OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Emir's intervention was as quiet as it was terrifying.

He seemed to float down from the darkness above, like he'd materialized straight from the ceiling.

And when his feet touched the ground, it felt like the entire tunnel had hushed to listen.

Every sound died away; not a single soldier or construct dared to move, and even his students were frozen in place, caught between fear and awe.

All awaited his next move.

Slowly, he raised his remaining hand and swung it down.

"Fall."

That single word, spoken softly, felt like a death sentence.

And it was.

Though his Aether reserves were low, what little he had regained was enough to unleash devastation.

Many tens of Aetheric Constructs in the shape of spears materialized, raining down like hailstones, piercing through every construct and soldier in their path.

Metal twisted, cracked, and flesh tore, each figure collapsing in shattering steel and blood.

Not a single peep was heard from the soldiers; their deaths came too quickly for them to react. Eventually, when the carnage subsided, only one figure was left standing.

Maraak.

Just moments ago, he'd ruled the fight, his expression smug.

Now, horror played a mess with his face while his hands trembled uncontrollably.

The reality dawned slowly, settling into his wide eyes:

He was going to die.

Even after he nearly had the man go through a mental breakdown, Emir paid him no mind, barely sparing a glance.

His gaze swept to Arthur instead, his expression as calm as ever, betraying nothing.

"Lead them to the exit. I'll handle this."

Arthur, still reeling from Emir's sudden appearance, had a flicker of anger flash through him, though he managed to keep it in check.

Dumb as he was, even he knew not to mess with a man like Emir.

Nodding stiffly, he took a few breaths to steady himself and then turned toward Sofia, who hadn't moved an inch since Emir had arrived.

She stood rooted to her spot, her gaze locked on him as if he were some phantom she hadn't seen in years.

There was no shock on her face, no surprise-just eyes that held so many words that she'd never say out loud.

But, like he did with Maraak, Emir ignored her completely, acting as if she were no more than air.

"H-Hey, l-let's go."

Arthur urged softly, awkwardly, waving a hand in front of her face.

"....."

Nothing. He received no response.

"W-We have to move."

He tried again, but the words fell on deaf ears as she stared through him.

Her thoughts were miles away, oblivious to his repeated attempts to break her trance.

Arthur's frustration began to grow, but before he could do anything about it, Emir moved towards her.

His patience ran thin.

He reached out and tapped her shoulder, the touch as quick as it was impersonal.

"Go to the exit."

Sofia's head snapped up, her eyes meeting his.

She stared, wide-eyed, her mouth parting slightly, as if to speak. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

For a long, tense moment, they simply watched each other in silence.

Then, without a word, she nodded.

Turning around, she limped toward the exit, her steps unsteady.

Arthur fell in step beside her, glancing back once at Emir with eyes filled with resentment.

Besides that one look, he moved swiftly, hurrying after her as if he couldn't wait to get out of there.

But then, just before they'd gotten a fair distance away, Emir's low murmur cut through the silence.

"Can't even do one thing right."

Arthur stopped dead in his tracks.

It was as if every simmering frustration, hidden resentment, and burning envy erupted all at

once.

He'd never been this humiliated in his entire life, and he had certainly gone through a lot of

that.

His fists clenched so hard that his nails bit into his palms, drawing blood.

Gritting his teeth, he looked down, fighting back tears that blurred his vision.

His whole body shook as he held back the shout that burned in his throat, but he further clamped his mouth, more fearful of death.

The boy was certainly going through it, and yet... Sofia didn't notice any of his turmoil.

Her attention was fixed on the path to the exit, unaware-or simply unconcerned-about him

and whatever he was going through.

She was determined not to let anything else slow her down.

Meanwhile, Ava, the last of the cohort, sidled up to Emir's side.

She hesitated, her posture unsure, like she was waiting for his permission to speak.

When he finally turned his attention to her, she flinched, looking away, her hands nervously twisting a lock of her dirty blonde hair.

"What is it?"

"M-Max... is... is he okay?"

Emir chuckled as he turned his back on her, his gaze fixing on Maraak's escaping figure.

"Don't worry, he's fine. He'll meet you all at the exit."

Relieved, her shoulders relaxed as she nodded quickly and turned to follow her cohort.

But just before she disappeared down the tunnel, she paused and, with a hesitant bow, inclined her head to him, her mouth forming a quiet "thank you."

Then, she was gone.

Now, the tunnel was silent, save for the distant pitter-patter of steps and Maraak's shallow

breathing.

The pitiful-looking man was still trying his best to escape, and yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.

Fallen rubble blocked his path to survival, and his body was too weak to lift or even shove any

of it aside.

For all his previous confidence, he now seemed nothing more than a cornered rat, climbing

and falling like mad.

'Huh...'

Emir found that sight surprisingly enjoyable.

He wasn't sadistic by any means, so the satisfaction he felt startled him somewhat.

Though he loved battle, playing with his food had never interested him.

The likes of Judas and Kalahari had nothing to do with him.

But, for some strange reason, he really enjoyed seeing this "bastard" scared out of his mind.

Was it because he'd finally put an end to the disaster and Maraak signaled that end? Perhaps it was due to seeing an event from the 'novel' play out so differently, to the extent that Arthur, the one who was supposed to save his 'heroine,' was completely ignored.

Or was it the simple satisfaction of seeing someone so previously pompous get 'face

slapped?'

Either way...

'I don't care.'

None of that mattered to him, not anymore.

Emir had reached the end of the first.

Now, all he needed to do was kill.

He walked closer to Maraak and raised his curved blade.

"Goodbye."