The Albedo Effect

Haruko turns around to see Theia fallen to the ground, an emblem matching the symbol of the Ice mage’s fallen family appearing on Theia’s hip where the shard impacted against her now blue-ish skin. Haruko knew the cost of this mark, for it was this spell alone that pushed his organization, the Solis Knights, to fight and eradicate these power hungry mages. Ijiraat Token was a deadly spell that invaded the body’s ethernano system, integrating its unique strain of Ice Magic into the body and leaving the target with severe frostbite; slowly killing off the superficial skin as the strain works its way towards the internal organs. From what Haruko had learned long ago from reconnaissance missions to gather intel to help eradicate the clan, it took a matter of two days before it reached her heart and would eventually kill her, but there were ways around its effects that were both painful and enduring. But that would have to wait for now…

Haruko turned as his aura flared out, radiating a heat so intense it began to melt the ice off his nearby motorcycle. It’s golden radiation gave shape to a fearsome draconic beast above Haruko’s head, his aura reflecting the intense anger and malice he now felt coursing through every vessel in his being.

“You insolent, vile roach!” His voice boomed as he shifts his stance into one of a side facing squat, his hand being cupped into a fist at his back hip after he dispels his sword. A large concentration of magic can be felt charging up within his concentrated hand, as a topaz light begins to shin so intensely, with magic so dense, that the forming orb seems to be almost solid and it radiates with lumens so powerful it could blind any onlookers. “Do you honestly have the audacity to harm someone who did nothing to harm your family?! Or did your incestual, lobotomized brain make you forget your fight was with me…” Haruko’s voice lowers, as well as his stance, as he scoffs at the snide remark and shoulder shrug from Shinji. “Well luckily you won’t have the chance to pass on those unfortunate genes, because I will eradicate the last of your clan to pay for your arrogant and mindless mistake. You should have died like the rest of them, quick and painless, but now…Now I am going to make you suffer…Dragon Slayer Secret Art—Luminous Destruction!”

Haruko pushes off the ground with enough force to imprint the concrete beneath his feet, his speed almost unseen to the human eye. Haruko thrusts his fist forward, the dense orb of light easily breaking through the icy wall that grew up between the Knight and Shinji; it shattering like the arrogant smirk that once plagued the younger man’s face. Haruko’s attack makes contact with the stomach of Shinji before he can even take a breath, the force of the light feeling as if it is shifting all organs within his body up and out his throat. Shinji coughs up blood as the energy within Haruko’s orb is released against him, thousands of photons piercing through his skin like razor sharp needles. He flies backwards, his body writhing in pain as it slams against the wall of the building across the street. The broken brick dust mixes in with the blood trickling from his head, something Shinji hardly notices as he fights for air and any feeling left to the lower half of his body.

Haruko stands up slowly, a scowl still plaguing his face as he walks toward the mage who is slowly losing consciousness. His voice was calm and smooth, like a flowing stream, showing no signs of exhaustion from his devastating attack. “Call this retribution for your act against my student, as well as the lifetime of heartache your wretched family caused the world during it’s time. I suppose I must thank my fellow Solis Knights for allowing me to inflict my own personal punishment on the Yukimura clan,” Haruko sneers as he requips his sword and stabs it into the thigh of the now paralyzed ice mage, the femoral artery being severed as well as any magical vessel that could close off the wound for him, “Your life contributes to the greater balance of good and evil in this world, helping to level off the scales that the Solis Knights serve to maintain, you should be thankful that your wretched life even played a part in that.”

Haruko gives one last smirk as he turns around to quickly go to the side of his eccentric student. He requips back into his normal clothes, taking off his signature fur-lined coat to wrap around the frigid body of the girl. He could see the skin beneath her torn clothes begin to get the waxy appearance that accompanies frostbite at the location of impact, and he didn’t want to waste to see how far it had spread without taking further action to halt its course. He gently lifts up her shirt to stare down the mark that is continuously supplying ethernano to Theia’s body, although Haruko believes its power to be dwindling now that its caster is deceased. But he wants to completely halt any new ice strains from entering her body, and so he does what makes his face cringe at the thought of doing to such a bright and cheerful girl. He holds out his hand, releasing his own ethernano in a form of intense, oscillating infrared light; the heat akin to that given off by a branding iron. He places it quickly down on the diamond mark, careful to only release the energy upon the surface of the embedded magical signature; to help prevent a large scar. His hand meets the surface of her skin and beginning to burn away the source of the icy magic, Theia’s unconscious body tensing up in pain as the feeling of burning flesh could still reach her brain. Haruko raises his hand to check that the entirety of the emblem was burnt away, the red and blistered skin beneath it sending daggers into Haruko’s eyes for causing such a lasting reminder of his inability to protect her. A reminder of his inability to fully keep the promise he once made to Zhulong long ago.

There is still time… He thought to himself as he lifts up the small girl and cradles her onto his back. Using the same technique as before, Haruko coated his fist in a radiant heat and used his enormous strength to shatter the melting ice around the body of his motorcycle and quickly hooked up the SE plug. With whatever remaining magic energy he had left, Haruko poured it into the magical SE plug to help power his bike as fast as it could go back up to their cabin hidden in the woods. Along the way Haruko would take in deep breaths, swallowing up as much ambient ethernano and light as he could to help regain some of the magic that he had lost; one of the many benefits of being a dragon slayer. But his heart was heavy as he counted each second down, praying that he will make it in time to save the girl's life...