Ethan's eyes narrowed as he tried to keep his whole body from shaking. His heart thumped, almost threatening to leap out of his chest as the adrenaline coursed through his veins, numbing the pain of his injured cheek. Still, he could clearly feel the warm blood slowly dripping from the wound.

  “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

  Although he sought to speak in a calm and neutral tone, he couldn’t conceal the tremor within. His eyes darted all over the place, seeking to find any movements within the darkness, yet he found none. The forest was calm, except for a slight breeze rustling through the dense vegetation.

  Ethan remained still, perking his ears up, looking for any signs of his assailant, yet the air was disturbed as something ripped right through it, producing a shrill sound.

  Despite his best efforts, Ethan couldn't will his body to move in time. His eyes widened further as he noticed a blade of darkness speeding through the night until it dispersed as it impacted the side of a large tree, leaving a deep and sharp indent onto it.

  Ethan was stunned, unable to process what had just happened, only to feel a warm liquid drip from his side, staining the ground below. He pressed his hand against the wound, hoping to staunch the bleeding, and only then did the pain assault him.

  The pain was like a sharp instrument being stabbed straight into his gut, but surprisingly, the pain had cleared his mind from the fear, awakening his survival instincts.

  He heard another blade rip through the air. He reacted in time but couldn't avoid the blade entirely, allowing it to nick his leg. However, he got the opportunity to get a good look at it as it ripped past him.

  It was darkness given shape, yet it was tangible to the touch, almost like a shadow made tangible. Of course, such a thing was far from natural, an obvious example of magical intervention. Still, Ethan had no idea who he had offended—who would threaten his life. Despite his situation, Ethan had been careful not to make any enemies.

  “Identity yourself! Why are you targeting me? Do you think you can get away with this?”

  Ethan quickly slipped behind a large tree, seeking refuge. However pointless he knew this was against someone able to wield shadows as a blade or even blend himself in them, Ethan needed some time to get his thoughts in order, a respite to come up with a counterattack.

  My opponent can obviously find my location. Still... if they wanted me dead, why haven't they done so already? They had more than enough opportunity... They just want to torment me... Sick bastards.

  Ethan looked toward the dim lights piercing through the forest. He wasn't far from the forest's edge, just a few dozen meters from the Academy. However, he knew he couldn't get away, not from an enemy whose location he couldn't see. If anything, he believed his opponent wished him to panic and run, if only to stab him in the back.

  He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. Instead, he needed to seek the initiative, take them by surprise, or make them lose their composure. Ethan finally smiled. For someone this cowardly, there may be something he could try.

  "You know, I always respected mages greatly, but you've opened my eyes." Ethan's voice was loud, piercing through the darkness. Even if he gave away his location, he didn't care. He wished his opponent to hear him clearly as he added, "I didn't expect mages to be this pathetic: blending in the shadows to attack a mere librarian unable to use any magic of his own. You must be damn proud of yourself... scum!"

  For the first time, Ethan felt killing intent rise in the distance. He ducked, avoiding the flight path of another blade by mere inches as it scattered while hitting a nearby tree.

  He threw himself onto the uneven ground, rolling among the twigs and leaves littered on the forest's floor, only to swiftly rise back up and hide behind another tree. As he did so, he heard another two impacts behind him. However, those two were slightly muffled as they had hit the ground instead of trees, resulting in two small dirt explosions.

  Ethan felt his heart racing and sweat pouring down his forehead, yet his lips formed a smile. From the beginning, he hadn't been able to see his assailant, but now he could. Either from his opponent's heightened emotional state or a disturbance in the shadow spirit shielding him, Ethan could now see a slight vibration in the surrounding mana, allowing him to roughly deduct his enemy's location.

  It wasn't much, but it was enough. He could at least ensure a tree remained in the direct path between him and his opponent, allowing him some kind of cover, no matter how feeble it might be.

  If he’s able to make those blades curve, then I’m shit out of luck... However, he would have probably done so already if he could.

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  “Who sent you? I doubt someone as pathetic as you would be smart enough to plan this alone. Someone must have put you up to this, right? He must be just as dumb as you, considering you serve him!”

  Ethan was just spouting nonsense, speaking in a loud voice in the hopes that someone might hear him. However, he didn't hold much hope for that, as this was a secluded part of the Academy where none ventured much, especially in the middle of the night. Besides, he didn't know how to explain this if someone stumbled upon them.

  Still, if this could give his opponent pause, Ethan would welcome it gracefully. He was still holding on to his wound, attempting to keep it closed, yet blood still flowed regardless, even if it was slowly getting better.

  Good thing the wound is shallow. Still, the more I move, the greater the chances it might rip apart. I need to finish this before I run out of blood...

  Ethan took a deep breath, trying to calm his heartbeat. He became less frantic, slowly adjusting to the killing intent being emitted from his opponent. Still, something didn’t seem right. While he wasn’t an expert on the subject, he had experienced his sister’s killing intent countless times in the past, and compared to hers, this one was amateurish, almost laughably so. It was as if comparing a child to a dragon. He couldn't help but be grateful for all the times his sister had forced him to spar with her. Without those countless beatings he took, he might have already been a corpse.

  “DON’T YOU DARE SPEAK OF LORD HAYES WITH YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!”

  Ethan was stunned that his opponent would actually respond to his childish taunt. His eyes couldn't help but narrow, yet his smile only became more prominent.

  The voice was male, yet the man, judging from the tone, was barely out of puberty. This explained many of the inconsistencies Ethan had felt, starting from the fact that he was still alive, facing a mage in his element.

  Still, Lord Hayes, where have I heard that before... Isn’t Hayes one of the Magisters? Why would they come for me?

  It was then that Ethan had a flash of inspiration. He remembered there was a single Hayes currently studying at the Academy. While he wasn't the heir to his family, they did have a lot of expectations of him as he was talented in the realm of magic, but more than that, there was something tying Ethan to him.

  Isn't that Beth's new fiancee? Is this what this is all about? Am I to die only to eliminate a man's insecurities? Never...

  Ethan's eyes narrowed further. He steeled his mind, strengthening his resolve to survive. He didn't have much of a plan, yet he knew what he lacked most: information.

  The voice seemed to have come from over there...

  Ethan glanced in the vague direction where the sound originated, slowly peeking out from his hiding place. The world was dark, with only the light of the moon to illuminate the forest, but that was when he realized something strange. The forest was much darker than it should have been—unnaturally so.

  Moonlight pierced through the leafy canopy, yet it never reached the ground, disappearing into a mass of blackness, never to reappear again. The darkness seemed to shift and vibrate, almost as if it were alive. It appeared to be searching for him, yet it couldn't find any traces.

  Could that be a spirit?

  Ethan had yet to see a shadow spirit, yet it fitted the description he had found in books. This one was immaterial—just a mass of darkness—yet it seemed to exist by merely clinging onto its host, preventing it from being observed.

  While such spirits were useless when exposed to direct sunlight, they were practically omnipotent during nights, especially when the moon shone bright overhead, casting the greatest of shadows—just like this one.

  Ethan's only saving grace was the leafy canopy above, which blocked most of the moonlight and restricted its powers. Yet, it also came with its own disadvantages—namely, further blurring the edge of its existence. It was impossible to see a shadow in full darkness.

  “Did Hayes put you up to this? I must say he is a lot more pathetic than I thought. Does he think getting rid of me will help him reach her heart?"

  Ethan scoffed, yet his eyes remained fixed on the shifting mass of shadow, observing its every movement. His voice had given away his location, yet the mass seemed disjointed, barely able to keep its shape, much less launch another assault. It was almost as if it was at war with itself.

  I remember reading that spirits are often affected by their contractors' mental state, especially the young ones without any experience. If I play my cards right, I might have a chance to get out of this alive.

  While he possessed a knife safely hidden within his robes, Ethan knew this could only be his last resort. Instead, he rummaged through the soft ground, picking up a few stones. They weren't by any means heavy, but they made up for it in hardness.

  Without a sound, Ethan leapt from cover to cover, slowly circling around the mass of shadow looking for him until he arrived at what seemed to be its back. He then rose to his full height and cocked his arm backward before swiftly taking a powerful step forward, snapping his arm like a whip as he put all his strength onto his foot.

  The stone was launched from his hand, barrelling toward the mass of shadow as it ripped through the air, creating a hissing sound that resonated through the forest. Ethan didn't stop. He spun on his foot, absorbing most of the momentum, only to rise back up to launch another.

  Just as the second was about to be thrown, the first reached its destination. Ethan’s surprise attack had been so swift that the shadow hadn’t enough time to turn around. Ethan thought his victory almost assured as the stone struck the mass dead centre.

  Even if his opponent was wrapped in shadows, its primary use was to conceal his presence and not to act as armour. As such, Ethan believed that a well-placed strike might incapacitate his foe. After all, every spirit had a singular weakness—namely, its contractor.

  However, Ethan's hopes were dashed when he witnessed the stone stop mere inches from its target, caught into something resembling a black tendril sprouting from the blob. It was then crushed under its might, crumbling into a pile of sand. Such was Ethan's shock that he didn't even finish his movement, allowing the second stone to drop to the ground.

  It can do that? Ethan thought as another volley of blackened daggers of shadow ran past him, nicking his skin as he dove behind a nearby tree. The mass of shadows didn’t miss a single beat, retaliating as if on instinct to the attack he had made.

  He now stood behind a large tree, clutching his arm as a shard of shadow was deeply embedded within. The pain was atrocious, almost forcing him to scream, yet he repressed it by biting on a piece of wood, leaving deep indentations on it—nearly snapping it in two.

  Well, this failed spectacularly... Now, what do I do?