Accidental Ascendance

Chapter 16 16: Night Salamander Part 3 Dark Cedric

?

Oliver and Lily stood stunned at Cedric's appearance. It was as if he had undergone a complete transformation, emitting an energy that they had never sensed before. The air around him seemed to crackle with power, and his eyes glowed with an intense light.

Oliver couldn't believe his eyes. "What was that energy? Cedric should be magicless."

Cedric stretched, seemingly unfazed by their astonishment. "This body is a little stiff, but I guess it can't be helped..."

Oliver tried to regain his composure as he sensed Cedric's mana, but what he discovered left him speechless. What was once an empty void in Cedric's mana reservoir was now filled with streams upon streams of mana, and it felt different, almost unnatural. "How is this possible? And what's with his mana? It doesn't feel right."

Cedric almost scoffed, as if he sensed Oliver sizing him up. He looked at him with a sinister grin, waving his finger back and forth. "TSK TSK TSK, It's not polite to peek.... Mr. Regan."

The giant bandit got to his feet, panting. "As I thought, you humans have no honor..."

In a blink of an eye, Cedric was in front of the bandit, leaving everyone stunned. "If you were looking for honor, you picked the wrong profession."

The bandit, out of shock, swung a fist infused with mana at Cedric. "What do you know!"

The punch landed, blasting away multiple trees around them. As the dust cleared, the bandit grinned with pride. However, that grin quickly faded as Cedric stood there with the giant's fist in his hand. "Let me ask you a question. How many people have you hurt, robbed, or done wrong to? I guess someone like you doesn't keep track of that. Oh, well, I probably won't remember you either, so I'll get off my high horse."

The giant tried to pull his hand away, to no avail. "Let go, you small human scum!"

Cedric chuckled. "No..... 'Sparks of flame from the raging fire within....'"

Lily's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's the flare spell? It's not strong enough to hurt someone like that, Montclair!"

"Charge and burn my foes!" As Cedric finished his incantation, a giant flame rose like a raging tornado, engulfing the giant.

The intense heat caused the air to ripple, and the ground beneath them trembled. The flames danced with an otherworldly brilliance, and the bandit's screams echoed through the forest.

Lily and Oliver stood speechless. "That was a flare spell?" Lily said, stunned.

Oliver felt like he was going to throw up as his mind raced. "What is going on? That can't be Cedric....."

As the flames cleared, the giant fell to his knees, unable to talk. Oliver wiped sweat from his brow. "That was hard to watch...."

Cedric put a hand on the giant's shoulder. "There, I think you have been redeemed. Hopefully, you'll be a better person now."

The giant, though battered and scorched, managed a defiant sneer. "Redeemed? Don't make me laugh, human. You think you've changed me?"

Cedric smiled leaning over him. "Oh, but I have. You see, I'm not only good with fire; I can heal too." He looked into the giant's eyes, his smile turning mischievous. "So, every time I burn you, I'll also heal you, and we can keep this little game going. What do you say?"

The giant's bravado wavered as he realized he was at Cedric's mercy. He coughed and tried to maintain his pride. "You... you won't break me!"

Cedric laughed, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and something darker. "Oh, I don't intend to break you completely....."

And so it went on. Cedric repeated the cycle of healing the giant and setting him ablaze. The giant's cries for mercy became desperate, and he begged for Cedric to stop. His arrogance had crumbled, replaced by fear and pain.

Cedric sighed, almost bored, after several rounds of this. "I think that's enough. 'Those kind spirits that whisper in the earth, I call upon you to heal this poor soul.'"

The giant fell to the ground, gasping for breath, his body trembling with exhaustion. Oliver and Lily watched with a mix of horror and awe, unable to believe what they had witnessed.

Cedric looked at the broken man before him and spoke in a softer tone. "There, I think you have learned your lesson. Hopefully, you'll be a better person now."

The giant could hardly speak, but he managed a nod of gratitude. Cedric turned around, leaving the man sitting there in a daze.

As Cedric approached Lily, she stammered over her words. "I-I didn't need your help, Montclair..."

Cedric smiled, and softly touched her chin his gaze lingering on her for a moment. "Of course not, Miss Cornale, but I couldn't stand by and watch someone hurt you."

Lily's face turned bright red. "W-what are you talking about?"

Cedric chuckled flirtatiously as he walked away. "Just kidding...."

Oliver watched as Cedric walked toward him. "Cedric, what happened to you?"

Cedric tilted his head, looking confused. "Cedric?..... Oh, I'm not him, Oliver Regan."

Shock overtook Oliver's face. "What do you mean?"

Cedric shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, I am him, but at the same time, I'm not. I am someone new."

Oliver tried to press the question. "What...."

Cedric interrupted him with a gleeful face. "I only have two days to play, so let's go."

Oliver watched as Cedric entered the mountain pass. "He is Cedric but he isn't? What could that even mean? I have so many questions that my head is spinning, but I know one thing for sure: that wasn't my new friend; he was something darker."

"Oliver, let's go. Montclair is leaving us behind!" Lily shouted as she entered the mountain pass.

Oliver walked forward, deep in thought. "For now, I'll call him Dark Cedric..."