Aven continued to watch the bullying unfold, still hiding behind the boulder so the teenagers couldn’t see her. She heard the bullies’ laughter; their faces contorted with sadistic pleasure.

  Meanwhile, the two teens who were being bullied sat on the ground, enduring the ridicule. Neither of them even attempted to fight back.

  Taking a closer look, one of them was a boy, and the other was a girl. They both had black hair and wore old tunics that were covered in dirt and holes.

  The bullies wore similar clothing, but theirs didn’t look as dirty. They weren’t pristine like freshly bought clothes, but were also not mangled and worn out. More in between than anything.

  One of the bullies at the front, the one with messy blond hair, pointed at the two teens they pushed.

  “So, you two idiots still visit the Grave of the Archmage?” He taunted with a laugh. “Don’t tell me that you believe in that old legend about receiving some sort of revelation in magic if you visit the cave.”

  Aven blinked and tilted her head in confusion.

  The Archmage? She thought. Were they talking about me?

  What did they mean by her grave? Was she supposed to be dead? What was happening right now?

  Oblivious to her presence, the rest of the bullies joined in to laugh at their victims, their loud ridicule reverberating through the cavern chamber. The two teens continued to endure the humiliation.

  However, Aven noticed that the boy was clenching his hand into a fist. She could see his body trembling. Not from embarrassment or fear, but anger. Looking closer, she caught a glimpse of his fist steaming.

  Her eyes widened. Was that [Burning Hand]? Was he using magic?

  Although she could only sense a small trickle of magic emanating from his fist, she instantly knew that the boy was trying to cast a spell. But something seemed off.

  The casting time was too long. Even for the [Burning Hand] spell. The boy should’ve been able to shroud his fist in flames in an instant. And yet, all she saw was wispy tendrils of smoke curling around his fingers.

  It was like waiting for a pot of water to boil over an old stove. The potential heat of his spell was slow to rise. Practically teasing him with the long wait.

  Aven shook her head, disappointed at the sight. Was he not properly circulating his mana veins? Why is the spell taking so long?

  The blond bully noticed the smoke, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. However, his smile only broadened.

  “What? Are you planning to attack me with your weak fire spell?”

  His hand blurred for the black-haired boy’s collar, pulling him closer. The girl tried to step in and stop him, but the bully swatted her away with a slap to the face.

  Aven’s expression darkened. Alright, that does it.

  She only planned to watch the scene from behind her rock. But after witnessing such bullying, she changed her mind.

  Seeing no other option, she stepped out of her hiding spot and confronted the bullies. The blond one immediately caught sight of her and froze, his hand still loosely grasping around the boy’s collar.

  “I was wondering what all the commotion was,” she said in a cool yet stern tone. Her voice easily carried through the cave. Her eyes flicked over to the group of teenagers, startling them. “And here I see a bunch of children causing trouble.”

  Even as Avelyn Willoway, she never sounded so cold and authoritative, and she was known for being a stern, no-nonsense businesswoman. It was honestly startling how she could speak like that. Then again, she often roleplayed as her avatar to feel more immersed in the game. So, perhaps that was why it felt so natural just now.

  She wasn’t Avelyn Willoway, but Aven Willows. It made sense. Yet it also concerned her how easily she adjusted so quickly.

  She walked closer toward the group, making them stumble back in fear. Once the distance had shortened a bit, she stopped, facing the teenagers before her.

  None of them spoke for a moment, as they all gawked at her. Then they clamored at once.

  “W-who is she...”

  “She looks like a fairy...”

  “But her skin is a gray...”

  “Could that mean she’s...”

  “It’s a dark fey...”

  Aven listened to their chatter, drinking in their mixed reactions. Her eyes flicked over to the blond bully, startling him from her gaze alone.

  “Is there something you wish to say, boy?” She questioned him in the same mocking tone he used when taunting the two kids.

  It seemed that her question touched a nerve. He gnashed his teeth angrily as his eyes brimmed with indignation.

  “Y-you...” he started, his voice cracking. “Who are you?!” He pointed at her with a trembling finger.

  She let a mischievous smile touch her lips. “My name is Aven Willows. Does that answer your question?”

  The boy froze, clearly surprised by her answer. However, in an instant, his confusion melted into anger.

  “Lies!” He growled, color rising up his neck. “You’re just some fraud dressing up as her! There’s no way that the legendary archmage would suddenly show up after being gone for centuries!”

  Aven stared blankly. “Centuries...?” she muttered in disbelief, letting the word roll off her tongue. “What do you mean by centuries?”

  Her question came out more urgently than intended, but that was beyond her control after what she was just told.

  She was gone for centuries? How was that possible? And how long was she gone exactly?

  “L-like I would tell you anyth-!”

  “Answer my question, boy,” She coldly demanded, her tone expressing foul mood from this conversation. “Before I lose my patience with you entirely.”

  The blond bully stammered, struggling to provide a retort. His hand clenched into a fist, and Aven suddenly sensed a faint trace of magic radiating from him.

  “Don’t...you dare mock me!”

  In a fit of anger, the bully raised his hand, aiming directly at her. A moment later, air built up around his palm, curling around his fingers like smoke.

  The other bullies and the twins panicked, moving out of the way of blondie’s attack. Aven, however, stood there and watched. And with each second that passed, her brows creased irritably.

  That’s [Wind Blade], isn’t it? But the casting time is so horrendous.

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  [Wind Blade] was one of the most basic spells any popular mage class could use in Realm of Myein. It was a basic spell due to its quick casting speed and ease of use. The time and effort needed to cast [Wind Blade] was nothing compared to the other, more complex spells that existed in the game.

  However, what this bully was doing was beyond depressing. Even after five seconds of casting the spell, he was still preparing it. It should’ve taken only a second to form the spell. And as a veteran of Myein, Aven could’ve finished it in even less time.

  This was on par with the boy twin’s [Burning Hand] spell. How disappointing.

  The blond bully braced himself with a wide grin on his face. “Eat this, you bitch! [Wind Blade]!”

  With his spell finally complete, he fired at Aven. The wind blade shot forth like a rocket, barreling toward the dark fey with malicious intent.

  Instead of moving out of the way, Aven stayed in place with a bored expression. And as soon as the wind blade was several meters from her, she took a deep breath and finally spoke.

  “[Gale Ward].”

  All it took was two words. No prep time or anything that time consuming. Only two words, and a shield of wind suddenly manifested around her, shrouding her body in a protective embrace.

  The blade of wind clashed against her [Gale Ward] spell, only to vanish without a trace, leaving Aven’s protective wind shield completely intact.

  The blond bully stood there, frozen in place. His mouth hung open after witnessing his pathetic wind spell getting destroyed.

  “W-what...h-how...?!”

  Aven watched with mild annoyance. What the hell do you mean “how”? You took too long to cast a simple wind blade spell, dumbass.

  If he weren’t a kid, she would have taken advantage of his pathetic casting time and struck him down before he could finish. In fact, this kid had so many openings that it would’ve taken her less time to find ways she couldn’t attack him. Which, obviously, wasn’t a lot.

  She expelled a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples.

  “I can see that you haven’t properly trained your mana veins. Your casting speed is beyond sad and might as well be downright deplorable.”

  “W-what...?!”

  As a mage, training your mana veins was essential. They allowed you to circulate the flow of mana around your body and through your Mana Core, sometimes called your Magic Heart. It was basically like your blood vessels circulating blood through your body.

  By properly training them, your mana circulation improves, decreasing your cast time and improving the power behind the spell. And once you have complete control over your circulation, manipulating the mana within your body becomes second nature.

  That was why she was able to easily cast [Gale Ward] while it took the kid so long for [Wind Blade]. It was the difference in their mana circulation.

  “The reason your spell failed to even touch me was that you’re a novice,” she declared, hardly mincing her words. She paused, then shook her head, correcting herself. “No, even a novice rank mage wouldn’t have been so clumsy with that spell. You’re below even that.”

  “Y-you...!”

  “Again.”

  The boy blinked. “W-what?”

  She frowned. “Is your hearing as terrible as your casting? I said try again. Use that [Wind Blade] spell on me like before.”

  He faltered, clearly taken aback by her declaration. Why was she telling him to attack her again? What was the point?

  Thankfully, the boy didn’t waste either of their time asking pointless questions. He squared his shoulders and followed her instructions, casting [Wind Blade] once more.

  Much like before, his casting speed took far too long for her liking. She could’ve easily closed the distance and smacked his head if she felt like it. However, instead of commenting about that, she simply watched the scene unfold.

  After what felt like an agonizing eternity, he was finally done.

  “[Wind Blade]!”

  The blade of wind shot toward her like before. Meanwhile, Aven stood there, watching the incoming attack with calm resolve. She didn’t even bother using [Gale Ward] like before.

  Why bother when his attack wasn’t going to do anything to her? If anything, she was a bit more concerned about him.

  The wind blade struck her body, but much like when it collided with [Gale Ward], it simply scattered, leaving her untouched.

  The boy, on the otherhand...

  He suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his stomach in pain. He was hunched over, coughing and wheezing like a smoker who had one too many cigarettes. His companions rushed to his side, not sure what to do.

  “W-what...” the bully managed to wheeze out, looking up at her. “w-what did you do...?!”

  Aven smiled, her eyes filled with malicious mischief. “What do you mean by what did I do?” She tilted her head, feigning ignorance.

  Her eyes trailed down to her wrist, where a bracelet made of thorns was present. Looks like this item still works. That’s good. Even if it didn’t, his spell wouldn’t have harmed me anyway because of my level.

  A small grin tugged at her lips as she faced the bully.

  “If I'm not mistaken, you’re the one who struck me. And yet here you are, on your knees like a fool." She looked down at the bully, clearly pleased with the results. "Although I do find your current state quite appropriate.”

  She walked closer toward the group, the sound of her heels clacking against the stone's surface echoed through the cave.

  “Now then,” she began, looking down at the boy and his allies. “I believe you lot owe me an explanation. Don’t you agree?”

  The bullies gazed at Aven with newfound horror.

  Then they did something both expected yet rather abrupt. They turned on their heels and dashed toward the exit. Two of the other bullies helped up the blond one and carried him along.

  Aven was surprised by this display. She stood there, simply watching their retreating figures until they were no longer within eyesight.

  A few seconds went by. Then a few more. And then finally, she reacted, though not in the way she wanted to.

  Are you kidding me?! Those brats ran away?!

  ...

  Conner had no idea what was happening right now.

  At first, he was lying on the ground with his sister, getting bullied and ridiculed by James Calloway and the rest of his band of misfits. James always did this to them. Despite being an orphan commoner like the rest of them, he always targeted the twins.

  It didn’t help that James ran into them while they were trying to visit the cave where the archmage, Aven Willows, was last seen.

  Conner and Chloe simply wished to pay their respects to the last place she was before disappearing, as they’ve always done.

  But James seemed to believe that they only came here to achieve some sort of enlightenment by visiting the cave. That was what many aspiring mages did when they went to the cave of ascension. They believed that if they entered the cave, they could learn some hidden secret behind magic.

  However, no revelation or enlightenment came. And after a while, all the mages that desperate sought after her knowledge faded back into the world without a second glance.

  But Conner and Chloe didn’t care about receiving some kind of enlightenment. Just being in the presence of a legend like her was enough for them.

  And during one of their routine treks, where they would climb the mountain, enter the cave to pay their respects, and leave, they unfortunately encountered James and his goons.

  They were dragged to the ascension chamber, where the confrontation between Aven Willows and the Dark Apostle took place before getting bullied by the hooligans.

  Conner tried to restrain himself. But after countless moments of being ridiculed, he grew tired of feeling weak.

  And then, during their humiliation at the hands of the James, something unexpected happened.

  A woman appeared. Her gray skin was akin to that of a brewing storm. Her hair was long and flowing, shifting between the deepest black and vibrant green, like shadows dancing through a forest canopy, moving with an otherworldly grace.

  She was draped in green and black fabric that seemed to have been woven from nature itself, with tree roots and branches spiraling across the material in intricate detail.

  Then there were her wings.

  They rose from her back in graceful arcs, translucent, large, shifting from deep blue at the base to a deeper shade of emerald halfway through. It reminded him of stained glass from the cathedral in the city.

  They were beautiful. Magnificent, even.

  She was a Dark Fey. That much, Conner was certain of.

  Dark feys were similar to normal fairies. The only difference was their skin, which was gray.

  And this wasn’t just any old dark fey. No, she was The Dark Fey.

  The one from legend. The one who fought the dark apostle that brought chaos upon the world and defeated him before she suddenly disappeared from the world.

  It was Aven Willows, the Dark Fey Archmage.

  He didn’t know why he believed it to be her. Maybe it was the fact that they were in the very cave where she was last seen. He wasn’t sure. But he also didn’t question it.

  She stood before them, radiating an air of authority and power. No one moved while in her presence.

  Conner was mesmerized by her figure. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She possessed a dark beauty that seemingly captivated him.

  All he could remember after that was the exchange between James and the dark fey. James fired a wind blade, determined to strike down the dark fey. Then a wind barrier materialized moments before his blade could touch her.

  The wind blade was destroyed. James and the others were surprised by this. Even the twins couldn’t help but gawk after what happened.

  The dark fey expressed her disappointment before ordering James to try again. He did so, but when the blade struck her, nothing happened. Nothing except James falling to his knees and coughing like he was just sucker punched.

  It was unbelievable. How did she harm James without even touching him? Did she use a spell?

  After realizing that it was a losing fight, James and his goons fled the scene in terror.

  Neither of the remaining three moved as they watched the retreating figures of the bullies until they were out of sight. Conner couldn’t believe that he just watched James, the one who caused him and his sister a lot of grief, run away like a coward.

  It was quite the sight to behold.

  The silence stretched for several moments until the dark fey turned her attention toward the twins.

  Conner instinctively guarded his sister, shielding her with his body while confronting the gray-skinned figure.

  Her emerald eyes calmly observed the twins. Chills ran through his body, telling him that there was nothing he could do against someone like her.

  “So...” she spoke, her voice soft yet held the same tone of authority. “It seems that the responsibility of providing me with answers has fallen onto you two.”