The Prince Of Magic

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"Ha, ha, well… that was fun!" Arash stated, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with a refreshing smile.

"Yup. I don't mind doing that again!" Astolfo agreed, doing a fist pump to the sky.

Sending Astolfo an amused smile, Arash glanced at the silver bracelet around his right wrist. There is a tiny vial filled with liquid resin attached to it, while inside was a red feather glowing with a strange light.

It was a gift from his Master, who had vaguely explained to him once that it was a good luck charm that can prevent the fatal side-effect of his Noble Phantasm from ever taking his life again.

Arash hadn't needed a more detailed explanation from his Master other than that, thanking the young man instead of asking questions.

He was curious as to how the item had prevented him from dying via after activating his Noble Phantasm, but Arash held himself back and reminded himself that his master was a Magus, despite his young age and noble ideals.

Letting a mystery remain as one was one of the main components in Magecraft, and it might be detrimental for his master if Arash decides to know more.

The item was worked to prevent him from dying ever again and that was what matters to him the most, regardless of his curiosity on the matter.

Exhaling through his nose, he looked behind where his other fellow retainers are located and took in the scene.

Charles was on his knees, looking a bit dazed but mostly fine as the seconds pass.

Rider appeared a bit winded, but she managed to recover quickly. She was even arranging her long lavender hair to get rid of any tangles before dusting off any dirt that might be on her clothes.

"Ugh… never again." Charles g.r.o.a.n.e.d as he straightened up his posture.

The others looked quite unfazed by the haphazard landing earlier.

Scáthach was already taking the lead, scouting for any movements as she looked around their new surroundings.

Astolfo and Arturia were already behind her, copying her action as they inspected the area as well.

Although, the former looked a bit too jolly to be looking around instead of being serious like the other two, which was nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to the pink-haired servant.

The only one who was not fine was Yan Qing, who Charles and Astolfo had to carry before they got off the speedboat.

The long-haired retainer was on the ground, still tied up and gagged. The only difference was that Yan was not conscious at the moment.

'Huh, he must've passed out earlier…' Arash mused, recalling the dangerous landing they had before.

The speedboat nearly laded on a boulder earlier, but thanks to Arturia's quick thinking, they managed to avoid it when she used 'Strike Air' to propel the speedboat forward while still in mid-air.

Arash was also thankful that Yan was tied up and unconscious during that time. Otherwise, they would never hear the end of his cussing.

His fellow retainer can be quite creative when it comes to profanities.

Just as he was about to go and wake up his fellow retainer, Yan woke up on his own, startled and screaming, but the sound was muffled, thanks to the white cloth that was still in his mouth.

Hearing the sound as well, Astolfo looked over his shoulder and his grin widened when he saw that his fellow retainer had awoken.

He skipped over to them and crouched in front of Yan's prone form, looking down at him with an innocent expression that seemed to annoy the hell out of the long-haired retainer.

"Oi, Yan! You woke up!" Astolfo greeted with a cheery grin, waving down at him.

"MFFPH!" was Yan's muffled response.

Knowing the man, Arash knew that Yan was probably screaming out profanities at the pink-haired servant. On the other hand, there was a sense of urgency in his tone when he screamed, as if he was feeling something like pain or anger in that moment.

'Probably even both…' The servant of the bow mused.

With a slight shake of his head, Arash walked to the two retainers and kneeled on one knee, then used his hands to put Yan into a sitting position before taking off the white cloth in his mouth, which the long haired servant appreciated and showed by giving him a nod of thanks.

Then, he face-faulted, taking on an annoyed expression as he recalled what just happened.

"Thanks, but what the f.u.c.k was that!" Yan exploded, glaring at Arash.

"My method of instant transportation?" Arash answered, bemused by his reaction.

"Oh, f.u.c.k, if it ain't that obvious!" Yan retorted. "And will you morons untie me already. I've had enough of being on the ground. My a.s.s is getting cold and stinging, you bastards! Let me up!"

"Cold? Stinging?" Arash echoed, confused.

Nevertheless, the Servant of the Bow heeded to his demand and freed him from the ropes. Once he was untied, the three retainers all stood up, with the two staring at Yan in amus.e.m.e.nt as they watch him grumble under his breath while he dusted the dirt off of his clothes.

"Man, and these are my favorite clothes too. Shit…" Yan began cursing in mandarin under his breath, looking over his attire for any signs of damage as he did so.

"Didn't think that you would actually faint from that, Yan. You scared of great heights or something?" Astolfo teased as he sidled up beside him.

"Grrr… F.u.c.k you, pinkie!" Yan growled, baring his teeth.

"Haa, pity I didn't took a picture earlier. That moment was actually quite memorable too!" Astolfo feigned a disappointed sigh, then shot a shit-eating grin at the fuming Yan just to mess with him.

"That's it! I'mma be f.u.c.k.i.n.g throwing you off of this island! Come here, ya shithead!" Yan shouted, chasing after the pink-haired servant who was laughing maniacally as he ran off.

Watching Astolfo and Yan with their usual antics, Arash thought about what Yan had said before.

His musings was interrupted when he heard someone came near him, causing him to turn his gaze over to the left where he saw Charles crouching on one knee as he inspected the ground with curious eyes.

"Oh hey, look down, guys. The ground's black and cold." Charles laid one hand on the ground, then pulled his back immediately and shake it. "Like, really cold. It's ridiculous."

"Huh, that's weird." Arash commented, dropping on one knee as he observed the ground. "Didn't that Chief Director said that this is an island?"

"Yeah, he did." Charles confirmed with a nod. "Why're you asking?"

"Well, if it ain't obvious yet, buddy, the one we're standing on clearly doesn't look like one." Yan pointed out with a dry expression, somewhat tired from chasing after the faster servant.

When Arash saw Charles's look of confusion, the servant of the bow merely smiled.

"He's right. Look here," Arash gestured to the black ground. "An island normally has a healthy soil and rich with plant life, but the one we're standing on does not. The ground beneath our feet is black. It feels and looks dead. Not only that, but there are these crystals surrounding this place. Tall as trees too."

"Correction, they were trees." A female voice stated.

The four male retainers blinked, then turned their gaze to where the voice appeared.

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