Two hours before sunrise, Ethan stirred in his sleep.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a young lady sleeping in his embrace.
As much as he wanted to let her sleep a little longer, he knew that this was no longer possible.
He gently shook her awake, and Chloe groaned in response as she opened her eyes. It was still a bit dark, so she had a bit of trouble adjusting to the darkness.
“Ethan?” Chloe asked sleepily. “What’s wrong?”
“We need to leave the city,” Ethan whispered in her ears. “It seems that we are being targeted by hunters.”
Chloe’s body stiffened as the last dredge of sleep fled.
“Are you sure?” Chloe asked.
“Yes,” Ethan replied. “Let’s change our clothes and sneak out before they make their move.”
Knowing the severity of the situation, Chloe nodded and changed her clothes in the darkness.
Ethan did the same and, for a moment, only the rustling of clothes could be heard inside the room.
Once both of them were ready, Ethan held Chloe’s hand and made his way toward the door.
“Wands out,” Ethan said softly. “We will use the back door of the inn.”
Chloe obeyed and followed Ethan as he walked down the stairs.
There were faint sounds coming from the kitchen of the first floor as the Innkeeper and his wife began their morning routine in order to prepare breakfast for their guests.
Ethan and Chloe snuck inside the kitchen and told the innkeeper that they were going to leave early. Before going out the door, they gave him a tip for their stay inside his inn.
The Innkeeper was surprised and thankful for the gold coin, so he didn’t say anything when the two teenagers left the inn using the back door.
Ethan was paying close attention to Dantalion’s report while Chloe was being updated by Nightshade about their current situation.
According to the two ravens, there were at least a dozen individuals making their way toward the inn, and one of them was holding a wand.
They were the Wizard and Witch Hunters that kidnapped students from the academy. If they were lucky, the Hunters would only ask for ransom.
But if they were unlucky, they would be sold as slaves or auctioned to the highest bidder.
Fortunately, the two Ravens had warned them in time, so they were able to leave the inn before the Hunters could arrive.
The young man felt sick in his stomach after knowing that a Wizard was participating in this illegal activity for profit.
Although he knew that not all Wizards and Witches were good people, he just didn’t expect that they would see the dark side of the Magic World on their first mission.
‘Let’s go to that alley,’ Ethan said through telepathy. ‘Hurry!’
He and Chloe ran as fast as they could to cross the street and entered the alley in front of them.
Since both of them were wearing the Guardian Rings, they didn’t have to talk to each other, simply communicating through telepathy. 𝑜𝓥𝑙xt.𝒸𝑶𝓂
The two weren’t going to the city gate because Dantalion already warned them that the Hunters had stationed a few of their men there to ensure that they wouldn’t be able to escape.
Because of this, they chose to go to the westernmost part of the Town, using magic to jump over the wall and utilizing the forest as their cover.
Once the two had traveled a safe distance from the city, Chloe summoned her broomstick, and the two of them flew just a meter above the ground.
A black raven flew in front of them, guiding them away from the city.
High in the sky, another black raven circled the town, eyeing the surroundings.
This was the Raven that belonged to the Wizard that was among the Hunters.
Suddenly, a White Raven dove down from the sky and attacked the Black Raven from above.
Dantalion’s claws glowed faintly as he drew magic from Ethan’s soul. His eyes were locked on the body of the enemy, who was searching for the two teenagers from the sky.
In one swift strike, Dantalion’s razor-sharp claws slashed the Raven’s neck, severing its head from its body.
Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream reverberated from somewhere inside the town as the Wizard roared in pain and anger after feeling the death of his Spirit Guide.
The White Raven gave the town a sidelong glance as its eyes glowed faintly with magic.
Dantalion had no mercy for a corrupted member of his kind, especially when they were targeting his Master, as well as the people that were important to him.
‘Nightshade, tell them to make a detour to Limeburgh Town before going back to the academy. I’ll stall for time.’
‘Understood. Be careful, Dantalion.’
The White Raven then flew high up in the sky and hid above the clouds.
Since there was a possibility that the Wizard would pursue Ethan and Chloe using the fastest route back to the academy, he asked Nightshade to lead them to a different path back to the academy.
Although it would take longer, it was much safer.
While the White Raven was monitoring the town from the sky, Chloe’s flying broomstick broke out of the forest and headed East.
Their flight speed wasn’t that fast because there were two people riding the broomstick. Even so, Nightshade assured them that they were safe for the time being.
Dantalion’s sneak attack on their opponent’s raven had limited their enemy’s ability to scout the surroundings.
Because of this, the Wizard would have no choice but to make a guess about the path they chose to return to the academy.
The young lady was gripping the handle of her broomstick very hard, and her face was quite pale.
This was the first time being targeted by a hunting team, and it made her feel very anxious.
Ethan was just as anxious as she was. However, he trusted that their Spirit Guides would do their best to guide them to safety.
After hours of flying without rest, the two finally arrived at Limeburgh Town.
This was the closest town to Brynhildr Academy, and the security here was tighter than most.
They would not have to worry about being targeted by Hunters here because, before they could do that, the Magistratus, as well as the Magical Knights patrolling the town, would arrest them without fail.
Shaken by their near brush with the Hunters, the two decided to have lunch at an inn as they waited for Dantalion to return.
They hadn’t been able to have a meal earlier, and after traveling for quite some time, they felt incredibly hungry and exhausted.
To their surprise, a familiar face welcomed their sight as they entered the inn they chose, making them feel a lot safer.
“What happened to the two of you?” Nicole asked as she walked towards their table with a smile. “Did you perhaps fail your mission?”
Ethan and Chloe glanced at each other before signaling for Nicole to join them.
After the food was served and the two were sufficiently hydrated, they told her what happened in Crawford Town.
“I see…” Nicole nodded and her eyes glinted with killing intent. “Crawford Town, is it? Understood.”
The young beauty then glanced in the direction of the window where a Black Raven was perched.
A moment later, the black raven nodded its head before taking off to the sky.
“After the two of you are done with breakfast, I’ll escort you back to the academy,” Nicole said. “After that, I’ll resume my mission.”
“You’re still not done with your mission?” Ethan asked.
“Not yet.” Nicole smirked. “But I will be done soon.”
What Ethan didn’t know was that the beautiful lady in front of him had been given a special mission by the Headmaster of the Academy himself.
Nicole was one of the many Hunters of the academy who was tasked to put down the Hunters that targeted Wizards and Witches.
It was a SS-Class Mission, given only to battle-oriented people who wouldn’t bat an eye at shedding blood to protect their fellow students.
‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,’ Nicole sneered in her heart. ‘Of all the people you could have targeted, you chose my friends. Before this day is over I’ll make sure to make you all pay.’
High above Limeburgh Town, two flying broomsticks were moving south west.
Henry of Dud Manor was riding with Rowan of Schwartz Manor, while Lily of Jaeger Manor flew beside them as they headed to Crawford Town with haste.
Nicole was part of this strike group, but Henry had ordered her to make sure that Ethan and Chloe made it back to the academy safely.
Although she would be missing part of the action, Nicole knew that once her team arrived at their destination, all of the Hunters would suffer a pain worse than death.
With this consolation in her heart, she watched Ethan and Chloe eat hungrily, while she sipped her coffee and waited for them to finish their meal.