Chapter 65: The Sister

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: The Sister

Daniel attacked again.

He charged at the man. His fists were raised. His mana was flowing. He was ready.

The man smiled. He raised his hand. He activated his ability.

Daniel felt the shift. The world twisted. He was being teleported. Switched with Paul.

But Daniel was ready this time.

He activated Blink.

He disappeared. He reappeared behind the man. His fist was already moving. It connected with the back of the man’s head. The impact was thunderous. The man stumbled forward. He caught himself. He turned.

Daniel was already gone.

He blinked back to Paul’s side. He landed softly. He smiled.

The man’s face twisted with rage. His eyes burned. His aura flared.

"You," he growled. "You think you’re clever?"

Daniel shrugged. "A little."

The man raised his hand. Daniel felt the shift again. He was being teleported. Upward.

He appeared in the sky. Hundreds of feet above the ground. The wind howled around him. The ground rushed toward him.

He activated Blink. He disappeared. He reappeared beside Paul. He landed on his feet.

The man stared at him. His mouth was open. His eye was twitching.

"How?" he demanded. "How do you keep doing that?"

Daniel smiled. "I have my tricks."

The man screamed. He raised both hands. Daniel felt the shift. He was teleported again. Higher this time. Much higher.

He appeared in the clouds. The air was thin. Cold. He could see the entire guild below him. The buildings. The walls. The training grounds.

He activated Blink. He disappeared. He reappeared beside Paul.

The man was shaking with rage. His aura was blazing. His mana was burning.

"Stop," he said. "Stop doing that."

Daniel tilted his head. "Why? It’s working."

Paul leaned toward him. "We have two scenarios in which we survive."

Daniel glanced at him. "What?"

"First," Paul said, "he runs out of mana. Stage four burns through mana fast. He can’t keep this up forever."

Daniel nodded. "And second?"

"Second, a vice leader comes and stops the fight. The guild has rules. Members can’t kill each other. If a vice leader sees this, they’ll intervene."

Daniel looked around. The guild grounds were empty. Everyone had fled when the fight started.

"How long do you think we have?" Daniel asked.

Paul thought about it. "Ten minutes. Give or take."

Daniel nodded. "Okay."

Paul looked at him. "Okay? That’s it? We just have to survive for ten minutes."

"I don’t care about surviving," Daniel said. "I came for an apology."

Paul stared at him. Then he sighed. He muttered something under his breath.

"Obsessed with apologies," he mumbled. "Absolutely obsessed."

Daniel ignored him. He charged at the man again.

The man raised his hand. Daniel was teleported. He appeared in the sky. He activated Blink. He reappeared. He charged again.

The man teleported him again. Higher. Daniel blinked back.

The man teleported him again. To the side. Daniel blinked back.

Again. Again. Again.

Each time, Daniel blinked back. Each time, he got closer. Each time, the man’s rage grew.

Paul watched. He was waiting. Waiting for an opening.

The man was getting frustrated. His teleports were getting sloppy. His attention was focused entirely on Daniel. He wasn’t watching Paul.

Paul saw his chance.

He gathered his mana. He focused his wind. He summoned every ounce of power he had left. A massive blast of wind formed in his hands. It swirled and crackled. It was his strongest attack.

He aimed at the man.

He fired.

The blast shot forward. It tore through the air. It was going to hit.

The man saw it. His eyes widened. He raised his hand.

He switched places with Paul.

Paul appeared where the man had been. The blast was coming straight at him. He couldn’t dodge. He couldn’t block. He couldn’t do anything.

The blast hit him.

Paul flew backward. He crashed through walls. He crashed through buildings. He crashed through everything in his path.

He was going to hit the ground. He was going to crash. He was going to die.

Then someone caught him.

Arms wrapped around him. Strong arms. Gentle arms. Familiar arms.

Paul looked up. His vision was blurry. His body was broken. But he could see her. Her face. Her eyes. Her smile.

He smiled. A weak, tired smile.

"Sister," he said. "Oh, I missed you so much."

The woman held him close. Her expression was calm. But her eyes were sharp. Deadly.

"That guy over there," Paul continued, "was bullying me and my friend."

The woman looked at the man. At his crazed smile. At his blazing aura. At his broken body.

The man looked at her. His smile faltered. His aura flickered.

"Who..." he started.

The woman didn’t answer. She just held Paul. She just stared at the man.

Her eyes were cold. Colder than anything Daniel had ever seen.

The man took a step back. His confidence was gone. His rage was gone. All that was left was fear.

"I... I didn’t know," he stammered. "I didn’t know he was your brother."

The woman still didn’t speak. She just looked at him.

The man turned and ran. He teleported. He disappeared. He fled.

The woman watched him go. Then she looked at Daniel.

Daniel stared at her. At her calm face. At her sharp eyes. At her powerful aura.

He swallowed.

"Um," he said. "Hi?"

The woman looked at him. She looked at Paul in her arms. She looked at the destruction around them.

"You," she said. Her voice was soft. But it carried weight. "You’re Daniel?"

Daniel nodded. "Yes."

The woman nodded slowly. She looked at the ruined dining hall. At the crumbled walls. At the broken tables.

"You made quite a mess," she said.

Daniel winced. "It wasn’t just me."

The woman looked at him. A small smile played on her lips.

"I know," she said. "Paul helped."

Paul coughed. "I helped a little."

The woman looked down at him. Her expression softened.

"You idiot," she said. "You always get into trouble."

Paul grinned. "That’s why I have you, sister."

The woman sighed. She looked at Daniel again.

"I’m Elara," she said. "Paul’s older sister. And a vice leader of this guild."

Daniel’s eyes widened. "Vice leader?"

Elara nodded. "Yes. And I have a lot of questions for you."