Mystica leaned forward, her mischievous smile widening as her eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Before we begin, I have a question for you, Liam."


    Liam stood silently, his expression unreadable as he waited for her to continue.


    "How quickly do you want to progress and how strong do you want to get?" Mystica asked, her voiceced with yful intrigue.


    Liam''s eyes narrowed slightly. The question caught him off guard, and a flicker of irritation surfaced in his otherwise calm demeanor. "What kind of question is that?"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Mystica chuckled softly, tilting her head as if enjoying his reaction. "Let''s just say my… investigation into you didn''t stop at yourck of magical knowledge. I also traced your background—your life before you arrived in Grandeur City."


    Liam''s gaze hardened slightly, though he remained silent.


    "Ah, so you did live with the Silverhart family," Mystica continued, her voice dripping with teasing satisfaction. "Quite the noble household in Nystra City, aren''t they?"


    Liam''s expression didn''t falter, though his thoughts churned. ''So she managed to trace me back to Nystra. These instructors never fail to impress with their reach.''


    Mystica leaned back, her smirk growing smaller but still present. "From all the information I''ve gathered, it seems you have no family, Liam. Not a single blood rtive."


    "Tell me something I don''t already know," Liam said, his tone calm, though a faint edge of irritation slipped through.


    "Ah, so I''m right," Mystica replied, her smirk returning in full force. "Which means… you''re on a path of revenge, aren''t you?"


    Liam didn''t respond, but his silence spoke volumes.


    "I''ll take that as a yes," Mystica said, her voice almost triumphant.


    "What''s your point?" Liam asked, his tone low and measured.


    Mystica''s eyes gleamed with curiosity as she pressed on. "I want you to answer my question. How quickly do you want to progressand how strong do you want to get?"


    The ce fell silent as Liam studied her. His thoughts swirled. ''She''s good. She might even know about the Dark Forest… but she''s deliberately not mentioning it. Why? To avoid spooking me? Or is it a test?''


    For her part, Mystica watched him intently, her thoughts equally calcted. ''I can let him know I know about the Dark Forest but for some reason, I know he knows I know about the Dark Forest.'' She paused.


    ''Those eyes…, I hate and love them at the same time. They give away nothing, yet they remind me so much of—'' She cut her thoughts short, her smirk faltering briefly before regaining its strength.


    Finally, Liam broke the silence. His voice was steady, yet his words carried weight. "I want to grow strong as fast as possible and as much as I can. I don''t intend to lose when I confront a Blood Demon."


    Mystica''s eyes widened slightly at his blunt deration. Then, sheughed softly, the sound tinged with both amusement and approval. "I see. Then you need to get ready to dive into the foundations of magic and  absorb everything as quickly as possible, so we can move on to what you really need."


    "If that''s all, then let''s get started," Liam replied, his calm gaze unwavering.


    Mystica grinned, her usual mischief returning as she stood. "Very good. First thing you have to learn is Myst resonance. And I believe you already know about thus but, understandingpletely will help you even more."


    -----


    She weaved through the dense forest, frustration etched on her face. "Where the hell are those two idiots, anyway? Can''t they just stay in one ce for once?" she muttered, her toneced with irritation.


    As she pushed through some low-hanging branches, her thoughts inevitably turned bitter. ''This is all because of that bastard.'' Her jaw tightened as Liam''s face came to mind.


    ''Thanks to some dark magic user, I''m stuck wasting my time with people I''m clearly stronger than. What a joke.''


    Her grumbling was interrupted by a sudden, sharp sh of light hurtling toward her. Her instincts kicked in, and she tilted her head just in time. The projectile zipped past her, embedding itself into a nearby tree with a solid thunk.


    "What the—" She spun around, spotting a metallic arrow lodged in the bark. Her eyes narrowed as recognition dawned.


    "Why is that idiot firing arrows in my direction?" she hissed, storming toward the tree. She reached out to yank the arrow free, but as soon as her fingers touched it, the arrow dissolved into nothing.


    "Excuse me?!" She stared at her empty hand in disbelief. Before she could process what had just happened, a familiar, cheerful voice echoed through the trees.


    "Hehehe, that one was faster than I thought!"


    Dn appeared, jogging toward her with an exaggerated grin.


    "Oh hey, She! Fancy meeting you here. Weren''t you supposed to be hanging out with Mystica and Liam?"


    "I don''t want to talk about it, idiot," She snapped, ring at him.


    Dn raised an eyebrow but didn''t press.


    "Also, you almost killed me with your stupid arrow!" She continued, crossing her arms as her re intensified.


    Dn scratched the back of his head, his grin turning sheepish. "Ah, really? My bad!"


    "Yeah, your bad," She shot back, dripping with sarcasm. "By the way, where''s your dumb arrow?"


    Dn''s eyes scanned the area like a confused puppy. "Huh, it was right there a second ago. Did you take it?"


    She rolled her eyes. "It disappeared, you moron. What kind of freaky arrows are you using?"


    "Whoa, that''s so cool! I didn''t know it could do that!" Dn eximed, looking genuinely impressed with himself.


    She let out a loud, exasperated sigh. "Oh my god, you are insufferable."


    Before Dn could respond, another voice called out.


    "Dn! I told you not to shoot your arrows this way!" Ariana appeared, slightly out of breath, her auburn hair sticking to her forehead.


    Dn threw up his hands defensively. "What? It''s not my fault! She was just standing there! Who does that in a training area?"


    Ariana pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "You''re impossible, you know that?"


    Enjoy more content from empire


    She, choosing to ignore Dn''s nonsense, rolled her eyes and muttered, "This is why I didn''t want to find you two."


    Dn gasped dramatically, clutching his chest as though She had just stabbed him. "She! That''s so mean! After all we''ve been through—wait, we haven''t been through anything. But still! My heart!"


    Ariana smacked him lightly on the back of the head. "Focus, you clown."


    Dn grinned mischievously but then turned to She with a curious look. "So, why are you here, anyway? Shouldn''t you be with Mystica?"


    "She said Liam needed personal lessons since, apparently, he doesn''t even know the basics of magic," She replied with a scowl, her disdain for Liam evident in her tone.


    "Ohhh, I see," Dn said, nodding sagely. Then he paused, his face slowly morphing into a look of horror as realization struck. "Wait. Wait. Are you telling me that bastard gets to train alone with Mystica?!"


    Before anyone could answer, Dn dropped to his knees like a melodramatic actor in a tragic y.


    "Nooooooo!" he wailed, iling onto the forest floor. "Why him? Why not me? Mystica, my queen! My goddess! Why have you forsaken me?" He rolled over dramatically, fake crying and clutching at invisible wounds.


    She stared at him, unimpressed. "Are you done yet?"


    Ariana crossed her arms, smirking. "You''re such a baby."


    Dn shot up, pointing at her usingly. "You don''t understand! This is a betrayal of the highest order! I could have been learning so much! Instead, he gets all the attention?!"


    "You''re hopeless," She muttered, turning away. "I can''t believe I wasted time looking for you two."


    Dn scrambled to his feet, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Oh,e on, She! Don''t be mad. You''re totally my favorite teammate."


    "Get off me before I break your arm," She growled, shrugging him off.


    Ariana burst intoughter, shaking her head. "You''re the worst, Dn."


    "And yet you both can''t live without me!" Dn dered, striking a ridiculous pose.


    "Let''s test that theory," She said dryly, walking away.


    "Oh, She, wait!" Dn called after her, tripping over a root in his haste.


    Ariana sighed, rubbing her temple. "Why do I even bother?"