3rd POV
Somewhere in Valtoria's Steppes at night
A flash of light illuminated the surrounding area before two beings appeared one a Valkyrie with neck length violet hair and sky blues eyes and silver wings the other an a tall imposing Oni with one horn on his head and and long jet black hair that was crudely tied by rings of amber. They stood there and looked around for a bit seemingly confused.
"Aetheria where the fuck are we? And why is it nightfall it was around noon when we teleported from the camp to here which may I remind you was but a few seconds ago," the Oni spoke towards the the Valkyrie who looked just as confused as him "I don't know I intended to teleport us near the being that was releasing that energy however it seems that something went wrong in the process," she responded annoyed at not only their current situation but at her companion as well.
"The 'great' Aetheria failed at simple teleportation now that's something worth laughing over," the Oni cackled like a mad man as Aetheria grew angry at him, "Kurogane, could you please ever so politely Fuck Off! I. Don't. Fail. It is simply not in my nature," she said glaring daggers at him, "...Unlike someone I know," Aetheria smirked clearly that jab was aimed at him.
'Hey! That was not my fault I was given weaklings who couldn't even hold their swords properly if I was given caplets strong warriors who knew what they were doing that raid would have been a success!" Kurogane roared and her in clear distain, "Uhu keep telling yourself that" Aetheria rolled her eyes dismissing his words.
The two then got into a screaming contest bickering and arguing like children, it became a constant back and forth of nonsensical gibberish and accusations. While the two continued to fight they failed to notice a creature watching them from the shadows.
The beast had been stalking the two for quite some time, its glowing amber eyes fixated on them with an eerie intensity. Its massive, fur-covered body blended seamlessly with the tall grass, and its claws dug silently into the earth as it shifted its weight. The creature's breath was slow and deliberate, nostrils flaring as it took in their scent: foreign, powerful, yet horrible distracted.
Kurogane and Aetheria, too caught up in their squabble, remained oblivious to the lurking danger.
"You know what? Next time, you can do the teleportation!" Aetheria huffed, crossing her arms.
"Gladly! At least I won't send us to some godforsaken steppe in the middle of nowhere!" Kurogane shot back, his voice thick with mockery.
Aetheria opened her mouth to retort, but then the wind shifted. Her focus shifted off of Kurogane to the near by trees eying them closely, "What are you looking at now? Upset that I'm right?"
"Kurogane," she said, her voice suddenly serious. He raised a brow at her change in tone. "What?" Aetheria's wings twitched. "We're being watched."
Silence fell between them. The hostility from before vanished in an instant as their battle instincts took over. Kurogane turned his head slightly, his crimson eyes scanning the darkness his hands reaching for his twin katanas, while Aetheria's fingers tightened around the spear on her back.
Then, a low growl rumbled through the silent night. The beast lunged revealing it's feline appearance it had black fur with orange and red stripes along it's back it aimed for Aetheria opening it's jaws wide showing it's large, sharp fangs.
Aetheria reacted in an instant. Her wings flared as she twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the creature's snapping jaws. She planted her foot into the dirt and launched herself backward, her spear gleaming under the moonlit sky as she readied her stance.
Kurogane, however, met the beast head-on. With a manic grin, he unsheathed his twin katanas in a blur of silver and black. The creature, landing where Aetheria had stood moments before, snarled at the Oni, its emerald eyes burning with primal rage.
"Well, well," Kurogane mused, rolling his shoulders. "At least something here is worth my time."
The beast wasted no time in lunging at him, claws outstretched. Kurogane sidestepped with unnatural speed, his horn gleaming as he brought one katana down in a vicious arc. Sparks flew as the blade met the creature's thick hide, barely cutting through its dense fur. "Tch. Tough bastard."
Aetheria, now airborne, circled above. Her sharp gaze analyzed the creature's movements: powerful, calculated, and most importantly, intelligent. This wasn't just some ordinary beast.
"Kurogane! Stop playing around you idiot!" she called, twirling her spear before hurling it toward the beast.
The creature, sensing the attack, twisted mid-lunge. The spear grazed its flank, drawing a thin line of dark blood. It turned its gaze toward Aetheria, eyes narrowing. Then, something unexpected happened.
The wound… closed.
Aetheria's breath hitched. "Regeneration?" Kurogane clicked his tongue, gripping his swords tighter. "Great. Just what we needed."
The beast let out a deafening roar, its body crackling with fiery energy. The orange and red stripes along its back began to glow, pulsing like molten veins. The air around it grew hotter, the scent of burning grass filling the night. "Fire magic?!" Aetheria gasped in shock, "How the fuck of this thing learn magic it's not even fully grown?"
Kurogane cracked his neck, stepping forward. "Heh. Alright, this might actually be fun."
Aetheria, however, wasn't as amused. She knew that whatever this thing was, it wasn't a mere predator, it was something far worse. A thought crossed her mind while analyzing the strange creature,"Wait that's a Dread Fang I'd recognize those razor sharp fangs anywhere," Kurogane looked at her astonished.
"Aetheria do remind me but last time I checked Dread Fangs weren't this intelligent or possessed the flame affinity. Plus this one is much bigger than normal Dread Fangs," he said as he jumped up and stabbed the beast through the shoulder, his twin katanas sinking deep into its thick hide. The Dread Fang roared in fury, twisting its body violently to throw him off. Kurogane tightened his grip, holding on as the beast thrashed, its molten veins flaring brighter with each movement.
Aetheria gritted her teeth. "Bigger, smarter, and infused with fire magic?" This was no ordinary Dread Fang it was a mutation.
'Mutations in beings are rare unless in life or death situations or a change in the environment. So what on Arkavia could have caused it to mutate. Wait the energy that we sensed earlier could it have caused this this it seems to have adapted new skills such as Metallic Pelt(X), Regeneration(R), Heat release(R), and Flame Skin(R).' Aetheria thought watching the creature closely, 'Unfortunately neither me nor Kurogane have any analysing skills to confirm this so this is mostly guess work.'
"Kurogane, we need to put this thing down fast!" she called out, summoning her spear back into her hand with a flick of her wrist. "If it keeps adapting, we might not be able to kill it!"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Kurogane grumbled, his muscles tensing. "But maybe tell me how instead of just yelling orders damn bitch?"
The Dread Fang bucked hard, finally launching Kurogane off its back. He flipped midair, landing heavily on his feet. His smirk never faltered, but Aetheria could tell he was taking this more seriously now.
The Dread Fang turned toward them both, lips curling back in a feral snarl. Its molten veins pulsed rapidly, a sure sign that something was coming.
Then, without warning, it exploded forward.
Aetheria barely had time to react before the beast was on her, flames bursting from its paws as it struck. She twisted, her spear meeting its claws in a violent clash, but the sheer force sent her skidding backward. The heat was unbearable far hotter than before.
Kurogane wasted no time. "Tch. Looks like it's learned a new trick," he muttered before lunging back into the fray, his blades cutting arcs of steel through the air.
Aetheria's mind raced. "It's learning. If it keeps up like this… we're in trouble." She needed to end this. Now.
"Kurogane!" she shouted, wings flaring wide. "Keep it distracted—I have an idea!" Kurogane laughed, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah yeah whatever you say, Hag!"
"Grow up!" Aetheria shouted while Laughed. Then, without hesitation, he charged headfirst into battle once more.
The Dread Fang met Kurogane's charge with equal ferocity, its molten veins pulsing brighter as it launched a searing swipe at him. Kurogane dodged, barely avoiding the flames that licked at his skin. He countered with a quick slash of his katana, but once again, his blade barely cut into the beast's tough hide.
"Tch. Metallic Pelt, my ass. This is some bullshit," Kurogane muttered, backing away as the Dread Fang roared. The flames on its body intensified, the air shimmering around it from the heat.
Above, Aetheria shot higher into the sky, pushing past the growing waves of heat. She gritted her teeth, already feeling the strain in her wings. I don't have long before this thing turns the entire steppe into a furnace.
She had to finish it now.
Aetheria spun her spear in her grip, the metal gleaming in the moonlight. Her body tensed, magic surging through her as she prepared her next move."Kurogane! I need it still!" she called down.
Kurogane snorted. "Easier said than done, Hag!" Aetheria scowled but didn't rise to the bait. She needed him focused, not fighting with her.
Kurogane cracked his neck, watching the beast carefully. He grinned. "Alright, big guy. You wanna burn? Then let's burn."
He suddenly charged forward, feinting left before darting right. The Dread Fang lunged, but Kurogane twisted his body, letting its claws swipe just past his chest. Then, in a blur of movement, he slammed his foot down and grabbed the beast's exposed forelimb.
"Gotcha."
With a roar of effort, Kurogane lifted the Dread Fang off the ground and slammed it into the earth with bone-crushing force. Dust and embers flew in all directions, the creature letting out a shocked snarl as the impact momentarily stunned it.
"NOW, AETHERIA!"
High above, Aetheria took a deep breath, centering herself. Her body shimmered, silver energy crackling around her spear as she entered a controlled dive. The wind roared past her, the heat intensifying, but she didn't stop.
Her spear ignited with wind energy, the silver light burning through the smoke twisting and turning into a hurricane like falling star.
The Dread Fang, sensing danger, struggled to rise, but Kurogane kept it pinned. "Oh no, you stay right there." He grabbed the creature tighter as black black lightning surged from his body electrocuting it and making sure it didn't move.
With one final push, Aetheria spun her body, aiming straight for the Dread Fang's exposed chest.
"Die, trash!"
The moment her spear made contact, a deafening explosion of silver and fire erupted across the area. Aetheria drove her weapon straight through the beast's core, wind energy swirling into its molten veins. The Dread Fang let out a final, agonized roar before its body convulsed—then went still.
For a moment, silence reigned.
Then, Aetheria wrenched her spear free, breathing hard. The Dread Fang's body slumped, its glowing veins flickering before dimming entirely. The unnatural heat faded, leaving behind only the charred remains of burned grass.
Kurogane let out a low whistle. "Damn. Overkill much?" Aetheria shot him a tired glare. "Shut up."
He grinned, sheathing his katanas. "Well, at least now we know not to trust weird magical energy surges. Next time, I'm teleporting us there."
Aetheria groaned, rubbing her temples. "You teleport? We'd probably end up inside a volcano." Kurogane smirked. "At least it'd be warm."
Aetheria sighed. "I hate you, you old bastard."
Kurogane laughed. "The feelings mutual, bitch." As the night settled once more, the two stood over the fallen beast, a single thought lingering between them.
Just what the hell had caused this thing to mutate?
A new wave of energy surged through the forest this time with more intensity upon feeling the energy the two collapsed to the ground they felt immense pain and tears ran down their cheeks.
"Fuck! What is this? I've never felt anything like this not even from master," Kurogane said while gritting his teeth and using one of his katana like a cane to support him.
Aetheria clutched her head, wings trembling violently as she forced herself to stay upright. "This… this isn't just raw power," she panted, her fingers digging into the dirt. "It's something… deeper. Almost like it's trying to tear us apart from the inside."
Kurogane growled, his breathing ragged. "Yeah, no shit," he spat, sweat dripping down his forehead. "I feel like my damn soul is being shredded. If it's this bad for us, imagine what it would do to some weak-ass bitch."
The energy surge grew stronger, pressing against them like a tidal wave. The air crackled with something ancient and overwhelming, far beyond mere magic. Whatever it was, it didn't just radiate power it carried intent.
Aetheria gasped as a sudden vision flashed through her mind.
A sky split open by jagged lightning. Shadows twisting and writhing beneath it. A figure standing at the center, their form blurred and shifting. Their presence was suffocating greater than a god, greater than anything she had ever felt before.
She wrenched herself back to reality, gasping. Kurogane wasn't faring any better; his pupils had shrunk to slits, his muscles locked as if he were fighting an invisible force. His usual cocky demeanor had vanished, replaced with something rare fear.
"What the fuck… was that?" he muttered, his voice unusually hoarse.
Aetheria swallowed hard, trying to steady her breathing. "I—I don't know. But Kurogane…" She turned to look at him, her expression grim. "That wasn't just an energy surge."
Kurogane clenched his jaw. "Yeah. That was a warning to stay the fuck away."
A heavy silence settled between them. The Dread Fang's smoldering corpse lay forgotten, its unnatural mutation now a mere footnote in something far more terrifying.
Something was coming. And whatever it was… it had just made its presence known.
A bright light flashed through the sky and something rose from the trees a colossal sized monster it's body made of what seemed to be massive amounts of energy it roared creatures of every kind rushed as far away from it as they could.
Storm clouds formed in the sky lightning and thunder roared through the sky as rain and hail came down. "Aetheria, what the fuck am I looking at," Aetheria could barely find the words. Her wings twitched, her breath caught in her throat as she gazed up at the towering monstrosity that had emerged from the forest. "By the Ancients…" she whispered, gripping her spear tighter.
The creature, if it could even be called that, was unlike anything she had ever seen. Its form was shifting, unstable, as if it were barely holding itself together. Pure, raw energy crackled across its body, warping the air around it. Jagged arcs of energy coiled around its limbs, its core pulsating with unrestrained power. It had no defined shape, constantly shifting between something humanoid, beastly, and utterly alien.
Kurogane cursed under his breath, forcing himself to stand straight despite the lingering pain in his body. "Yeah, that's not normal," he said, eyes narrowing. "You know, Aetheria, I think we may have just found the source of that energy surge."
"No shit, Kurogane!" she snapped, still staring in horrified fascination at the creature.
The creature turned its gaze toward them—if it even had eyes. There were no pupils, no irises, just two hollow voids glowing with unbearable intensity. The moment its attention fell upon them, the air grew heavier, suffocating. It was as if existence itself strained under its presence.
Aetheria felt an instinctual dread clawing at her chest. This isn't something they could fight. Every part of her being screamed at her to run. To flee. To get as far away from this thing as possible.
And yet…
She clenched her jaw, wings flaring out. "Kurogane… we need to—"
Before she could finish, the creature moved.
Faster than thought, it blurred forward, its colossal form covering the distance between them in an instant almost as if it had glitched. The very ground beneath them cracked under the sheer force of its approach. Kurogane barely had time to react before he was sent flying. The impact felt like a mountain had slammed into him.
"AETHERIA-!" He barely managed to shout before crashing into the earth, leaving a deep trench in his wake.
Aetheria's body reacted on instinct. She shot into the air, avoiding the second blow that would have crushed her outright. But the creature wasn't done. It raised its shifting, unstable arm toward her, and reality itself bent.
Aetheria didn't have time to think. One second, she was in the sky. The next, she was somewhere else.
Disoriented, she tumbled through the air, barely regaining control before she hit the ground. "Teleportation?! No—that wasn't magic," she realized, heart hammering. "It's distorting space itself!"
Kurogane groaned, dragging himself out of the crater he had made upon impact. Blood dripped from his forehead, but his eyes were sharper than ever. He spat to the side. "Yeah. Okay. So we're completely outmatched."
"For once, I agree," Aetheria admitted, panting.
The creature loomed over them, its body pulsing, the storm raging wildly around it. It was neither angered nor enraged it simply was. An unfathomable force of nature that had chosen to acknowledge them.
And that alone had nearly killed them.
Kurogane, despite everything, let out a shaky laugh. "So, Aetheria…" He rolled his shoulders, gripping his katanas even tighter. "What's the plan?"
Aetheria swallowed, tightening her hold on her spear. "We run."
Kurogane blinked. "Run?"
"RUN! YOU FOOL!" Aetheria shouted, already taking off.
Kurogane didn't need to be told twice. He turned on his heel and sprinted, pushing his body to its limits. The creature let out a low, guttural sound—something between a hum and a roar. The very air warped as it moved to pursue.
And for the first time in their lives, Aetheria and Kurogane were running for survival.