Tale of a Hedonistic wizard-Chapter 458: Two most wanted criminals

He could only come to the conclusion of them coming here, right in this instant.

But soon his doubts would be confirmed.

"But why are they—"

"Go," Jaegar interrupted, summoning his power.

The air around his hands began to shimmer with heat.

"Now!"

Melusina hesitated only for a moment before turning and running toward the street that would lead her to the inn.

As she fled, Jaegar raised his hands, channelling a burst of pure arcane energy toward the rooftops—not an attack, but a signal, bright as a flare, to alert the witch spire.

If they were to know that something were happening in the city, they wouldn't sit quietly.

Just by looking at the arcane energy around the two figures, Jaegar could tell that he was no match for even a single one of them.

They were at the level of Wi'thas, the one who he faced before.

Elsbeth's laugh echoed across the square, a sound like ice cracking. "How considerate of you to announce yourself, young prince of chaos."

With impossible grace, she and Shaewyra leapt from the rooftop, landing in the square with barely a sound. Their cloaks billowed around them, defying the laws of nature as they moved with unnatural fluidity.

"What a sudden surprise to see you here," Elsbeth said.

"We've been looking for you but didn't expect to find you here," Shaewyra said, his voice resonating with multiple harmonics, as if several people spoke at once.

"Your father sends his regards."

Jaegar's jaw tightened at the mention of Angus. "I have no father."

"Oh, but you do," Elsbeth crooned, taking a step forward. "And he has such plans for you, Jaegar. Such glorious, terrible plans."

Jaegar backed away, his hands tracing patterns in the air as he prepared a defensive spell. "Whatever Angus is planning, I want no part of it."

Shaewyra's tattooed face twisted into a cruel smile. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice, boy. The blood of chaos flows in your veins. You are its instrument, whether you will it or not."

Elsbeth raised a hand, and darkness began to pool around her fingers like liquid shadow. "Come quietly, and we will bring your little chaos-touched friend too. Resist, and..."

The threat hung in the air between them, cold and sharp as a blade.

Jaegar knew he couldn't defeat both of them—not alone, not yet. But he didn't need to win. He only needed to delay them until help arrived.

"You'll have to catch me first," he said, and with a swift gesture, he released the spell he'd been quietly building—not at his opponents, but at the cobblestones beneath them.

The square erupted in a blinding flash of light as the stones themselves began to glow white-hot, forcing Elsbeth and Shaewyra to leap back. In that moment of confusion, Jaegar turned and ran, following the path Melusina had taken.

-

Jaegar's feet pounded against the cobblestones as he raced through the narrow streets of Amnohdet.

Behind him, shadows stretched and writhed unnaturally—Elsbeth's magic reaching for him like grasping hands. He ducked into an alleyway, muttering a quick incantation that caused a stack of crates to topple, temporarily blocking the path.

"Clever boy," came Elsbeth's voice, eerily close despite the obstacle. "But your mother's tricks won't save you."

The mention of his mother sent a spike of rage through Jaegar. He skidded to a halt at the mouth of the alley where it opened into a small abandoned marketplace. The stalls stood empty and forlorn in the gathering darkness, perfect for what he needed—space to manoeuvre.

Jaegar spun to face his pursuers, hands already weaving complex patterns in the air.

Elsbeth materialized from the shadows like a nightmare given form, her violet eyes gleaming with malicious delight. Beside her, Shaewyra stepped through what appeared to be a tear in reality, the arcane tattoos on his skin pulsing with sickly light.

"Done running?" Shaewyra asked, his multi-toned voice echoing strangely in the empty square.

"Running was never my intention," Jaegar replied, completing his spell with a flourish.

The air around him crackled with energy as a dome of translucent force sprang into existence, encircling the marketplace and trapping all three of them inside. No bystanders would be caught in what was to come.

"I couldn't risk civilian casualties," he explained, dropping into a defensive stance. "Now we can fight properly."

Elsbeth's laughter was like ice shattering. "How noble. Your grandmother taught you well." Her fingers curled, darkness pooling in her palm. "Let's see what else she taught you."

She struck first, hurling a bolt of pure shadow that hissed as it cut through the air. Jaegar deflected it with a hastily erected shield of golden light, the impact sending him sliding backward several feet.

Shaewyra moved with impossible speed, appearing behind Jaegar, his tattooed hand reaching for the young wizard's neck. But Jaegar had anticipated this, dropping into a roll and releasing a blast of concussive force that sent the Dark Arcanist crashing into an abandoned stall.

"Impressive reflexes," Elsbeth commented, stalking forward. "But let's see how you handle this."

She raised both hands, and the shadows beneath the stalls and carts began to bubble and rise, forming into vaguely humanoid shapes with razor-sharp claws. A dozen shadow constructs lurched toward Jaegar, their movements jerky but relentless.

Jaegar responded by stomping his foot against the ground, channelling energy through the earth itself. The cobblestones rippled outward in a wave, disrupting the shadows' forms momentarily. Taking advantage of the distraction, he traced a complex sigil in the air, murmuring words in an ancient tongue.

Fire erupted from his fingertips—not ordinary flame, but concentrated arcane energy that burnt with a blue-white intensity. The fire formed into a whirling disc that he sent spinning through the shadow constructs, dissipating several of them.

Shaewyra, having recovered, made a slashing motion with his arm. The tattoos on his skin seemed to leap into the air itself, forming into chains of glowing symbols that shot toward Jaegar.

"Binding runes," Jaegar muttered, recognizing the ancient magic.

He clapped his hands together, creating a thunderous shockwave that disrupted the approach of the arcane chains. But he wasn't fast enough to stop them all. One wrapped around his ankle, burning cold against his skin.

Pain lanced up his leg, but Jaegar didn't falter. Instead, he grabbed the spectral chain with his bare hand, using it as a conduit to send his own magic surging back toward Shaewyra. The Dark Arcanist's eyes widened in surprise as his own spell was turned against him, forcing him to break the connection.