"Damn it..."

Rein had sensed something off with this body the moment she began casting. Nona had mentioned this vessel was far stronger than her original one. The problem was simple: without a staff, her Arcane Power output was manageable. But the moment she channeled through the staff? Total overload. The black staff turned into a scorching hot potato, bursting into flames from the sheer energy. Terrified of drawing Sophia’s or the white wolves’ attention, Rein slammed it to the ground.

The spell failed. Thankfully, since most magic had already flowed into the staff, backlash was avoided. But seeing two wolves lunging at Sophia’s back, Rein had no choice. She triggered Mental Force Manifestation, hurling the beasts aside.

The drawback? Manifesting mental energy drained Arcane Power like a sieve. Most wasn’t consumed by the technique itself—it just lingered uselessly in the air. Any mage with basic training could trace that residue back to its source.

"Control is still a huge issue..."

Even as a prodigy, Rein had started with mastering this foundation: knowing her limits, regulating output. Everyone’s capacity differed. Switching bodies made failed offensive spells inevitable—her magic had always been calibrated for her original form.

Yet Sophia, sensing the lingering Arcane Power, felt no urge to hunt down the mage. Her training demanded hostility toward spellcasters—*kill on sight*—but knightly code forbade raising a blade against a savior. Unless under extreme duress.

She yanked her shortsword from a wolf’s corpse. Snow camouflaged most predators; only movement against dark trees revealed them. Rough count: five or six wolves still encircled her.

Rein’s Detection Spell painted a grimmer picture: nearly ten wolves. The alpha hadn’t joined the fray. Too distant. Attacking it would drain almost all her reserves—she was barely a second-tier Mage right now, passively regenerating power.

"Gotta find a way..."

Sophia raised her left arm, wiping her blade clean on her sleeve. Not doctrine. Just a habit. She didn’t even know why—maybe it just looked cool.

She charged. Better to shatter their circle than wait. White shadows darted between snow-laden trees. Moonlight glinted off her shortsword like a reaper’s scythe, harvesting lives. In two minutes, three more wolves lay dead.

Wolves tried flanking her. Rein saw them coming. Manifested mental spears pinned the scheming beasts to tree trunks.

*Awooo!*

The alpha’s howl. Survivors retreated instantly. No pack could afford such losses over one meal. Preservation came first.

"Over?"

Sophia watched the wolves flee like whipped strays. She plunged her sword into the snow, exhaustion overriding caution.

Turning to find her savior, she heard rocks clatter—from the cave she’d just left.

"Rein!"

She sprinted back. Rein lay asleep on dry straw, just as before. Her face was unusually relaxed, lost in some pleasant dream.

But the air reeked of Arcane Power. *He was here. He never left.*

Sophia tensed. She scanned for invisibility ripples—most cloaking spells left distortions. Nothing. Following the magic’s strongest scent to the cave entrance, her boot nudged something.

A burnt branch. Not ordinary charred wood. Strange patterns lingered on its surface—like a half-melted Magic Circle.

"Who are you...?"