SWNOVELXO Chapter 7: Chapter 7 – The Cloaked Shadow
Arcane Legacy
Show leapt through the flaming branches, slicing through vines with fire-coated fists.
Drake summoned a hailstorm of ice shards, freezing entire trunks mid-swing.
Presto thundered through enemy lines, zapping roots into ash.
Karen's attract magic disoriented the forest's rage, forcing it to slow.
Lyra, steady but straining, called forth protective roots to shield her teammates.
Finally, with one last synchronized strike — a fusion of flame, ice, thunder, psychic force, and vines — the trees collapsed in on themselves, motionless.
The mist began to tremble.
---
🌫️ The Illusion Breaks
Suddenly, everything stilled.
The forest around them shimmered.
The trees... the vines... even the ground beneath them... began to fade, like dust scattering into the wind.
Lyra gasped:
"This... this wasn't real."
Karen: "It was an illusion? But... it felt real."
Drake's eyes narrowed.
*"This wasn't student-level magic."
Then came a pressure — heavy, dark, ancient.
The team turned.
---
🕶️ The Cloaked Stranger
From the dissolving mist, a man appeared, tall and cloaked entirely in black.
His face was hidden beneath shadows, and he was flanked by several dark-robed figures — their presence unsettling, their mana nearly overwhelming.
The air grew cold. Even Presto stopped sparking.
Show, flames at the ready, took a step forward.
"Who the hell are you?"
The cloaked man smiled, a slow, knowing smirk that sent a chill down their spines.
> Cloaked Man:
"You showed more potential than expected… Show."
Everyone tensed.
Show: "How do you know my name?"
The figure tilted his head.
> "We will meet again. When your fire truly awakens."
And with that, he vanished into black mist — along with his followers.
---
🌌 Echoes of Power
Silence returned to the forest… or whatever remained of it.
The team stood still, processing what had just happened.
Karen looked over at Show, eyes narrowed but unsettled.
"Why did he single you out?"
Show, unusually quiet, stared at the spot where the man vanished.
He clenched his fist.
"I don't know… but I'm going to find out."
> TO BE CONTINUED
---