Chapter 4
A young woman with a fair complexion and striking blue eyes. She had wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair that framed her face. She was dressed in a light blue robe with a high collar, which was secured at the waist by a belt. Beneath the robe, she wore a form-fitting black outfit that covered her arms and legs, providing both modesty and practicality. Her attire was complemented by black boots and gloves, and she carried a staff. "Are you done checking me out?" she asked as Levi smiled. "You do have a lovely accent and a face," he said making her smile before he faced forward. "Thank you" she said as she continued, "Haven't seen you before. Are you new?" she asked as Levi replied, "Just passing through," he said as he took out his guitar.
"You are bard, right?" she asked as levi smiled, as children curiously stepped out from their tents or alleyways, looking at him expecting it, which made him smile for a second before he started to play, Levi smiled as he strummed his guitar, the familiar melody filling the air. His voice was smooth, carrying a warm, playful tone that instantly caught the children's attention. They stepped closer, eyes wide with curiosity, their faces peeking out from the shadows of their makeshift homes. Some hesitated at first, but as Levi continued to sing, their small feet shuffled forward, drawn in by the tune.
"Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife..."
Laughter bubbled up among the children as they clapped along, their tired faces momentarily brightening. A few of the younger ones swayed side to side, their little hands grasping onto each other as they twirled to the rhythm. For a moment, the weight of the ruined city seemed to lift, replaced by the simple joy of music.
Sypha stood at the side, watching in quiet fascination. Her arms were crossed, but her expression softened as she took in the sight before her. She had seen many things in her travels—destruction, despair, loss—but this? This was rare. A single song, meant for children, was enough to bring light into a place drowning in darkness.
"Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home..."
Levi sat with ease, one leg resting over the other as he played, his fingers effortlessly moving along the strings. His expression was calm, yet there was something beneath it—something knowing. He wasn't just playing to entertain. He was playing because he understood. Because sometimes, in the middle of all the suffering, people needed a reason to smile. Even if just for a moment,
"And here I thought you were only good at singing sad songs." That was when Trevor's voice sounded as Levi and Sypha looked at him, but immediately, Sypha groaned as she said, "It's you again," making Trevor chuckle as he said, "Yeah, I see you have met our resident Speaker," getting a surprised reaction from Levi, who asked, "So you can perform magic?" He asked, making Sypha reply, "Why? Are you afraid?" She asked, making Levi chuckle softly as he said, "No, quite the opposite," he said, much to the surprise of Sypha, who asked, "It is?" and so did Trevor, "Really?" Levi got up as he stretched, "It's good to have another sorcerer around here," he said as he put his guitar on his back. "Are you also a Speaker?" Sypha asked as Levi shrugged.
"Speakers, sorcerers, it's all the same," he said as he chanted briefly, allowing him to manifest a small bird made out of mana on his hand. "Beautiful," Sypha said as Levi dismissed it. "That is it." That was when Trevor said, "Here she comes with the proposal," getting a confused reaction from Levi, who asked, "What proposal?" as Sypha seemed excited.
"You see, have you heard of the sleeping soldier?" she asked as Levi seemed confused. "It's an old tale of a soldier capable of defeating Dracula's creatures that was sleeping under Gresiet," Trevor explained briefly before Sypha could get into a whole lot more detail, which she frowned at before she said, "I want to wake him up so that we can stop Dracula's massacre," she said before looking at Levi. "Maybe you can help me if the Belmont won't," she said as Levi pondered for a minute, which just made Trevor groan. "You can't be considering this, can you?" he asked as Levi smiled. "Why not? It should be fun. Plus, aren't you curious?" he asked as Trevor sighed, "No, the only thing I am curious about is getting a full lunch and a cup full of ale," he said, making Sypha groan.
"Men and their ale," she groaned as she then looked at Levi. "So you will help?" she asked as Levi said, "Sure, why not? But first, we have visitors," he said as he looked at the castle walls where the sun was setting, and suddenly, figures could be seen. "Ah, fuck me," Trevor cursed as Levi chanted, "Oh magic, enhance my perception and reflexes for the next twenty minutes," he cast as his eyes immediately became clear, and so did his reflexes. He felt like he was stuck in a muddy pool before, but now, he felt free and unrestrained.
"This should be fun," Levi said as he got a surprised look from both Trevor and Sypha. "What do you mean?" Trevor asked as Sypha asked, "Are you crazy?" making Levi chuckle, "Just a little bit," he said before they all looked ahead. Winged creatures with black, leathery skin and strange limbs that, despite being bipedal, looked unnatural. "I will get the people to evacuate, get into houses," Sypha said as they both nodded.
Trevor stood firm, cracking his consecrated whip with deadly precision. His short sword gleamed in his other hand, ready to carve through flesh and bone alike. Beside him, Levi raised both hands, fingers slightly curled, his body radiating an almost overwhelming magical pressure. He spoke, his voice deep and commanding, the primal language of magic rolling off his tongue like an undeniable force of nature.
The first to attack were the massive fire-breathing bats, each with wingspans larger than horse-drawn carriages. Their glowing eyes locked onto the trio as they screeched, their throats bulging before vomiting forth fireballs the size of boulders. The molten spheres of death tore through the air, igniting everything in their path.
Levi didn't move. He simply exhaled, he chanted, then twisted his hand slightly. The world responded. The fireballs froze mid-flight, their flames flickering violently against an invisible force. Then, with a flick of his wrist, Levi crushed them. The orbs of fire collapsed into themselves, detonating prematurely and sending shockwaves rippling outward. The bats screeched in confusion, wings beating wildly, but Levi was already moving.
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A/N just a bit of a notice, Levi would only focus on magic, meaning that even if he could give himself superhuman strength, he would use magic as that is the point of a story, of course he will use physical attacks here and there but that will be kept to a minimal.
ps: here is a picture of trevor and sypha