Kevin rushed through the forest, the scenery around him blurring as he sped toward the town he hadn't even known existed until this morning.

His eyes burned with rage and countless questions, yet his feet never slowed.

He didn't care that his thoughts had become chaotic.

First, he needed to confirm whether the Count had spoken the truth.

"Where are you going?"

A voice suddenly reached him.

Kevin stomped his right foot into the ground, causing soil to erupt outward as his body came to an immediate halt.

He turned toward the source of the voice.

And there he was.

The source of his frustration for the past four weeks.

"William..." he muttered upon seeing the blond-haired man.

He looked nothing like the way others had described him.

Yes, there was something undeniably strange about him, something Kevin couldn't quite put into words, but the ominous descriptions the headmaster had given simply didn't match reality.

Still, Kevin had no reason to doubt the man. After all, he wasn't the only witness, nor did he seem to have any motive to falsely frame William.

"You seem to be in quite a hurry. What brings you here?" William asked lightly as he slowly descended toward the ground.

Kevin glared at him.

"You know exactly why I'm here."

A golden sword suddenly materialized in his left hand, its radiant glow illuminating the dark forest.

The Aether flowing from his body seemed to breathe life into the surroundings. The warm, holy brilliance attracted several nearby creatures despite the fearsome pressure Kevin himself radiated.

In a deep voice, the raven-haired boy declared,

"I am here to capture you."

William merely hummed, completely unbothered.

Kevin felt irritation rise within him.

Even after coming all this way, he still couldn't provoke a proper reaction from this irritating bastard.

Fine.

Let's see how long he could keep up that act.

Dirt exploded beneath Kevin's feet as he launched himself forward, and in the very next moment, his figure vanished midair.

There was no doubt about it.

Teleportation.

The sudden movement caught William slightly off guard, but he still sensed Kevin's presence with ease and casually tilted his body to evade the strike.

Ting

Only the tip of the blade touched the ground, yet the impact created a deep crack across the surface.

Then, unnaturally, the sword rebounded off the earth and curved toward William's side.

The blond man hummed in mild surprise.

Something new.

At that speed, ordinary reflexes would never have been enough.

Even so, William looked anything but panicked.

"Damn you..." Kevin gritted through his teeth as the blade halted a hair's breadth away from William's body.

An invisible force held it in place.

A force Kevin couldn't alter.

Nor break through.

William looked at Kevin and asked in a calm, neutral voice, "You know you cannot win this, yet you still cling to hope."

Kevin let out a snicker. "You failed to assess the full extent of my ability."

Suddenly, the sword changed.

The golden blade dissolved into radiant energy that wrapped around Kevin's arms, forming a pair of gauntlets raging with Aether.

Kevin charged again, this time abandoning ranged attacks entirely for close combat.

He had already realized that against a mage like William, this was the better approach.

"Take this!"

His right fist shot toward William's head.

But William merely tilted his head slightly, allowing the punch to pass by while the resulting shockwave tore through the surrounding air.

Kevin didn't stop.

He twisted his body and drove his elbow toward William again, only for the blond man to casually raise an arm and block the strike completely.

Kevin shifted his footing instantly.

His other fist came upward in a brutal uppercut aimed directly at William's chin.

William stepped forward instead.

His speed matched Kevin's perfectly.

The uppercut struck nothing but empty air.

Before Kevin could react, William trapped one of his arms beneath his own and drove an elbow toward the apostle's forehead.

Caught in the hold, Kevin immediately raised his free arm to defend himself.

But...

The attack never came.

Kevin opened his eyes only to find William already backing away.

Confusion?

No.

Anger.

Definitely anger.

Grinding his teeth, Kevin suddenly slammed both hands against the ground.

A massive wall of earth erupted between them, instantly blocking William's view.

"Oh."

William turned just as another wall rose behind him.

Then another to his left.

And another to his right.

Within seconds, he was completely caged inside towering walls of dirt and stone.

William slowly looked upward.

The narrow opening above allowed pale moonlight to pour over his body.

But only briefly.

A figure descended into view, blocking the light itself.

A figure clad in gold and burning rage.

Kevin gathered his energy, focusing all of it into his hand.

Golden radiance erupted from his skin before manifesting into a massive ethereal hand that slammed downward through the narrow opening directly toward William.

DOOOOM

The attack landed.

The surrounding walls shattered apart while the ground beneath caved inward from the sheer force of the impact.

Kevin slowly descended back to the ground, his breathing slightly uneven as he stared at the cloud of dust and debris.

Then, a voice echoed behind him.

"Are you done playing?"

Kevin's eyes widened.

He spun around instantly toward the source of the voice.

William stood on the very same branch as before; unscathed and unbothered.

Kevin's eyes sharpened as Aether surged wildly around him once more.

The pressure rising from his body climbed higher and higher.

Yet, just as suddenly as it appeared, the golden flames faded away as though everything William had witnessed moments ago had merely been an illusion.

Kevin's shoulders slumped.

Even his gaze turned helpless.

"Why..." he muttered bitterly. "Why is it that every time I think I've closed the gap between us, you prove me wrong?"

William hummed lightly in confusion.

"I mean...you chose the wrong person to compete against."

Kevin snarled immediately.

"I hate how cocky you always sound!"

He even pointed an accusing finger at William while complaining.

William merely stared at the tantrum-throwing boy with an indifferent expression.

Kevin eventually let out a long sigh and lowered his guard.

The golden gauntlets vanished from existence, and along with them, the hostility he had carried since arriving here disappeared as well.

"Done fighting?" William asked as he slowly lowered himself to the ground.

"Don't joke around. You already knew I wasn't here to fight," Kevin snickered.

"That's true," William admitted with a nod.

With senses as sharp as his, William already knew that Kevin was far stronger than he had shown during the fight.

He had been holding back his punches because he never truly intended to harm William.

Well...if he even could.

But that wasn't important.

Intent was what mattered.

And William knew Kevin hadn't come here with ill intentions.

"Now then, if you've calmed down, come with me," William said while walking forward.

Kevin raised a brow. "You're inviting me to your place? Aren't you being a little too trusting?"

William chuckled softly.

"Not me. Your former teammate was the one who asked me to invite you for tea."

Kevin's heart trembled slightly.

A faint smile formed on his lips as he lowered his gaze. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Well, unfortunately, I didn't bring any gifts."

William tilted his head slightly.

"So...you're not coming?"

Kevin snorted.

"Of course I am."