Training Grounds – MorningThe training grounds were already busy when Ethan arrived. Students in formation. Instructors barking orders. Equipment being loaded onto carts.A wizard stood near the volunteer section—tall, lean, maybe forty years old. Dark hair streaked with gray. The pressure radiating from him marked him as Level 2 wizard. His eyes scanned the gathered students with cold assessment."Ethan," the wizard called out.Ethan stepped forward. "Here.""I'm Van. You're assigned to my team." He pointed to three other students. "Vidal. Baraka. Rima. The four of you are now an operational team."Ethan studied his new teammates. Vidal was stocky, earth affinity based on the ring he wore. Baraka was tall and thin, fire affinity judging by the red-threaded cloak. Rima was small, quiet, water affinity—she had the calm demeanor of water mages."Your mission is simple," Van continued. "Watch over the eastern strongpoint. If you suspect anything—any activity, any movement, anything unusual—you report to me immediately. Understood?""Yes, sir," they answered in unison."Journey starts in ten minutes. We reach the stronghold at noon. Gather your gear and meet at the east gate."Van walked away without waiting for acknowledgment.Vidal grinned. "Eastern strongpoint. That's quiet sector. Easy duty.""If it's so quiet, why do they need a wizard watching it?" Rima asked softly.Good question. Ethan thought the same thing.East Gate – Ten Minutes LaterThe journey was uneventful. Van led them along a forest path—two hours of steady walking through dense woods. No conversation. Just focused movement.The stronghold wasn't what Ethan expected.A lake. Small. Maybe two hundred meters across. Crystal clear water. Surrounded by trees. Peaceful."This is it?" Baraka asked.Van walked directly to the lake's edge. Stepped onto the water.His foot didn't sink. The surface held him like solid ground.He walked five meters out. Reached down. Made a pulling gesture.The water rippled. Parted. Revealed a tunnel entrance descending into darkness."Come," Van said.They followed him down. The tunnel was carved stone—smooth walls, steady descent. After fifty meters, it opened into a cavern.Magic stones.The walls glittered with embedded crystals. Small deposits—nothing like the massive veins in major mines—but enough. Maybe a hundred stones worth if properly extracted."This is what we protect," Van said. "Small resource point for the School of Runes. Not valuable enough for major defenses. Valuable enough that we can't lose it. The School of Elements would love to capture this location."He looked at each of them."Everyone goes and understands the surrounding terrain. Learn the approaches. Know where enemies could come from. We rotate watch—six-hour shifts. Questions?""Where do we sleep?" Vidal asked.Van pointed to a side chamber. "Quarters are there. Basic but functional. First watch starts in one hour. Ethan, you're first."Lake Surface – AfternoonEthan spent his watch walking the perimeter. Studying the terrain. Memorizing sight lines and approach vectors.Silently, he gave instructions. "NEXUS. Map this area. Note all tactical positions. Mark optimal ambush points and escape routes."[TERRAIN MAPPING INITIATED. GEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS. TACTICAL ASSESSMENT WILL BE COMPLETE IN 47 MINUTES.]The lake sat in a natural depression. Hills on three sides. Dense forest. The only clear approach was from the east—a narrow valley between two ridges.Perfect defensive position. Easy to monitor.But also isolated. If they were attacked in force, retreat would be difficult.[TERRAIN ANALYSIS COMPLETE. 14 OPTIMAL AMBUSH POSITIONS IDENTIFIED. 3 VIABLE ESCAPE ROUTES MAPPED. NEAREST SCHOOL OF RUNES OUTPOST: 8 KILOMETERS NORTHWEST.]Good. He had the information he needed.Night – First WatchEthan woke to a feeling. Not sound. Not sight. Just awareness.Something was wrong.He slipped out of his bedroll quietly. The others were sleeping. Van was nowhere visible—probably on watch or patrolling.Ethan moved to the tunnel entrance. Climbed to the surface. The lake was dark under moonlight.Movement. East side. Three figures near the tree line.Students. Young. Nervous movements. They wore dark clothing but Ethan could see the blue trim—School of Elements colors.Wizard apprentices. Probably scouts.Ethan's hand moved toward his belt. He could cast [Spatial Cut] from here. Take one down before they knew he was there.Movement above him. In the trees.Van stood on a high branch. Perfectly balanced. His hand raised.Dark energy gathered—death affinity magic. Decay. Rot. Entropy made manifest.Van's hand moved in a precise pattern.The three students below died.Not quickly. Ethan watched as their flesh withered. Skin turning gray. Muscles decomposing. Bones showing through. All in real time—maybe five seconds from living beings to rotted corpses.They didn't even scream. The decay took their vocal cords too fast.Van dropped from the tree. Landed silently beside Ethan."You should inform me first before taking any action," Van said. His voice was calm. Conversational. Like he hadn't just killed three people in the most horrific way possible.Ethan nodded. "Understood.""Good. Go back to sleep. I'll handle the cleanup."Ethan returned to the quarters. Lay on his bedroll. Stared at the ceiling.Death affinity was rare. Powerful. Terrifying.Van was dangerous. Far more dangerous than Ethan had estimated.Morning – Next Day"I'm going to explore the perimeter again," Ethan told Vidal during breakfast. "Get familiar with the terrain.""Van already mapped everything," Vidal said."I like to see things myself."Ethan left before anyone could object.He went to the east side. Where Van had killed the three students.The bodies were gone. Van had disposed of them somehow. But the area still reeked of death magic—faint residue that made Ethan's skin crawl.He searched carefully. Looking for anything the scouts might have carried.There—partially hidden under leaves. A communication crystal. Small. Standard School of Elements issue.Ethan pocketed it.He walked away from the lake. Far into the forest. A kilometer. Maybe more.He activated the crystal.Static. Then a voice—male, urgent. "Ruskin! Thank god you're alive. We lost contact and thought—""Ruskin is dead," Ethan said flatly.Silence. Then: "Who are you?""My name is Crow." Ethan kept his voice steady. "I have important information for the School of Elements. But I will only speak to a fresher student named Yama.""What? Who is—""Yama," Ethan repeated. "I contact tomorrow. Same time. Have Yama ready or the information is lost."He deactivated the crystal before the voice could respond.Ethan stood in the forest. Breathing slowly. Heart pounding.The first step was taken.He'd made contact with the enemy.Now he just had to survive long enough to deliver Victor's location.And steal the beacon when the chaos began.
