A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

After Erik voiced his demand, a brief silence ensued.

The silence was broken by the Institute's leader, who raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You've got some nerve, boy. You should know that the only reason you're not in chains yet is because we have orders to prioritize security here. I suggest you take this chance and leave. Now. Before I change my mind."

Despite his bravado, Erik's words had put the man on edge. Encountering a second-ranker who was also foolish was rare, if not unheard of. In the current state of Earth, reaching the second rank required both talent and intelligence.

Therefore, he could only conclude that this man was either bluffing or had some reason not to fear their superior numbers.

'Could they really be the people mentioned in that report? I recall a warning about not engaging them without significantly superior numbers...' he thought, realizing that having only two more second-rankers than the opponents likely didn't qualify as 'significantly superior.' Hence, he became more cautious.

Erik dismissed the man's 'friendly' suggestion. "I'm not leaving without what I came for," he said with arms crossed and a hard, uncompromising glare aimed for the man in front of him.

Erik noticed his opponent narrowing his eyes, attempting to gauge the threat level of Erik and his group.

And whether or not they really were this group from the report.

"Why do you even think we have this Alice per..." he started to ask, but paused abruptly upon noticing Victor at the back. Though he didn't recognize the man, the uniform was unmistakable.

"What is a Council envoy doing with you? And why does he look so... strange?" he directed his questions at Erik, since Victor seemed somewhat distracted.

Erik shrugged. "He's the reason we know Alice is here. Don't worry about his appearance. Let's just say he had a bad day. Now, I really don't have the patience or energy for this debate."

He raised his right fist, which began to crackle and pop with lightning. "So, are you going to let me in, or do I need to create my own entrance?" he growled threateningly, with narrowed eyes.

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As the Institute leader grew a little more nervous when he felt the power behind that fist, he suddenly recalled the report's mention of the black-haired girl's ability to enslave others. His eyes drew to Victor again and it quickly dawned on him that these individuals were indeed those mentioned in the report.

He didn't know why they were here or what they wanted with one of their test-subjects, but he suddenly realized these people were definitely too much to handle for him and his small security force.

"I..." he started, but Erik had grown impatient, and quickly interrupted him.

"Too late," Erik said, and under the guards' alarmed gazes, he punched forward.

The barrier offered little resistance as his fist crashed straight through, and continued moving until he grabbed the leader by the throat and lifted him into the air. The man yelped and gurgled. Feeling the relatively frail neck and throat beneath his hand, Erik realized this man was human.

When Erik broke through the barrier, a crisp shattering sound ensued, and the barrier dissolved into blue specks of light.

Sweat formed on the leader's brow as he gasped and struggled against Erik's iron grip. Although he had anticipated Erik breaking through the barrier, he hadn't expected it to be so effortless.

Witnessing their leader hoisted into the air, the remaining second-rank guards sprang into action. Their skin shimmered with runes, and their hands glowed with glyphs as they yelled for Erik to let their leader go.

Behind them, some first-rank guards formed the same formation the second-rankers had used back in Frostvik. Theoretically, this added three more second-rankers to their numbers, but they posed no real threat to Erik and his group.

Despite his precarious situation, the leader managed to conjure two silver-gray magic circles, summoning a handful of similarly colored spheres around him.

"Similar to Emily's spell, but with metal instead of darkness," Elora informed Erik mentally, assessing the affinities of the other second-rankers and sharing the information with him.

"You dare!" the leader choked out, attempting to seem more threatening than he felt. If all else failed, he decided he might as well attempt to bluff. "Let me go now, or face the consequences."

Erik scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Don't make empty threats. You'll be dead before those orbs of yours even twitch."

Before the leader could reply, one of the other second-rankers acted impulsively.

"Damn it, let him go!" he yelled, forming something akin to a fireball in his hands, clearly intending to launch it at Erik.

But Erik just ignored him. Before the fireball could fully form, a small black orb shot directly into the man's eye.

With their attention fixed on Erik and his leader, the rest of Erik's group had been overlooked.

And now, this guard was paying the price.

He screamed as the black orb consumed his eye, remaining lodged in the socket. He was about to double over in pain when Emily spoke. "Be careful," she smirked sadistically. "One wrong move, and my little friend there will melt your brain."

The guard stiffened, whimpering in fear and pain as tears streamed from his remaining eye. "Please," he begged, looking at Emily with a pleading gaze while desperately trying to ignore the black orb of death stuck in his eyesocket.

Emily, however, didn't care for his pleading and turned her focus back to Erik and the man in his grip.

Realizing they were already down two men, including himself, the man understood they stood no chance in this confrontation.

So he quickly exclaimed, "Stop! Stop..." while raising his arms and dismissing the metal spheres. His earlier bravado had vanished as he pleaded, "I'll get you what you want, just don't kill anyone."

The Council's rule was clear: when faced with unwinnable odds, surrender.

This policy might seem defeatist or overly cautious, but it was neither.

It was designed to preserve manpower. As long as there was a chance for second-rankers to escape unharmed and fight another day, that outcome was preferred in many cases.

After all, second-rankers were a valuable asset, and producing more of them was a slow and challenging process.

Thus, this commander chose to surrender today.