Sightless in a New World

The ground changed.

Rougher. Dryer. The stone beneath the horses turned cracked and baked, and the air thickened—too warm, too still. Even the wind here had weight, brushing against my skin like heat teasing the edge of a flame. It smelled like ash and copper, and beneath it all, something sharp. Like hunger that had teeth.

I felt it in every bone of my body. The mana here was dense. Not like the clean lines of the Academy's wards or the wild churn of training grounds. This was something else. A saturation that sank into skin and bone. Wrong. Deep.

The other 2 moved quietly, outlines strange and dim. William was to my left — his mana always felt slightly high-strung, jittering around the edges like it resented the space it took up. He wasn't talking now.

No one was.

Except Lycian.

His mana flared on the same horse — behind me — casual, almost amused. His voice was smooth and low as he talked.

"You feel it yet?" he said. "This place breathes differently. Some of you humans probably can't tell. But you might be the exception."

I didn't respond. I couldn't. Not while Tempting Whisper still coiled around my mind like silk turned to chain.

But I heard him. Every word like a splinter driving in sideways.

"This mana… thick, isn't it? Feels like pressure behind your eyes? That's power. Real power. Its even thicker than the training grounds, remember that? Of course you do."

We kept going — uphill. The slope was narrow, winding. Eventually, the outlines widened into a shape I didn't recognize. An outpost? No — bigger. Stone flared upward in jagged, uneven lines. I caught a flash of sigils burned into the walls, something ancient and flaring with quiet dominance.

A presence waited ahead.

I felt him before I reached him. A heavy mana signature — not wild, not untamed. Just… weight. Compressed, honed, and held with practiced ease. The same way Sir Aethon always felt. Not explosive. But complete.

Maybe a general. I could tell that much.

But it didn't matter.

He was still the most dangerous thing I'd been near. 

Outside of Lincoln of course.

"Commander," Lycian said easily.

The man — Devil, thing — stepped forward, scanning us. His mana brushed against mine briefly. Not like a greeting. Like a test.

"She's the one?" the commander asked, voice dry. "The blind prodigy?"

"Annabel, yeah," Lycian said, tone light. "And that one's William, elf prince, son of King Beren."

A pause. I could feel the commander's focus flick to William — who flinched, barely. Then back to me.

"You did well," he said. "You can collect your prize at the castle. Go."

"What about them?"

The commander snorted. "The prince will be held for leverage. The girl—she'll be drained once Princess Kali arrives. King's orders. You know that."

A pause. Then—

"This one?" I felt his gesture vaguely toward the other student Lycian had dragged along. "Why did you bring an extra peasant?"

"Rank 2 upperclassman," Lycian said coolly. "Three affinities. Could be a bonus drain. I had the opening."

"Hm. Feed him to the dragons for all I care."

That was the last thing I heard before the cuffs snapped closed around my wrists. Cold metal. Mana-dead.

And then—

The weight lifted.

The Tempting Whisper unraveled.

I staggered a half-step before catching myself, heart pounding. My thoughts crashed in — hot, fast, and clear.

I'm back. I'm back. I'm—

My body. It had moved without me. For hours.

The realization hit harder than the cuffs.

I turned, teeth clenched. "Lycian."

His mana shimmered faintly. Amused. Pleased with himself.

I took a breath. "Why?"

His answer was immediate, unbothered.

"That's not of your concern."

A pause.

"You're one of the better ones. I'll give you that. But none of it is my problem. Just doing a job after all."

The guards shoved us forward. Metal doors groaned open, and then we were thrown into something cold and stone-lined. A cell. I felt the slam behind me like a verdict.

The upperclassman was dragged somewhere else, Lycian's carelessness actually turned an innocent student into dragon food. 

Never in my existence have i felt such disgust.

William hit the wall with a mutter of pain and didn't speak again.

I backed away from the noise, letting my senses stretch. But the mana suppression was real. I couldn't flare anything. Couldn't feel outside the walls.

I reached out with my mind anyway, fumbling through the bond—

Salem?

No answer.

Just silence.

Like the line had been cut.

I curled my fingers slowly. The cuffs bit cold into my skin. My own mana was dim — still mine, but choked. Just enough to feel the echo of what I should be able to do.

I lowered my head, breath shaking just once.

Please be okay, I thought. Please.

—

Salem POV 

We reached the edge just before sunrise.

It wasn't marked by anything obvious. No walls, no glowing runes, no curses burned into the ground. Just a dip in the terrain, a thin break in the cliffs, barely wide enough for a horse to pass.

But the mana here — it bled. From the rocks, from the wind, from the soil. I tasted it on my tongue, thick and rusted.

We were close. I could feel it. Annabel's mana wasn't even a stream anymore — more like a ghost-trace, a ripple in still water. But it was hers. And it led right through this hidden path.

Two figures stood at the entrance.

Devils.

Their bodies were tall, almost human-shaped, except for the curved ridges of bone that spiraled down their arms like armor. Their eyes glowed low, red slits half-hidden under metal helms. Neither of them moved as we approached, but their mana spiked the air around us.

They were strong.

Rōko stepped in front of me, quiet but firm. "Salem. We need to be smart."

I didn't answer.

"These aren't scouts," she went on. "They're guards. Rank 2 at least. And they're not even inside yet. Think about what's behind them."

I still didn't answer.

"If we just run in, we'll die. Both of us. And no one will save Annabel. She'll be—"

I moved.

Shadow burst up my arm, fast and sharp, like liquid blade flashing into existence. It tore through the air in a wide arc — a single sweep.

Two heads hit the ground with twin thuds.

The devils didn't even have time to scream.

I stood still, breathing through clenched teeth, as their bodies collapsed behind me.

The wind shifted. Blood sizzled on the rocks, thick and black.

I turned back to Rōko.

"Shut up," I said, voice low and steady. "No one will separate me from her."

She blinked. Didn't flinch. Her calm made my fury burn even hotter.

"I get it," she said after a pause. "But if we had Lincoln… or even a couple rank 1 soldiers… this would be safer. You're powerful, Salem, but this isn't like training. This is the Devil Realm. We're walking into war."

"I don't care."

I shoved her shoulder, hard. Not enough to hurt. Just enough to make her stop talking.

"Do what you want. Go get help. Run. I'm not waiting."

I turned back toward the path. My shadow hissed across the ground, blade flickering like it wanted more blood.

"I'll kill everyone," I said. "And end this war myself if I have to."