wyverns, sparrowhawks, and ravens flew out from Blackstone City, disappearing into the night. Everyone in the Green Kingdom would learn this news within a short time. Except for the Northlands. Except for Bran.

Now fully awake, Bran sat with a harmless look in Danny’s arms, using the firelight to write the first letter home since he came to this World.

…I am doing well, don’t worry…