Phantom Hunters | Saphir Casters Academy

50 | Growth

L | GROWTH

    Uthra runs through the veins of every living creature.

    Kael tried to breathe in deeply and concentrate. The constant bashing and taunting did not help at all, but he was used to working under pressure. The door was almost completely broken off, and if Kael didn't hurry, he would be cornered like a rat trapped in a snake's coil.

    He silently thanked the angels that he had stuffed his stamp in his pocket and pulled out the heavy thing. Sending uthra into the stamp prematurely, Kael activated it and seared it onto the fire sigil already embedded on the blade. The handle vibrated in Kael's hand as the stamp transferred the insignia into the empty space.

    As soon as Kael lifted the stamp, the door crashed open, and tentacles shot inside like wild ribbons flowing in the wind. It would only be a matter of time before they would locate him, so Kael didn't waste another second to surge his uthra through the scythe and blow open the wall next to him.

    "Where are you, boy? Get out here or I'll personally come and get you!"

    He jumped through, feeling splinters scraping against his calf, and rolled on the dirt. The blighter coiled its tentacles around to follow Kael, but this only served to entangle it. Using this to his advantage, Kael jumped out of range and whirled the scythe forward, sending a flurry of flames right into the blighter.

    The creature screeched as its limbs tore apart and faded away. Only now, it was free. Kael cursed at his miss once again. Though the control he had over the flames were not as stable as he would have liked, the weapon he used at least felt much more natural—the extension of his limbs that he couldn't yet achieve with a sword.

    The blighter regenerated its tentacles and threw a massive attack at Kael. The boy careened to the side and slashed the tentacles off before running towards the beast to send a raining storm of fire on the creature.

    "Ah, are you fighting back?" Laughing, the phantom skirted off the blighter and stood under the shade. "Be my guest! This is far more exciting than the Weapons Choosing Test."

    Kael didn't have time to respond as he rained a flurry of attacks on his target. The blighter used its tentacles to shield itself. One glossy snake shot out, and Kael parried it with his scythe, using fire to burn its hold on his weapon. He paused, watching the blighter pulse and grow. His eyes widened.

    "What on Hearth is that?" he said, backing away. Blighters didn't grow. They didn't have enough intelligence to shield themselves from attacks.

    When the blighter moved forward, Kael saw the patch of dead grass from where it had stood. Understanding dawned on him, and he wished he'd paid closer attention in class when Nox went over blighters and phantoms. Maybe then, he'd figure out how the rarest of blighters got into the school grounds.

    The phantom laughed and confirmed Kael's observations. "Don't you know? It's one of my favourites. A phagocytic blighter! It can suck uthra out of any living thing around it to get bigger. 'Cept me, of course, since I'm it's master. You better be careful."

    Kael closed his eyes at the reel of information. It was the very type that killed his mother and Kala. Rage overtook him.

    The blighter squelched in response, sending more tentacles to Kael; he could only jump back. The moment any of those tentacles encircled him, he knew exactly what would happen, and he wasn't keen on meeting the same fate as his twin.

    He held out the scythe and focused on understanding every aspect of it. He let his uthra surging through it, feeling every grain, every intricate design, before the energy burst into the blade, where it activated the sigil and engulfed the scythe in intense fire.