Chapter 7: Fractured Pulse

But it was too late for Raegar, as the anger within him had already ignited. 'How dare they!' he thought, his rage boiling over. In that moment, something ancient stirred deep within him, a power awakening that would change everything. His arms gave off a red and yellow glow just as the same voice he heard once before spoke in a caring but firm tone, 'It's early, but the time is right for you to awaken. Go forward ***** **** and show the world your power.' Raegar was confused, but something told him he could use magic and without waiting, he cast a spell he created months ago, 'Stormfire Bullet.' A reddish-yellow sphere, slightly larger than a shotgun shell, materialized in his palm. The sheer size of it took him by surprise. There was no time as fatigue began creeping in, but he ignored it while sending another bullet toward the bandit, closing in on Saki. The moment it struck, the surrounding air shimmered with heat as the bullet punched a hole straight through the man's chest. Raegar didn't wait while thinking, 'I need to keep going. Yuki and mom will get hurt if I don't and I can't let that happen.' He fired again, and again, Stormfire Bullets tearing through the air like deadly meteors. One by one, bandits who had attacked them fell before him, their bodies left smoldering in his wake. 'I feel weak and it's getting worse,' he thought while throwing up. Pain tore through Raegar's body, a searing agony that made him cry out, but he ignored it and continued casting spells. Ten minutes later, his legs wobbled. He tried to brace himself against a nearby carriage. But even his arms betrayed him. He collapsed to the ground, his breathing ragged as his vision blurred and his head spun violently while sweat poured down his face and his hands trembled. Sitting there, he started thinking. 'I may have messed up,' he mused grimly, feeling his strength slip further away. 'It was too early to awaken my magic.' Darkness crept in at the edges of his sight, and he could only hope the battle was truly over before he lost consciousness. When the Blackwood guards saw the results of Raegar's sudden attack, they rallied and charged, cutting down the remaining bandits. Dozens of enemies dropped dead, their numbers decimated as he tried to stay awake, but it was hard. ''Young master! Hold on,'' all he heard was Yuki's panicked shouting, but her voice seemed faraway. Raegar had burned out and injured himself thanks to unlocking his Aether Pool a year early, which was unheard of. Seconds later, his eyes flickered open, a surge of dread coursed through him. The bandit leader was charging toward Yuki, his blade raised for a killing blow, while she was unaware of the danger she was in. His breath caught, his voice failed him, and despair clawed at his chest. 'I'm not losing her,' he thought. Gritting his teeth, Raegar stood up just as pain surged through his entire being and tore at his very soul. He forced himself to his feet, drawing on strength he didn't know he had, but appeared in his time of need as Aether supported his body. Without wasting a second, the world blurred as he surged forward, moving with such speed that he became little more than a blur. The bandit leader's blade descended toward the cat woman, but he was faster. His fist ignited with a brilliant yellow glow, a pulse of raw power that bathed his surroundings in blinding light. Gasps echoed as heads turned, the sheer intensity of the Aether crackling in the air, freezing everyone in place. ''You shall not touch her!'' Raegar roared, his voice thundering like a storm as his fist collided with the bandit's jaw, ''Fractured Pulse!'' The impact was cataclysmic. In an instant, the spell unleashed its fury, a dazzling explosion of Lightning, Earth, Fire and Water Aether that collided in a violent dance. The ground trembled, arcs of electricity shattered the air. A torrential surge of water and debris obliterated the bandit leader without the man standing a chance. When the dust settled, Raegar stood swaying for a heartbeat, his body trembling from the overwhelming strain. Then, like a puppet with its strings cut, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious, his Aether utterly spent and his body damaged. *** (Minutes before Raegar collapsed) Pain radiated through Victoria's body, but she gritted her teeth and stood up. She had to get to her son. Yet as her eyes locked onto him, what she saw left her stunned. Raegar stood at the center of the battlefield. ''My baby can use magic?'' she muttered as worry overwhelmed her. His hands glowed, casting light across the chaos. Spell after spell erupted from him, each one tearing through the ranks of the bandits with devastating precision. 'His arms are glowing,' Victoria thought in disbelief. The Aether swirling around him crackled, but to her it was unbelievable as no one unlocks their magic before they were fifteen. 'It looks like Fire and Lightning magic fused together... but that's impossible. No one can wield two elements like that, not since the last Grandmaster died many years ago.' Her heart raced as Victoria tried to accept what she was seeing. Raegar, her son, who had never trained in battle magic, was wielding a power that defied every rule the world knew and was killing bandits like a trained Aether Mage. It seemed like forever passed as she watched her son fight any enemies he came across before collapsing because of exhaustion, which made her sigh as the Blackwood guards killed the last attacker. They began tending to the injured, but Victoria's attention snapped to the leader, who suddenly leaped to his feet. At the same moment, Yuki dashed toward her young master. The man raised his sword, aiming a fierce strike at the cat woman. But what happened next would change the course of her son's life. Her son glowed even more intensely, a brilliant aura engulfing him as the world's Aether surged into his body like a tidal wave. Then, with a burst of unimaginable speed, he dashed forward so fast that her eyes struggled to follow. Victoria didn't need to see where he was heading, she knew. He was going for the leader to protect Yuki. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the bandit, his figure radiating raw power. Then Raegar spoke words that made her heart plummet, as everyone knew the consequences of using such magic. ''You shall not touch her! Fractured Pulse'' She stood frozen, breath caught in her throat as his fist connect with the bandit leader. Time seemed to slow. For a single heartbeat, there was silence, a fragile, deafening stillness before the storm. Then the world exploded. A shockwave of golden light burst outward, blinding and all-consuming. Lightning arced through the air, searing the ground in jagged streaks, while shards of stone and water surged together in a devastating cascade. The force roared like thunder, a primal blast that shook the earth and sent the dead bandit leader hurtling backward. They watched as Raegar stood still before falling down while out cold, which made her heart drop. Following that, panic erupted as the guards hauled the injured onto the carriages, but Victoria stepped forward and ordered. ''Get my son to the carriage now! We must reach Duke Vaelthorne's estate immediately!'' ''Mistress! The young master is dying! We have to move now!'' Yuki cried, her words quivering with desperation. When Victoria heard those words, her world seemed to shatter around her. But she refused to let despair consume her. Her voice, steady, cut through the panic that reassured the young cat woman. ''No, he cannot die here,'' she said with determination. ''I'll take him to my mother. She's one of the finest healers I know.'' Without hesitation, she stepped forward and scooped Raegar into her arms. His body was limp, his light fading, but she held him close as if her will alone could keep him tethered to life. Saki's voice trembled. ''Mistress, are you going to use that spell? It's dangerous and you haven't used it since the academy days,'' she asked, worry etched into her face. Victoria's eyes hardened, a fierce glint sparking within them. ''I will do whatever it takes,'' she replied. She then looked at her eldest daughter Isabella and instructed, ''Get the caravan to grandfathers Bel. I need to get there as soon as possible so your grandmother can treat Raegar.'' Victoria watched as a flicker of concern appeared in the young woman's eyes before she nodded without saying a word. Following that, she started chanting, causing fire to appear below her feet. Without wasting time, she soared into the sky as a burst of fire to trail behind her while flying west. 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