The trail grew fresher. Lyra moved faster, tracking human footprints that seemed almost careless in their clarity.
"Too easy," she muttered, but kept following.
Van noticed it too. "Agreed. But we can't let them escape. Stay alert."
The forest opened into a clearing. And that's when everything went wrong.
Gnolls erupted from concealed positions—not eight, but fifteen. Behind them, six trolls charged from tree cover. And standing at the clearing's edge, five figures in black masks watched with calculated precision.
"Ambush!" Van shouted. "Formation—"
The controllers moved. Not fleeing—attacking. They wore dark combat gear, weapons in hand, moving with trained efficiency. These weren't scholars who dabbled in runes. These were warriors.
"Endless Night!" one controller called out, voice muffled by the mask. "Show these academy children what real combat means!"
The enhanced monsters struck in coordinated waves. Gnolls flanked with pack tactics while trolls charged the center. The black-masked controllers attacked from angles that prevented retreat.
Korvan activated his Spirit Sword—blue flame blazing along his blade as he raised his shield against charging troll. The impact drove him back, but his Spirit Sword-enhanced strikes cut deep into troll flesh.
Lyra's Spirit Sword ignited green along her daggers. Speed and precision, darting between enhanced gnolls with strikes that exploited weak points. Her green Spirit Sword left trails of light as she moved.
Kade fell back to support position, his Spirit Sword manifesting green along his blade. Focus rune sharpened, he called tactical information while using Spirit Sword to deflect gnoll attacks that got too close.
Van engaged the nearest controller, his blue Spirit Sword meeting the masked warrior's blade. The controller was skilled—parrying, countering, using terrain. Van's blue flame intensified as he pressed the attack with practiced fury.
Adrian found himself surrounded. Three enhanced gnolls, one troll, and two controllers converging on his position. White Spirit Sword blazed along his blade, but even as he cut down the first gnoll, he knew white wouldn't be enough.
This was it. Worthy opponents. Real threat.
Time to show them what crimson meant.
Adrian activated his true Spirit Sword.
Crimson fire erupted along his blade.
The unprecedented color that had never been seen in history, flame that burned with intensity that made the forest shadows seem pale. The controllers hesitated. The monsters flinched. Even his own team paused for split second.
Van's eyes widened mid-combat. "What—"
Adrian moved.
Three hundred years of demon prince experience compressed into human form, channeled through crimson manifestation that dwarfed normal Spirit Sword power. The first gnoll died before it could react. The second tried to flee—Adrian's crimson blade cut through enhanced durability like paper.
The troll charged. Adrian met it head-on with strength amplified beyond human limits. His crimson Spirit Sword sheared through troll arm, then chest, then skull. Three strikes. Troll dead.
The two controllers attacking him reassessed immediately. These were professionals—they recognized overwhelming power when they saw it.
"Fall back!" one shouted. "Target the others!"
The battle shifted. The controllers weren't trying to win—they were buying time. Engaging just enough to keep the team occupied while positioning for escape.
Korvan's blue Spirit Sword crushed through troll defenses, his shield work impeccable even against multiple enhanced enemies. But he was containing, not eliminating. Numbers worked against him.
Lyra's green Spirit Sword flashed through gnoll pack with deadly precision. Three dead in seconds. But more kept coming, and the controllers used the chaos to slip between trees.
Kade's tactical calls kept the team coordinated, his green Spirit Sword deflecting attacks while he maintained support. But even his analysis couldn't track five masked warriors using professional evasion tactics.
Van and Adrian cut through the monster horde with devastating efficiency. Van's blue Spirit Sword showed why he was first-ranked—each strike precise, no wasted movement, killing with practiced grace. Adrian's crimson manifestation ended threats with overwhelming force.
"They're escaping!" Lyra called, trying to pursue a controller. But enhanced gnolls blocked her path.
The controllers used the monsters as cover. One by one, they vanished into forest, black masks disappearing into shadows. Professional extraction under fire.
"Forget them! Clear the monsters!" Van ordered.
The team focused on immediate threats. Crimson and blue Spirit Swords carved through troll ranks. Green Spirit Sword manifestations eliminated gnolls with precision. Korvan's shield work created space. Kade's support kept everyone alive.
Five minutes of brutal combat.
Fifteen gnolls dead. Six trolls eliminated. Zero controllers captured.
The team stood in clearing littered with monster corpses, breathing hard, adrenaline still pumping.
"They got away," Korvan said grimly. "All of them."
"Professional extraction," Van confirmed, deactivating his Spirit Sword. Then he turned to Adrian, eyes sharp with astonishment. "That color. Crimson. I've never—"
"Tournament reports were accurate," Lyra breathed, green Spirit Sword fading. "Unprecedented manifestation. That was..."
"Overwhelming," Kade finished, his own green Spirit Sword disappearing. "The power difference between crimson and normal colors is significant."
Adrian deactivated his crimson Spirit Sword, the unprecedented flame fading. "Saved it for when we needed it. This qualified."
Van nodded slowly. "Understood. And... thank you. That crimson probably saved lives here."
"What were those controllers?" Lyra asked. "They fought like trained soldiers, not rune scholars."
"The Endless Night," Adrian repeated what the controller had shouted. "That's their faction name."
"And they're more dangerous than expected," Van said. "Coordinated ambush, enhanced monsters in greater numbers, skilled combat capability, professional extraction. This wasn't random criminals. This is organized threat."
Kade was searching the clearing. "Found something." He held up a paper, partially burned but readable. "Addressed to someone with initials M.C. Says 'mission finished.'"
"Mission finished?" Korvan frowned. "What mission?"
"We don't know," Van said grimly. "The attacks on Thornpeak, the enhanced monsters, the ambush—it could be testing enhancement runes, gathering intelligence, or something else entirely. But whatever The Endless Night was doing here, they completed it."
"And we just gave them more information," Adrian added. "They saw our tactics, our Spirit Sword colors, our capabilities. Professional extraction means they got away with that intelligence."
Van studied the paper. "M.C. Unknown identity. The Endless Night—organized faction with resources, expertise, and trained operatives. This is bigger than village protection mission. This is kingdom-level threat."
"Do we pursue?" Lyra asked.
"No." Van's decision was firm. "We're outmanned, they know terrain better, and we have injured villagers waiting. We secured village safety, eliminated immediate threat, gathered critical intelligence. Mission parameters met." He looked at the team. "We report this to Mistress Elara. Let Ashbourne command decide how to handle The Endless Night."
Adrian retrieved the paper, studying the M.C. initials. Who commanded a faction capable of enhancing monsters and deploying trained operatives? And what was their finished mission?
Questions for later. For now, they had village to secure and academy to report to.
The team gathered evidence—broken collars, the M.C. letter, tactical observations. Professional documentation of threat encountered.
Van pulled Lyra aside. "Send a hawk message back to Ashbourne. Immediate priority."
Lyra produced a small scroll and charcoal from her pack—standard scout equipment. "What should I include?"
"Mission more complicated than expected. Enhanced monsters—fifteen gnolls, six trolls. Organized faction calling themselves The Endless Night. Five masked operatives, skilled combatants, all escaped. Evidence of enslavement rune network and letter to unknown 'M.C.' indicating completed mission." Van paused. "Also note village needs kingdom assistance—protection detail, rebuilding resources, and medical aid for injured and families of the dead from the attacks."
Lyra wrote quickly, her script condensed but clear. "Full debrief upon return?"
"Yes. This is kingdom-level threat, needs command-level response." Van sealed the message.
Lyra reached into her equipment sack, producing a specialized whistle. She blew a sharp, piercing note that carried through the forest. Moments later, a trained hawk swooped down from the canopy—one of several that followed Ashbourne squires on missions for exactly this purpose. She secured the message to its leg. "Fly fast," she told the bird, releasing it skyward. The hawk took flight toward Ashbourne's distant fortress.
As they headed back toward Thornpeak, Van walked beside Adrian.
"That crimson Spirit Sword," Van said quietly. "Now I understand the reports about you. That's not just rare—that's game-changing power."
"It comes with complications," Adrian replied.
"I imagine. But today, it saved us." Van smiled slightly. "Welcome to Ashbourne's elite, Blackthorn. You've earned your place."
The team returned to village as twilight fell. Mission accomplished, threat eliminated.
But The Endless Night was out there. Organized, dangerous, commanded by mysterious M.C.
And now they knew Ashbourne was hunting them.