Orin Alpheratz (15 years old) Location: Solaris Date: Year 873 / Crow Cycle (3) / Hunter's Day (7)

  "Orin, are you okay?" Aran asked, her voice trembling as she quickly pulled him back onto his feet.

  Still reeling from the blow, Orin staggered upright. His vision cleared just in time to follow Perseus's startled gaze. From the shadows, a figure emerged. Hector. His familiar profile illuminated by the faint light as he advanced toward them with slow, deliberate steps.

  "Why are you attacking us?" Perseus demanded again, his voice carrying both confusion and disbelief. "Don't you realize the sorcery course students are trapped in here?"

  Hector's expression was unlike his usual calm demeanor. His face was twisted with fury, his eyes sharp, his grip on his sword unwavering as he closed the distance.

  "I'll ask this only once," Hector said, his voice low and cold as he leveled his blade at them. "Orin. Perseus. Are you aiding the Star Children who infiltrated the academy? Yes or no?"

  Perseus went pale. His eyes darted between Orin and Aran, searching for an answer.

  "Star Children..." Perseus muttered under his breath. His gaze hardened, landing on Orin. "The boy from before... and this girl... don't tell me they're—"

  Orin, finally steady on his feet, knew there was no point in denying it outright. He felt Aran's hand clutching tightly at his arm, her trembling betraying her nerves.

  "Felis is an agent of the Star Children," Orin admitted, forcing his voice to remain steady. "He has something to discuss with me. But Aran, she's from Solaris. She has nothing to do with this." His eyes flicked toward her for an instant, softening. "Felis only helped me free the captured students. After this... he promised he'd leave."

  Aran's grip on him tightened, as if she wanted to protest but couldn't find the words. Perseus's expression wavered, torn between loyalty and doubt.

  But Hector... Hector's anger only deepened. To him, Orin's words were nothing short of a confession. His jaw clenched, his voice shaking with restrained fury.

  "I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to believe you of all people would side with the enemy," Hector spat, bitterness lacing every word. "But it seems your madness isn't just childish fantasies about some lost princess."

  His blade gleamed as he raised it higher.

  "If you truly mean to defy the Empire..." Hector's voice grew sharp as steel, “...then I have no choice but to cut you down here and now."

  Orin realized with a sinking feeling that the only weapon he had was the dagger he had stolen from a guard back in the detention chamber. Could he really stand against Hector, armed with both sword and shield, with just this?

  He tightened his grip on the dagger and shifted into a defensive stance, but before he could act, Perseus stepped forward.

  "Hector, listen to me," Perseus said, his voice steady despite the tension. "I didn't even know that boy was connected to the Star Children until now. But that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is the students of the sorcery course, they're still trapped in here. We need to help them!"

  "Help them?" Hector's eyes narrowed. "The only way to help is through order and law. I've already sent a letter to the League of Knights. They'll determine whether this imprisonment is legal."

  "A letter!?" Perseus snapped, his composure slipping. "That could take days! By then, who knows what might happen to those children?"

  "Hector," Orin interjected, forcing his voice to remain calm, "the Church of Luminia is acting on its own. I heard them say it themselves, they've gone against both the League and the Emperor. This isn't justice, it's fanaticism. If we don't act now, those kids could—"

  But Hector wasn't swayed. His expression hardened, and his knuckles whitened on his sword hilt. His gaze was sharp, like a predator sizing up prey.

  "Enough. Do you expect me to believe the words of traitors?" he said coldly. "I'll hold you here until the guards arrive. Then we'll see what the truth is, after I deal with the Star Children."

  Perseus clenched his jaw, frustration boiling over. He turned to Orin with sudden resolve.

  "Orin, take the girl and find the key to the cells," he ordered. "Leave Hector to me."

  "Wait! Perseus!" Orin protested. "We can't split up. Hector isn't someone you can face alone!"

  Perseus's lips curved into a faint, determined smile.

  "Don't worry. I'm not planning to win. Just to buy time." He shifted his stance, with sword and shield in hands. "Besides... you're not the only one who's been training lately."

  But before he could act, he was interrupted:

  "As I said, none of you will move from here," Hector said, taking a step forward as he took an attack stance. "COMBO SKILL: Rising Sun!"

  A brilliant flash of light surrounded his sword, making him appear larger due to its ethereal glow. He launched an attack that seemed like a shockwave of pure power. Orin hugged Aran to protect her from the attack, while Perseus tried to block it with his shield.

  The terrifying attack had partially shattered Perseus's shield, and Orin had been thrown into the air along with Aran, landing a little farther away.

  Orin felt blood gushing from his forehead, but to his relief, he had managed to protect Aran, who panicked upon seeing Orin's wound.

  "Orin, you're bleeding!" she said. "Let me heal you."

  Ahead, Perseus looked at his half-shattered shield.

  "A monster as always." he said with a nervous smile. "It seems buying some time won't be as easy as I thought."

  "This is just the beginning," Hector said sternly. "You'd better surrender, or else..."

  "...or else?" said a familiar voice from the shadows, as if a ghostly apparition had appeared on the scene.

  This caught Hector off guard, as he hadn't seen the intruder coming. "What...?"

  But Felis walked calmly past him, ignoring him, and turned to Orin and his companions.

  "My apologies. I was so focused on perceiving the heavily armored guards that I didn't think such a young student could also become an obstacle," he said with an exaggerated apologetic gesture, then glanced sideways at Hector. "But I must confess I'm impressed to see someone so young handling such advanced techniques... though it's a shame, with me here, all those tricks are nothing more than beginner's attacks."

  Orin, who was being healed by Aran at the time, watched as behind Felis, Hector's face turned deeply serious, his eyes fixed on Felis as he took an attack stance.

  Felis, still with his back to Hector, rummaged through his pocket with an almost comical look of doubt on his face.

  "I was sure I had it around here... ah! Here it is!" he exclaimed, pulling out a small key that glimmered faintly in the torchlight. "I thought you might need this. Let's just say I borrowed it from one of the guards I bumped into. Don't worry, I doubt he'll ever come asking for it back."

  With a flick of his wrist, Felis tossed the key toward Orin. Orin snatched it out of the air, his hand still trembling slightly from his wounds. Beside him, Aran finished her healing spell and let out a relieved sigh. Perseus caught Orin's eye and gave him a firm nod, as if confirming that this strange man, ally or not, was now part of their escape plan.

  Meanwhile, Felis finally turned to face Hector.

  "I think it's a very bad time for you to pick a fight, kid," Felis said, shaking his head with mock pity. "You see... at night, my power multiplies. So if we fight now... your odds of survival are exactly zero."

  Hector's expression didn't waver. His posture, his grip, his eyes, everything radiated discipline. He wasn't the type to be rattled by words, no matter how theatrical. Without answering, he charged straight forward, sword and shield in perfect unison.

  Orin narrowed his eyes. He knew Hector too well. This is a probe. He wants to measure Felis's strength.

  "Frontal attack? Really?" Felis chuckled, pulling a dagger from his belt and spinning it between his fingers as though he were performing in some traveling circus.

  Hector's strike was sharp, calculated, textbook perfect. His shield guarded his body while his blade came down with all the force of a seasoned warrior.

  But before the sword even touched, Felis was gone.

  It wasn't evasion. It wasn't speed. It was as if the shadows themselves had swallowed him whole.

  Hector instantly shifted into a defensive stance, expecting a counter from behind or the flanks. His instincts were sharp, but not sharp enough. His eyes widened in disbelief as his sword and shield crumbled in his hands, falling apart into neat, sliced fragments.

  "What...?" Hector muttered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

  From somewhere unseen, Felis's voice drifted like a whisper carried by the wind:

  "Oh, boy... you've got talent. A bright future ahead of you. But the gap between a summoner who's forged a pact with a deity... and one who hasn't... that's a canyon you can't cross yet."

  The voice moved closer, colder.

  "For now... sleep well."

  Hector's body stiffened, then collapsed to the ground in a heavy thud, unconscious before he even realized what had happened.

  Felis emerged behind him, brushing some invisible dust from his coat. Orin and Perseus both went pale, their throats tightening at the display of overwhelming difference in power.

  "Relax," Felis said with a casual shrug. "I just put him to sleep. Killing academy students would only ruin my chances of getting that audience with Orin."

  But both Orin and Perseus were still impressed. It wasn't strange, this was the first time they had ever seen Hector defeated. And not just defeated, Felis had made it look effortless.

  “What did you do?” Perseus asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. “It's the same as with the guards before... How can you appear and disappear like that? And above all... how can you take down knights in heavy armor with nothing but a small dagger?”

  Orin, equally curious, turned to Felis, hoping for an explanation. But Felis only let out a long sigh before shrugging his shoulders.

  “Why would I reveal my tricks to kids who are still technically on the enemy side?” he said with a sharp edge in his tone, then suddenly broke into booming laughter. “I'm joking, don't look at me like that! But even if I explained it, you wouldn't understand without first knowing the basics of what it means to be a summoner.”

  “Does that mean you're a summoner?” Orin asked cautiously.

  Felis gave a short nod.

  “Pacts with deities aren't simple,” he explained, his voice suddenly grave. “Certain affinities allow a person to make contracts with powerful spirits, deities, even gods. Those pacts are usually categorized into six ranks: Level 1 for lesser spirits... and Level 6 for gods themselves.”

  Orin's eyes widened. “Then your rank must be—”

  “Level 3,” Felis interrupted casually.

  The answer shocked both Orin and Perseus. For someone who fought like that, they had expected a much higher number.

  “I know, I know,” Felis said with a smirk at their disbelief. “It may sound underwhelming, but rank isn't everything. Affinity, the bond you share with the deity you contract with, is just as important. But enough talk. We should focus on rescuing the prisoners and getting out of here.”

  “Right,” Orin said, snapping back to the task at hand. He turned to Perseus. “It's time we save the others.”

  “Yes,” Perseus replied, though a practical concern crossed his mind. “But how will we move so many? If we add up the first through fourth years, there must be over a hundred students.”

  Orin blinked. He hadn't thought of that. His gaze instinctively shifted to Felis.

  “Do you think we can really escape with everyone?” he asked.

  Felis, arms crossed, tilted his head in thought.

  “Mahasim should have a wagon prepared for us. Maybe even a spare,” he said slowly. “But logistics aren't really my specialty. Our little priestess is better at that sort of thing, wouldn't you say?” His lips curled into a strange, exaggerated smile as his eyes locked onto Aran. “Well then, priestess, what's your plan?”

  Aran stiffened under his gaze, a shiver crawling down her spine. She hesitated, not because the problem was difficult, but because every time Felis addressed her, there was an unnerving weight to his presence.

  “U-um... if we make two trips, it might work,” she answered softly. “But... someone would need to stay behind to guard the students waiting for the second wagon.”

  “And that someone would be me, I suppose,” Felis said with a theatrical sigh, pretending to complain. “Well, if that's how it has to be, so be it.”

  With that plan in place, Orin and Perseus moved toward the door with firm steps, a wave of relief washing over them. For the first time, it felt as though everything might actually end well.

  “Finally,” Orin muttered, sliding the key into the lock. “We'll rescue everyone, and then... everything will be all right.”

  But just as he began to turn the key, Felis's voice cut through the air in a low, almost mocking tone:

  “I wonder... will things really work out the way you hope?”

  The words slithered into their ears like venom, sending an icy chill down both Orin's and Perseus's spines. Slowly, almost against their will, they turned toward Felis.

  What exactly did he mean by that?