Deep inside the forbidden sector of Silver Heaven Academy—the heart of the Mist Forest—an eerie silence ruled.
Shaun and Princess Nina stood together, facing the danger that emerged from the swirling mist.
The black-clad figure who had just attempted to take Nina's life descended lightly from mid-air. A long cloak fluttered behind her, like the wings of a silent reaper.
Her face remained hidden beneath a hood and mask—no breath, no emotion… only killing intent.
Her weapon—a slender spear of pure white—gave off a glass-sharp glimmer, sunlight scattering like fractured mirrors across its blade. Mana hummed faintly around it, as if thirsting for more blood.
Shaun tightened his grip around his ordinary training spear—jaw clenched, eyes narrowed.
"Whoever you are," he growled under his breath, "you just made the worst mistake of your life by picking the wrong target."
Behind him, Nina trembled uncontrollably. Her hands, without realizing, clung to Shaun's shoulders—her body pressed close against his back. He could feel her fear in every shaking breath she took.
The assassin's eyes—hidden but burning—flared crimson.
"What," she hissed, voice dripping with venom, "are you doing here… and how DARE you steal my prey?"
Shaun didn't flinch.
"Who are you? And why do you want to harm the princess?" he demanded.
His voice was louder than he intended—a shout fuelled by fear and courage clashing inside his chest.
The assassin raised her spear—its point hovering inches from Shaun's face.
"This is none of your business, boy," she snarled.
"Move aside unless you wish to be skewered. This matter is between me… and the princess."
Shaun blinked.
That voice—unmistakably female. She's a woman…?
But that wasn't important now. He pushed aside the confusion and stepped forward, shielding Nina further.
"Oh yeah? Too bad for you," he snapped, "because I'm not going anywhere. If you want to harm Princess Nina… you'll have to get past ME first!"
A slow, mocking chuckle escaped the assassin.
"How foolish…"
She twirled her spear once, the movement elegant yet horrifying.
"It seems you have a death wish. Very well. I'll grant it."
Shaun planted his feet firmly. His heart hammered wildly in his chest—yet there was no retreat in his stance.
The assassin's posture shifted—deadly and refined. One graceful step… then another. Each one made Shaun's breath tighten, his muscles coil like springs ready to snap.
Her white spear pointed forward—a hunter savouring the moment before the kill.
Shaun inhaled deeply, refusing to let fear dictate his next move. Today, he had only one goal—Protect Nina. No matter what.
He angled his spear, expression hardening. The space between them crackled with silent tension. Even the mist held its breath.
The assassin smiled behind the mask. Her voice slithered like a blade drawn in the dark.
"Come then, hero… Let's see how long you can last."
**********
Shaun kept his stance firm, fingers tightening around his spear. The masked assassin studied him in silence—then her grip shifted.
Mana surged. Her spear exploded in a blinding frost-blue radiance. Shaun instantly stepped in front of Nina.
"Princess Nina, hide behind that tree—don't come out. I'll handle her!"
Nina obeyed, though she stayed close—far too close for Shaun's comfort.
Shaun bit down frustration. Why didn't I call for backup? But the thought ended just as fast—If I had waited… Nina could've been dead by now. So no regrets. Not now.
The assassin launched forward—and vanished. Shaun's breath hitched.
Where—!?
Nina's terrified voice cut through the silence:
"Shaun! Behind you!!"
Shaun spun and barely dodged the incoming strike. The spear sliced past his cheek—cold as death—and his spear snapped in half.
The assassin's spear tip buried into the ground, frost spreading like hungry fangs. Shaun stumbled back, heart pounding.
"Hah… nice reflexes," the assassin hissed, yanking her spear free.
Shaun felt a chilling sting in his hand. His broken spear—now half—was coated in ice, freezing upward.
"What the—!?" He threw it away instantly.
Below, the earth where her weapon struck turned a frozen white, expanding into cracked ice like winter devouring the forest floor. Shaun swallowed, fear creeping up his spine.
"What kind of weapon…?"
The assassin smirked behind her mask, stepping closer.
"You finally noticed? This spear isn't forged metal."
She tapped the blade against her own palm—frost formed instantly.
"It's created from my Frostweaver Moulding Art." Her voice grew darker.
"Everything its edge touches becomes… a frozen corpse."
She gently traced the spear tip against a nearby tree—FWOOOOSH—!
The tree, the birds, the tiny creatures on its branches—All froze in under a second. Shaun's eyes widened.
"That's insane…"
He's distracted. The assassin's eyes glinted. She hurled the spear. It cut the air—A perfect kill shot toward Shaun's head. Too fast to dodge.
"Aegis Divine Barrier!!!" Nina leapt forward.
A pink, bubble-like barrier burst into existence around Shaun. The spear struck—
TWANG! —and bounced back to the assassin's hand as though repelled by divine force.
"Tch…" The assassin clicked her tongue.
"I forgot the princess could still move."
Nina stood behind Shaun, chest rising and falling, magic still glowing around her palms.
"Shaun! Are you okay?"
Shaun looked away, jaw clenched.
"Yeah… I'm fine. I dropped my guard. Stupid mistake…"
Nina shook her head with a small, reassuring smile.
"No. You protected me. And I'm here now—we fight together."
Shaun nodded—eyes sharp again.
"I don't know who she is, but that spear… It freezes everything on contact. Close combat is suicide."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"We separate her from that weapon. Without it—she loses her biggest advantage."
Nina nodded quickly. "But how do we do that?"
Shaun stepped close—close enough to whisper only to her. The assassin watched… Her grip tightening… But she couldn't hear the plan. Nina finished listening, took a breath—and met Shaun's eyes with newfound courage.
"I understand. I'll support you however I can."
The assassin's eyes narrowed.
"So… the little birds are plotting?"
She raised her spear, frost swirling at her feet. "How adorable."
**********
They stood a breath apart — Shaun and Nina, small figures framed by mist and skeletal trees — the white spear glinting like a shard of winter between them and the masked woman. The assassin's voice came low, cold as the spear itself.
"I don't know what tiny scheme you two have whispered up, but whatever it is will fail. Surrender now and die peacefully."
Her words were a blade meant to cut hope. The assassin's posture was loose, confident — every inch the predator.
Shaun met Nina's eyes. For a second there was nothing but shared focus: no bravado, only the steady calm of people who had decided to act.
They exchanged a single, quiet nod — the signal. A smile ghosted across both their faces, small and fearless, as if the private pact had already sealed their answer.
Shaun shot forward like a lightning bolt in mortal form — boots carving up dirt as he closed in on the assassin. She tilted her head slightly, unimpressed.
"So it is a reckless charge," she muttered.
Ice surged along her spear — a chilling shimmer of blue-white mana that hummed like a predator anticipating blood.
Shaun didn't stop. He leapt, body twisting upward through the mist-filled air. His right fist crackled to life — lightning snarling around it like a storm given shape.
"Lightning Arts — Thunderclad Fist!"
Electricity roared up his arm, turning his hand into a blazing comet aimed straight at her head. The assassin smiled underneath the mask.
Fool… you bring flesh against frost?
She propelled herself upward as well, spear thrust forward with lethal precision.
Their weapons — lightning and ice — met in the narrowing heartbeat between life and death… But before cold could pierce bone—
"Divine Arts — Aegis Divine Barrier!"
Nina's voice sliced the air like an invocation from the heavens. A radiant, rose-pink barrier burst into existence — a curved shield of solid light.
The assassin's spear slammed into it—
CRACK—!!!
The Frost Spear shattered, fragments sparkling into mist like broken shards of winter.
"What the—?!" The assassin's eyes widened — raw shock ripping through her calm.
She hadn't even realized when Nina cast the spell. For the first time, her balance faltered. She was vulnerable. And Shaun — already flipping over the barrier — saw his moment.
The assassin's eyes were still fixed on her shattered spear when a sudden shift in the air made her gasp—Shaun had already vaulted off Nina's barrier, spinning through the air with gravity-defying precision.
Before she even sensed him, he was behind her — upside down, suspended mid-air like a hawk ready to strike.
Lightning surged violently from his arm, splitting into twin streams that coiled into both palms — electricity crackling like caged beasts eager for release. Shaun's voice dropped — confident, unyielding:
"Checkmate." A fierce grin.
"Lightning Arts — Volt Serpent Strike!"
Lightning shot out — multiple crackling serpents made of pure electric fury. They lunged with synchronized hisses, wrapping around the assassin's torso and back — the arcs of blue light illuminating the Mist Forest.
BAA-KROOM—!!
The blast shook the treetops. The masked assassin's body jerked violently — smoke curling off her cloak. Her spear fragments scattered as she crashed into the ground, skidding across dirt and leaves.
Shaun landed a moment later — boots digging into earth — chest heaving with adrenaline. He stared ahead, trying to see through the steam and sparks still crackling around her crumpled figure.
Steam curled off the assassin's cloak as she struggled back to her feet — legs trembling, breaths sharp.
Lightning burn marks scorched her back, the torn fabric exposing a glimpse of pale, flawless skin…and a strange crescent-shaped sigil, glowing faintly beneath the surface. Shaun's eyes widened.
What is that mark…? Some kind of curse brand? No, it feels… alive.
But his moment of curiosity vanished as she snapped her head toward him — rage burning behind her mask.
"You little runt!" she snarled, gripping her left arm as ice reformed over her fingers.
"How dare you wound me!? Now… you DIE!"
She slammed her palms together—
FWOOOOO—!!!
White mana surged around her arms, transforming into a swirling vortex of frost. Her voice echoed like a winter storm:
"Frost Arts — Glacial Lance Ray!!!"
A beam of blinding cold burst forth — a jagged spear of ice and light racing toward Shaun with killing intent. Shaun froze — too slow to dodge. But Nina was already moving.
"Shaun—!!"
**********