Trap (2)
The academy at midnight was profoundly desolate. With grounds so vast that streetlights alone couldn't illuminate every corner, thick darkness blanketed the paths.
Silvena strolled through such a spot alone, her face utterly calm. After traversing blood-soaked snowfields, to feel a chill from mere shadows would be utterly absurd.
"…Hm?"
Finally arriving before the training hall building, the corner of Silvena's right eye twitched. Was it just her imagination? As she reached for the firmly shut door, goosebumps prickled her forearm.
What is this?
Unease stirring within her, she extended her senses. Yet nothing registered. The air around the training hall felt impeccably clean, as if mocking her earlier disquiet as mere fancy.
Odd.
Had she, like some timid boy, simply shivered at the eerie night air? If so, it was shameful for the eldest daughter of House Bronheim.
Creeeak…
She pushed the door lightly with her hand, and it yielded without resistance, accompanied by a faint groan. The interior lay pitch-black, not even a red lantern lit, visibility near zero.
"Illuminate the path."
Silvena murmured lowly to a palm-sized orb she drew from her bosom.
Flash!
The orb floated up into the air, emanating a moderate glow that banished the training hall's shadows. An enchanted light sphere infused with illumination magic.
"There it is."
Entering the first practice room where Aren had borrowed it, she spotted the leather glove tucked in a corner.
One step, two steps. Her footfalls echoed through the silence.
But that silence wasn't mere quietude. It felt as if something lurked, attuned to her movements… waiting unnaturally.
What…?
A chill raced down her spine.
And then, in an instant—
Crackle!
"…!"
A sound like space tearing asunder, and an invisible barrier erupted outward. Feeling the mana ripples surging around her, Silvena's eyes widened in shock.
Thud!
Whatever the situation, one thing was crystal clear: she had to escape this place now. Swallowing a grunt, she gripped the gauntlet and whirled around.
Though unseen, the mana steadily encroaching on the space soon sealed off the practice room's entrance.
Shing—
She drew her sword in a flash and slashed at the barrier attempting to block the doorway. Her blade, cloaked in silvery sword aura like hoarfrost, struck empty air.
Kiiiiiing—!!
A ghastly friction like iron grating on iron reverberated through the room.
Ting!
"Ngh!"
The blade bounced back, drained of force, and impatience flickered across Silvena's face. A barrier sturdy enough to repel her sword aura? No mere student's handiwork.
"…What manner of wretch are you?"
Her voice rumbled low, laced with cold fury like a beast's growl.
Slither…
In that moment, a figure descended vertically from the ceiling like a spider. A face Silvena had never seen. Auburn hair, scars riddling her features. And around her left eye, lines of dark purple spread like a spiderweb, instinctively repulsing any human.
"Kihihihi! Sharp instincts, girl. Too bad it's already too late!"
The mockery spilling from her lips matched her voice—raspy, like someone recovering from muteness, with faint creaks and pauses.
"Who are you? Clearly no student or professor of the academy."
Silvena deemed her foe instantly, leveling her blade as she demanded answers. Her voice and sword tip held steady, but her eyes betrayed the faintest tremor.
And rightly so. The sensation of thousands of spiders crawling over her skin. The air's quiver, blood chilling in her veins, and above all, the vast mana her senses detected. Everything screamed that this woman was no ordinary being.
"My name is Rozeta. Servant to the greatest one on this continent, 'Her'."
"…'Her'?"
Silvena frowned at the unfamiliar term.
"You're Silvena Bronheim, right? Kihihit! Wasn't setting this trap for you, but hey, bonus. Perfect bait material."
"Bait…?"
Another odd word slipped in; Silvena racked her brain swiftly. Infiltrating the first practice room to lay a trap meant they awaited someone specific. But not for her.
Which implied…
"…You're after Aren?"
"Spot on! Smart cookie! Ihihihit!"
Her hunch confirmed by a reply brimming with delight, Silvena's grip tightened on her sword.
Why they sought Aren, she didn't know or care. Who this was mattered not.
Simply…
"If you dare touch my dear friend, I can't stand idle."
Shiiiing…
Frost crept back onto her blade, which had briefly dimmed. It spread further, saturating the very space. Mana sharp as a honed edge, enough to raise hackles on any criminal merely facing it.
Yet Rozeta clapped gleefully at the sight.
"Kihihihit! Love that spirit! That strength! Wasn't interested in you, but I'll take you as an extra sacrifice. Let's play."
Roooar…!
Mana surged violently. A dark crimson mist writhed like a centipede from her fingertips.
Shwick—!
But Silvena wouldn't wait. Phantom Flash.
The Bronheim secret technique, glimpsed in the interclass bout. Her form vanished from sight, reappearing at the foe's back in an instant.
Mastered to its pinnacle, her mother Altena had once been dubbed the Mage Slayer or Shredding Blade.
It's over!
No hesitation, Silvena swung to sever the neck.
Chaaang!
Yet an enigmatic shadow materialized to block her. Its aura matched the writhing thing from Rozeta's hand moments ago. She'd barely completed the spell in time.
"An illusion? Pathetic. Such parlor tricks against me…"
Worthy of note for parrying her strike, but nothing more. Sensing no substance, Silvena sneered.
"Kihihit, is it really?"
"…?!"
Rozeta's blatant scoff followed, and the hazy shadow sharpened into clarity. Silvena's pupils dilated.
"A… ren…?"
"…."
It was Aren. But his usual cheerful smile and spirited eyes were gone. An emotionless gaze stared back, sword aimed at her.
"Looks like you've got feelings for this one, huh? Kihihit."
"…So what? You think seeing Aren's face will stay my blade?"
If that was the ploy, it was laughably transparent. Silvena knew full well this wasn't the real Aren.
No room for hesitation, then. Her sword aura thickened to prove it.
"Oh? Prove it, then! But here's a hint."
Rozeta, now descended, gripped the shadow Aren's head firmly and added,
"This thing's soul-linked to the real one. Kill it, and the body drops too. Get it?"
"What…!"
Clear turmoil flickered in Silvena's eyes. Was such a thing possible? Normally, she'd dismiss it as nonsense. But the unnatural aura and pressure from the figure lent credence to the absurd claim.
"You vile wretch…!"
"Kihihihit! Compliment? I'm flattered!"
Her rage billowed like frost. She yearned to silence that wicked mouth with a slash.
Whoosh—!
But the Aren-shadow lunged heedless of her turmoil.
Vacation meant lax dorm curfews and few restrictions on movement. Thus, I was out for a rare midnight stroll. With roommate Theo away, no need to mind anyone.
"…Hm?"
After minutes on the empty path, a figure approached from the opposite direction. The darkness obscured them, hood up, face indistinct.
A student? Something felt off. I eyed them suspiciously but approached casually…
"Here you are. Took ages to find you."
At arm's-reach distance, they halted and spoke. The unfamiliar voice brimmed with evident joy.
But that joy amplified my instinctive revulsion.
"…Who the hell are you?"
"Kihihihit! Who? Fair enough, you wouldn't know. I know you, though."
Hostility boiled from my core; I stepped back half a pace and demanded.
They chuckled with faint madness, raising a hand. Reflexively, I reached for my sword at my waist.
"Better calm down. If you want to save your precious friend."
"…Friend?"
They gestured exaggeratedly, 'whoa whoa,' then murmured meaningfully.
Friend? What nonsense?
The answer came swiftly.
Slither…
Mana rose from their raised fingertips, forming a small orb aglow in the air.
Peering into it like a crystal ball, misty shapes coalesced within.
"…! You bastard!"
The revealed scene made my eyes bulge.
"Clear now? If curious, come to the training hall. Kihihihihit!"
Enveloped in the fog: Silvena, collapsed and bloodied. None other.