Wizard Bloodline

"Don't kill me!!" 

A high-pitched, distorted scream startled a flock of birds into flight from the forest.

Ronan stood silently, expressionless, his sword hovering in the air. The cold gleam of the blade was less than three centimeters from a face drained of all color by fear.

When Ronan saw who it was, he was momentarily taken aback.

"Eugene?!"

The "novice" wizard hiding in the bushes, attempting to cast a spell on him, was none other than Eugene, with whom Ronan had a past conflict at a gathering.

"Don't kill me... don't kill me."

Eugene was utterly terrified by Ronan's sword, shaking all over, kneeling on the ground, his face a mask of panic and despair, unable to utter anything but pleas for mercy.

Ronan looked Eugene up and down.

He was loaded with bags, his robe bulging with things—clearly fleeing for his life.

It was easy to piece together the backstory.

Eugene, fleeing for his life, had the misfortune of encountering Ronan, with whom he had a history. Already scared and nervous, and fearing Ronan might harm him, Eugene attempted to ambush him from the bushes.

But, unable to perform even a basic spell without stumbling over the incantation repeatedly...

Seeing Eugene kneeling and begging, Ronan recalled his previous arrogant and insidious demeanor at the gathering.

Suddenly, Ronan lost all interest in revenge, feeling a sense of futility instead.

"Get lost."

Ronan sheathed his sword, cursing under his breath.

Eugene, relieved, scrambled to his feet and ran, dropping his various packages along the way, leaving Ronan shaking his head in disbelief.

Suddenly, Ronan remembered something and called out to Eugene, who was running away in panic.

"Wait!"

Eugene froze, turning back slowly, his face a mask of despair.

"Relax, I won't kill you. I just have some questions."

Ronan asked calmly, "Did you see Old Wills on your way here?"

"Yes, yes!" 

Eugene quickly pointed in a direction.

Ronan's spirits lifted, realizing he might have a lead. Seeing Eugene's quick response, he doubted he was lying.

"So where did you hear about the black-robed wizards? Tell me everything you know."

"Black robes?" 

Eugene paused, his eyes widening in fear. 

"The black-robed wizards are here?!"

Eugene looked around like a frightened rabbit, his face full of fear and anxiety.

Ronan was confused by his reaction.

"If it's not the black robes, why are you running?"

"I-I heard there were beasts!"

Eugene stammered, "They said beasts from the forest were coming out, eating people..."

"What?!"

This time, it was Ronan's turn to be shocked.

Beasts!

It seemed the forest chaos wasn't just due to the black-robed wizards; there were beasts on the rampage too!

Ronan's face grew grim. He wanted to ask Eugene more, but the man was already far away.

Deciding not to chase after him, Ronan figured Eugene's cowardly nature wouldn't yield much information anyway.

Standing still, his mind raced. Despite the added risk from the beasts, Ronan was determined to find and rescue his friends. He needed to move faster.

Quickly, he checked the bundles Eugene had dropped, finding bottles of unknown potions and powders.

Ronan slapped his forehead, feeling regret.

"I forgot he's an alchemist."

"I should have taken the chance to extort some useful potions from him... Ah well..."

In the forest, Vinicia was supporting Old Wills as they stumbled along, with little Sherrill beside them.

The three looked panicked, frequently glancing over their shoulders as if being chased by something unseen.

"Leave me behind... *cough cough*..."

Old Wills spoke suddenly, coughing violently, staining his robe with blood.

"Our little tricks won't fool him for long. That black-robed wizard will catch up soon. I'll hold him off. Vinicia, you take Sherrill and run."

Old Wills looked pale, aged ten years, yet his voice was firm.

Vinicia bit her lip, silent, rooted to the spot, refusing to move.

Sherrill clung to Old Wills' leg, teary-eyed, shaking her head fervently.

"No! We won't leave Grandpa Wills!"

Despite Old Wills' repeated urging, the two stayed stubbornly by his side, refusing to leave.

Old Wills sighed deeply, shaking his head in resignation, allowing the two to continue supporting him.

The Black Wizard Lands' invasion had come six months earlier than Old Wills had anticipated. Even though he had evacuated with Vinicia and Sherrill at the first sign of danger, they still ended up being pursued by a cunning, evil black-robed wizard.

The pursuer was a powerful mid-level apprentice, far beyond Old Wills' strength. After just one encounter, Old Wills was severely wounded by his spells.

If not for his decades of familiarity with the forest and some early-set traps, they might have perished at the outbreak of the crisis.

With the terrifying enemy potentially closing in at any moment, Old Wills pinned his hopes on someone seeing his distress signal and coming to their aid, granting them a slim chance of survival.

The trio stumbled through the forest, leaning on each other for support.

Suddenly, a cold voice echoed through the silent woods.

"Three pathetic little bugs... quite the runners, aren't you?"

Old Wills whipped around, seeing the nightmarish black-robed figure reappear.

His face changed instantly, urging Vinicia and Sherrill to flee with him.

Injured, Old Wills couldn't move quickly, and their pace was agonizingly slow.

But the pursuing black-robed wizard wasn't in a hurry to catch them. He followed leisurely, a sinister, cruel smile on his corpse-like face, seemingly pondering how to make their deaths more entertaining.

In the midst of this cat-and-mouse game...

"Swish!"

A figure suddenly burst from a dense thicket in the direction Old Wills and the others were fleeing, moving swiftly towards them.

The trio was startled, but upon recognizing the newcomer, their faces lit up with joy.

Then, in the next moment, Old Wills seemed to realize something, urgently taking a few steps forward, his face full of anxiety as he shouted, "Ronan, run! Don't come over... this guy is too much for you to handle!"