"What is this feeling?"
I thought as I sensed a sudden shift in the air.
As a warrior I couldn't use mana, but I could feel it and because of that I noticed a large pool of mana surrounding every building I was in.
The mana grew denser and denser, until it thinned and folded, enveloping the library in a transparent dome.
My senses suddenly screamed at me, and I looked around, finding not even a single human nearby.
It was as if every person within the library had disappeared, whisked away the moment the dome appeared.
"Nonono!"
I panicked and began running to where Alice was.
This was magic — I didn't know which school of magic, but I definitely knew one thing: it was bad news.
"Alice!"
I began to scream, praying that something bad hadn't happened to her. But the world seemed to laugh at my predicament, because the only thing needing worry was me.
It happened in a matter of seconds. Just as I broke out of the maze of shelves, I noticed a figure materialize out of thin air.
I came to a screeching halt and hid behind two shelves, only to pale as dozens more of them stepped into the world I was now trapped in.
"Find the girl."
The one assuming the role of leader finally made their presence known, their form hidden underneath a black cloak that seemed to wrap the surroundings in its color.
"And kill her."
My heart pounded rapidly at such a statement.
I wasn't stupid. I knew the girl was definitely my sister, and the only individual foolish and cruel enough to order her assassination was my uncle.
He was doing this for one goal: he wanted my brother to act.
If my sister died, Abel just like me would know the culprit, and I knew Abel enough to confirm he would hunt down our uncle and kill him or worst Vanessa might go on a rampage.
That old fool was betting on that to prove we weren't fit.
A leader who let his emotions cloud his judgment could become tyrannical, and if my uncle's point was proven, even at the cost of his death, then the people of the Evernight Ranges would lose their faith in us.
My uncle wanted the title of Patriarch, but if he couldn't have it, he was sure to make us lose it.
"That bastard."
Such cruelty — I couldn't comprehend.
What kind of man is willing to kill his own niece just so he can prove a point?
Did he really hate my father that much?
Why? … just why?
Fuck that. I couldn't be bothered… I just knew one thing: I needed a way to get out of this mess.
The barrier seemed to have whisked bystanders away. No… it was us they wanted.
A fold on top of reality.
Now I understood what kind of magic this was.
It was of the abstract school — spatial magic, to be exact.
"Meaning Rita will notice!"
That didn't help my case though.
Rita was strong, but the time it would take her to arrive would cost me my life.
"I have to fight back."
That was the only option presented to me.
Judging by the fact that they were after Alice, it meant they didn't know I was here yet.
They had waited for us to be separated and activated their spell so I wouldn't suspect anything, but it seemed I had been caught in.
Spells like this locked onto an individual's signature magic to trap them, and during our way here, Alice had used her magic to create a rose for me.
The tiny rose was starched somewhat in my pocket, leading the spell to believe I was also Alice.
"Then I have an advantage."
With my senses sharpened, I could gauge the strength of the assassins.
The lowest was a D-rank in the Minus stage, while the strongest was a C-rank in the Neutral stage.
If I'm being honest, that also didn't help my case, since my core rank was an F in the Plus stage.
But I had one thing they lacked.
It wasn't a chance to catch them off guard, but a talent to bridge the gap.
I would probably die from overusing it, but…
[10–20]
"Better me than my sister."
Still hidden, I clutched the book Encyclopedia of Witches and held it like a disc.
My abilities increased my martial prowess, meaning everything in my hands was a potential weapon.
A book might lose to a sword, but in my hands, the possibility of victory was assured.
"They are twelve in number with a mage as their leader. If I stack all my buffs, I'll be at C or D+ at worst, but in combat I should be vastly superior."
Watching them turn their backs to me, I slowly stepped out of my hiding spot with hidden steps.
Just as I did, I injected aura into my book before launching it at the neck of the strongest aura user around.
It spun through the air like a Frisbee, and just as my target took notice of the attack, it slammed into their neck, causing them to stagger back.
"What!"
In their moment of disarray, I propelled myself at the closest target, swiped them off their feet, and quickly disarmed them as they fell.
Equipped with a dark dagger, I plunged it into their head, ignoring their pained screams before leaping back just in time to dodge the flash of a sword.
"What the heck… a kid."
Now I found eleven pairs of eyes focused on me.
I was tense and pale because my advantage had disappeared but I still found myself taking a stance anyway.
"How did you enter the ward?"
Their leader, who seemed to recognize me, remarked, but I offered no answer.
"Tsk…"
Sensing my unwillingness to cooperate, they clicked their tongue and stepped back, leaving the goons to handle me.
"Restrain him… and I'll handle the girl."
Leaving behind that order, the leader turned tail and walked away.
Moving to intercept her was a no for me, because I was outnumbered.
Ten against one was fair, but adding in the fact that I now had a time limit ticking above my head made my situation all the more tense.