Thankfully, they didn't encounter any issues as they continued their journey. Morena had expected that the orb might attack them once more, but it seemed like it was too busy with the other group to focus on them; at least that was her hope.

While many of the soldiers were relieved and happy that they didn't have to fight again and that they didn't come across the bandits or the odd orb, Morena, on the other hand, had an odd feeling about the situation.

It wasn't a logical feeling, which caused Morena not to pay much attention to it, but something in her gut felt off. She asked the AI to confirm her body was in good health, and it confirmed she was.

She asked it to run various scans and simulations to try and understand why she was feeling the way she was; however, the AI could only confirm what she already knew.

Faint residual mana readings ahead, however, as they walked closer to the border, the AI kept prompting her with an increase in the amount it was detecting. With each passing mile, it grew stronger, denser.

By the time they reached the last stretch of forest before the border, the forest itself had taken on a new shape. It was overgrown with life; the withered trees and roots they had seen before, caused by the orb, weren't even present here.

The forest itself seemed to be flourishing, swallowing everything around it, even more so than the deepest parts of it. One would think this wasn't the border of the forest, but rather the middle, if they saw the state it was in.

'Is the Empire intentionally keeping it this thick to prevent people from going through it?'

She wondered if the Empire had a hand in this, or if it was just naturally grown this way due to neglect, but she couldn't be certain without looking into it.

And honestly, she wasn't all that interested in knowing why; she just wanted to get out of it. As she walked further, the border just a few miles away; their new home waiting for them, Morena sensed something in the wind.

The AI sensed it too, it was much thicker than it was before, much more active.

'Mana.'

[Large Mana source detected ahead. 99% of all Mana within the area is connected to it.]

Morena raised a hand.

"Stop the wagons."

Everyone halted the second they heard her voice, but they didn't understand why they had stopped, as they couldn't feel the mana.

Adolf and the Captain could somewhat feel the energy in the air thanks to their capabilities as Rank 1 Warriors. However, that was the extent of their senses; Mana was different from energy, and they didn't know about it.

Sensing it naturally wasn't something a mere Rank 1 Warrior could do; feeling it was naturally, but sensing it wasn't.

Her father, on the other hand, who had been resting and taking it easy in the carriage this entire trip, could sense the energy in the air. He stood up from the carriage when he felt it and stepped out, looking over to her with a nod.

He knew she had her secrets; he had already felt her breakthrough to the advanced stages of apprentice weeks ago, but he simply didn't mention it because he knew she wished to hide it.

While he didn't understand how she sensed the mana, or why she had suddenly changed into who she was now, he didn't doubt her. He believed in his daughter and followed her with hopes of one day having her rise beyond his understanding.

Only then would he be able to die without worry.

"Wait here."

Morena passed along the order before going ahead on foot with just Adolf and her father.

The path ahead opened into a clearing that sloped downward toward the border plains; however, what she saw before the border was what made her eyes narrow.

A battlefield.

Not one that had ended, but one still burning.

The clearing ahead was torn apart. Trees split in half, the earth ripped up into craters, and mana flickering like lightning through the air. At the center of it all, two forces clashed.

On one side were soldiers wearing armor, though their insignias were partially burned. Some carried spears, others swords, but all fought around a single man standing at their center.

A Wizard.

He looked to be in his thirties, maybe forties. His long brown hair was tied back, his robes torn but still pulsing faintly with inscriptions. Green light glowed from his hands as thick vines erupted from the ground, lashing out like living serpents.

Each movement was precise, so controlled that he took his time to do them.

When a bandit tried to rush him, a wall of thorns rose from the soil, impaling the man before he could take another step.

But for every bandit that fell, another pushed forward.

The opposing side was larger, hundreds of men, better armed than any bandits she'd seen before. Their leader stood near the front, a massive man with scarred arms and a broadsword the size of his body.

Even from this distance, Morena could feel his energy.

Rank 2 Warrior.

"These must be the bandits."

Adolf muttered under his breath.

"Most likely, it seems we got lucky not coming across them."

The man led with overwhelming force; each swing of his sword sent waves of energy through the ground, tearing through vines like paper. His strikes weren't just brute force; they were disciplined, refined. Whoever he was, he'd once been a trained soldier.

But even that wasn't the strangest thing.

Hovering above the battlefield, weaving between the corpses, was the orb of light.

It moved almost consciously now, its glow dimmer than before, but its actions were much more thought out; it didn't just possess bodies wildly anymore, it planned. Each time the Wizard unleashed a killing blow toward the bandit leader, the orb shot down and flung a corpse in the way, blocking the strike.

The bodies it touched came alive again for brief moments, staggering forward like puppets before collapsing.

Morena's eyes widened.

"It's helping him..."

Adolf followed her gaze.

"It's protecting the bandits?"

"Maybe not protecting."

She said quietly.

"Maybe it's just reacting. Instinct. It senses a strong presence in the leader and clings to it in order to get rid of the bigger threat. It's using him, not protecting him."

They stayed hidden among the trees, the forest masking their presence.

She watched the Wizard closely. Every few seconds, between attacks, he muttered something under his breath, old words in a tongue she couldn't properly hear.

Each chant made the vines around him grow stronger, thicker, wrapping around him in a protective cocoon.

That was his defense. A living barrier of vines and thorns that twisted together like a bubble, absorbing most of the bandit attacks.

His offense was just as dangerous.

A whip of vines shot from his hand, lashing through the air. Each strike was lined with small thorns that tore through armor and flesh. The bandits screamed as they fell, the whip leaving trails of green light wherever it struck.

"Two forms of combat magic."

Morena whispered.

'Offense and defense, a balance of both. Unlike the weak stuff I got.'

Adolf looked at her.

"Can you tell what's happening?"

"Somewhat. It seems he's using some form of power kept within the Empire to fight the bandit."

Adolf frowned as he studied the fight.

"If he's that powerful, why isn't he winning?"

Morena pointed.

"The orb."

Every time the Wizard tried to kill the bandit leader, it intervened. The corpses he'd slain earlier would rise and throw themselves into the attack. Even now, a dozen of them littered the ground, twitching and spasming, moving without command.

And the Wizard's soldiers were dying.

She could see how loyal they were, or maybe they had to be. They threw themselves in front of attacks meant for him, following his every word without hesitation.

But one by one, they fell, their armor crushed under the Rank 2's blade.

"How long do you think they'll last?"

Her father asked; he knew the capabilities of a Rank 2 Warrior better than anyone, but he didn't know the capabilities of a Wizard. He was surprised that what seemed like a mere man could keep up with a Warrior, but clearly it wasn't a mere man.

"Probably not long at this rate."

She could feel her heart beating faster, not from fear, but from the sheer significance of what she was seeing. A Wizard. A true one.

The kind of existence she'd only ever read about, watching him work felt like watching a force of nature.

But even nature had limits.

And he was reaching his.

Each spell he cast took longer to form. The vines grew slower, the color fading from their surface. The thorns dulled, and the air around him wavered, like his mana was beginning to flicker.

Morena's hand tightened around her spear.

"Do we help him?"

Adolf asked.

She didn't answer at first.

She was thinking, calculating the best choice of action in this situation.

She wanted him alive, that much was certain. If she saved him now, he'd owe her, but not enough. He'd recover quickly, and then she'd have no leverage over him.

No, she needed him weaker; she needed him desperate.

"Not yet, we need to wait more."

Adolf looked at her, surprised.

"If he dies, the orb might..."

"He won't die."

She interrupted.

"Not yet. Wizards shouldn't go down that easily..."

They watched in silence.

The bandit leader swung again, his sword colliding with the vine barrier, shattering it like glass. The Wizard was thrown back, hitting the dirt hard. He coughed blood, but still raised his hand, chanting through gritted teeth.

Vines burst from the ground, wrapping around the leader's legs. For a moment, it looked like he had him.

Then the orb moved again.

It shot forward, ramming into the vines, burning them away with a flash of blue light. The leader broke free, swinging down with a roar.

The Wizard barely blocked the attack.

That was the moment Morena decided.

She turned to Adolf.

"Get the men ready. When he's on the brink, we move. Kill the bandits first and support the Wizard. Our goal is to get him out of here, not win. We retreat if needed."

Adolf's expression hardened.

"As you command."

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