The dense trees loomed high above as the two figures stood facing each other. The air crackled with tension—at least, for one of them.
Seraphina's eyes locked onto Elias with sharp determination. This was it. The moment to prove herself. She had observed him long enough to know that he was strong—but so was she.
She took a deep breath.
Elias tilted his head, his expression one of mild amusement.
He was so casual, so disinterested, that it made her eyebrow twitch.
Still, she didn't let it faze her. Without another word, she lunged forward, activating her inscriptions in an instant. A series of glowing runes flashed across her arms as she aimed a precise strike straight at his chest.
Her speed was impeccable. Her execution? Flawless.
And yet…
Swoosh!
Elias wasn't there.
Smack!
Seraphina yelped as a firm slap landed square on her ass. The impact wasn't painful—it was humiliating.
She stumbled forward, her face heating up in pure shock.
Elias, standing behind her now, wagged a finger. "Too slow."
Seraphina's eye twitched. He just—?!
With gritted teeth, she whirled around and launched another barrage of attacks, her inscriptions lighting up with even greater force.
Elias, however, dodged them with minimal effort, his movements so fluid it was like he was dancing rather than fighting.
Smack!
Another slap—this time on her cheek.
Seraphina flinched.
Smack!
Her other cheek.
"Stop that!" she snapped, spinning in frustration.
She let out a strangled noise. "I swear to—"
SMACK!
Right on her ass again.
Seraphina froze. "..."
Elias let out a small chuckle. "You're fun to mess with."
Fun? FUN?!
Seraphina felt her blood boil. That was it.
With a furious growl, she activated her strongest inscription yet, the air around her crackling with raw energy. The very ground trembled beneath her feet.
A massive surge of power erupted from her, forming a blinding crimson sigil beneath Elias's feet.
"Let's see you dodge THIS!"
The sigil flared—
And then, in an instant—
Elias vanished.
Seraphina barely had time to process before she felt something right behind her.
A breath tickled her ear.
"Boo."
WHACK!
A light flick on the back of her head.
Seraphina spun around, her expression caught between rage and disbelief.
Elias stood there, arms crossed, perfectly unharmed, wearing a smirk that made her want to punch a hole through the universe.
"Y'know," he mused, stretching lazily, "I thought this would be a fight, but it's more like…" He tapped his chin. "A light warm-up? A little morning exercise?"
Seraphina saw red.
Before she could launch herself at him again, Elias casually flicked a finger—
And the next thing she knew, she was flying backward at terrifying speed.
BOOM!
She crashed into a tree so hard that the bark exploded into splinters.
She groaned, slumping forward, barely staying conscious. Her inscriptions flickered and died out.
Elias sighed, strolling toward her as if he had just finished stretching after a nap.
"Don't take it too hard," he said, crouching beside her, a grin still playing on his lips. "I mean, you lasted longer than most."
Seraphina wanted to strangle him.
She glared at him, chest heaving, pride shattered.
"You… insufferable… bastard…"
Elias smirked. "Careful, if you insult me too much, I might just have to smack you again."
Seraphina immediately shut up.
Elias stood up and dusted himself off. "Welp, that was fun. See ya."
And with that, he walked away, not even bothering to finish the fight.
Seraphina lay there, twitching, seething, vowing that one day—one day—she'd pay him back for this.
But for now?
She could only watch as Elias strolled off, humming happily to himself.
* * *
The next day
The forest was eerily silent. The previous night had been filled with distant screams, the snarls of beasts, and the occasional explosion of inscriptions clashing in battle. But now, as the first light of dawn barely pierced through the dense canopy, an unnatural stillness settled over the land.
Ryn and Veyran moved cautiously through the undergrowth, their senses heightened. Their bodies bore minor scrapes and bruises, but they had survived the first night without major injury—a feat in itself.
But something was wrong.
Ryn felt it before he understood it. A pressure at the edge of his mind, a subtle pull in his chest. It was faint, almost like a whisper just out of reach.
His steps slowed.
"Ryn?" Veyran glanced at him.
Ryn didn't respond immediately. His fingers unconsciously brushed over his engraving tool, and then—
The Abyss Inscription reacted.
A pulse. A slow, deliberate throb beneath his skin.
The tool grew cold in his grasp, far colder than it should have been. His breath misted in the air, despite the humid warmth of the forest.
Veyran tensed. "What's going on?"
Ryn frowned, turning his palm upward. The engraving tool hummed softly, its surface darkening, as if the shadows clung to it more deeply than before.
Then, the ground beneath them shuddered.
Not a quake. Not the movement of some great beast. No—it was more… subtle. As if something beneath the surface had stirred in response to him.
A presence. Watching.
The pulse from the Abyss Inscription grew stronger, rhythmic, almost like a heartbeat.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Ryn inhaled sharply. For the briefest moment, his vision shifted. The forest around him flickered, its colors dulling, the light twisting unnaturally. The trees seemed taller, their shadows stretching impossibly long.
He saw something.
Something vast.
Something waiting.
And then—
The pulse stopped.
The weight lifted, the world snapped back to normal, and the only sound was the rustling of leaves in a gentle breeze.
Ryn stood there, heart pounding.
Veyran gave him a wary look. "Are you going to tell me what just happened?"
Ryn exhaled slowly, glancing down at his engraving tool. The Abyss Inscription was silent once more, as if nothing had ever happened.
But he knew better.
Something had noticed him.