SPIRITBINDER: The Boy Without A Mark
Chapter 96: The Attempt

Chapter 96: The Attempt

The winds swirled violently around the training grounds as tension crackled between the three figures. Medas stood firmly in front of Morvane, his body taut with readiness. Levan’s armor gleamed under the faint rays of the blocked sun, his presence cold and unyielding.

"This is your last chance, Medas," Levan warned, his voice a steely echo. "Step aside, and I will spare you."

Medas’s lips curled into a defiant smirk. "You’ll have to tear me down first."

Levan’s eyes narrowed. Without another word, he lunged forward, his blade materializing in a flash of shimmering energy. The ground beneath him cracked as he shot toward Medas like a lightning bolt.

Medas met the charge with a telekinetic wave, the sheer force sending debris flying in all directions. The two collided, their powers clashing with a deafening explosion that shook the training grounds.

Morvane stumbled back, shielding his eyes from the brilliant burst. His heart raced, torn between staying out of the fight and helping Medas. But as Levan’s blade clashed against Medas’s defenses, sparks flew, and Morvane knew he couldn’t be a bystander.

"I won’t let anyone take me without a fight!" Morvane roared.

His angelic wings unfurled with a radiant glow, and with a single powerful beat, he shot into the air. Energy coursed through his veins as he unleashed a volley of manifestation magic toward Levan. Shadows warped around the ruler, twisting and spiraling into chaotic forms meant to bind and destabilize.

But Levan was unfazed. He raised a gauntleted hand, and a barrier of shimmering light erupted around him, dissolving the dark manifestations like mist under the morning sun.

"Pathetic," Levan muttered.

He thrust his free hand toward Morvane, a beam of blinding energy shooting forth.

"Morvane!" Medas shouted, pushing himself beyond his limits. His telekinesis wrapped around the beam, deflecting it just inches away from Morvane’s chest.

Morvane gasped, his heart hammering in his chest. "Thanks!"

"Focus!" Medas barked. "This is no ordinary spar—he’s serious!"

Gritting his teeth, Morvane clenched his fists. He couldn’t rely on his chaotic manifestation alone—not against someone like Levan. He had to fight smarter, faster.

Levan launched himself back into the fray, his blade a blur of energy. Medas met him head-on, their clash shaking the ground. But Levan’s power was immense, and despite Medas’s skills, he was slowly being pushed back.

Morvane’s vision blurred with desperation. His mind raced as he remembered Drevon’s taunting words from the day before.

Practice. Get stronger. Don’t sit and sulk.

He clenched his jaw, summoning all the power gifted by Meira’s angelic inheritance. His wings glowed fiercely, and his body moved with newfound speed.

He charged toward Levan from behind, his blade shimmering with radiant energy. Levan sensed the attack but was a fraction too slow. Morvane’s strike landed, grazing the edge of Levan’s armor and sending sparks flying.

Levan grimaced, momentarily thrown off balance. "Impressive," he admitted. "But you’re still not ready for this."

He unleashed a pulse of raw energy, blasting both Medas and Morvane backward. Dust and debris filled the air as the two struggled to regain their footing.

Medas coughed, his voice strained. "Morvane... you did well."

"I—" Morvane’s words faltered as his legs wobbled. "He’s... too strong."

"We’ll hold the line," Medas promised. "Together."

As Levan strode through the dust, his expression resolute, Morvane and Medas knew that this was far from over. But they wouldn’t back down—not now, not ever.

The dust began to settle, revealing Levan standing tall, his armor glinting in the fractured light. His eyes burned with a focused intensity as he assessed Medas and Morvane, who stood side by side, breathing heavily.

"I have to admit," Levan said calmly, "you both surprised me. But that won’t happen again."

Before Medas could respond, a strange energy pulsed around Levan. His body flickered for a moment, as if shimmering between forms. Then suddenly, the debris around him lifted into the air, hovering weightlessly.

Medas’s eyes widened in shock. "He copied my power... that’s my telekinesis."

Levan smirked. "I told you I would do what needs to be done."

With a flick of his hand, Levan sent a barrage of rocks and shattered debris flying toward them. Medas gritted his teeth and countered with his own telekinesis, the forces colliding mid-air with a thunderous explosion.

"He’s copying your power!" Morvane shouted.

"Yeah, I know, that is actually his power!" Medas growled as he struggled to hold the debris back.

Morvane’s wings flared as he summoned his manifestation magic. Dark tendrils of chaotic energy spiraled toward Levan, aiming to bind him in place. But Levan’s eyes gleamed with determination. He extended his hand, and a flicker of dark energy mimicking Morvane’s power erupted around him.

For a moment, Morvane’s heart sank. Was Levan truly capable of copying his chaotic magic?

But then, the energy around Levan wavered, flickering and destabilizing. He grimaced as sweat beaded on his forehead. The dark tendrils he summoned fizzled out before they could fully form.

Morvane’s eyes narrowed. "He can’t handle it."

Medas caught on quickly. "Your power requires too much energy. He can only copy a fraction of it."

Levan’s expression darkened. "Tch. So it has limits... but it’s enough."

He surged forward, his movements enhanced by Medas’s telekinesis and the faint remnants of Morvane’s chaotic energy. His strikes were swift and brutal, forcing both Medas and Morvane onto the defensive.

Medas blocked one blow with a telekinetic shield but was sent skidding backward by the sheer force of Levan’s strength. "He’s combining both powers—this is bad!"

Morvane gritted his teeth. "Then we need to fight smarter."

The young warrior beat his wings, launching himself high into the sky. Levan’s gaze followed him, but Morvane’s chaotic magic created swirling illusions around the battlefield, obscuring his true location.

"Medas, now!" Morvane shouted from above.

Medas didn’t need further instructions. He focused all his telekinetic energy on Levan’s feet, rooting him to the ground.

Levan struggled, his power flickering as he tried to counter Medas’s hold. But the mimicry wasn’t perfect—Medas’s mastery of telekinesis was far superior.

"You’re not invincible, Levan!" Medas roared.

Morvane dove from the sky, his blade gleaming with radiant energy. Levan’s eyes widened as he realized he couldn’t break free in time.

With a powerful strike, Morvane slammed into Levan, sending him crashing to the ground. Dust and energy exploded from the impact, shaking the entire training field.

As the dust settled, Levan lay on the ground, his armor scorched and dented. He coughed, his body trembling from the exertion.

Medas and Morvane stood over him, breathing heavily but victorious.

"You fought well," Levan admitted, his voice strained. "But this isn’t over."

"We’ll be ready," Morvane said firmly, his eyes blazing with newfound confidence.

As Levan’s energy flickered weakly, the weight of the battle lingered in the air. The attempt to capture Morvane had failed—but the war was far from over.

A sudden pulse of dark energy erupted from Levan’s body, a chaotic force imbued with Morvane’s manifestation magic. The air twisted violently, the ground trembling as invisible energy exploded outward.

Morvane’s eyes widened in shock. "What—?"

Before he could react, the force struck both him and Medas with brutal intensity.

"Morvane!" Medas shouted as the energy sent him hurtling through the sky. His body crashed into a distant grove, trees splintering under the impact.

Morvane wasn’t as lucky. His wings faltered, and he spiraled through the air, slamming hard onto the ground. His vision blurred, pain radiating through his entire body.

Levan descended upon him like a storm, his expression cold and resolute. The silver of his armor gleamed ominously in the fractured light as he pointed his shimmering blade at Morvane’s throat.

Morvane gasped, barely conscious from the impact. He struggled to lift his hand, but his body wouldn’t obey.

Levan’s voice was calm but laced with deadly intent. "I came here to abduct you, not to kill you. But now that I’ve seen the true dangers of your magic... I can’t let anyone wield it."

He raised his blade high, its edge shimmering with lethal energy.

Time slowed as Morvane’s breath hitched. He could feel the weight of death looming over him, a cold inevitability pressing against his chest.

The blade swung down—

But it never landed.

A metallic clang echoed across the field as a dark shadow materialized between Morvane and the blade. Sparks flew as the sword was halted mid-swing by a gleaming obsidian gauntlet.

"Drevon?" Morvane whispered in disbelief.

The figure standing before him smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief. "You’re really hopeless without me, aren’t you?"

Levan’s eyes narrowed. "You demon again?"

Drevon tilted his head. "Just someone who really hates unfair fights."

With a flick of his wrist, Drevon pushed Levan back. The ruler stumbled but quickly regained his footing, his expression now tinged with caution.

As if summoned by Drevon’s presence, two shadow beasts emerged from the swirling energy around Morvane. A massive wolf with glowing red eyes and a sleek, ominous crow with feathers as dark as the void flanked Morvane, their forms pulsing with chaotic magic.

Levan’s gaze flickered between the beasts and Drevon. "Shadow beasts... and you." His lips curled into a grim line. "So this is what you’ve become, Morvane—an embodiment of chaos."

Drevon laughed darkly. "Funny coming from the guy copying his magic. Let me tell you, Levan, you’re out of your depth."

The wolf growled, and the crow’s wings flapped, stirring the air with a bone-chilling gust.

Morvane, slowly regaining his strength, gritted his teeth. "You’re not taking me, Levan. Not today."

Levan’s grip tightened around his blade. "Then I’ll fight you all."

Drevon’s smirk widened. "Good luck with that."

The winds howled as the shadow beasts prepared to strike, and the training grounds transformed into a battlefield once again. The war for Morvane’s freedom was far from over—but this time, he wouldn’t face it alone.