Sophie Einsworth’s POV

Sophie was trembling. In front, it looked as if the large three-headed dogbeast a good 20 meters away was howling, but her ears didn’t pick up on the sound. It was standing on its hind legs, as two of its heads each looked towards her and her companion. It’s charcoal-like fur absorbed the light of the sun, and she felt subdued by its six, menacing eyes.

She looked beside her, only to see the young man named Kris take a step back. She understood.

She was a diligent student of the arcane, having the prowess and intelligence to be a match for even the senior students of the academy in terms of skill and maybe experience.

She inherited her father’s attribute of Earth, so granted it made it easier for her to wield earthen magic. Though the truth was, even when you compared her to other mages around her age, even those from the academy, she was a whole level above.

That’s why she knew. She knew now what her were duties as a mage of Einsworth.

It meant that she had to protect the young man beside her. That she had to confront the terror that bound her in place. That she had to fight against the gigantic beast that blocked her view.

She dreaded it.

She never thought about all the implications of being a mage. Now, it was plain for her to see.

She gulped to quench the hoarseness that embodied her throat, feeling a bit pained as she swallowed. She meekly took a step forward, and to reassure herself, felt for her core.

She knew what she had to do. Slowly, her now pale complexion gained its pinkish color back and she shifted her weight to her front leg. The beast didn’t have any indications of it moving to attack them as it waited; like it didn’t matter what they did.

It infuriated her. This beast had attacked her home and is putting the guests of the Einsworth House and her family itself in danger.

She scowled as determination filled her body. A hot feeling of rage twirled in her head.

She’s decided.

She raised her arms.

If the beast was going to wait for an attack, then she’d deliver.

“Raise and cover, bind those I wish…”

“Petrify them, suffocate them, turn them to stone…”

“A moment is all I ask, to nail my enemies on their heads, Earth’s Wrath.”

A high-level attack magic that only a few people around her age should be able to equal. Earth was a defense-oriented magic, but the few possible attacks that she could manage should be deadly even for this monster.

But that’s why she used a high-level magic as her first means of attack. It’d deplete a chunk of her mana, but she felt she’d still have a bit more in reserve.

The ground around the monster sunk and crumbled, before an explosion of earth scattered and collected around the monster’s body, making it stumble. It howled and dared to move, but its feet were now trapped underneath the soil.

In just a few moments, soil and earth encased the monster whole, while a large earthen spike, as long as the monster’s own body launched from behind her and soared to the skies.

Soon it was plummeting down, directly where the imprisoned monster was.

Earth’s Wrath was a two-step magic. It involved petrifying the target using the earth around it, effectively trapping it, and conjuring an earthen spike that would land with destructive potential from the skies.

The earthen spike, finally reaching its target, created another storm of debris and plumes of dust. A large boom, like an explosion, shook her eardrums. The force of the attack made her reel as her body was thrown away from the epicenter.

She landed on her back, making her gag and cough up blood. Her ears were ringing, and the cloud of dust filled her vision. Her right arm felt numb with prickly pain up to the shoulders, but she was able to shrug the feeling off. She stood up weakly and looked around her.

Everywhere the dust didn’t reach were scattered debris of rock and soil.

Realizing what she overlooked, she tried looking for Kris, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found.

It was the first time she used this magic after learning it, and she didn’t expect such sheer power. Sophie grimaced as she thought of Kris' well-being, but after remembering the speed in which he ran earlier, she assumed that he was safe. Or rather, Sophie didn't have time to think about Kris.

As the dust cloud settled, she shuddered. The beast’s three heads were mockingly smiling, unharmed. It howled, this time the sheer physical force of its howl making her step back.

She’s by now lost all hope, but without hesitation, she conjured three boulders of rock and hurled them towards the beast with a wave of her hand. The beast snickered as it used its paws to deflect the rocks towards the trees. It then swiped its claws in thin air, as a blade of red, translucent mana shot forth its tips and towards her.

She summoned a thick defensive wall in the middle of the battlefield, only for the beast’s sharp attack to go through it. She summoned five more boulders and directed it towards the attack, successfully dissipating the beast’s offensive.

The beast then ran towards her using its four limbs with frightening speed. Each of its steps rocked the ground and made her lose her balance. When it was close enough, it struck its paws and claws towards her.

She created a denser wall of earth that swirled on top of her using a substantial amount of mana, barely deflecting the paw's attack. Dust made its way through her eyes as she forced the earth beneath her to explosively swell to propel her backward, allowing her to dodge another paw that sunk the swollen earth.

She haphazardly looked towards her landing area and used her mana to soften the ground, breaking an otherwise dangerous fall. Feeling her core, tears rolled on her cheeks as she realized that she was running on a very meager amount now.

Just enough for maybe one or two more defensive maneuvers. After that, it was all over. Usually, defensive magic's mana usage was proportional to the attack it's defending from. However, Sophie couldn't quite put a finger on it, the beast's attacks were eating up her mana more than expected. Anti-magic!?

The beast, also realizing her lack of mana, made its way towards Sophie slowly. Sophie watched the beast’s approach as her body caught up to her mind’s fatigue. Unable to move, the beast felt slower than it actually was, and Sophie felt everything was surreal.

Her fingers felt cold and once again she couldn’t hear a single thing. She wanted to move out of the way, but her legs didn’t feel like hers. Suddenly, she felt an eerie calm as her mind accepted the reality. Her hearing returned and time moved normally again, but still, she felt tranquil.

She closed her eyes.

Mom... Dad…

She thought about her dreams of being a top student in the academy. Of wanting to make her parents proud and becoming a mage that Dragnir could be proud of. Of making friends and allies. None of it mattered anymore.

None of it mattered.

None of it…

She felt a hand touch her shoulder and she opened her eyes. The beast stopped its approach, and confusion filled her mind as the beast took a step back. She looked behind her, only to see Kris looking at her as he smiled.

“That’s enough now. Great job,” Kris said.

Sophie wanted to stop him, but as soon as she was about to do so, Kris’ sharp gaze landed on the beast.

She suddenly felt a different sort of fear. If her previous fear of the beast could be described as that of a compelling kind, where she was forced into action, this time, it was a constraining, primal fear.

The fear of knowing that her life is now not in her hands, no matter how much she struggled.

Her body seized up, and she couldn’t remove her gaze from Kris’ eyes. She couldn’t even tremble, and she unconsciously stopped breathing. It felt like she was deep underwater, and that her mind has long given up to reach the surface.

Kris turned his body towards the beast, and as if compelled, Sophie did the same. The beast itself was rooted on the ground, unable to move. There was no magic holding him yet it couldn’t even budge.

For what it’s worth, Sophie felt sympathy for the beast. That even though it left destruction in its wake, it was only a natural occurrence that was innate to it, like how it had been for Sophie when she tried to defend her home.

Now, both of them knew that this monster, no, this young man was unnatural.

His aura and the space around him felt chaotic as if just being in his proximity would corrode your body and she wanted to move away.

Kris grinned.

“I’m afraid it all ends here, Cerberii. Thank you for… participating,” his grin became a toothy, menacing grin as he raised his fingers then casually performed a slash in mid-air. The beast then stopped even its smallest of movements.

After a few seconds, the beast was being torn apart by an unknown force, slowly separating and tearing it in half. The bones of its head creaked and cracked. The distinct sound of flesh and bone being torn apart entered Sophie’s ears, and she gagged.

Soon the beast’s body gave and the whole of the beast itself was cut messily in half, like hastily torn paper. Blood seeped from the bisections of the beast, while its organs were plopping to the ground. Its powerless legs sunk as the lights of its eyes remained painted in terror and pain.

It didn’t even have a chance to squirm.

With the beast dead, Sophie suddenly felt the pressure ease up and she was able to breathe. She caught up to her breath raggedly, as she finally released the contents of her last meal.

After throwing up, her eyes grew dark as she lost consciousness.