NOVPUB"Who are you? Why are you doing this to us?"
Racheal asked under her breath but she did not expect an answer to come. Still, since Kyle was a good person, he decided to give her one.
"My name is Kyle. That is all you need to know about me. Now, I shall find your brother and extract my revenge."
Racheal's breath came in shallow bursts, her pulse pounding like a drum in her ears.
The man who called himself Kyle radiated power, his eyes calm but unrelenting. He hadn't drawn a sword, hadn't raised a hand, and yet Racheal felt as though she were standing on the edge of a blade.
Still, when he began to step toward the sealed door, her desperation clawed free of her fear.
"Wait. I have a deal you won't be able to turn down."
She said, voice shaking.
Kyle paused.
Racheal forced herself to look up, defiance flickering behind her trembling eyes.
"If you spare my brother, I'll dedicate my life to you. I'll serve you however you see fit. My skills, my mana, my ruins—everything. Just leave him alone. He's all I have left."
The room fell silent.
Kyle turned slowly, and for a long moment, simply studied her. His gaze was neither cruel nor kind—it was assessing.
She felt like prey under that sharp, unreadable stare, but she didn't flinch.
"You make bold promises. But words are cheap. You want me to believe you're worth sparing a thief's life?"
He said at last.
"I am."
She replied with quiet certainty.
"Then prove it. Draw a ruin that I can't break."
He took a step back and crossed his arms.
Racheal blinked in surprise.
"That's your condition?"
Kyle gave a slight nod.
"You claim to be worth something. So show me. If your ruin can hold me, then maybe your life—and your brother's—is worth sparing."
She hesitated for only a breath before straightening.
"Fine. I accept your challenge."
Kyle moved to a chair in the corner of the modest room, Queen hovering silently behind him.
He hadn't come here expecting to find someone of interest, but this girl—this Racheal—had shown more backbone than most nobles he'd met.
Her mana control was raw but sharp, and he was curious what she could do under pressure.
"Begin."
He said simply.
Without another word, Racheal went to work. Her fingers moved with swift precision, brushing chalk and mana-infused powder across the floor.
Symbols bloomed beneath her touch—ancient runes, complex weaves, and a barrier pattern that pulsed with layered intent.
Sweat beaded on her brow, but she did not falter. This was her craft. Her pride.
Kyle watched intently, noting her focus and the purity of her mana threads. Not just talent. She had training. Real training.
Thirty minutes passed, and when Racheal finally stepped back from her work, the ruin glowed faintly beneath their feet, pulsing like a second heartbeat.
Her expression was proud, triumphant even, as she turned to Kyle.
"It's done. This is my strongest binding ruin. Unless you're a god in disguise, you won't be breaking through that."
She said.
Kyle stood and walked toward it without a word. He stepped inside the circle and allowed the mana to lock around him.
The trap activated instantly, symbols flaring to life with searing light as mana shackles surged toward his limbs.
For a heartbeat, it seemed as if the ruin might hold.
And then, with the lightest exhale, Kyle moved.
The ruin pulsed once—then cracked down the center as Kyle's own mana surged outward like a tidal wave.
The spell web groaned and shattered under the weight of his presence, the energy dispersing with a soft shatter of sound, like glass breaking in another world.
Racheal staggered back, stunned.
"That's… impossible…"
Kyle looked down at the smoking ruin.
"Impressive work. Better than most so-called masters I've met. But you still lack something."
Racheal's lips trembled, her pride stung, but her eyes remained on his.
"What… do I lack?"
______
Racheal stared at the fractured ruin in disbelief.
The lines of power she had so meticulously etched were now nothing more than scattered dust, fading embers of mana swirling weakly across the floor.
That was her best work—her strongest binding ruin—and yet the man before her had shattered it like glass with barely a thought.
Her hands trembled, not from fear but from the deep, gnawing frustration of failure.
But before she could spiral further, Kyle's voice broke through her haze.
"You have talent. But you lack refinement. Your control over the ruin's structure is admirable, but your mana doesn't fully sync with the intent behind your lines. You're following the rules without learning how to bend them."
He said, his tone steady and without mockery.
Racheal looked up at him, eyes wide.
"You… can see that much?"
"I can feel it. You're skilled, but you're not yet someone I can rely on. I don't have the time to wait for you to blossom."
Kyle replied.
His words weren't cruel, but they struck her like a cold wind. Still, rather than despair, something else sparked in her chest—resolve.
She bit her bottom lip, then took a step forward.
"If I'm not enough… then I'll take you to someone who is."
Kyle raised an eyebrow.
"My master. She's the one who taught me everything I know. If you think I have talent, then you'll want to meet her. They say she's the best in the world when it comes to ruins. I don't know if that's true, but I've never seen anyone better."
She continued, voice firmer now.
Kyle's interest visibly sharpened.
"And you're offering to take me to her?"
"Yes. But on one condition."
Racheal nodded.
He tilted his head.
"You don't harm my brother. Or me. No matter what happens." 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
Kyle was silent for a moment, gaze flicking briefly toward the sealed door where the boy lay unconscious and hidden. Queen hovered quietly at his side, but even it seemed attentive now.
"You're willing to hand over a master of ruins in exchange for a promise of safety?"
Kyle said slowly.
"My brother means everything to me. I won't watch him suffer for my mistakes. If offering you a meeting with my master can protect us, then I'll do it. But only if you promise."
Racheal said simply.
Kyle studied her closely, the wheels turning in his mind. This wasn't a trick.
She meant every word. And if what she said was true—if her master really was as skilled as she claimed—then this could be exactly the lead he needed.
Time was slipping away, and Kyle had no desire to gamble his village's safety on second-rate wards and merchants hoarding fake goods.
"Very well. I'll consider your offer."
Kyle said at last.
Racheal didn't breathe until she heard those words. She gave a small, relieved nod.
"Thank you."
"But be warned. If this master of yours is a fraud, or if you lead me into a trap… no promise will protect you then."
He added, his voice calm but laced with steel.
Racheal flinched but didn't back down.
"She's not a fraud. You'll see."
Her confidence was something and that was what made Kyle give her a chance.
