Adrius and Lysander descended slowly. Their bodies trembling as the last traces of battle slipped away.

Their boots sank into the wet earth when they finally landed near the cocoon.

The drizzle softened the scorched ground, and steam rose gently where lightning had burned deep scars into the soil.

The cocoon hovered a few inches above the ground, spinning slightly as if carried by a faint breeze. It was only the height of a tall man, not giant or monstrous. Just a human-shaped silhouette curled within a shell of gold.

The runes along its surface keep shifted, weaving and unweaving themselves in a rhythm to maintain the sealing formation.

Lysander stepped closer, wiping rain from his forehead.

"His eyes are closed now."

Adrius leaned on his staff, catching his breath, studying the figure inside.

The being's expression looked almost peaceful now. So far from the violent storm creature they fought seconds ago.

"Strange…" Adrius muttered. "When he attacked, he looked almost mindless and raging. But now he seems calm. This sealing spell is really amazing."

They circled the cocoon slowly, watching the runes shifted.

"Where do you think he came from?" Lysander asked quietly. "How could something like this just appear and throw the whole region into chaos? Didn't Erend say our problem was with necrotic energy?"

Adrius frowned. "I don't know. Something must have gone wrong. This being feels ancient. His Magic is old. Maybe he was sealed once before and awakened recently." He exhaled sharply. "But there's too much we don't understand. Why did he attack us and where did he come from?"

They fell silent, watching the golden cocoon.

"It's like he's incomplete, Master," Lysander murmured.

"Yes. I feel it too," Adrius added under his breath.

He straightened slowly, though discomfort flickered across his face from the pain in his ribs. "We need to make sure he stays sealed until we learn more."

He lifted his staff again. Lysander mirrored him.

Together, they began shaping layers of new barriers. They create more circles of light, walls of reinforced runes, and spheres of shimmering containment Magic.

Each seal locked into place with a sharp sound. The air grew heavy with layered enchantments until the cocoon sat at the center of a fortress of sealing barrier.

Adrius gave a small nod. "That should hold."

He waved his hand toward the rampart above and shouted. "Bring the cocoon in carefully!"

Within moments, several soldiers emerged from the gate. Their armor soaked by rain, their faces tense as they approached the glowing object.

None of them dared to step too close at first. The sealing runes, the faint vibration, and the silhouette of a man sealed in gold unnerved them.

"W-we're moving that?" one whispered.

"This is an order from the Archmage," another muttered. "Just help with the cart."

A reinforced transport cart with thick wooden plating and metal bindings was pulled forward by two horses.

The soldiers wrapped the cart with chains, their hands shaking as they worked.

Two of them swallowed hard, mustering courage. Together they reached into the barrier field.

The golden cocoon rose obediently, guided by Adrius's Magic, and floating gently onto the center of the cart.

Several soldiers stepped back instinctively once it settled.

"What… what is he?" one murmured, staring at the faint silhouette through the dim glow.

"I don't know," another replied. "But whatever he is, he nearly destroyed our kingdom. Keep your distance and just do your job. Don't mess this up or you'll kill us."

The wheels creaked as the cart slowly began to move, soldiers keeping formation around it, their eyes locked on the glowing prison. Curiosity mixed with fear followed every step.

Adrius and Lysander walked beside it, rain still falling softly. Both Mages were silent as they watched the cocoon.

—

In the military facility, the next round of battle was happening.

Lightning flickered in the soaked ruins of the facility as the storm being lunged forward. His body wrapped in a faint crackle instead of the raging outburst from moments earlier.

He didn't unleash a massive blast this time. He didn't need to. His raw physical strength as an ancient god, amplified by the faint arcs crawling over his muscles, turned him into a blur of deadly motion.

Adrien met him first.

The storm being's fist shot toward his head with a sound like tearing fabric.

Adrien ducked and countered with a sharp upward palm strike.

The impact sent a spray of lightning in all directions, but the being barely flinched even when Adrien hit his jaw.

He changed direction in the middle of his step, twisting with inhuman agility, and his elbow smashed into Adrien's ribs before Adrien could fully guard.

Adrien slid back through the mud, teeth clenched in a grimace, one hand going to his side.

Billy charged in to cover him, mud exploding under his boots.

His barrier flared for a split second before he slammed a heavy punch toward their opponent's jaw.

The storm being tilted his head just enough for the blow to miss by a hair, then he drove a knee into Billy's abdomen.

Billy's barrier softened the hit, but it was not enough.

The force still knocked the breath from him and sent him stumbling backward.

The storm being didn't pause. He pivoted and launched himself after Billy.

Adrien intercepted him. His arm moved as he struck the creature across the shoulder, stopping his advance.

The being spun with the momentum, and lightning streaked along his leg as he whipped a kick sideways without a pause.

Adrien blocked with both arms, but the impact rattled through his bones and pushed him several meters across the cracked concrete.

Rain hammered the battlefield. Lightning from the clouds flashed above, answering the man below.

This time, the storm being didn't try to fly or unleash wide attacks. He stayed grounded, his movements sharp and calculated as if he was also trained in combat for a long time.

His steps dug into the earth and launched him forward like a spring. Every strike mixed brute strength with a jolt of electricity and experience that disrupted their balance and numbed their muscles.

Billy regained his footing and retaliated, swinging his fist down like a hammer.

"HAAA!!!"

The being caught it with one hand, boots digging into the mud from the force.

Electricity flared from his grip and crawled over Billy's arm.

Billy roared and forced his Magic barrier outward in a wave, breaking the hold and staggering the man backward.

Adrien rushed in again. He appeared beside the storm being in an instant then throwing a rapid combination of precise blows.

His attacks landed clean, the impact sending small bursts of electric sparks off the being's skin.

The storm being retaliated again with a vicious backhand.

Adrien blocked, but the force still sent him sliding again.

Then, Billy and Adrien moved together without commands, or calls, just years of instinct together.

Billy threw a heavy blow that forced the being to guard. Adrien slipped into the blind spot behind him and aimed a strike at the base of his neck.

The being twisted unnaturally fast, his heel sweeping low and knocking both men off balance.

He followed with a double strike. One to Billy's chest, another to Adrien's jaw.

Lightning cracked on impact. Both men staggered, mud splashing beneath their feet.

Far behind them, the five candidates watched in stunned silence. None of them dared to interfere.

The broad-shouldered man swallowed hard. "We… we can't jump in there to help again."

"They're fighting a monster. Not a person. There's nothing we could do but die," The short-haired woman said while hugging her arms, shivering from more than just the rain.

Cody wiped rain from his eyes, his face pale. "Even if I use my disruption again it wouldn't matter. That thing's too strong!"

Billy and Adrien clashed with the being again in the distance. Shockwaves rolled through the facility. Lightning streaked, Magic aura flared, boots carved trenches in the mud.

The candidates could only watch because they knew without question that this level of battle was far beyond their reach.

Suddenly the storm being blurred forward and caught Billy by the throat before he even realized the attack had begun.

Fingers crackling with harsh blue arcs closed around his neck.

Billy's feet left the ground. The world tilted. Then the being slammed him down with a thunderous impact that sent mud and water exploding outward.

Billy's barrier flickered weakly, barely cushioning the blow.

He choked, clawing at the iron grip crushing his windpipe.

The being leaned over him, lightning crawling across his face, jaw clenched in pure rage.

Billy felt his heartbeat spike.

"I'm… gonna die…"

His vision shook as the pressure increased, the storm being's furious expression filling his world.

Adrien sprinted in to help, but a flash tore through the air.

A bolt of lightning stabbed him in the chest at point-blank range. The strike lifted him off his feet and hurled him across the flooded ground.

He hit the mud with a heavy splash and rolled, steam rising from his chest. A burning pain carved through his ribs.

The lightning had pierced his Magic armor in that close range. Each breath scraped painfully inside him, and black spots crept across his vision.

The five candidates could no longer simply stand and watch. They dashed in, shouting, trying to flank the creature.

But the storm being barely looked at them. Lightning erupted from his body in five branching streaks, each one hitting them.

The candidates convulsed and dropped instantly because they were still unable to form a Magic barrier.

Adrien tried to rise but collapsed again, his limbs refusing to obey.

Then something happened.

A red and white vortex spun open above Adrien, tearing the rain apart.

Heat rippled outward. Something broke through. Someone in red and black came out.

—